How-to Connect Security Cameras on Multiple Buildings to DVR via WIFI
Watch this video to learn how to connect security cameras that are installed on multiple buildings to central DVR via a wireless bridge. CCTV Camera Pros designed this security camera system for a customer that needed cameras installed on their home and barn. The customer thought that would need two DVRs, one for the house and one for the barn, because there was no existing connectivity between the two buildings. It was not feasible to run cable between the two buildings, so I used our WIFI-EH9500 point to point wireless camera system in the system design.
Point-to-Point Wireless Camera System
Here is how the system works.
On this network diagram, building A on the left represents the house and building B on the right represents the barn. Obviously, these can be any type of building to use the system design. Building A is where the Viewtron network video recorder is located. For this system, we used all Viewtron IP cameras however, you can use BNC cameras too which I will get to after this. There are 3 cameras installed at building A, and all of them are hard wired to the PoE ports on the recorder.
There is a network router installed in Building A. The NVR is hard wired to it. The receiving antenna from our EH9500 wireless bridge is installed on the exterior of the building and pointed directly at the transmitting antenna on building B. This must be an unobstructed direct line of site.
There are 3 IP camera installed on building B, and all of them are connected to a PoE network switch using CAT5 Ethernet cable. The transmitter antenna from the EH9500 wireless bridge is connected to the same network switch as the 3 IP cameras.
The signal from the 3 IP cameras is transmitted over the wireless bridge back to the main house (building A).
Now, the NVR can connect to the 3 IP cameras because they are on the local network.
This is the video surveillance equipment that was used for this project.
- Bullet and Dome Viewtron IP cameras
- Viewtron IP Camera NVR
- Viewtron 4K AI Camera
- Point to point wireless camera system
- J-Pipe Mount for Wireless Antennas
- PoE switch
In addition to the point-to-point wireless system that CCTV Camera Pros supplies, we also have a point to multi-point wireless system that can be used to connect security cameras from 2 or more buildings back to a central DVR / NVR.
Using BNC CCTV Cameras
You can also use BNC security cameras on the building with the recorder if you use one of our hybrid BNC camera DVRs instead of a pure IP camera NVR. The downside is that the BNC DVRs do not currently support AI security cameras. The router in Building A may be connected to an Internet connection so that you can access your security cameras remotely. It can also be a WIFI router so that you can access all of your cameras on the local network.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this article or anything related to video surveillance systems, please email me at mike@cctvcamerapros.net.
Video Transcript
Hey guys, Mike from CCTV Camera Pros here. So, what is the best security camera system?
I recently designed a security camera system for a farm down here where a customer needed security cameras on their house and on an adjacent barn. That customer assumed that they were going to need two different recorders, one in the barn and one at the house, because there was no connectivity in between the two structures.
They were happy to learn that using one of our outdoor wireless systems, I was able to connect the two structures over a wifi bridge. Check out this diagram and I’ll explain how I did it.
On this network diagram, Building A on the left represents the house and Building B on the right represents the barn. Obviously, these can be any types of buildings to use this system design. Building A is where the Viewtron network video recorder is located. For this system, we used all Viewtron IP cameras. However, you can use BNC cameras, too, which I will get to after this.
There are three cameras installed at Building A and all of them are hardwired to the PoE ports on the Viewtron recorder. There is a network router installed in Building A, the NVR is hardwired to it. The receiving antenna from our EH9500 wireless bridge is installed on the exterior of the building and pointed directly at the transmitting antenna on Building B. Please note, this must be an unobstructed direct line of sight.
There are three IP cameras installed on Building B and all of them are connected to a PoE switch using CAT5e cable. The transmitter antenna from the EH9500 wireless bridge is connected to the same network switch as the three IP cameras. The signal from the three IP cameras can now be transmitted over the wireless bridge back to the main house, Building A. Now the NVR can connect to the three IP cameras because they’re on the local network.
Here is a similar setup except, instead of using a Viewtron NVR, we are using a Viewtron hybrid BNC DVR, which works with BNC security cameras and network IP cameras. This allows us to hardwire BNC cameras installed at Building A where the DVR is located and also transmit the signals from network IP cameras installed over the wireless bridge from Building B.
I hope this video’s been helpful. We use that wireless system any time we need to connect two buildings, and there’s no way to run cable in between the two and there’s no existing connectivity. We’ve designed systems like that like in barn situations, like I just mentioned, HOAs where maybe you put a couple cameras out at a guardhouse and it needs to transmit back to the clubhouse, businesses that have multiple buildings at a location, residential where you have a gate kind of down a long driveway. Any situation where you can’t run cable, but you at least have power, we can use that system.
Also, that’s a point-to-point system. You can also do point-to-multipoint where the DVR is located, you have an omnidirectional antenna and signals from multiple buildings can point back to it.
If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to reach out to me any time. I could be reached at mike@cctvcamerapros.net. If you want to learn more about this wireless camera system, please visit www.cctvcamerapros.com/bridge.
Thank you for watching.
