GV FAE Knowledge

Article ID: GV15-12-03-26
Released Date: 03/26/2012



Applied to
All GV-IP Cameras

Introduction
The document introduces how to connect your GV-IP Camera to the Internet through the broadband modem such as an ADSL or a TV-cable modem. Whenever you connect to the Internet, you can remotely access your camera and monitor the surveillance site.

A. simple network environment
If your network environment is simple with a few IP cameras, one computer and one broadband modem, you can connect the GV-IP Camera directly to the Internet through the broadband modem, as illustrated below.
Note: One broadband modem may support more than one IP address, which includes fixed and dynamic IP addresses. In this case, you may connect several IP cameras directly to the Internet through one broadband modem. Please check your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for Internet packages.

Step 1 Connecting your camera to a PC
Connect your camera to a PC to log onto the camera through the camera’s Web interface. By default the GV-IP Camera has the IP address of 192.168.0.10, and ID and password are admin.
Login page:
Step 2 Registering a domain name for your camera
Typically you receive a dynamic public IP address from the Internet Service Provider (ISP). To maintain one address to reach your camera, you may use Dynamic DNS service to obtain a domain name, such as geoipcamera.dipmap.com. The Dynamic DNS service will redirect the ever-changing IP address of your camera to the domain name. The GV-IP Camera supports two DDNS providers: GeoVision DDNS Server and DynDNS.org.

Note: Another alternative is to purchase a fixed public IP address from your ISP.

To register a domain name on GeoVision DDNS Server:

1. On the left menu of Web interface, select Network and then Advanced TCP/IP.

   

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2. Under the Dynamic DNS Server Settings, select Enable and click the Register GeoVision DDNS Server link to access GeoVision DDNS service.
3. In the GeoVision DDNS Server page, type a desired Username and Password. Type the verification letters shown in the image, and click Send.

   

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4. You receive a hostname from GeoVision DDNS Server, as illustrated below. The hostname, e.g. geoipcamera.dipmap.com, will be the domain name of your IP camera.

   

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5. On the camera’s Web interface, type the Username and Password you registered on the DDNS Server. Click Apply to enable the DDNS service. The Update Time should appear to indicate the update time from the DDNS server.

   

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Step 3 Enabling the Internet connection

ADSL users

1. On the left menu of the Web Interface, select Network and then LAN.
2. Select PPPoE, and type Username and Password provided by your ISP.
3. Click Apply to enable the Internet connection.

   

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TV-cable modem users
If you are a TV-cable modem user, you don’t need to dial-up every time when you want to log on because the connection is always on.

1. On the left menu of the Web interface, select Network and then LAN.
2. Select Dynamic IP address.
3. Click Apply to enable the Internet connection.

   

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Step 4 Logging in your camera remotely
Now you can log in your camera remotely from a computer.

1. Start the Internet Explorer.
2. Type the domain name you registered for your IP camera, like this: http://geoipcamera.dipmap.com. The domain name will link you to the IP camera.
3. When the Login page appears, type the default ID and Password admin to login.
4. When the message of adding “ActiveX Control” appears, right-click the message and select Run Add-on to install ActiveX component of Internet Explorer to your computer.

   

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5. When the message of adding ActiveX Control from GeoVision appears, right-click the message and select Run Add-on to install GeoVision’s ActiveX component to your computer.

   

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6. Live images appear now.

B. Local Area Network
If you have multiple IP cameras installed on a local area network (LAN), with a router connected to a broadband modem, the router will typically assign private IP addresses to the connected cameras such as 192.168.x.x. You cannot see the IP cameras outside from the Internet by using the private IP addresses (192.168.x.x). What you use on the Internet is the public IP address from the ISP, which is the IP address of your router.

To allow access to the IP cameras residing on the LAN, you need to assign a different port to each camera and open the corresponding ports on the router. Let’s imagine the public IP address of the router is like a building’s address, and ports are like the apartment numbers for the residences in the building. When each IP camera has a unique port number, the router will know where to forward the request outside from the Internet. This process is also known as port forwarding or port mapping.

