How to Set Up Video Surveillance on the Cheap (for Home or Office)

How to Set Up Video Surveillance on the Cheap (for Home or Office)


These Netgear cameras can connect wirelessly to a router. Don’t buy an older web/IP cam that only connects via Ethernet cable. You will have limited camera placement.

Power the camera. Most webcams are powered by battery. Some use PoE (Power over Ethernet—they get power through the router). Set up the camera’s power according to instructions.

Connect to Wi-Fi. How the camera connects to Wi-Fi will vary. The Netgear Arlo ships with a base station that connects to a router via Ethernet. You press the Sync buttons on both the base station and camera to pair them.

Other cameras connect using WPS (Wireless Protected Setup). Press the WPS button on both the camera and the router (most routers have physical WPS buttons, some WPS requires accessing the router’s software settings). WPS connects the camera to Wi-Fi.

Web cameras have color-coded LEDs to show connection status. On the Arlo, the LED turns blue when the camera is connected.

Place the camera. Place the camera in the location to be monitored. Most cameras ship with wall mounting kits as well.

Get the camera’s software. Download the management software for the camera. This is the app used to view the camera’s feed and for configuration. The mobile device or computer to which the software is installed, should initially be on the same Wi-Fi network as the camera.


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