How to connect an IP camera to a local network and how to connect to it remotely

Have you just bought an IP camera and you’re planning to start streaming with it? In order for you to connect to the camera via your web browser and start setting it up, you’ll first have to connect to the local network. If you’ll want to connect to it remotely, you’ll also have to go through several steps.

Connecting a camera to a local network

  • After unpacking your camera, use a UTP cable to connect it to your local network switch (router) and don’t forget to plug it into an electrical outlet. If you only want one cable connected to your camera, you can use a POE (Power over Ethernet) injector that will serve as your camera’s power supply via a UTP cable.

  • The camera is connected and your switch’s DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol) service has distributed a local IP address to your camera. In order to continue, you’ll need to find out what that address is.

How to find out what the camera’s IP address is

There are various ways to look up the IP address. Below, we’ll describe one method for Windows and one for MacOS.

Windows

To look up the IP address in Windows, use the IP Utility application provided by AXIS communications free of charge.


MacOS

For Apple computers, there is a similar application called IP Utility and costs 10EUR in the AppStore.

IP utility for AXIS camera

The applications will find all connected cameras on the network and allow you to quickly connect cameras via your web browser. As the first step, you’ll be asked to change your camera’s login password. After entering your current login information, you’ll connect to the camera’s web interface. You can now begin making configurations and start using the camera.

When in the interface, you can install the ACAP CamStreamer app to easily create a live stream directly from your camera without constantly having to connect to a computer.


IP camera interface

How to connect to the camera remotely

Gaining access to the camera outside the local network is slightly more difficult. There are basically two options to remotely connect:


  • Using a public IP address

    You can use a public IP address to connect to your local network’s access point. However, you won’t be allowed to continue unless you set up the access point correctly. You’ll have turn on “PortForwarding” on your local router or server, which will allow you to connect to a specific IP address on your local network from a remote location. These settings, however, aren’t easy and you can risk worsening the security of your local network. That’s why you should definitely entrust someone with network setting experience to do this for you. The disadvantage of this option is that your local network will remain more vulnerable to external attacks and is generally less secured.

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  • The cloud solution

    Services such as NetRex Streamer offer a second, simpler option. This smart cloud solution gives you the opportunity to connect an IP camera to a user account and connect to it from anywhere in the world via your web browser. The service offers other advantages as well. One of them is a 7-day recording guarantee. For this added comfort and heightened security, however, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee of € 39,90.