Basic Configuration - Fundamentals of IP Surveillance

What is a VMS?

Video Management Software that stores, manages, records, plays back, and exports surveillance video.

What are the five main components of an IP surveillance system?

• Network

• Cameras & devices

• Storage

• Servers

• Clients

What is the basic flow of an IP surveillance system?

Camera → Network → Server (VMS) → Storage → Client

What does an IP camera do?

Captures video and sends it over the network to the VMS.

What does an I/O device do?

Receives inputs (like motion sensors or switches) and triggers outputs (like sirens, lights, or gates).

What does a video encoder do?

Converts analog camera video into digital video so it can be used by the VMS.

What is Video Push?

Streams live video from a mobile device into the VMS as if it were another camera.

What are the main storage options for surveillance video?

• Internal storage

• NAS (Network Attached Storage)

• SAN (Storage Area Network)

What does the server do?

Runs the VMS and usually stores surveillance recordings.

What is XProtect Smart Client?

The application operators use to view live cameras, play back recordings, and manage the surveillance system.

What does an IP camera do?

Captures light, converts it into a digital signal, and sends it over the network.

What is focal length?

The distance from the lens to the focal point that determines the camera’s field of view (FOV).

How does focal length affect the field of view?

• Short focal length = Wider view

• Long focal length = Narrower, more zoomed-in view

What is resolution?

The number of pixels in an image. Higher resolution can provide more detail.

Does a higher resolution always produce a better image?

No. Focus, lighting, glare, weather, and lens quality also affect image quality.

What is a pixel?

The smallest unit of a digital image that records light and color information.

Why do larger image sensors perform better in low light?

They collect more light for each pixel, improving low-light performance.

What is a PTZ camera?

A camera that can Pan, Tilt, and Zoom, either manually or automatically.

What is the main disadvantage of a PTZ camera?

While it’s looking at one area, it can miss activity happening elsewhere.

What is a fisheye camera?

A camera with a very wide field of view (180°–360°) used to monitor large areas.

What is a bullet camera?

A fixed-position camera that monitors one specific area.

What is WDR (HDR)?

A feature that improves image quality in scenes with both very bright and very dark areas.

Why is infrared (IR) important?

It allows cameras to see in low-light or nighttime conditions.

What are FPS (Frames Per Second)?

The number of video frames captured each second. Higher FPS provides smoother video but uses more bandwidth and storage.

What is pixel density?

The number of pixels covering a real-world area. Higher pixel density provides more detail.

Why is pixel density important?

It determines whether the camera captures enough detail to meet the surveillance objective.

What are the main surveillance objectives?

• Overview

• General Surveillance

• Recognition

• Identification

What’s the difference between recognition and identification?

• Recognition: Someone familiar with the person can recognize them.

• Identification: Anyone can positively identify the person.

What is a codec?

Encodes and decodes compressed video.

Why are codecs used?

• Reduce bandwidth usage

• Reduce storage requirements

• Digitize and transmit video efficiently

What's the difference between a codec and compression?

Compression reduces the file size, while the codec is the algorithm that compresses, transmits, and decompresses the video.

Where is video encoded and decoded?

• Camera: Encodes/compresses video

• Client: Decodes video for viewing

What are the three common video codecs?

• MJPEG

• H.264

• H.265 (HEVC)

Which codec is most commonly used today?

H.264.

What is the main advantage of H.265 over H.264?

H.265 provides similar image quality while using about 50% less bandwidth and storage

What is frame-based encoding?

Every frame is stored as a complete image (used by MJPEG).

What is sequence-based encoding?

Stores full keyframes and only records changes between them (used by H.264 and H.265).

When is MJPEG preferred?

When every individual frame is needed, such as license plate recognition (LPR).

When are H.264 and H.265 preferred?

General surveillance and motion detection because they save bandwidth and storage.

What are the three bitrate options?

• Variable Bit Rate (VBR)

• Maximum Bit Rate (MBR)

• Constant Bit Rate (CBR)

What is Variable Bit Rate (VBR)?

Bandwidth changes based on scene activity to maintain image quality.

What is Constant Bit Rate (CBR)?

Bandwidth stays the same even if scene activity changes.

What is the tradeoff of higher compression?

Less bandwidth and storage usage, but more processing power is required.

Why is a GPU preferred for video decoding?

A GPU is designed to process video much more efficiently than a CPU.

Why is a network needed in an IP surveillance system?

To send video streams from cameras to recording servers and clients.

What is the difference between TCP and UDP?

• TCP: Reliable, confirms delivery.

• UDP: Faster, does not confirm delivery.

What is a NIC (Network Interface Controller)?

The hardware that connects a device to the network.

What does a switch do?

Connects devices within the same network and forwards data between them.

What does a router do?

Connects different networks and routes data between them.

What is the purpose of a firewall?

To block unauthorized network access.

What is the difference between a server and a client?

• Server: Provides services (stores/manages video).

• Client: Accesses those services (views/manages video).

What is a MAC address?

A unique hardware address assigned to a network interface (NIC).

What is an IP address?

A logical address that allows devices to communicate over a network.

Which IP version is most commonly used on local networks?

IPv4

What is a subnet?

A smaller network within a larger network.

What is a LAN?

A Local Area Network that connects devices within a building or campus.

What are the default ports for HTTP and HTTPS?

• HTTP = 80

• HTTPS = 443

Should cameras be on the same network as business computers?

No. Milestone recommends placing cameras on a separate network/subnet

Why should cameras be on a separate network?

To improve performance and security.

Should servers and cameras use static or dynamic IP addresses?

Static IP addresses.

What should be used when accessing XProtect Smart Client over the Internet?

A VPN.

What is a VPN?

An encrypted connection that securely accesses the surveillance network remotely.

What is a DMZ?

A separate network that isolates internet-facing servers from the internal LAN.

Which XProtect server is typically placed in the DMZ?

The Mobile Server.

What is the purpose of storage in an IP surveillance system?

To store recorded surveillance video.

What is the difference between RAM and storage?

• RAM: Temporary memory while the computer is running.

• Storage: Permanently saves data.

What are the two most common storage media?

• Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

• Solid State Drive (SSD)

What is the main advantage of an SSD over an HDD?

Faster read/write speeds because it has no moving parts.

What is Direct Attached Storage (DAS)?

Storage connected directly to the server for high-speed, reliable recording.

What is Network Attached Storage (NAS) typically used for?

Archived video storage.

What is a SAN (Storage Area Network)?

High-speed dedicated storage used for large surveillance systems.

What is RAID?

Multiple disks combined to improve performance, redundancy, or both.

What is RAID 0?

Striping only—fast, but no redundancy.

What is RAID 1?

Mirroring—data is duplicated for redundancy.

What is RAID 10?

Combines striping and mirroring for both speed and redundancy.

What is RAID 5?

Striping with parity—can survive one disk failure.

What is RAID 6?

Striping with double parity—can survive two disk failures.

Where should the operating system be installed?

RAID 1.

Where should the live camera database be stored?

RAID 10.

Where should the archived video database be stored?

RAID 5.

Why should video storage be kept on a separate drive from the operating system?

To improve performance and reduce the risk of affecting the OS if a video drive fails.

Why should camera streams be distributed across multiple disks?

To improve write performance and support more cameras and clients.