How to Set Up an IP-Based Camera Surveillance System

Install reasonably priced cameras over ubiquitous networks IP surveillance technology has reached one of those "perfect storm" moments. Today's digital cameras are inexpensive and easy to install. Wired and wireless networks alike are ubiquitous. And the camera-monitoring software is robust, easy-to-use and often free. Demand for security cams is high among both businesses and home users, and system builders stand to capitalize on this surging wave by offering installation services and support. There's even potential for computer and server upgrades, as some companies will be looking to build dedicated systems that have guaranteed bandwidth and quality of service (QoS) over the video network.

Cameras are popping up all over the place. You can find them at retail businesses, factory floors, homes, apartments, landmarks, schools, financial institutions and transportation centers, to name but a few. Applications range from basic security and safety to quality control monitoring.

Although you can use these cameras over the Web, they're not really Webcams, which are those small, low-tech cameras designed for online socializing. Rather, IP-based cameras connect directly to IP networks, record at higher frame rates, and generally have better resolution then Webcams. They can pan, tilt and zoom, and many have one-way or two-way audio capabilities. They also come with monitoring and management software that lets you trigger alarms and e-mail alerts when certain events occur. For example, you can designate motion detection areas within a frame that generate alerts when motion occurs. Or you can set the system to begin recording when certain events occur or timers are set. Examples of motion events might include a person walking into the frame or a car driving across a designated area.

Since these systems are IP-based, you can monitor, store, and archive video, audio and associated application data over the Internet or across private data networks. The video can be carried anywhere the IP network extends, as opposed to closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems that require proprietary equipment and dedicated coaxial cabling. Anyone with the proper security clearance and a standard browser can monitor video, and control and configure the cameras on the network.

You need to have a fairly robust wired or wireless network set up for a successful IP surveillance roll-out. This Recipe assumes that you have a typical 10/100 wired or 802.11g wireless network already set up. We will, however, look at some Power over Ethernet (PoE) networking equipment and discuss the advantages of that type of system as well. PoE allows you to send power over ethernet lines so you don't have to place the cameras near power sources.

Finally, a note on what all this will cost you. Simply put, pricing will depend on several factors you'll need to carefully consider: Labor rates, the camera(s) selected, the structure of the building(s), the location of power outlets, the location of network infrastructure, etc.

Big Benefits

A quick rundown of the main benefits of IP surveillance follows. Use these points when pitching solutions to your customers, and they will quickly recognize the advantages.

• Utilizes existing IP infrastructure.
• Highly scalable.
• Flexible camera placement: PoE eliminates need for local power source; Wi-Fi eliminates need for hard-wired ethernet cable. Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity, and Wi-Fi is pretty much a noun these days, and has even become synonymous with the more generic term "wireless."
• Remote viewing from anywhere/anytime via a standard Web browser.
• Standards-based, allowing multi-vendor solutions and integration.
• Better image quality than closed circuit TV (CCTV) analog systems.
• Open storage and server systems scale easily and cheaply, with no need for specialized recording equipment or training.
• Secure: Data can be encrypted across the network, so only the cameras and servers know what kind of packets to expect across the system. Without the proper authentication keys, outsiders can't break into the network to steal video data or feed false video into the system. Also, any interruption to the data stream can automatically trigger alarms and alerts.

Ingredients

Let's get into the two main areas of components—the cameras and the network—that we'll need for building out an IP camera surveillance system.

Cameras: Most professionals are deploying products from D-Link of Fountain Valley, California. The company has been around for 20 years, and it offers quality cameras at reasonable prices. I recommend them.

I tested D-Link's DCS-6620G, DCS-5300G, DCS-3220G, DCS-2120 and DCS-950G cameras. I've listed them in order from fully featured to bare-bones. The DSC-6620G is the deluxe model, with all the bells and whistles and the superior Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) technology.

The D-Link DCS-6620G and DCS-5300G are the motorized models; they offer full pan, tilt and zoom features. The 6620G retails for about $775 onAmazon (NSDQ: AMZN). The DCS-5300G sells for about $422. (All prices are subject to change, of course. Watch for deals!)

The DCS-6620G, DCS-5300G and DCS-3220G have microphones and 3.5-mm. audio jacks to connect speakers at the camera source, so you can have remote two-way conversations. The DCS-3220G retails for $323 on Amazon.

The DCS-2120 has a microphone, but no speaker jack, so you can only monitor sound from this camera; you can't speak back to the person on the other end. I won't go into all the features here, but these cameras are quite impressive and take excellent, clear videos. The DCS-2120 retails for just under $320. The low-end DCS-950G is going for a little over $140.

