Help with displaying IP camera on webpage

[tooth_dr]

I was wondering if anyone could help me out with getting an ip camera (for monitoring day time sky) to display on a webpage.

I have a domain and have been using a website builder to create an offline site and then uploading it to a server via FileZilla.  cPanel is the server file manager (?) 

Im not very computer literate but am trying my best!  Any help appreciated.

I have the camera setup and have it’s IP address.

 

Thanks in advance

Adam. 

[tooth_dr]

Also if anyone can explain why my camera only displays properly in 'Internet Explorer' but is all squashed up on any other browsers or my phone.  The top image below is a screen shot from IE, and the bottom one from Edge.

 

Thanks again

Adam.

[DaveL59]

Hi Adam

I can't help on the webpage but for the browser display, does the camera install an active-X module in order for you to connect to it and control it? Not sure which model you have but that's how mine operate. Unfortunately that limits what browser you (I) can use to configure them unless going via the NVR.

Are you hoping to have effectively a live stream from camera to web page? Or a periodic refresh?

Reason I ask is that for the web page to connect to the camera you'd need to open ports on your router and if you do have to you become open to probes and attacks from the web side of the router. For periodic updates you may be able to get the camera to send out an image via ftp, say every few minutes and then not need to open your router to the outside world. Downside is some website providers don't like a high rate of file drops and may block the activity.

Another question - you say you have the camera's IP, is that the IP on your home network?

To reliably connect from the outside world you would need the external IP of your router which may change unless you are paying for a fixed IP. You can work around this using a dynamic DNS provider to refresh the router IP address against a name you choose to assign, then have the web page connect via the ddns name that you set up. I use DDNS so that I can remote connect back to my home network when out and about but my router does support auto-refresh to the DDNS provider, not sure that most of the ISP provided ones will, probably not so you'd need a PC on your network to do that part.

Hope that helps a little  

[tooth_dr]

7 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

Hi Adam

I can't help on the webpage but for the browser display, does the camera install an active-X module in order for you to connect to it and control it? Not sure which model you have but that's how mine operate. Unfortunately that limits what browser you (I) can use to configure them unless going via the NVR.

Are you hoping to have effectively a live stream from camera to web page? Or a periodic refresh?

Reason I ask is that for the web page to connect to the camera you'd need to open ports on your router and if you do have to you become open to probes and attacks from the web side of the router. For periodic updates you may be able to get the camera to send out an image via ftp, say every few minutes and then not need to open your router to the outside world. Downside is some website providers don't like a high rate of file drops and may block the activity.

Another question - you say you have the camera's IP, is that the IP on your home network?

To reliably connect from the outside world you would need the external IP of your router which may change unless you are paying for a fixed IP. You can work around this using a dynamic DNS provider to refresh the router IP address against a name you choose to assign, then have the web page connect via the ddns name that you set up. I use DDNS so that I can remote connect back to my home network when out and about but my router does support auto-refresh to the DDNS provider, not sure that most of the ISP provided ones will, probably not so you'd need a PC on your network to do that part.

Hope that helps a little  

Yes that does help, thanks very much.  Last week I wouldnt have understood any of that, but now, after a week of reading and head scratching, I understand about half of it!

1) I have an Arecont AV2110 camera https://sales.arecontvision.com/product/MegaVideo+Compact+Series/AV2110   It was given to me for free.

2) A periodic refresh would be perfect.  If there was a way to remotely upload images via FTP then yes that would be better, but I wouldnt know how to do that.

3) IPs - yes my mistake, I only have the internal IP.  However I just logged into my hub, and have found another IP address that look like its the external one.

4) "You can work around this using a dynamic DNS provider to refresh the router IP address against a name you choose to assign, then have the web page connect via the ddns name that you set up. I use DDNS so that I can remote connect back to my home network when out and about but my router does support auto-refresh to the DDNS provider, not sure that most of the ISP provided ones will, probably not so you'd need a PC on your network to do that part."  This went over my head.

 

Thanks again!

Adam

[DaveL59]

hi Adam

the DDNS is a handy way to be able to just use a web location name instead of finding your external IP every time, much as you'd type in stargazerslounge.co.uk which is very useful when trying to reach your home router from outside, when you won't be able to go find your new IP if it changed. There's a number of providers for this where you register, pick a name you'd like to use and have something on your home network send the external IP to the DDNS provider to keep it mapped if things change.

So if you registered myskycam.dyndns.net for example your web page would then use that name to pick up the camera, tho more likely it'd need somethings like myskycam.ddns.net:9001 or whatever port you open for it. As I said tho, opening ports is a risk, as the firmware on these cameras is not bulletproof and soon stops getting updates. Your router will then also appear on web address probes as it would respond on the open port so an attacker could potentially identify what is responding and how to hit it.

One option might be to place the camera in the DMZ (demilitarized zone) on your router, in which case that should be as far as someone can get and not be able to then jump across to your internal network... sorry more techy speak  

[tooth_dr]

16 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

hi Adam

the DDNS is a handy way to be able to just use a web location name instead of finding your external IP every time, much as you'd type in stargazerslounge.co.uk which is very useful when trying to reach your home router from outside, when you won't be able to go find your new IP if it changed. There's a number of providers for this where you register, pick a name you'd like to use and have something on your home network send the external IP to the DDNS provider to keep it mapped if things change.

So if you registered myskycam.dyndns.net for example your web page would then use that name to pick up the camera, tho more likely it'd need somethings like myskycam.ddns.net:9001 or whatever port you open for it. As I said tho, opening ports is a risk, as the firmware on these cameras is not bulletproof and soon stops getting updates. Your router will then also appear on web address probes as it would respond on the open port so an attacker could potentially identify what is responding and how to hit it.

One option might be to place the camera in the DMZ (demilitarized zone) on your router, in which case that should be as far as someone can get and not be able to then jump across to your internal network... sorry more techy speak  

Thanks again Dave.  I think the last thing I would want to do it make my home network vulnerable.  If I just wanted to check my camera from a remote location ie work, and I'm not on my home network, is that a safer and simpler thing to do instead?  I cant see an option to download software for my camera - made by Arecont Vision.  I have seen my friends do this with their HikVision cameras via an app on their phone.  

[DaveL59]

Hi Alan

Hikvision here too, but I set my router up as a VPN end-point so I can tunnel in from the phone and fire up the Hik viewer and check on the house/kitties. No open ports to be vulnerable that way, plus the CCTV is on it's own network segregated from my PC gear. Does your camera have the sort of remote server setup like the cheaper XMeye ones, in which case you could view it that way.

The issue for most is the router, ISP ones rarely have the features that business routers have, but worth looking to see if it will support VPN tunnelling into it. That'd be the more secure way to go really. Your work however may block you from being able to connect over vpn into your home network.

[tooth_dr]

54 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

Your work however may block you from being able to connect over vpn into your home network.

I’d say that’s unlikely, as I’m the MD 😂😂

All this sounds beyond my pay grade, I struggle inserting my domain name into a simple bit of html coding, and getting that to work.