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How to Install Web Camera
Description
You have FIOS installed? You want to install web camera?
You are not professional and do not want to learn networking?
Keep reading...
You could find all answers yourself by googling the web as I did.
The research took time and efforts. There are a lot of resources available.
Unfortunately all of them are scattered and I was not able to find a single
one with full description of required steps.
In many cases you cannot ask a question because you do not know why webcam
is not working. Often it's not clear what steps and in what order to take.
Many forums discuss web camera installation. Usually discussions are very specific
to a problematic step and sometimes are misleading.
Hopefully these notes will help you to install your web camera.
I'm not sure that I can reproduce myself all these steps without written notes...
Your router
I have a Verizon FIOS with MI424WR Verizon router.
The instructions below maybe still useful if you have a different router.
The Verizon MI424WR router is manufactured by Actiontec.
You could find a lot of information about Actiontec MI424WR router.
The difference between Actiontec MI424WR and Verizon MI424WR routers
is in logo and minor Verizon specific updates.
Use Actiontec keyword surfing the web for details and HowTos about your router.
Web camera
There are many different wireless web cameras on the market.
Search the web for cameras manufactured by
Linksys, TRENDnet, Panasonic, D-Link.
I bought Linksys WVC54GCA Wireless-G Internet Home Monitoring camera.
The price is about $100. You could consider buying more expensive camera
with tilt and pan, night vision, enhanced sound and other features.
Do not buy obsolete Linksys WVC54GC or WVC54G!
You may already read bad reviews about Linksys WVC54GCA.
The camera has both strong and weak sides.
After you manage to set it up the camera is not so bad for the price.
Picture is good. Sound is awful. Price is acceptable.
Do not believe manuals which warns that video stream could be viewed only in IE
with ActiveX installed. The stream is perfectly viewed without any
plugins and installations in Firefox v2 / v3 and IE v7.
I did not check other web browsers.
I expect all contemporary browsers to display camera video stream without problem.
The instructions below maybe still useful if you have a different camera.
See also
Linksys Wireless-G
Internet Home Monitoring Camera Review
Step 1. Obtain dynamic DNS
Your internet provider assigns your router some unique IP address,
e.g. 12.34.56.78, which is used to access your router and your network
from the web.
For example, when you open Google web page your browser sends request to Google's
web site with your IP address as a destination for the Google
to send requested page.
Usually your router IP address is assigned dynamically.
This means that the IP address might be changed at any time.
The IP address as numbers are OK for browsers
but not very convenient for a user to access your network.
Moreover, these numbers might change at any time.
The alternative to access your network via IP address is obtaining dynamic DNS.
Other options which are not discussed here includes:
you have a registered web address or you pay extra for a static IP address.
Dynamic DNS allows you to access your local network from the web
using web address like
myname.dyndns.org which is mapped to your IP address.
The mapping is changed each time your IP address is changed.
You are still using the same myname.dyndns.org without knowing
about actual IP address change.
Many companies provide dynamic DNS service. Usually you have to pay for
this service. One rare exception is DynDNS
which provides free service for a single IP address. This is exactly what you need.
Go to DynDNS website and create an account. Then add new host in your account
with your name,
e.g. http://myname.dyndns.org.
Download and install DynDNS updater on one computer in your local network.
This updater will notify DynDNS about your IP address change.
Your responsibility is to have this computer
with installed DNS updater running at least periodically.
This is required for DynDNS client service installed on your machine
to force updater to send notifications to DynDNS server even if your IP is not
updated at least once in 28 days interval to keep your DynDNS account active.
See also
Dynamic DNS Readme
Dynamic DNS How-To
DynDNS Updater Installation Guide
Why can't I connect to my server?
An Alternative to Sololink and Set-up problems
Using Dynamic DNS and Remote Desktop with Fios
Step 2. Remote router access
This step is not required for web camera operation, however it's very
convenient to remotely access your router and view or modify
some settings on it.
Your router admin pages are available from local network at address
http://192.168.1.1.
With new DynDNS account you created in a previous step you
will be able to access your router admin pages from external network.
Open page Remote Administration and update the following entry:
Allow Incoming Access to the Wireless Broadband Router
 Using Primary HTTPS Port (443)
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Access your router admin pages at address
https://myname.dyndns.org to make sure
that remote router administration is enabled and DynDNS is working properly.
Step 3. Remote desktop access
This step is not required for web camera operation, however it's very
convenient to remotely access machine in your local network
to start / stop applications and view / modify settings.
Go to the router admin web site and open the page Port Forwarding.
Click Add at the bottom of the page and enter the following on the
Add Port Forwarding Rule page:
 Specify Public IP Address
Networked Computer / Device: myps <-- PC name in your network
Protocol
Rule Name Ports
Remote Desktop TCP Any -> 3389
UDP Any -> 3389
WAN Connection Type: All Broadband Devices
Forward to Port: Specify 3389
When should this rule occur? Always
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Note, the name of networked computer is a machine in your network
you want to access remotely.
Test remote desktop functionality on Windows:
go to the Start / Programs / Accessories / Communications /
Remote Desktop Connection. In the popup window enter myname/dyndns.org
and login remotely to machine in your network.
See also
Port Forwarding for the Actiontec MI-424-WR
Step 4. Update router dynamic DNS
This step is described in details in the article
Using Dynamic DNS and Remote Desktop with Fios.
I'm not convinced that this step is required and more tests are required.
The problem with Verizon MI424WR router testing is that it does not allow
easily to remove entries made on the Dynamic DNS page.
Go to the router admin web site and open the page Dynamic DNS.