The LAN environment:
Step 1 Finding the private IP address of your camera
The router usually has the DHCP Server function to automatically assign a dynamic IP address to the network devices. When the GV-IP Camera is connected to the network for the first time, it will also be assigned a dynamic IP address.

To find the private IP address of your camera:

1. Install the GV-IP Device Utility from the GV-IPCAM H.264 Software CD.
2. On the GV-IP Utility window, click the button to search for the devices connected in the same LAN.
3. Find the camera with its Mac Address, click on its IP address and select Web Page.

   

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   Note: You can find the Mac Address on a sticker on the GV-IP Camera.
4. The Login page appears.

   

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5. Type the default ID and password admin, and click Apply to log in.

Step 2 Assigning a different port to each camera
Log in the Web interface of each camera and give them different HTTP and VSS port values.

HTTP port
The HTTP port enables connection of an IP camera to the Internet. The default HTTP port for every network device is 80. Since the port 80 will be taken by the router, you need to assign a different HTTP port for each camera starting from port 81 to avoid port conflicts.

VSS (Streaming) port
If you are the user of GV-DVR / NVR, you must assign a different streaming port for each camera to connect to the GV-DVR / NVR. The default streaming port for every GV-IP Camera is 10000.

For example, if you have two IP cameras on LAN, you may arrange your port settings like this: Note:

1. Once you change the default HTTP port 80, you will need to type the IP address followed by a colon and the specified port value to access the camera either on the LAN or from the Internet. For example, the HTTP port of Camera 1 is changed to 81, so you need to type its IP address like this: 192.168.0.10:81. 2.
2. You may find the Surveillance System Software DVD for GV-DVR / NVR in the GV-IP Camera package. For details, see GV-DVR / NVR in the D. Remote Viewing.

To change default HTTP and VSS (Streaming) ports on the camera:

1. On the left menu of the Web interface, select Network and then Advanced TCP/IP.
2. Under the HTTP Port Settings, change the default port 80 and click Apply.
3. Under the Streaming Port Settings, change the default port 10000 and click Apply.

   

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Step 3 Registering a domain name for the router
Typically you receive a dynamic IP address from your ISP. You may register a domain name linking to the ever-changing IP address of the router. Most broadband routers support a dynamic DNS service such as www.dyndns.org. Please check your router’s Web interface and document for the Dynamic DNS settings.

Note: Another alternative is to purchase a fixed public IP address from your ISP.

The following example is the Dynamic DNS settings on the D-Link DIR-825 router.
Step 4 Opening ports on the router
Log in the router’s Web interface and look for the port forwarding settings. You should correlate public ports with the corresponding private IP of the camera.

Note: Each manufacture has different software used on their routers. We took screenshots of the port forwarding settings from D-Link DIR-825 model. We are assuming you know how to access your router, and know the proper ID and password. If you don’t know, check out the router’s manual or manufacturer’s website.

Based on our previous port arrangements, two different HTTP ports are set up for two cameras (see the red highlight below), and two different VSS ports are set up for connecting to the GV-DVR / NVR (see the blue highlight below). In the following example of D-Link DIR-825 router, the port forwarding settings are in the Advanced tab. We have opened the HTTP and VSS ports for Camera 1 and 2 on the router. Other ports used by GV-IP Camera
The HTTP and VSS (streaming) ports allow your IP cameras on the LAN connected to the Internet and GV-DVR / NVR. To have more features of GV-IP Camera, you need to open the following ports on the router. [HTTPS port]
By opening the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) port, you can access the camera through a secure protocol. When the HTTPS port is enabled on the GV-IP Camera and the router, you will securely access your camera using a HTTPS URL that starts with https://, instead of using HTTP URL that starts with http://.

First of all, you need to assign a different HTTPS port for each IP camera, and then open the corresponding ports on the router.

By default the HTTPS port is 443, which will be taken by your router. If you have two IP cameras on LAN, the port settings may look like this: To assign and open the HTTPS port:

1. On the left menu of the camera Web interface, select Network and then Advanced TCP/IP.

   

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2. Under the HTTPS Port Settings, select Enable, change the default port 443 and click Apply.
3. For how to use the customize certificate and password, see Advanced TCP/IP, Chapter 21 Administrator Mode, GV-IPCAM H.264 User’s Manual.
4. Open the HTTPS port of the camera on the router. Take the D-Link’s router as example:

   

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[RTSP port]
When the RTSP port is opened on the GV-IP Camera and the router, you can view the live video by using VLC and Quick Time players with the RTSP commands.

