Remote Power IP Switcher – Quick Start Guide

A remote power IP Switcher is useful when IP or network-based devices are deployed in remote or difficult-to-access areas. Sometimes, when an IP device loses network connectivity, the power device and/or network switch needs to be power-cycled, or disconnected from power for 10-30 seconds and reconnected. This can either be done manually, or you can use a remote power switcher, which can automatically sense when connectivity to the network has been lost. It does this by regularly pinging one or more IP addresses and/or websites. If it cannot ping for a pre-determined period of time (e.g. 30 seconds), then it can automatically power cycle all devices. Remote Power IP Switchers are commonly used for network-based IP cameras or wireless network radios mounted on poles that are used primarily for traffic surveillance or monitoring. The advantages of having this device include but are not limited to: You don’t have to be at the device’s location to manually unplug the power and re-plug. You don’t have to climb a ladder to access the device if it’s mounted high on a pole. You have less downtime. You don’t have to do anything, so your own time is saved. This post is a quick-start […]

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How to Design an NVR Server for Recording and Management of Security Cameras

First, check the VMS’s minimum hardware requirements based on frame rate, bit rate, and expected motion hours. The CPU and GPU you choose should have a higher benchmark score than what is recommended by the VMS calculator. Then, design a server with as many points of redundancy as possible: double or triple-redundant power supply (will be very loud, so ideal for a private equipment room) and dedicated RAID card with BBU with hot spare(s) are required. The server’s storage devices should support the use of each partition, e.g. RAID1 SSDs or SAS drives for the OS, SAS drives for short-term recording, and either SAS or enterprise-grade SATA for long-term archiving. Choose a chassis that is certified for the OS, RAM that is certified for the motherboard (or else Supermicro and other motherboard manufacturers won’t support you), and drives that are compatible with the RAID card. Choose a RAID card that can support external JBOD storage, if future expansion is required. Cloud-based recording/archiving and/or edge storage on devices are additional optional redundancies. My company has been building custom NVR and storage solutions in various form factors (cube, 2U, 3U, 4U, 8U) for all types of organizations including government agencies, museums, police/fire stations, […]

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