Update the following entries:
Connection to Update: Broadband Connection (Coax)
User Name: myname
Password: *******
Dynamic DNS System: Dynamic DNS
Host Name: myname.dyndns.org
All check boxes are not checked, other fields are empty.
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See also
Using Dynamic DNS and Remote Desktop with Fios
Step 5. Update router DHCP IP addresses range
Web camera must have a static IP address within your network while
the default setting on the router does not leave range for static IP addresses.
Go to the router admin web site and open the page
DHCP Settings for Network (Home/Office).
Update the following entries (I assume that you have less then 100 computers in your network):
IP Address Distribution: DHCP Server
Start IP Address: 192.168.1.2
End IP Address: 192.168.1.100
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
WINS Server: 0.0.0.0
Lease Time in Minutes: 1440
Provide Host Name if Not Specified by Client
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Step 6. Set camera static IP address
Initially the camera is connected to the network with a network cable.
The camera IP address is setup automatically with the first available on your
local network IP address. For example, you have two computers in your local network.
The IP address 192.168.1.1 is reserved for the router.
IP addresses of networked computers are 192.168.1.2 and 192.168.1.3.
The web camera will be assigned
IP address 192.168.1.4 as a first available address.
You could check this IP address using web camera utility or learn IP address
from the router main page in the column My Network.
Go to the web camera admin utility setup page
http://192.168.1.4
and select in the left pane option Basic.
Scroll to Network Settings section in the right pane
and update the following entries:
Configuration Type: Fixed IP Address
IP Address: 192.168.1.101
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.1.1
Primary DNS: 192.168.1.1
Secondary DNS: 192.168.1.1
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Note, the last number 101 in the web camera IP Address
is outside of dynamic IP addresses taken by router 2..100
DHCP range defined in the previous step.
See also
Fios & Linksys Internet camera - setup questions
Unplug network cable from the camera and plug it back. Reboot camera.
Test http://192.168.1.101 IP address
in the web browser.
You should be able to load the web camera admin utility setup page
from new static IP address 192.168.1.101.
Step 7. Learn router wireless security settings
This was the most painful step for me, "thanks" to conflicting definitions in
router and web camera.
Go to the router admin web site and open the page Basic Security Settings.
Write down the following information from this page (example below for 64/40 bit WEP Key):
SSID: MYWIRE
WEP Key Code: hello <-- as ASCII
WEP Key Code: 68656c6c6f <-- as Hex
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The trick is a WEP Key Code which you should know both as ASCII and Hex.
The ASCII Key Code value is a plain text which is usually entered when you
connect wireless devices to your network.
Web camera requires Key Code value as Hex.
Let's say your current Key Code is hello typed as ASCII.
Change ASCII to Hex and write down WEP Key Code 68656c6c6f as Hex.
Do not click Apply on the bottom of the screen.
Navigate away from this page because you already learned what you need.
Step 8. Set camera wireless access
Go to the web camera
http://192.168.1.101
admin utility setup page.
Select in the left pane entry Basic and scroll
to Wireless Settings section in the right pane.
Update the following entries:
SSID: MYWIRE <-- router SSID
Network Type: Infrastructure
Security: WEP
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Click the button Edit Security Settings and
update the following entries:
Security Mode: WEP
TX Key: 1
WEP Encryption: 64 Bit Keys (10 Hex chars)
Passphrase: <-- leave blank
Key 1: 68656c6c6f <-- router WEP Key Code as Hex
Key 2: <-- leave blank
Key 3: <-- leave blank
Key 4: <-- leave blank
Authentication: Open System
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Looks obvious, isn't it?
Test camera wireless connection: unplug camera from the network,
reboot it and open http://192.168.1.101
admin utility.
The page displayed is a proof of successful web camera connection to the network.
Step 9. Add router protocol for web camera
Go to the router admin web site and open the page Protocols.
Click Add at the bottom of the page and enter the following on the
Edit Service page:
Service Name: myWebCam
Service Description: bla-bla or empty
Server Ports
Protocol Server Ports
TCP Any -> 1024
UDP Any -> 1024
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Click Apply. The router port 1024 will be associated with
the new web camera. You could use any port except standard ports.
This new protocol moves connection to the new web camera away from
default port 80 which is blocked by Verizon.
Step 10. Update router port forwarding
Go to the router admin web site and open the page Port Forwarding.
Click Add at the bottom of the page and enter the following on the
Add Port Forwarding Rule page:
Specify Public IP Address
Networked Computer / Device: Specify Address 192.168.1.101
Protocol
Rule Name Ports
myWebCam TCP Any -> 1024
UDP Any -> 1024
WAN Connection Type: All Broadband Devices
Forward to Port: Same as Incoming Port
When should this rule occur? Always
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Note, the specified address 192.168.1.101 is taken
from Step 6, see above.
See also
Port Forwarding for the Actiontec MI-424-WR
Step 11. Camera video
The camera is able to stream video in MJPEG and MPEG-4 formats.
The MJPEG format is supported by many browsers.
The following simple web page displays your video (no sound):
<head>
<script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">
function doPlay() {
var url = 'http://myname.dyndns.org:1024/img/video.mjpeg';
document.write('<img border="0" alt="Video" src="' + url + '">');
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">doPlay();</script>
</body>
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Streaming video with sound or in MPEG-4 format requires more efforts.
For example, you have options
to install Linksys plugin for IE to view stream in browser
or web camera utility to view stream in the desktop application.
See also
How To Embed a Linksys Wireless-G Internet Home Monitoring Camera
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