Veo 802.11b Accessing Cameras Over the Internet, WAN IP Address, Network Address Translation NAT

Models: 802.11b

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Accessing Cameras Over the Internet

If your home or business LAN is connected to the Internet through a high speed (broadband) Internet connection, with at least 128 kbps upload bandwidth, you can access your cameras by web browser from anywhere on the Internet. To do this you need to:

Chapter

7

1.Know your WAN (Internet) IP address. This is the IP address that your Internet Service Provider gives you to access the Internet. It may be static (always the same) or dynamic (can change from time to time).

2.Make sure the two ports used by the camera (80 & 1600) are forwarded by your router or gateway to the camera.

3.Make sure your camera’s default gateway is set to the LAN (local) IP address of your router/gateway.

7.1WAN IP Address

The WAN (Wide Area Network) IP address that your Internet Service Provider grants you so that you can access the Internet is very different from the LAN or local IP address that your PCs and cameras are using to connect to your local network. Your WAN or Internet IP address is visible to the outside world (Internet) whereas your local addresses are not. To find your home or business network from the Internet you must know your WAN IP address.

Your WAN IP address is stored by your gateway router which uses it to connect to the Internet. All the devices on your network connect to the Internet via your gateway router. You can find your current WAN IP address by checking your router’s status page. There are also various websites such as www.whatismyip.com which will tell you the IP address that you are currently using to access the Internet.

A word about terminology

The term gateway is used generically to mean the device that connects a local network to the Internet. A gateway may be a router, a PC running software which allows it to act as a gateway such as a proxy server, or some other device. Most home networks use a NAT (Network Address Translation) router as a gateway. The term gateway router refers to such a device.

Static versus Dynamic IP address

The IP address (or addresses) your ISP has provided you will either be static, which means it never changes, or dynamic, meaning it can change periodically. Dynamic addresses present an additional challenge when trying to locate your network from the Internet since your address may have changed since the last time you checked it. How often your dynamic address changes varies from one service provider to another. Also, any time you reboot your cable or DSL modem, your are likely to get a new address when reconnecting. The solution to the ever changing IP address is known as DDNS or dynamic domain name service. A DDNS will allow you to find your network by a domain name, such as mynetcam.no-ip.com, rather than needing to know the IP address. Setting up a DDNS is covered in Section 7.6 Dynamic Domain Name Service (DDNS).

7.2 Network Address Translation (NAT)

Most home routers and business firewalls today perform something called NAT or Network Address Translation. NAT translates your external or WAN IP address into an internal address inside your gateway router. What this means is, you can think of your router as being divided into two halves, the LAN side (inside) and the WAN side (outside or Internet side). When a connection request arrives at your router from the Internet, it will not get any farther than the WAN side unless you have specifically instructed your router to pass this type of request to a specific device on your LAN. This process is know as port forwarding or port redirecting.

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Veo 802.11b Accessing Cameras Over the Internet, WAN IP Address, Network Address Translation NAT, Word about terminology

802.11b specifications

The Veo 802.11b is a notable wireless networking standard that emerged in the late 1990s as one of the first widely adopted protocols for local area networks (LANs). Operating in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, 802.11b provided users with the ability to connect to the internet and share resources without the constraints of wired connections.

One of the primary features of 802.11b is its maximum data transfer rate of 11 Mbps, which was impressive at the time of its release. This speed allowed for basic internet usage, file sharing, and general network connectivity. While this might seem slow by today’s standards, it laid the foundation for the rapid evolution of wireless technologies.

Veo 802.11b utilized Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technology, which enhanced the reliability of the connection by spreading the signal over a wider frequency range. This technique helped to reduce interference, particularly in environments with multiple wireless devices operating on the same frequency. The standard also included mechanisms for ensuring data integrity, such as the use of cyclic redundancy check (CRC) algorithms.

In terms of range, Veo 802.11b offered coverage of approximately 100 to 300 feet indoors, and up to 1000 feet outdoors depending on environmental factors. This range made it suitable for home networks and small office environments, allowing users to access the internet from different locations within a building without the need for cumbersome cabling.

Another characteristic of the 802.11b standard was its compatibility with the earlier 802.11 standard, ensuring that devices using both protocols could operate together. This backward compatibility facilitated a smoother transition for users upgrading their systems, as they could maintain connectivity with older devices while enjoying the benefits of faster wireless networking.

Security was also an important aspect, though initially limited. The standard employed Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) for data encryption, which provided a basic level of security to protect wireless communications. However, as vulnerabilities were discovered in WEP, the need for stronger security protocols became evident, leading to further developments in later standards.

Ultimately, the Veo 802.11b played a pivotal role in revolutionizing wireless communications. It established the groundwork for further advancements such as 802.11g and 802.11n, which provided higher speeds and greater efficiency. While newer standards have since eclipsed its capabilities, 802.11b remains a significant milestone in the evolution of wireless networking technology. Its influence can still be seen in the pervasive use of wireless networks in homes, offices, and public spaces around the world today.