How to Secure IP Camera?

How to Secure IP Camera? – Overview

Before proceeding with securing an IP camera, it is essential to know about its overall functioning process.

Doing this allows you to easily get along with ways and steps to ensure its safety and security from snoopers, hackers, or any external threat.

What is an IP camera, and how does it work?

In layman’s language, an IP (Internet Protocol) camera is a digital video camera that sends and receives data via a network or the Internet.

It’s different from a regular surveillance camera as it’s a stand-alone device with an IP address that needs a network connection to send or receive videos or photos.

Moreover, these IP camera creates a connection with the respective network in the same manner that any other network device, such as a laptop, smartphone, or tablet, does.

IP cameras take pictures in the same manner as a digital camera, with the only difference being that they compress the files to send over the network.

You can use them with a wired network linked to a broadband modem or router through an ethernet cable or wirelessly using a WiFi router.

IP security cameras enable you to monitor your valuables- pets, assets, kids, and anything else worth watching. So, just like any other digital device, they are exposed to random threats from hackers and bots.

That said, the following tips and tricks can help you secure an IP camera as best as possible.

Following these, you can easily create a protection wall around your IP camera device to ensure its safety and security.

Recommended methods regarding how to secure IP camera

How to Secure IP Camera – Recommended Methods

Firmware Updates for Your Camera

Most contemporary IP security cameras include firmware that the user may upgrade.

If a security flaw is discovered, the IP camera manufacturer will most likely issue a firmware update to address the issue. Typically, users can update the camera’s firmware by using a web browser via the admin interface.

Being a user, you should regularly check the manufacturer’s website of IP security cameras for updated firmware to ensure that the version you’re using doesn’t have an unadjusted vulnerability that hackers and Internet voyeurs may take advantage of.

Don’t connect IP cameras to the Internet.

Connecting your IP camera to the Internet often makes them a subject of snooping or hacking. So, until and unless it is necessary, don’t link your camera feeds to the Internet.

Try keeping the IP camera on a local network instead and assign them non-routable internal IP addresses if privacy is a key consideration (for example, 192.168.0.5 or something similar).

Again, even if your cameras have non-routable IP addresses, camera software employing port forwarding or UPNP to expose your IP cameras to the Internet might expose them.

To learn more about setting up your IP cameras in local-only mode, go to the IP camera manufacturer’s website.

Keep your IP camera password protected.

Password protection is not enabled by default on many IP cameras. So, few people forget to install password security after the first setup and leave the cameras accessible to the public.

The majority of cameras provide some rudimentary authentication.

It’s not particularly strong, but having something better than nothing is always good. Safeguard your camera feeds by creating a login and a strong password, which you should update regularly.

Keep changing the Admin Password while renaming the default Admin Account.

You can find your IP camera’s default admin name and password by going to the manufacturer’s website.

Afterward, you must update the admin name and password. If not done, even the most inexperienced hacker may see your feeds by sneaking into the default password.

Turn on WPA2 Encryption in case you have a wireless IP camera.

Your IP camera may also come along with wireless capabilities. In that case, you should only connect it to a WPA2-encrypted wireless network. This way, you can easily prevent snoopers from seeing your video feeds.

IP Cameras Should Not Be Installed in unnecessary spots.

Installing an IP security camera in places where you wouldn’t want strangers to sneak in is a bad idea.

There are times when you think that you’ve protected your cameras in every manner imaginable. Yet, sometimes, a Zero-Day vulnerability that your manufacturer hasn’t yet discovered may catch you off-guard.

Hence, it’s always advisable to do your homework regarding the right location and spot before installing the IP camera.

The bottom line for How to secure an IP camera

These were some tried and tested methods to secure the IP camera. Post your queries in the comments sections, and we will consider those while bringing such informational posts in the future.

TechnoWifi