IP surveillance can be contrasted with the CCTV systems that dominated the electronic monitoring and surveillance markets for many years. CCTV systems rely on analog video cameras connected with cables to TV monitors and (if recording and storing the images is required) video recording devices. By contrast, wireless IP Surveillance involves connecting video equipment to devices that transmit the video signals across a wireless connection to an IP network. From there, the signals can be transmitted securely as far as the network extends—across a small local LAN or over the Internet

Such systems generally include five elements:

• Network Video Camera—analog camera with a digital encoder, or digital video camera with an Ethernet port
• Subscriber Unit—a small device located on the premises that transmits wireless signals to an access point device usually located offsite
• Access Point—relays video signals to other network locations
• Digital Recording Device—PC or server used to store video images
• IP Network— the Internet, intranet, or VPN
Figure 1: A Wireless IP Surveillance of Remote Oil Facilities.

Many different types of implementation are possible. In a simple example (Figure 1), cameras capture the video images in a digital format that is suitable for transmission over the IP network. In this example, the cameras are used to perform surveillance on a remote oil pipeline and an oil well
belonging to a company whose head office is located in a remote city. The cameras transmit the images via short-range wireless connection such as Bluetooth to a subscriber unit located near the monitored facility. The subscriber units then transmit the images to an access point device. The access point device relays the images over the Internet to a control centre at the head office of the organization. The images are then monitored and stored on a server.