First of all, you need to assign a different RTSP port for each IP camera, and then open the corresponding ports on the router. If you have two IP cameras on LAN, the port settings may look like this: To assign and open the RTSP port:

1. On the left menu of the camera Web interface, select Events and Alerts and then RTSP. (By default the RTSP port is enabled on the GV-IP Camera.)

   

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2. Change the default RTSP/TCP port 8554, and click Apply.
3. On the router, open the RTSP port of the camera. Take the D-Link’s router as example:

   

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The RTSP Command:

If you use the QuickTime player, enter:
rtsp://<IP or domain name of the GV-IPCAM:8554/<CH No.>.sdp

For example, rtsp://geoipcamera.dlinkddns.com:8554/CH001.sdp

If you use the VLC player, enter:
rtsp://username:password@<IP or domain name of the GV-IPCAM:8554/<CH No.>.sdp

For example, rtsp://admin:admin@dlinkddns.com:8554/CH001.sdp

For details, see RTSP, Chapter 21 Administrator Mode, GV-IPCAM H.264 User’s Manual.

[FTP port]
When the FTP port is opened on the GV-IP Camera and the router, the GV-IP Camera will have two capabilities: (1) send the captured still image to a remote FTP server for alerts, and (2) act as a FTP server to allow users to download AVI files.

First of all, you need to assign a different FTP port for each IP camera, and then open the corresponding ports on the router. If you have two IP cameras on LAN, the port settings may look like this: To assign and open the FTP port:

1. On the left menu of the camera Web interface, select Events and Alerts and then FTP.

   

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2. In the Upload to a FTP Server section, select Enable and type the login information of a remote FTP server. For details, see FTP, Chapter 21 Administrator Mode, GV-IPCAM H.264 User’s Manual.
3. Change the default FTP port 21, and click Apply.
4. The GV-IP Camera can also function as a FTP server allowing you to download AVI files. For this feature, select Enable ftp access to GV-IPCAM, change the default FTP port 21 and click Apply.
5. On the router, open the FTP port of the camera. Take the D-Link’s router as example:

   

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To access the internal FTP servers of Camera 1 and Camera 2 outside from the Internet, enter the URL like this:
Camera 1: ftp://geoipcamera.dlinkddns.com:21
Camera 2: ftp://geoipcamera.dlinkddns.com:22
By default the login ID and password are ftpuser.

For details, see the FTP section, Chapter 21 Administrator Mode, GV-IPCAM H.264 User’s Manual.

[ViewLog port]
When the ViewLog port is opened on the GV-IP Camera and the router, you can play back the video saved on the memory card of the camera.

First of all, you need to assign a different ViewLog port for each IP camera, and then open the corresponding ports on the router. If you have two IP cameras on LAN, the port settings may look like this: To assign and open the ViewLog port:

1. On the left menu of the camera Web interface, select Events and Alerts and then ViewLog.

   

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2. Select Enable, change the default port 5552, and click Apply.
3. On the router, open the ViewLog port of the camera. Take the D-Link’s router as example:

   

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For how to remotely play back video, see F. Remote Playback.

Step 4 Logging in your camera remotely
To access a specific IP camera residing on the LAN, follow the steps below.

1. Start the Internet Explorer.
2. Type the domain name of the router followed by a colon and the port number of the camera.
   For example:
   If you want to access Camera 1, type the URL like this: http://geoipcamera.dlinkddns.com:81;
   If you want to access Camera 2, type the URL like this: http://geoipcamera.dlinkddns.com:82

   

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   If you enable the HTTPS ports,
   type the URL like this to access Camera 1: https://geoipcam.dlinkddns.com:444;
   type the URL like this to access Camera 2: https://geoipcam.dlinkddns.com:445

   

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3. When the Login page appears, type the default ID and Password admin to login.
4. When the message of adding “ActiveX Control” appears, right-click the message and select Run Add-on to install ActiveX component of Internet Explorer to your computer.

