How to Setup CCTV DVR IP CAM for Internet Access

This blog will guide you on how to setup CCTV or IP CAM for internet access. CCTV is very useful nowadays where crimes are almost everywhere. Most crimes like hold-ups occurs mostly on business establishments. That's why CCTV is currently in-demand for security purposes. Try to follow how I used to make a CCTV visible through internet access.

Setup Up Your CCTV or IP-CAM Networking Properties

1. Change the CCTV IP / IP CAM address corresponds to your network.

   - If your network is 192.168.0.0/24, then the IP address of your CCTV will be on that range. If your router is DHCP, you will have to assign IP address beyond the IP address range. So when the range is 192.168.0.2-100, you can assign any IP address between 192.168.0.101-254.

For example, let us assign an IP address of 192.168.0.200 for our CCTV. The subnet mask will be 255.255.255.0 and the gateway address is 192.168.0.1. Gateway is the router's IP address.

 - For IP CAM, most of it has an include utility or software that you can use to access and setup your IP CAM. Or you can use the same method above if know its IP by accessing through web browser. The same procedure above will be applied.

2. Setup Port number to your CCTV used for video and audio. If audio is capable with your CCTV you can setup a port. This port number is used for accessing a CCTV through internet. What port number to use? Never assign port number starting from 1-80 because most of this range is used in some networking protocols . Port 80 for example is used for HTTP on internet access. I recommend you to use port numbers with 4 digits like 4040, or 8080. If you have 5 IP CAM, you can assign each with a port from 8080-8084 for example. If we are going to access the CCTV locally, we have type in the URL like this: http://192.168.0.200. If we want to access through then internet, we have to include to port number of the CCTV like this: http://public-ip-address:8080. Public IP address is the IP address used by the router to communicate through internet. To know your public ip, just search on the net and type in the search engine 'what is my ip'.

Setup Up Your Router To Forward the Assign Port to your CCTV/IP CAM

- In order for your CCTV/IP CAM to be accessible online, you need to command your router to access your CCTV. By doing this, you will have to PORT-FORWARD your CCTV port pointing to the IP address of your CCTV.

Go to your Router's Port-Forwarding menu or section and do something like the configuration bellow. We will use a Single Port-Forwarding for each IP/CAM or CCTV.

You will have to name your Port-forwarding : CCTV-IPCAM

External Port : 8080

Internal Port: 8080

Protocol: Use both TCP and UDP - TCP is for video and UDP is for audio.

IP address of CCTV: 192.168.0.200.

Enabled: check

Apply the configuration and test if you can connect to your CCTV using a web browser. Just fill in the URL http://203.134.22.13:8080. Public ip address of router is 203.134.22.13. If you can connect to your CCTV camera, then your setup is successful. Now you can do the same process to the reast of your IP CAM or CCTV camera. You are now successful accessing your CCTV camera or IP camera through Internet. 

Typing the IP address of your IP-CAM is very annoying if you forget it. Much if you have many cameras installed. This could be a problem for everyone. But there is a solution to that. You will have to point that IP address of your camera to a dns. You can have it free or on dydns.org. There are also free subscription on the like no-ip.com. It will be easier for you to remember if you have a dns for your camera. If you are not familiar with setting up DNS for your CCTV, then you can use its utility for viewing CCTV/IP CAM through internet. Upon buying IPCAM or CCTV it has included its own utility for viewing.

That's it. I hope you get my point. Thank you.