I have been doing some research at setting up a security camera system in our home. I would like to hide the DVR in the attic, while still being able to access it wirelessly with our computer. Our family uses the Verizon MiFi 5510L to access the Internet.
I am considering buying a Peplink/Pepwave router and setting it up as a bridge in order to connect the DVR to the MiFi. Am I at all on the right track here? The DVR would be connected to the bridge via ethernet in the attic, the bridge would communicate with the MiFi, and then obviously the MiFi is a gateway to the Internet (allowing us to access the DVR from anywhere). I had seen a post during my research that had specific details on how to link a 5510L with a Peplink/Pepwave router.
And I am correct that if this setup works, it would not be a constant drain on data right? It would only use data when we actively connect via Internet to the DVR to review or manage footage.
Thank you all for any help and advice you can give.
Base on the description, you can consider to use Pepwave Device Connector Rugged to bridge the WIFI network for the DVR that located in the attic. You can get the product info by referring to the URL below:
Below are the sample setup:
Internet <–> Verizon MiFi 5510L )) **WIFI (1) ** )) <– Bridge (2)–(( Device Connector Rugged <–Ethernet connection (3) --DVR in the attic
1. MIFI is broadcasting SSIDs for the devices WIFI access
2. Device Connector Rugged is Bridge to the MIFI broadcasted WIFI network.
3. DVR is connecting to the Pepwave Device Connector Rugged using Ethernet connection.
P/S:
Make sure the WIFI signal broadcasted by MIFI is acceptable range for the Bridge device that located in Attic.
Make sure the bridging throughput is enough for the DVR video streaming.
Regarding to your question below:
“And I am correct that if this setup works, it would not be a constant drain on data right? It would only use data when we actively connect via Internet to the DVR to review or manage footage.”
Can you provide detail info how the DVR is accessing from the internet ?
Do you had the public IP for the DVR access ? All the settings should be define by the MIFI. Pepwave Device Connector Rugged (WIFI Bridge) only providing the network connection for the DVR.
Thank you both for the help. I’m certainly not about to pay Verizon $500 for a public IP, so we will leave our system unconnected from the Internet. This is not a priority with our setup like it seems to be with most others. Remote access would be a luxury, not a necessity.
This however does rule out the possibility of using the attic to store the DVR, because we will need to directly plug a monitor and mouse into the DVR to operate it now. I will have to run the cords through the wall and hide the DVR setup in the closet.
@dcooper08 have you looked into Dynamic DNS? It is a cheap and easy way to get around dynamic IPs. A client on your network would check the current WAN IP and then update the Dynamic DNS service with this information. You would then use a host name to get back to your house from the internet.
There are other limiting factors besides Dynamic IP addresses when dealing with cellular providers. Some do not allow any inbound access to their networks. They do this to prevent unsolicited data from using their data pipes. They like to charge for all data - cough - greedy bastards - cough. If that is the case, you aren’t going to be able to access it remotely even with the Dynamic dns setup I am suggesting. Remote access to security camera feeds is super nice. I use it when traveling to check on my dogs (someone comes by to feed them) from time to time. You would find that you use the feature more than you would think. My Samsung system has a Dynamic dns client built in, your system may also have support for it.
We frequently use Dynamic DNS as a solution for remote monitoring of IP camera’s and/or other equipment.
It’s cheap, in some cases even free, and not hard to set up.
What @jmjones said about providers not allowing any inbound access to their networks is based on the fact that your cellular WAN IP adress could be in a private IP pool or a public IP pool.
The policies vary by provider and sometimes even by subscription, you should check this with your cellular provider.
If it’s in a private IP pool, features such as VPN and remote monitoring will not work since the IP adress is not publicly accessible.
If it’s in a public IP pool, what you’re trying to achieve should be possible without a static IP, by using Dynamic DNS.
Basically, your Dynamic DNS web URL will become your ‘static IP’.
Combined with the right port forwarding, you should be able to remotely reach the DVR.