grs

I may be putting this in the wrong section, sorry if I am!. I'm completely new to CCTV and I was wondering how it's done with IP cams and a home PC. Where I work they have an Eneo system which uses IP cams as well as older analogue cams from the previous system, I've only had a quick look at it. Do all the cams go into a switch then the PC? If I'm running Windows what programs could I use to record and monitor, any free ones? Are there any program to turn to turn my Pc into a dedicated box, what I mean is, will it act as Operating System, if so can it be run headless and managed over a network webgui or similar interface? grs

I'm just trying to get a grasp of the technology, I don't think I need a CCTV setup. I was thinking for home use. I'm not too sure what I mean by a lot either?!? LOL, What sort of bandwidth do IP cams use, I saw a fee thats were running 10/100 type connections. I was wondering about free software so I could try-out the technology before investing in something I may not need. Is the software the same for analogue and IP cameras? What are the pros and cons of analogue and IP cameras? Sorry about the wrong location for the thread, thats for fixing it.

If I'm using IP cams do I need a DVR card or just a network card? If I wanted a lot of cams would a fiber card from a gigbit-to-fiber switch be better? Can someone suggest a free monitoring/recording program to handle several IP cams?

Any help??