FAQ — IP cameras
A short companion to How do IP cameras work? and the much longer WIFI IP camera FAQ. This page also gathers the answers Handykam used to give about IP converters — the small devices that put an existing analogue camera onto a network — which was a common question from customers with an older nest box camera already installed.
What does IP stand for?
Internet Protocol.
Why choose IP technology?
IP against analogue is a trade-off between price and quality. IP technology costs a little more but can be considerably higher quality, and it is reasonably future-proof: it fits the way everything else in a house already works. The full comparison is in Digital IP versus analogue CCTV cameras.
Can I put my existing analogue camera on the network?
Yes, with an IP converter. It takes the analogue video and audio signal, digitises it, and presents it to your router, after which any device on the network can view the camera. This was frequently the cheapest way to modernise a working nest box installation — particularly one where the cable is already buried across a garden and nobody wants to dig it up.
How does the camera get an address?
Almost always automatically. Home routers hand out addresses by DHCP, so a camera plugged in or joined to WIFI simply appears. You will occasionally need to know that address — to open the camera's control panel in a browser, or to reset it — and the router's list of connected devices is where to find it.
Do all IP cameras work with all apps and recorders?
No, but standards-compliant ones largely do. Look for ONVIF support and an accessible RTSP stream. Between them these mean the camera is not tied to one manufacturer's app or recorder, which matters a great deal over the life of an installation — as anyone whose camera outlived its app has discovered.
Will an IP camera work without the internet?
Yes, on the local network. A camera, a router and a phone on the same WIFI will work perfectly well with the broadband down. What you lose is remote viewing from elsewhere, and any cloud features.
How much bandwidth and storage does one need?
More than people expect, and it scales with resolution, frame rate and how hard the stream is compressed. The worked example in the DVR and NVR FAQ gives a realistic figure. Using a camera's second, lower-resolution stream for remote viewing is the standard way to keep a phone connection usable.
Is there anything I should do about security?
Two things, both simple and both frequently skipped. Change the default password before doing anything else, and do not open a camera directly to the internet unless you know why you are doing it — use the manufacturer's app or a VPN instead of port forwarding. If a camera records anything beyond your own property, data protection obligations apply; the ICO's guidance sets those out.
Can I connect an IP camera straight to a television?
Not directly. A network camera outputs data, not a video signal. Use a network video recorder with an HDMI output, a smart television that supports network cameras, or screen casting from a phone.
Related pages: FAQ: WIFI IP camera · How do IP cameras work? · CCTV glossary