All the cameras I tested operate as both Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet cameras. You can set them up either way depending upon your needs and the locations of your wired ethernet.

Once you've set up a camera, you can just plug the rest in and configure them without having to run the set-up utilities again. You can get a large facility installed really quickly this way. You simply plug the cameras into a power outlet and Ethernet jack, discover them with the D-Link client utility, and then configure the Wi-Fi settings according to your router's settings. Unplug the Ethernet cable(s) from the cameras you want to use in Wi-Fi mode, and you're set. The Wi-Fi cameras can be positioned anywhere in range of your wireless router and anywhere there is a power source. I'll cover the initial software installation in specific detail below.

The Network: You need to consider a few existing network variables before installing cameras. Ideally, your network switches and routers should offer a range of speeds from 56 megabits per second (Mbps) to 10 Gbps. For high-quality feeds or large numbers of cameras, consider 100 Mbps attached cameras with backbone network speeds of 1 Gigabit or higher. 10/100 Mbps networks and 54 Mbps or 108 Mbps Wi-Fi networks can be used for applications where high-resolution video quality is not as critical.

If you don't want to run Ethernet cable, 802.11 wireless access points and wireless cameras are an option. The 54-Mbps 802.11g standard is sufficient for many video surveillance applications. Current wireless security standards, like Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), offer robust authentication and encryption for the wireless signal to prevent snooping and interception of the video signal.

You should estimate throughput and peak demand requirements that will be placed on the network and examine how those demands may impact other network applications. Also, consider Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms to provide the desired level of video quality to your IP Surveillance cameras and monitoring applications.

If you have a client that needs a larger installation—with 200 to 300 cameras, for example—you can go with Gigabit and 10-Gigabit Ethernet. Some organizations are easily using more than 1,000 cameras at a time with these high-speed networks.

Article Source: http://www.crn.com/white-box/192202279

MULTIMEDIA

The creation of multimedia capabilities for the PC was probably given initial impetus by gamers, and certainly it is the case today that game demands drive graphical innovations. In computer sound capabilities musicians found a whole new means for creating and recording music, with studio technology condensed into their home PC. Quickly, business and education began to utilise the dynamism of sound and vision. Even professional home video editing became a real possibility.

Eventually, broadband Internet opened the doors for digital music, online gaming, movie downloads, Internet TV and more. The PC has since been posited as a home media centre, offering a complete home entertainment hub. There is no doubt, multimedia is a cornerstone of home computers.

Article Source: http://www.pctechguide.com/02Multimedia.htm

GRAPHICS CARDS

Video or graphics circuitry, usually fitted to a card but sometimes found on the motherboard itself, is responsible for creating the picture displayed by a monitor. On early text-based PCs this was a fairly mundane task. However, the advent of graphical operating systems dramatically increased the amount of information needing to be displayed to levels where it was impractical for it to be handled by the main processor. The solution was to off-load the handling of all screen activity to a more intelligent generation of graphics card.

As the importance of multimedia and then 3D graphics has increased, the role of the graphics card has become ever more important and it has evolved into a highly efficient processing engine which can really be viewed as a highly specialised co-processor. By the late 1990s the rate of development in the graphics chip arena had reached levels unsurpassed in any other area of PC technology, with the major manufacturers such as 3dfx, ATI, Matrox, nVidia and S3 working to a barely believable six-month product life cycle! One of the consequences of this has been the consolidation of major chip vendors and graphics card manufacturers.

Chip maker 3dfx started the trend in 1998 with the its acquisition of board manufacturer STB systems. This gave 3dfx a more direct route to market with retail product and the ability to manufacture and distribute boards that bearing its own branding. Rival S3 followed suit in the summer of 1999 by buying Diamond Mulitmedia, thereby acquiring its graphics and sound card, modem and MP3 technologies. A matter of weeks later, 16-year veteran Number Nine announced its abandonment of the chip development side of its business in favour of board manufacturing.

The consequence of all this manoeuvring was to leave nVidia as the last of the major graphics chip vendors without its own manufacturing facility - and the inevitable speculation of a tie-up with close partner, Creative Labs. Whilst there'd been no developments on this front by mid-2000, nVidia's position had been significantly strengthened by S3's sale of its graphics business to VIA Technologies in April of that year. The move - which S3 portrayed as an important step in the transformation of the company from a graphics focused semiconductor supplier to a more broadly based Internet appliance company - left nVidia as sole remaining big player in the graphics chip business. In the event, it was not long before S3's move would be seen as a recognition of the inevitable.

