Watching your cameras from somewhere else.
Remote viewing is included in the license rather than sold as a service. What takes thought is doing it without leaving your cameras exposed to the whole internet.
You can watch your cameras from a web browser or the VISEC client. It is part of the license, not a subscription, and there is no cloud service in between — the video comes from your own PC.
- A VPN into your own networkThe best answer by a wide margin. Your router or firewall makes the connection and nothing needs to be published to the internet. Most current routers can do this.
- If you must forward a portForward only what you need, use a strong password, and never expose a camera's own web page directly. Cameras are scanned constantly and their firmware is rarely updated.
- Never leave default credentialsThe overwhelming majority of compromised cameras were running the password they shipped with.
- Watch a dynamic addressMost home connections change address. A dynamic DNS name saves you guessing.
Remote viewing is limited by your upload speed, which on most connections is a fraction of the download. Use a lighter stream for remote viewing and keep the high-resolution stream for local recording — the quality in your archive is unaffected by what you watch on a phone.
Most people who set up remote access discover they do not want to watch at all — they want to be told. An email with a snapshot when something moves answers the question the app was being opened for, without staring at a screen.
Quick answers.
Is there a monthly fee for remote viewing?
No. It is part of the license, and the video comes from your own PC rather than through a service.
Is a VPN hard to set up?
Most current routers include one and it is a page of settings. It is far safer than forwarding ports and usually no more work.
Can I watch on a phone?
Yes, through a browser. Bear in mind VISEC itself runs on a Windows PC — the phone is a viewer, not the recorder.
Try it on one camera.
The free license is the complete program — recording, alerts, plate recognition, QR reading and access control. It does not expire.