   

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5. When the message of adding ActiveX Control from GeoVision appears, right-click the message and select Run Add-on to install GeoVision’s ActiveX component to your computer.
6. Live images appear now.
   Note: When accessing the IP camera using HTTPS, the following warning message of security certificate will appear. Click Continue to this website (not recommended) to access the Login page of the camera.

   

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C. Wireless Connection
If you are using the wireless GV-IP Camera, set up the wireless connection.

Before you enable the wireless connection on the GV-IP Camera, you need to set up configure the wireless settings on the router. In the following instructions, we use the D-Link DIR-825 router as example.

To configure wireless settings on the router:

1. Log in the router’s Web interface and look for wireless settings.
2. Regardless of what software used on your router, you need to enter the following basic information.
   1. Wireless Band: Select 2.4 GHz Band settings. The GV-IP Camera only supports 2.4 GHz wireless band.
   2. Wireless Network Name: Give a name to the wireless router.
   3. 802.11 Mode: Select Mixed 802.11n, 802.11g and 802.11b. The GV-IP Camera supports 802.11n/g/b modes.

      

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3. You may enable the Wireless Security Mode, by which any wireless device needs to have the same encrypted method and password to connect to the wireless router. There are some basics for the security mode:
   1. Security Mode: Select WEP or WPA-Personal. The GV-IP Camera supports the two modes.
   2. If you select WPA-Personal Mode:
      • Select WPA Only or WPA2 Only. The GV-IP Camera supports the two modes.
      • Select AES or TKIP. The GV-IP Camera does NOT support the combined cipher type of AES and TKIP.
   3. If you select WEP Mode, select 64 bit or 128 bit. The GV-IP Camera supports the two types of key lengths.

      

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To configure wireless settings on the camera:

1. On the left menu of the Web interface, select Network and then Wireless Client Mode.

   

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2. Click the Access Point Survey button. All wireless routers nearby will be detected and listed. Select your router.

   

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3. Type the encryption information matching that on the router. For example, we have set up WPA only and AES Mode with a Pre-shared Key on the router.

   

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4. Click Apply.
5. On the left menu of the Web interface, select Network and then LAN.

   

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6. Select Wireless.
7. In the Wireless Settings section, select Dynamic IP Address.
   Note:Typically, the router has the DHCP Server function and automatically assigns a dynamic IP address to any IP device on the LAN. If this is not the case, select Static IP Address.
8. Click the Test DHCP button. When the following dialog box appears with an IP address, it means you have set up the wireless connection successfully.

   

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9. Unplug the network cable from the camera and have wireless connection now.

To remotely access the wireless camera on the LAN, follow Steps 1 ~ 5 in the B. Local Area Network section.

D. Remote Playback
You can remotely play back the video files saved on the memory card of the GV-IP Camera.

1. For the first-time user, you need to install the Remote ViewLog player from the GV-IPCAM H.264 Software CD to the remote computer.
2. Install GeoVision Remote ViewLog.

   

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3. Run Remote ViewLog.

   

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4. When the Remote ViewLog player appears with the following selections, select Remote ViewLog Service.

   

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5. Type the connection information, login username and password of the camera.

   

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   • IP Address: Type the domain name or public IP address of the camera. If the camera is residing on the LAN, type the domain name or public IP address of the router, for example, geoipcamera.dlinkddns.com.
     see Step 3 Registering a domain name for the router in the B. Local Area Network.
   • Port: Keep the default ViewLog port value 5552. If the camera is residing on the LAN, type the specific ViewLog port of the camera.
     For example:
     For Camera 1, type 5552.
     For Camera 2, type 5553.
     See Other ports used by GV-IP Camera, Step 2 Assigning a different port to each camera, B. Local Area Network.
   • ID: Type the login username of the camera. The default value is admin.
   • Password: Type the login password of the camera. The default value is admin.
   • Host Type: Select GV-IP Device.
6. Click OK. The video files of the camera are displayed on the Video Event List, and playback starts.
7. Next time when you want to play back video from any IP camera on the same computer, just log in the camera and select Remote ViewLog on the left menu to start the Remote ViewLog player.

   

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