In an earnings announcement at the end of 2000, 3dfx announced the transfer of all patents, patents pending, the Voodoo brandname and major assets to bitter rivals nVidia and recommended the dissolution of the company. In hindsight, it could be argued that 3dfx's acquisition of STB in 1998 had simply hastened the company's demise since it was at this point that many of its hitherto board manufacturer partners switched their allegiance to nVidia. At the same time nVidia sought to bring some stability to the graphics arena by making a commitment about future product cycles. They promised to release a new chip out every autumn, and a tweaked and optimised version of that chip each following spring. To date they've delivered on their promise - and deservedly retained their position of dominance!

Article Source: http://www.pctechguide.com/41GraphicsCards.htm

Domain Name Registration Is The First Step To Build A Website

n the era of internet, while even the smallest of the business entities thrives for an online presence, it is necessary to understand the starting steps of the process. The online presence of your business is marked by the website that you have and the domain name is the name and address of that website.

Any marketer will emphasize on a good, easy to spell and easy to remember domain name that is similar to your business or nature of business. Domain name is the key to branding your business online.

A popular trend used to be that many business chose a domain name with a prefix ‘I’ or ‘e’ to the nature of shopping. The terminology became so famous over the internet that any body who hears the names ‘e-shopping’, ‘e-travel’, ‘i-ticket’ etc. can easily relate to the online entity without further explanation.

The other important part of domain name is their extension. Domain names are often confused by the customers because of their extensions. A typical extension varies from .com, .net, .biz, .info, .edu etc. etc. Many big business houses make it a practice to book all the extension and map it with each other so that abcd.com and abcd.net will take the visitor to the same page. However this adds to the cost and also the list being increasing daily with country specific extensions like, .au, .us, .co.uk, .asia etc coming in it is not always possible to acquire every possible extension with your name. Hence it is necessary that you promote the entire domain name to your target customers and build a brand around it.

Domain name registration starts with the process of checking the availability of the name you have short listed along with the desired extension. There are a number of domain registration websites that offer you the search function for the availability of your domain name. Once you have checked the availability, you can go forward to the domain name registration procedure from the same company where you checked the availability from a different company. Most domain registration companies offer you the ability to book your domain name online and you can make multiple domain name registration at a single go.

At the process of domain registration you will also need to mention the time for which you want to own the particular name. You need to renew it every time your tenure is near completion. Make sure that you make your domain registration in from a vendor that has a secured, certified online transaction process.

By: Smit

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Number 1 In Google With A Domain Name Redirect

Hi everyone,

I am glad to see you are doing some reading. That is how I learned most of what I know. Did you know that you can get ranked number 1 in Google just using a simple $10 domain name redirect/mask? That is awesome. I have only been in internet marketing for 2 years and I feel like I am just getting started... really!

So here's the scoop. I got the domain name "AmeriPlanCoverage.com" from GoDaddy... set up fowarding and masking... put in my keywords and website description, and BAM. Maybe a month or so later that website was #1 for the keyword "ameriplan coverage."

There is a video tutorial right on the GoDaddy website to show you EXACTLY how to set this all up. It only takes a couple minutes.

It's funny I use this example since I don't even own the domain name anymore. I am an IBO with AmeriPlan USA and am not allowed to use such domain names... but I forgot to read that part of the rules when I signed up... ha ha ha.

Now don't think that every "masked" domain will rank #1 in Google. I think I must have gotten lucky. I had several other domain names that didn't do nearly as well. The point is, it was only $10... and it worked for a while. Since this was a "corporate regenerated website" there was NO WAY to get visitors through the SE's. If you have a duplicate site, you could do the same thing and steal all the visitors from your competition. Sounds great doesn't it?

Of coarse if you really want to do some serious SEO then you need to have your own ORIGINAL content. I actually just started building my own websites... a few short months ago. I am still in the beginning stages of SEO for my few sites and plan to use article marketing for a good part of my traffic. I just ranked #2 for "ameriplan coverage" with my new "original" site... (Directly under the main corporation website! I don't know where they were before!?!)


You know another good traffic tip? I set up a RSS feed on my websites and since I am still adding content, my feeds keep getting bigger too. Submitting a feed is like submitting your url or posting links back to your site. Nothing bad can come of it. It is all GOOD. A combination of everything is how you will gain mass traffic to your website and make money when others around you are failing.

Good luck with all your work. Hard work pays off. Trust me.

To Your Successs,
Andrew Hittle

By: articlesbyandrew

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Importance Of Domain Names In Seo

The e-commerce world has seen many start-ups; some made it big, while others floundered into non-existence. More often than not, a brilliant idea gets stifled by the sheer immensity of the Web. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an internet marketing strategy that provides online businesses with better search rankings and, ultimately decides the success or failure of an online venture. An SEO company packs an arsenal of tools that can increase organic rankings to generate higher ROI (return on investment). One aspect of the SEO process is choosing the right domain name.

