Whether you are concerned about thieves and burglars, installing surveillance cameras will give you both protection and peace. Just installing is not enough to get security; you have to monitor the camera consequently. When it comes to monitoring CCTV cameras, most people were found using smartphones.
Watching CCTV footage through your Smartphone will be annoying for its display size. For this reason, someone may want to monitor their CCTV camera through a laptop. Now, you may be wondering whether it is possible to monitor CCTV footage on a laptop.
Well, there are numerous ways to view CCTV footage on a laptop. Through this article, we will let you know some easiest ways to view your CCTV cameras footage through your laptop computer. So stay with us reading this article.
Advantages of Watching CCTV Footage on Laptop
The first and foremost benefit of watching CCTV footage on a laptop is its display. As the laptop has a large screen, you can watch multiple live footage of your security camera. Besides, you can use the laptop’s storage to record the live video. This way, you can store numerous video footage on your laptop storage.
Along with recording footage on the local storage, you can also store the footage on cloud storage, which is more secure than a regular DVR. In addition, a laptop lets you view the CCTV footage for a long time due to its battery life. Now you may be wondering how you can take advantage of these functions. Well, there are several ways to view CCTV footage on your laptop, such as with the internet, without the internet, using apps.
If we talk about the app, you will find numerous surveillance apps on the internet to view CCTV footage on your laptop. Among the countless apps, IVMS 4500 is a popular security camera monitoring app. Although it is a mobile app, you can use both Windows and macOS. Downloading the IVMS 4500 App for Mac can be possible on the Mac App Store and Google Play Store using third-party software called Android emulator.
How Can I View CCTV Footage on My Laptop
Watching your CCTV footage on your laptop can be possible in different ways. Below, we have demonstrated the four easiest ways to view CCTV footage on a laptop.
Method 1: View CCTV Footage on Your Laptop With the IVMS 4500 App
As we said, IVMS 400 is a popular app that can be used to view CCTV footage through your laptop. Check out the below process to know how you can download and use this excellent app.
Requirements:
- Wireless or IP camera
- Camera’s power adapter
- Your laptop
Download and Install an Android Emulator
First, you need to download and install any Android emulator on your laptop, whether it is Windows or macOS. We recommend using BlueStacks and Nox Player. After installing, launch the installed emulator and log in to the Play Store with your Gmail Credentials.
Download the IVMS 400
Now search IVMS 400 on the Play Store and pick the right app from the displayed search results. Click on the ‘Install’ button to start the installation process. Once the IVMS 400 is installed, run it on your device.
Set up Your Security Camera
Press on the three-line logo on the left-top edge to display the menu. After that, tap on the ‘Devices’ from the showing list. Click on the (+) sign in the top-right edge to add a new local device. Here you can add your camera by scanning the QR code or manually writing camera device information. After adding the camera, click on the ‘Start Live View’ to view your CCTV footage.
Method 2: Connect a Wi-Fi or PoE Camera Directly to Laptop (Without Internet)
Here, we will show how you can connect your IP camera to a laptop. Without using any NVR, DVR, router network, and Wi-Fi, you can configure your security camera.
Requirements:
- A Wi-Fi or PoE camera
- The Camera’s power adapter
- Your laptop
- A network cable
Powered Your Security Camera
Generally, a Wi-Fi IP camera comes with a power adapter to charge or power the camera. First, you have to plugged-in the power adapter into your IP camera. You will be required to buy a power adapter for the PoE camera that works for the camera.
Connect to the Camera and the Laptop Using the Network Cable
Join one end of the network cable to your surveillance camera. Typically, security cameras have 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 cables to attach. After that, connect the other end of the cable to your laptop. If your laptop already connects with a network, disable it.
Scan the Security Camera’s IP Address on the Laptop
Now you have to install the surveillance software according to your surveillance camera. Then run the software, and it will instantly scan all the cameras from the local LAN. A new window will appear with the default IP address of your camera.
Change the Laptop IP Address to the Same as the IP Camera
Once you get the camera’s IP address, you have to replace your laptop’s IP address with it. Typically, an IP address consists of a number like 192.168.177.x, where x refers to the node/host number. The node/host number could be between 2 and 254. As most cameras’ default IP address is 192.168.177.100, replace your laptop with it.
Changing Your Laptop IP Address
An IP address has two sections: a network portion and a node portion. Although all nodes share the same network prefix, you have a unique host number. Check the below process to change your laptop IP address.
- Press window + R to open the Run box using your laptop keyboard,
- Type ‘ncpa.cpl’ and click on the OK button to open the ‘Network Connections’ window.
- Now select ‘Ethernet’ and click the right button for selecting ‘Properties.’
- Choose your laptop’s internet protocol version and tap ‘Properties.’
- Press on the ‘Use the following IP address’ and Replace the IP address with 192.168.177.100.
- After that, click on the OK. Now you can view CCTV footage with installed software on your laptop.
Method 3: Connect a PoE (Wired) IP Camera to a Laptop without PoE Injector/Switch
Watching live footage of your PoE(Wired) IP camera through a laptop is an easy task. In this method, you don’t need any power adapter or Wi-Fi connection.
Requirements:
- A PoE camera
- Your laptop
- A network cable
- A router with PoE Feature
Connect the Camera and the Router Using the Network Cable
You will get a single network cable that works for the PoE camera’s power and video transmission. So, connect to the router using the cable so that your camera gets power supply and network access.
Watch the IP Camera On the Laptop
Install the surveillance app on your laptop according to your camera. Add the camera in the installed software and view the live CCTV footage directly through your laptop.
Method 4: Connect a PoE (Wired) IP Camera to Laptop with PoE Injector/Switch
You will require a PoE injector or PoE switch if your router doesn’t support PoE. Without a PoE injector or PoE switch, you can’t connect your IP camera to a laptop.
Requirements:
- A PoE camera
- Camera’s power adapter
- Your laptop
- A network cable
- A router
Connect the camera with the PoE injector or PoE switch
You will find a single cable with your PoE camera used for both video and network access. Join one end of the cable to your surveillance camera and another end to the PoE injector.
Powered the PoE Injector or Switch
Now power the PoE injector using the adapter that you get with the injector or switch. Attach the one end of the network cable to the injector’s Line-In port. Another end of the cable will be attached to your router.
Watch the IP Camera on Your Laptop
Install the surveillance app on your laptop according to your camera. Add the camera in the installed software and view the live CCTV footage directly through your laptop.
Conclusion
Monitoring your security cameras footage with the small screen will be annoying after a time. In that case, a laptop will be the best choice to view live footage of your surveillance cameras due to its larger screen.
Most people are concerned about whether it is possible to view CCTV footage through a laptop. That’s why, through this article, we have discussed the four easiest ways to connect surveillance cameras to your laptop.
We hope you have found the easiest method to view CCTV footage on your laptop’s larger screen by reading this article. Using any of the methods, you can connect security cameras to a laptop and watch live footage.
