How does P2P Servers for IP Cameras work?

[BrownChiLD 0]

Hi guys,

 

I have a few questions about P2P IP cameras.

 

These cameras are becoming the preferred type cameras now since it's so much easier to get cameras online w/o having to do port forwarding or requiring a public IP etc.

 

The only thing is that you are dependent on a cloud server.

 

My understanding of P2P cameras is that it streams (upstream) its video to the 3rd party Cloud Server, where you connect to to see the feed.. therefore there is no need for messing w/ networks to get traffic into the camera itself.. w/c makes sense

 

So what does this mean, the cloud server is SERVING the video stream constantly? like a relay server?

 

There are lots of cameras now being sold w/ FREE p2p service (hikvision, isecure, etc) and they offer that FREE FOREVER.

 

How are they able to maintain this service since bandwdith costs of their server would probably shoot up! Which is another concern what if you have 100 cameras and the Cloud server/company decided to stop the service. you're fcked.

 

 

Orr, is it also possible that P2P Cloud servers are just actually doing network "hand shakes" for you and your camera? and that once the handshake is made, you're directly connected to your camera already? therefore

 

1) These P2P servers do not carry the video stream weight from each camera connected "through it"

2) Even if the p2P servers are on cheap slow internet connection, once your connection is established your gonna get fast refresh rates based on what speeds you and your camera is own (not affected by 3rd party server performance)

 

 

The reason I think it's the latter is that, Torrents w/c works on P2P works this way.. and because during my tests, being on the LOCAL network w/ my IP cameras, but connecting to them through P2P , the performance was like that of being connected locally via LAN w/c doesn't make sense if the video is being streamed through the p2p server (data goes round trip)

 

 

So how does it really work?

 

Thanks guys.

[Securame 0]

Streams do NOT go through third party servers. That is only used for establishing the connection without the need of port opening, once the connection is established, everything happens the same way as if you were connecting directly through the device.

[BrownChiLD 0]

Streams do NOT go through third party servers. That is only used for establishing the connection without the need of port opening, once the connection is established, everything happens the same way as if you were connecting directly through the device.

 

 

ahh, i thought so, and di hope so

 

but can you explain a bit of the network logic behind this?

 

im having a hard time understanding how 2 machines are able to establish direct connection when both machines do not have its own PUBLIC IP ADDRESS?

 

Isn't it that in networks, one needs to send data to a publicly accessible IP address or at least have said traffic forwarded to an internal IP address?

 

if camera sends video stream to public IP of the network where the computer is on, but the network is not forwarding the stream properly, how are they able to establish a connection?

 

 

ipcam ---> internet ---> Router w/ Public IP ------(traffic forwarded) ----> PC receiving ip cam footage

 

 

if the Router on public IP does not cooperate, how did it become possible?

[ak357 0]

 

 

ahh, i thought so, and di hope so

 

but can you explain a bit of the network logic behind this?

 

im having a hard time understanding how 2 machines are able to establish direct connection when both machines do not have its own PUBLIC IP ADDRESS?

 

Isn't it that in networks, one needs to send data to a publicly accessible IP address or at least have said traffic forwarded to an internal IP address?

 

if camera sends video stream to public IP of the network where the computer is on, but the network is not forwarding the stream properly, how are they able to establish a connection?

 

 

ipcam ---> internet ---> Router w/ Public IP ------(traffic forwarded) ----> PC receiving ip cam footage

 

 

if the Router on public IP does not cooperate, how did it become possible?

Start Googling

 

Reverse Port Forwarding

Peer-to-Peer Communication Across Network

What are P2P communications

UDP pinholeing

[BrownChiLD 0]

 

 

ahh, i thought so, and di hope so

 

but can you explain a bit of the network logic behind this?

 

im having a hard time understanding how 2 machines are able to establish direct connection when both machines do not have its own PUBLIC IP ADDRESS?

 

Isn't it that in networks, one needs to send data to a publicly accessible IP address or at least have said traffic forwarded to an internal IP address?

 

if camera sends video stream to public IP of the network where the computer is on, but the network is not forwarding the stream properly, how are they able to establish a connection?

 

 

ipcam ---> internet ---> Router w/ Public IP ------(traffic forwarded) ----> PC receiving ip cam footage

 

 

if the Router on public IP does not cooperate, how did it become possible?

Start Googling

 

Reverse Port Forwarding

Peer-to-Peer Communication Across Network

What are P2P communications

UDP pinholeing

 

 

Thanks for the google leads! will definitely read up more on said topics

[jimbuffalo 0]

When i googled P2P/cctv, i got linked to this post

[Guest]

http://www.brynosaurus.com/pub/net/p2pnat/