While selecting domain names may be redundant for existing businesses, new arrivals on the web must consider the importance of domain names in SEO. The business and domain names are essential because the anchor tag with its text provides a link from every corner of the net to your site. While linking to a website, webmasters tend to use either the business name (e.g. XYZ Company) or the domain name (www.xyzcompany.com). Having a business name that contains keywords which fit your product or service description is a very effective SEO practice.

The direct SEO effect of a keyword rich domain name is evident across the web, with SEO marketers lapping up numerous combinations of their keyword "SEO". The hyphenated URL is a very effective domain name trick, since Google treats hyphens as spaces. This means that a domain name also holds essential SEO keywords that can help propel a website up the search rankings. Also purchasing a more descriptive domain name is cost effective because longer names are generally priced lower.

Of course, with millions of sites, there are bound to be naming collisions, and working around this factor is probably the hardest. After all, no site wants to appear to be a clone of another. Compromises will have to be made. Branding your business and optimizing your website demands certain trade-offs between a stylish name and a utilitarian one. Thus, a good California SEO company, such as JMD Computer, can help in both these intricate processes; first, sifting through the many permutations available and then, choosing one that has both brand value and search engine optimality.

JMD Computer is an SEO company based in California. It specializes in Search Engine Optimization, PPC Campaign Management and other Internet Advertising services.

By: Mike Smith

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

How To Transfer A Domain Name

Transferring a domain name from one registrar to another can appear a confusing and complex issue. In reality it's really quite simple after you've gathered a few important pieces of information.

The first step is to find the new "home" for your domain name. There are really only two options here: a domain registrar or a web hosting company which is also a domain registrar. Some registrar's do not offer web hosting services - in these cases when someone tries to reach your site the internet directory system (called DNS) will be contacting them to find out where your website is really located. This is a perfectly viable solution but may not be the lowest cost as there are many web hosts that now also offer domain registrar services as well. This second option will allow you to manage the domain name as well as host your website in one place and often comes at a lower price than separating out the two services. You must decide what is best for you thought for simplicity it is probably easier to just have everything managed at one location.

The second step is to visit your old registrar and obtain your authorization code. This code will be required to give your new registrar the ability to request the domain name transfer. On most registrars this code can be obtained directly by navigating to the proper page. You may need to use your registrars search function and look up "authorization code" or "transfer domain name" to find out where the authorization code is stored. In the worst cases you may even need to contact the registrar to request the code. Once you have this code you are almost ready to initiate the transfer.

The third step in domain transfer is to make sure the domain name is "open" to transfer. Years ago it was really easy to initiate this activity and because of the simple rules domain hijacking was far more common. To help reduce this problem registrars moved to a system which would allow users to set domain names to a "locked" state which would prevent anyone from starting a transfer. If you have a decent registrar this will be the case and you may need to change the "state" of your domain name to allow the transfer to begin. Again this is usually managed right on the same page that you find your domain name but you may need to use their search function and or call the registrar to get help.

Once you have found your new home, found your authorization code, and made sure the domain is "open" for transfer you are ready to initiate the move. The fourth step is to initiate and accept the domain transfer. On your new registrar's site find their domain management or transfer tool. You'll need to enter the name of the domain and then you'll also be asked for the authorization code. Once you've submitted the request you will need to check the email address tied to the domain name - this will most likely be the one you used when you signed up for the domain. If for some reason you no longer have access to that account you are going to have to jump through some hoops to get this step handled.

If you don't have access to that email the fastest way to get this resolved is to call the old registrar and let them know what has happened. If your site isn't a fortune 500 company you'll most likely have an easier time but don't be surprised if resolving this issue takes a bit of time. If you have access to the email things will be simple - you'll most likely just need to click a link in it to "agree" to allow the transfer to begin or possibly you'll receive a code that you'll need to enter somewhere to allow it to begin.

Once you are all done the last thing you'll need to do is make sure everything works after the transfer. The actual transfer will take anywhere from a few hours to many days. If things are done right you won't suffer any downtime for your website but in the worst cases you'll see up to 48 hours of connection issues for some users as their DNS servers are updated with the new information. In our experience there have been very few issues.

In review here are the steps:

1. Find a new registrar or a webhost which offers registrar services
2. Get the authorization code for your domain
3. Make the request
4. Accept the request which was sent to your email
5. Make sure everything works after the transfer

After the domain name is transferred you should be good to go!

