Networking Overview
From EZWatch Support Wiki
One of the most popular feature (if not THE most popular feature) of the EZ Watch Pro and Armor Pro surveillance systems is the ability to connect and view your cameras remotely over the internet. This gives you the tools and ability to watch your home for intrusion or disturbances from anywhere in the world. You can even view your cameras through certain models of cellular phones, eliminating the need for access to a laptop or desktop PC.
The initial setup of the remote access can be a slightly daunting task. This is because of the way the internet and networking works. This guide is a very basic, general overview of networking designed to explain the whys and hows of Port Forwarding.
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What is a Network
A network is a group of many computers communicating with each other. A network can be Wide Area (Such as the Internet itself, spanning entire continents) or it can be Local Area (within a building or a home). The internet is considered a 'Public' network, accessable from anywhere and by any device connected to it. Most Local network are considered 'Private', accessable only from your own home or your building.
To set up a network of your own all you'll need is a router. A simple home router will set up a private network and allow many computers to communicate and share information between them. If the router is connected to an active internet connection, then the router can become a link between your private network and the public internet.
Network Address (IP Address)
Every computer on a network has its own unique address to identify it to other computers on a network. Even on the internet, every device has its own unique address. This is costly, however, and with billions of computers on the internet, addresses are starting to run short. To combat this, most internet providers will only give you a single internet address. But you may have 2 or 3 (Or 30 or 40) computers you wish to connect to the internet. Extra internet addresses can be very expensive. Private networks get around this.
On a private network, each individual computer has a private address. They all communicate together with their private addresses. The router has the REAL public internet address assigned to it. All information has to pass through the router on its way to and from the internet - the router keeps track of what information is sent out to where, so that the reply can be sent back to the same computer. This way the router can take one public address, and split it up to multiple private addresses.
More information on IP Addresses can be found on our explanation of Static IP versus Dynamic IP. This will explain how knowing what your address is is very important.
Why is Port Forwarding Important?
When you have a router linking your PC to the internet, you are dealing with two separate networks - one private, and one public. The private network (The computers behind your router) can access the internet at will because the internet is public. However, computers from the public network CANNOT access your private network. This means that if your EZ Watch/Armor Pro DVR is within a private network, you cannot see the cameras from a remote location unless you work around this limitation.
This is where port forwarding comes into play. Your router must be instructed to allow certain information - specifically, a request to see the cameras - to enter the private network, and to go to the computer with the cameras. Information going in and out of the router travels through 'ports' which identify what the information is.
Forwarding the bit of information that says "I want to see the cameras" through the port on your router to the computer with the cameras is called Port Forwarding.
Our guide on How to set up Remote Access on EZ Watch Pro 4.0 will walk you through setting up Port Forwarding one step at a time, to allow you to view your cameras online.
Multiple Routers
One challenge when viewing your cameras remotely is if you have an EZ Watch Pro system behind multiple routers. This most commonly occurs if your DSL/Cable modem functions as one router, and then you have a wireless router or a second router connected to the modem. In these cases you have a private network within your private network, connected to the public network. This is needlessly complicated and can cause quite a lot of problems when you try to forward the ports.
In these situations, there are two resolutions available - the first is to set the DSL/Cable modem to what is called 'Bridging Mode'. What this does is it turns the routing feature OFF, so that it no longer creates a private network. This way the private network that the cameras are on goes THROUGH the Cable/DSL modem without entering a second private network, and goes out to the public internet.
The second situation is to remove the EZ Watch Pro computer from the 2nd router, and plug it into the first. This way your 2nd private network is functioning normally and the Port Forwarding can be set up on your first router without worrying about being a network inside of a network.
