Connecting Camera To Computer Via Usb

and more people want to organize home surveillance, because at the moment it is not too expensive and simple enough to do. For such purposes, you don’t even have to purchase and configure special equipment (for example, a stationary recorder). It is enough to have a more or less modern computer, cameras, as well as an inexpensive capture card or other equipment that allows you to output an analog signal to a personal computer.

In most cases, it is recommended to use digital cameras, because they have better shooting quality, lower requirements for computer power and the presence of additional devices, and are also very easy to configure. But this option is not suitable for everyone, because some people already have good analog cameras, and there is practically no sense in changing them to digital. Analog cameras most often have a “tulip” connection connector, so they cannot be connected directly to a PC without using additional devices.

The main ways to connect analog cameras to a computer:

1. Using a capture card (internal or external). Connection will be via USB;
2. Through a stationary DVR with the ability to display images via Ethernet or Wi-Fi;
3. Using a special converter that connects to the Ethernet connector.

Using a capture card

One of the most common ways to connect analog cameras to a PC is to purchase a special capture card. What you need to do in the process:

1. purchase a suitable capture card. “Tulips” must be present in it to connect a variety of analog devices.
2. install a camera (or several cameras) in the most convenient place.
3. connect the camera to the capture card with the appropriate wire.
4. Install the drivers and software that came with the board. In the absence of such software, you will need to download from the official website of the manufacturer.
5. display a picture on a computer monitor through installed applications.

After that, the image from all connected cameras will be recorded on the hard disk of the computer.

USB connection

It is impossible to make such a connection directly, since USB is exclusively a digital connector, and the analog signal cannot be transmitted through it. Therefore, users of laptops and monoblocks on which it is impossible to install an internal capture card, it remains to use an external capture card (connected directly via USB).

Setting up an external capture card and connecting cameras is exactly the same as with an internal device. There are practically no differences.

Connection using a stationary DVR

If you have any recorder for home surveillance, you can connect analog cameras to it, and then stream it to your computer via Ethernet connection.

How to display a picture from the registrar on a PC:

1. First you need to connect all the cameras to connect to the appropriate connectors on the recorder.
2. Connect the DVR to a PC network card or router via Ethernet.
3. On the PC, you will need to open a browser and enter the necessary IP address (you can see the standard IP and login with a password in the instructions for the registrar). Attention! It is strongly recommended that you change the default IP and login with a password in the settings to avoid hacking cameras by various attackers.
4. Enable recording from cameras directly to a personal computer.

Some registrars come with bundled software, in which case it is recommended to use it, and not a third-party Internet browser. Firstly, it will greatly simplify recording setup. Secondly, it will increase the reliability of the entire system.

Through special converters

To use one or two analog cameras, you can use special converters from the AV signal to digital. At the input of such a device are the classic “tulips”, and the output is an Ethernet connector. How to connect in a similar way:

1. First of all, it is necessary to determine the number of cameras, if there will be more than 2-3, then the use of converters is disadvantageous in cost and setup time.
2. Connect the camera to the converter, and this device directly to the computer network card or to the router.
3. Go to the Internet browser and enter the IP address of the device connected to the network card or router.
4. Set up a username and password, after which you can safely start recording.

Which is better suited: desktop PC or laptop.

If you have a regular computer and laptop, it’s better to use a laptop for home surveillance for the following reasons:

1. It is much smaller and more compact than a conventional PC, so it can be placed on almost any surface.
2. Power consumption of laptops is much lower than that of system units. If a desktop computer consumes 200-300 watts per hour, then a laptop barely consumes a hundred watts (often this figure is much lower).
3. Notebooks have a built-in battery that will allow you to continue recording from cameras even if the power is not too long (some cameras also have a built-in battery).

Output

Connecting an analog camera to a computer at home is not too difficult and time-consuming task, since there are special equipment and software for these purposes. The same capture cards are quite cheap and will allow you to connect multiple cameras at once. Although it is better to use a full-fledged recorder to ensure surveillance at the enterprise, since no existing capture card can cope with such an extensive task, and recording to a regular personal computer is not reliable enough. Therefore, surveillance, organized through a regular PC, is more suitable only for home use than for serious organization.