Category Archives: SecuritySpy

Wildlife Watch: Using SecuritySpy for Animal Detection and Recording

Our macOS CCTV software SecuritySpy is designed to provide video security for your home or business. However, it has an array of flexible features that make it ideal for many other uses too. Our customers have been using SecuritySpy for various interesting purposes, from documenting scientific experiments, to capturing interviews, to recording musical events.

A particularly popular use among our users is for recording animals. In this blog, we share some practical tips on how to make the most of SecuritySpy for capturing the fascinating behaviours and moments of the animal world, showcasing the software’s adaptability far beyond its security roots.

Check out our @SpyTheAnimals Instagram feed for more animals captured by SecuritySpy, and please post on our forum any images or movies that you have captured with your own SecuritySpy system!

 

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Remote Access Without Port Forwarding

The usual way to set up remote access to our CCTV software SecuritySpy running on your Mac is via port forwarding (see Installation Manual – Remote Access). This method allows direct incoming connections to SecuritySpy from the Internet, and is achieved by configuring your router (which SecuritySpy can do automatically for most routers). This method is great for most users, as it usually allows high-performance remote access with minimal configuration.

However, some users may want to consider other methods for the following reasons:

  • Port forwarding only works when your ISP gives you a true public IP address, which is not always the case, especially with cellular or satellite internet connections (e.g. 4G, 5G, Starlink).
  • If you have two routers between the Mac and the Internet (e.g. your ISP router plus your own router), port forwarding configuration is difficult – the usual solution is to switch one of these routers to bridge/passthrough mode, but this isn’t always possible.
  • ISP routers sometimes prevent users from setting port forwarding rules.
  • Institutions with very strict network policies may have a blanket ban on allowing any kind of incoming connections from the Internet.

If you can’t use port forwarding for any reason, the solution is to set up a Virtual Network or a Tunnel (sometimes called a proxy) via a third-party service in order to access your system. A number of these solutions are described below, with setup instructions.

A Virtual Network, as opposed to a physical network, is a Software-Defined Networking (SDN) solution that creates an overlay network on top of existing network infrastructure, spanning across multiple physical networks and the Internet. Members of this virtual network can communicate with each other as if they were on the same physical network.

With a Tunnel solution, the data is relayed via a third-party server acting as an intermediary. Note that many providers apply data transfer limits, so you should take steps to moderate your bandwidth usage when accessing remotely, such as minimising live video streaming, avoiding large file downloads, and generally using the connection sparingly.

Which solution you choose generally comes down to the following question: do you have a fixed set of devices from which you want to access your SecuritySpy server? For most users, the answer to this question is yes, and in this case a Virtual Network is the best solution. On the other hand, if you want your SecuritySpy server open to the Internet for anyone to (attempt to) access, then a Tunnel solution provides this.

In terms of security, both solutions offer encrypted Internet communication, however the Virtual Network solution is considered more secure because clients have to first be a member of the network in order to even attempt connections to the server, which adds an extra layer of security. Note that in either case, the connection to SecuritySpy itself is via its plaintext HTTP web interface (not the secure HTTPS interface), so this must be enabled in SecuritySpy’s web settings. This is because the encryption is handled by the virtual network / tunnel solution itself, not by SecuritySpy.

Virtual Network (SDN) Solutions

Client software is installed on all devices, allowing them to communicate freely with each other as if they were on the same physical network. The system assigns each device a virtual IP address. Devices are only accessible to others within this virtual network, not from outside. The central server primarily helps set up direct connections between devices, rather than relaying data itself.

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Adding SecuritySpy Cameras To HomeKit Using Homebridge

SecuritySpy, our macOS CCTV software, has built-in HomeKit integration that allows it to control, and be controlled from, accessories like sensors, switches and lights, across your Apple Home automation system.

But, what about making live video from SecuritySpy’s cameras available to Home? This blog post explains how to do this. Continue reading

Using an iPhone or iPad as a CCTV Camera

With the right app, an iPhone or iPad can make an effective security camera that provides standard RTSP video/audio feeds. This is especially useful for older iOS devices that would otherwise be unused, making for an easy and inexpensive way to add an extra camera to your video surveillance system built around our macOS NVR software SecuritySpy.

In order for an iOS device to be used for video surveillance, it should be powered all the time and set to never sleep. Such a device should never be used for a critical CCTV purpose, since things like power outages or app/devices crashes may require manual intervention to put right. This can be mitigated somewhat with Apple’s Guided Access or Single App features.

The following apps have been tested and confirmed to work well with SecuritySpy for H.264 RTSP streaming, delivering high-quality and efficient video/audio streams to SecuritySpy. Continue reading

Using Your Own Domain Name With SecuritySpy

SecuritySpy, our fully-featured video surveillance solution for the Mac, offers a built-in web server that you can use to access your CCTV system from the Internet. For ease of setup, SecuritySpy allows you to choose your own free domain name in the form name.viewcam.me, which is used to access your system. SecuritySpy will automatically keep this domain updated with your current public IP address whenever it changes (this is called DDNS), and it will automatically generate and renew a free SSL certificate for secure HTTPS access.

However, some users may want to use their own domain name instead of the viewcam.me name provided. One way to do this would be to purchase a static IP address from your ISP, to which you point your domain, and then purchase and install your own SSL certificate for SecuritySpy. The downside to doing this is the cost, setup, and the fact that you will have to manually renew your certificate whenever it expires.

