Re: OT: Why an IP camera to TV/monitor converter (no router) costs over $200?

The problem is, I need to get a Wi-Fi security camera off of the

>Internet Wi-Fi. > >I can connect the Wi-Fi security camera to a spare Wi-Fi router, and >then mirror a smart phone camera app to a Chromecast dongle (known as >a "Chromecast") to a TV. > >So it goes from the IP camera to the router to the smartphone to the >dongle to the TV. Talking serious roundaboutness. But it's cheap using >spare hardware. > >Or use this... > >
formatting link
>cameras/dp/B076DH6S4P > >for $235 (US). > >How difficult is it? Is it all about leasing protocols or something? >Is it a grand technical feat?

No demand => no supply?

I guess everybody sticks IP cameras on their Wi-Fi, but it's not >working well on my Wi-Fi, at least not with a VPN.
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krw
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The problem with using wi-fi for running a security camera is that these tend to fill the available 2.4GHz spectrum, leaving little bandwidth for other users and uses. Most IP security cameras that I've played with default to using ALL the available bandwidth at the highest resolution and frame rate possible. Add more than three IP cameras and the entire 2.4GHz band it monopolized. You can add more cameras beyond 3, but you'll lose resolution and frame rate as they compete with enough other for air time. Wireless media players are much the same. Either switch to 5Ghz, where there's more spectrum available, or better yet, find a roll of CAT5 and use it.

Most VPN's are a major performance hit. Test your internet throughput and jitter with and without the VPN for an indication of how much the VPN will slow you down. If your VPN is terminated in a fast server, you have a good chance it will work. However, if your VPN is terminated by a commodity router, with limited RAM and a slow CPU, you're going to have problem. Also, if you have several IP cameras pushing video through a VPN, where the client end is yet another low end commodity router, you're going to have additional performance problems. (I don't know of any IP cameras that have a built in PPTP or IPSec client but they might exist).

If this sounds like your system, I suggest that you terminate the VPN in a fast server, buy a router with more horsepower, or give up on trying to push video through a VPN. I can't really recommend a suitable router, but I'm a big fan of Asus routers: (Argh! those routers are UGLY) which I buy refurbished from Newegg at barely tolerable prices: I do better on eBay buying "parts only" routers and fixing them. Mostly I find routers with trashed firmware that needs to be reloaded. Also, broken antennas and missing power supplies (both easily replaced).

If you want a cheap and easy security camera system and DVR, build one using a PC and available software:

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
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Jeff Liebermann

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