Do you need to access your CCTV remotely?

Do you need to access your CCTV remotely?

CCTV is great, but none of us can watch it all the time. Remotely monitored alarms are a great solution, and so are security alerts. But there comes a time where you’ll want instant access to your camera so you can watch it in real time. For example, if you get an email saying there’s an intruder in your garden, it’s best to check that it’s not the neighbour’s cat before calling the police.

IP cameras allow you to view live video from practically any location, providing you have a reasonable internet connection. Here’s how it works.

What’s an IP Camera?

An IP camera is a camera that uses a network connection to stream or save video. IP stands for ‘internet protocol’, and the best way to use these cameras is to connect them to your home internet connection so you can access the video from anywhere.

IP cameras have to be properly set up to ensure the connection is secure. There have been a few cases of hackers gaining access to IP cameras, and this is clearly undesirable in terms of security. To avoid the headaches and stress of a potentially complicated set-up procedure, it’s best to call in the experts to get everything working securely.

How to Access Your Camera

There are two ways to access an IP camera over an internet connection.

The first is to use a regular web browser. Your cameras will have a unique URL; simply bookmark the URL, and log on any time to see the video.

The main disadvantage to this approach is that not all browsers are compatible. Mobile browsers, and even well-known desktop browsers like Chrome, often struggle to display the video from IP cameras.

The second solution, and the one our customers favour, is to use an app. You can use a number of free apps that are readily available from the Google Play, iOS or other app stores. When we set up your cameras, we can help you to set up the best app for your cameras so you can access the cctv video feed on your smartphone.

Extra Features

When you access your cameras remotely, you can often access extra features that make your camera even more useful.

You can listen to live audio, if your camera has a microphone. This helps you to detect suspicious activity, even if the potential burglary is happening off-screen. (If you hear a meow, you can be fairly sure there’s a feline culprit behind it.)

Some cameras can also be panned (moved from side to side) and tilted, using controls in the browser or app. So from your holiday villa in Turkey, you can control your camera at home and pan around to find out where the commotion is coming from.

Get Smarter

Smart technology and IP cameras are incredibly affordable, and extremely effective in detecting and deterring break-ins. The cameras we’ve talked about in this article cost a couple of hundred pounds at the most, and they’ll run over practically any domestic broadband connection. All you need is a smartphone or tablet to use the apps.

For more information and a custom quote, contact Angel Security today.