By: Ed Grier

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Choosing And Registering A Domain Name For Your Website

You register a domain name by registering with a domain name services registrar. The domain name industry is regulated and overseen by ICANN, which is an organization responsible for providing standards and procedures for certifying companies as domain name registrars.
The master database domains that are on InterNIC servers can only be accessed and modified by a domain name registrar. The registers have special domain name and they determine the fee for you too.
A domain name is used to establish your identity on the internet, as well as serving to establish a brand. Marketing is influenced by your domain name. You can use your business name as your URL. Try to find an available URL that describes your business if your business name is not available. Purchasing a business name domain name isn't the only way to go, and when a keyword domain name could do just fine.
Use common sense when choosing a domain name because your domain name, or URL, can have an impact in both the online and offline marketing of your website. Long or difficult to spell domain names can make people ignore your web site and it has to be pretty good for them to stick with it. Short domain names register better with people's memory and are easy to remember.
After you choose a domain name, you need to get it registered with a domain name registrar service. Charges are likely to consist of a one-time installation cost to cover the background technical job that has to be done. Then pay your service provider a monthly, semi-annual or annual fee for Web site hosting services.
Many domain registrar services have competent online tools to help you get your domain name and hosting site up and running.
It will be much more better if you purchase a .com domain name instead of a .info, .net, .biz or other. If your chosen domain name is not available in a .com, keep looking until you find one that isn't taken. Having a .net (or another extension) website is not a bad thing. It's just that .com extension sounds like you've been on the net a long time.
Then you might consider looking at the lenght of time your competitors have regstered their domain names, if you want to stay ahead of your competition. If your domain name expires, there's a good chance that someone will register your domain name immediately after it expires. Renewal of domain names regularly is an assurance that you keep it for several years.
Keep in mind that your domain name is an extension of your business. Internet marketing will give you better results as long as you pay attention and practice what I've told you in this article.

If you need a dedicated server, Alojate.com is the best web hosting company in Mexico, offering a range of solutions for all business needs. Servidores dedicados, factura electronica, web hosting & domain registration.

By: Ricardo d Argence

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Domain Names And Seo

The significance of domain names in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) must not be ignored, nor should it be exaggerated. Relevant, keyword-containing domain names can be helpful in the accomplishment of SEO goals, but are not a replacement for inbound links or search engine friendly web design.

Just as search engines are more likely to return results which have the user's search keyword(s) in their text or titles, they also take each web page's domain name and URL into consideration. This means that such names are among several different SEO elements which contribute to determining the rank/position of each page. It also indicates that content related to the domain name of your site is more likely to rank well.

For example, someone might search on MSN for "250mb Zip disks" they are interested in purchasing. If one website has a related title, good keyword density, and ten relevant inbound links, but another page has all of these positive SEO factors plus an associated domain name (like "zip-disks.com"), it will probably be ranked above the first site. It may even rank ahead of sites with slightly better search optimization.

However, pages can have good domain names but not be competitive with other sites in different SEO categories, causing them to receive poorer rankings. For example, radio.com doesn't have the highest position for "radio" on Yahoo! or Google, and example.com isn't anywhere in the first five pages. On the other hand, shopping.com does have the top position for "shopping" on three of the top four engines.

Basically, it's good to obtain an SEO oriented domain name which is both relevant to the website's subject and contains keywords that people search for, but it isn't everything. Many websites have become quite successful with domain names that don't directly relate to their topic (or match relevant search keywords), such as Amazon, Dogpile, and eBay.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/Domain-Names-and-SEO/664677

How to Make Your Very Own Free Website With Your Own Domain

If you have been eager to know how to make your very own free website with your own domain, one suggestion that I will pass along to those who would like to learn how to set up their very own free website with their own domain is to find a service that offers a free blog site. The most popular one around today is located at Google's Blogger, www.blogger.com. The website homepage then opens the set-up page for a free blog with your own domain that can be utilized for your very own website. Within the blog, you can post your own content, buy your content to post, and you can also advertise your goods and services or advertise goods and services for others that redirect traffic to those websites that have something that your audience may be interested in.

The step-by-step instructions on how to set up your very own free website with your own domain by creating your own blog at Blogger are given in three easy steps. Follow the instructions closely, and, when it comes time to pick a name for your blog/website, be sure and try to assert your creativity and look into the future of what your vision for your very own website with your own domain is going to be. There are also many helpful tips on setting up your very own free website with your own domain at the Blogger set-up site, as well as other tips all over the Internet, particularly when you are looking to promote products or services with your own site. Find out how fast and easy it is to make your very own free website with your own domain through utilizing Google's Blogger tools.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com/computers/how-to-make-your-very-own-free-website-with-your-own-domain/