There is a better solution that allows you to use your own domain but that does not require a static IP address, incurs no ongoing costs, and offers automatic renewal – here’s how to set this up: Continue reading

Offsite Backup of Recorded Camera Footage

Our macOS CCTV software SecuritySpy saves all recordings to a local drive. By default, the Mac’s internal drive is used, but you can specify any other drive(s) you want to use for this purpose, for example an external drive connected by USB or Thunderbolt or a NAS (Network Attached Storage) drive on the local network.

Modern drives are very reliable, and for most users the small chance of data loss due to drive failure may not be too concerning. However, this could be more of a concern for more critical commercial applications, plus there is also the possibility than an intruder could damage or steal the drive.

To minimise the chance of data loss, there are a few basic steps that users can take, for example by using only high-quality drives from reputable manufacturers, securing drives with anti-theft devices, or using multi-disk RAID disk setups that provide fault-tolerance.

One further method to prevent data loss is to set up automatic offsite backup for the most important captured footage, so that this can be retrieved if the primary storage drive is compromised. There are a few ways to do this: Continue reading

Dahua IPC-HFW2831T-ZAS Camera Review

The IP camera market is replete with bullet-style cameras, with Dahua Technology being one of the major manufacturers of cameras of this type. Basic Dahua bullet cameras are well-designed, inexpensive, and generally provide good quality video, however it doesn’t cost too much more to get a model like this one, which has some key features that allow it to perform much better than basic models.

IPC-HFW2831T-ZAS

Dahua Technology IPC-HFW2831T-ZAS IP Camera

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Dahua IPC-HDW5831R-ZE IP Camera Review

Dahua Technology have such an extensive range of IP cameras that it can be difficult to choose between them, especially between models that are superficially similar. Generally, Dahua cameras work very well with our macOS CCTV software SecuritySpy, and this particular model, the IPC-HDW5831R-ZE, looks like it could be something special.

This is an “eyeball” type camera, which is a form factor with some significant advantages: they are generally compact in size, easy to swivel and rotate to the correct position, and, unlike dome cameras, there is no curved perspex dome in front of the lens to reduce quality.

IPC-HDW5831R-ZE IP Camera

Dahua Technology IPC-HDW5831R-ZE

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AXIS A8105-E Video Door Station Review

[Update July 2024: Axis has a newer video doorbell, the I8116-E, which is an improved version of the model described below.]

Video doorbells are becoming increasingly popular, and have the potential to make a useful addition to any CCTV system. Our macOS CCTV software SecuritySpy works with many different video doorbells, but choosing one to use can be difficult, as they vary significantly in terms of feature set, quality, reliability and cost. In addition, many video doorbells (e.g. Ring, Nest, Eufy) are designed as closed cloud-based systems that lock you into a subscription, and specifically don’t work with NVR (Network Video Recorder) software such as SecuritySpy.

Features

The Axis A8105-E doorbell offers a good all-round feature set, including 2 MP resolution, Power-over-Ethernet, two-way audio, compact design, and multiple input/output ports to connect accessories such as chimes and door openers. A 1.56mm lens provides an outstandingly wide 180º horizontal field of view and the ability to capture people very close to the camera.

AXIS A8105-E Network Video Door Station

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10 Recommended IP Cameras 2021

[Note: this list is now outdated – for our latest recommendations, please see Our Camera Picks]

Here are our network camera picks for 2021. They are listed in no particular order (they are quite varied in terms of cost and feature set, which makes them difficult to rank as a “top 10″ list), however they are all cameras that, due to their impressive features, we recommend to our customers for use with our SecuritySpy CCTV software for the Mac.

Some abbreviations used below are as follows:

  • MP – Megapixel resolution – the number of millions of pixels in the image sensor. The higher the resolution, the more detailed the image, but resolution isn’t everything: the optical quality of the lens system is also extremely important.
  • PoE – Power-over-Ethernet – when using a PoE switch, the camera draws power over the ethernet cable and so doesn’t require a separate power supply.
  • IR – Infra-Red – some cameras include Infra-Red LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) for night vision. Usually the manufacturer will specify the maximum useful range of the IR in meters.
  • P-Iris / DC-Iris – These features (collectively called “auto-iris”) allow the camera lens to automatically adjust its aperture based on the amount of incoming light. P-Iris is more sophisticated and will give better results than than DC-Iris, but both are far better than a Fixed-Iris lens, especially for outdoor applications.
  • Varifocal – These lenses allow you to adjust the field of view at installation time. A focal length of 2.8mm is wide-angle; 4mm is medium; 8mm is moderately telephoto (a bit “zoomed in”). This is not the same as true “zoom” lenses: varifocal lenses are designed to be set once at install time, whereas zoom lenses are designed to be operated continually.
  • PTZ – Pan/Tilt/Zoom – motorised remote control of the camera’s horizontal and vertical angle and focal length.

For purchasing IP cameras, we recommend B&H Photo Video – they are a reliable, established outlet. Amazon is another option, however there are many “grey market” cameras sold on Amazon (e.g. cameras designed for the Chinese market only, but sold into the US against the manufacturer’s rules), which should be avoided due to lack of support from the manufacturer.

We are not affiliated with any outlet or manufacturer mentioned on this page, and we get no financial incentive for recommending them.

BASIC OUTDOOR TURRET/DOME: DAHUA TECHNOLOGY N53AJ52

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