IPv6 and IPv4

IPv6 and IPv4 

Many engineers called to get know about IPv6 & IPv4. IP (short for Internet Protocol) specifies the technical format of packets and the addressing scheme for computers to communicate over a network OR, An IP (Internet Protocol) Address is an alphanumeric label assigned to computers and other devices that connect to a network using an internet protocol. This address allows these devices to send and receive data over the internet. Every device that is capable of connecting to the internet has a unique IP address.

There are currently two version of Internet Protocol (IP): IPv4 and a new version called IPv6. IPv6 is an evolutionary upgrade to the Internet Protocol. IPv6 will coexist with the older IPv4 for some time.

What is IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4)?

IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4) is the fourth revision of the Internet Protocol (IP) used to to identify devices on a network through an addressing system. The Internet Protocol is designed for use in interconnected systems of packet-switched computer communication networks. IPV4 header format is of 20 to 60 bytes in length, 

IPv4 is the most widely deployed Internet protocol used to connect devices to the Internet. IPv4 uses a 32-bit address scheme allowing for a total of 2^32 addresses (just over 4 billion addresses).  With the growth of the Internet it is expected that the number of unused IPv4 addresses will eventually run out because every device -- including computers, smartphones and game consoles -- that connects to the Internet requires an address.

A new Internet addressing system Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is being deployed to fulfill the need for more Internet addresses. IPV6 header format is of 40 bytes in length

IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) is also called IPng (Internet Protocol next generation) and it is the newest version of the Internet Protocol (IP) reviewed in the IETF standards committees to replace the current version of IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4). 

IPv6 is the successor to Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4). It was designed as an evolutionary upgrade to the Internet Protocol and will, in fact, coexist with the older IPv4 for some time. IPv6 is designed to allow the Internet to grow steadily, both in terms of the number of hosts connected and the total amount of data traffic transmitted.

IPv6 is often referred to as the "next generation" Internet standard and has been under development now since the mid-1990s. IPv6 was born out of concern that the demand for IP addresses would exceed the available supply.

The Benefits of IPv6

While increasing the pool of addresses is one of the most often-talked about benefit of IPv6, there are other important technological changes in IPv6 that will improve the IP protocol:

·        No more NAT (Network Address Translation)

·        Auto-configuration

·        No more private address collisions

·        Better multicast routing

·        Simpler header format

·        Simplified, more efficient routing

·        True quality of service (QoS), also called "flow labeling"

·        Built-in authentication and privacy support

·        Flexible options and extensions

·        Easier administration (say good-bye to DHCP)

The Difference Between IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses

An IP address is binary numbers but can be stored as text for human readers.  For example, a 32-bit numeric address (IPv4) is written in decimal as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 1.160.10.240 could be an IP address.

IPv6 addresses are 128-bit IP address written in hexadecimal and separated by colons. An example IPv6 address could be written like this: 3ffe:1900:4545:3:200:f8ff:fe21:67cf.

Did You Know...? IPv6 in the News: (April, 2017) MIT announced it would sell  half of its 16 million valuable IPv4 addresses and use the proceeds of the sale to finance its own IPv6 network upgrades.

Step by Step Guide to Remote view DVR

CCTV – Guide to Remote view of DVR

This post will walk you through setting up a CCTV DVR for remote viewing on Mobile or PC.

Connect the cameras to your DVR using BNC connectors & provide the power supply to DVR.Connect a mouse to the USB port. To view the cameras the DVR can be connected to a monitor through the VGA output of DVR or to a TV through the Video out pin (you may need a BNC to RCA converter)

Connect the DVR to the Network Router (providing internet connection as well as LAN) using the RJ45 Ethernet cable. 

For this demo I’m using DVR, Camera & a Linksys Router.

Right click on DVR screen to get the Menu list.

Click on Home & then click on Network tab.

For Net Link there are two options. Static IP & DHCP.

If you select Static IP, you’ve to feed the IP address manually.

DHCP is Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. Generally a Router is at the top of a Network & it assigns IP address to a device like DVR when connected to it.

Select this option DHCP.

Note down the IP Addresses.

Here the IP address of DVR is assigned as 192.168.1.108 & the Gateway address is 192.168.1.1 .

The Gateway address is the IP address of the Router.

To view DVR over Internet or Mobile you’ve to open two ports for the incoming traffic on your Router.

1) HTTP PORT &

2) MOBILE PORT.

At the bottom you can see HTTP port assigned as 80.This is the default port for webservice WWW.

Click on the arrow mark next to Netservice to know the Mobile port number.

Here the Mobile port number is shown as Mobile Monitor & port assigned is 34599

Now we shall see how to open these two ports 80 (HTTP) & 34599 (Mobile)  inside Router’s settings.

This process is called Port Forwarding.

PORT FORWARDING SETUP ON ROUTER.

Open a web browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox.Type in the Gateway IP address 192.168.1.1

Following table is a list of some Routers with IP address, Username & password.

In this demo we’re using a LinkSys Router.  So type in the IP 192.168.1.1

User Name is admin & password is also admin

Setup Window of Router opens.

You can note that the Router IP address as well as Network IP address are displayed.

Click on Application & Gaming tab.

Click on Port Range Forwarding tab.

Enter any name  under application , say , DVR . Under start , as well as End enter the HTTP port 80.

Select Protocol as Both. Under IP address enter the IP of DVR. Here it is 192.168.1.108.

Check mark the Enable.

Same way enter application name as DVR1 for the Mobile port enabling. Under Start & End enter 34599 .Protocol is Both & IP is the address of DVR.

Save the settings.

Now it’s time to check whether the Forwarded Ports can be seen from outside over Internet.

For this open the web browser & visit  www.canyouseeme.org

This website displays your current external IP address , along with a question “What Port ?”

Enter the HTTP port 80 & click on Check port button.

You should see a “Success : I can see your service on IP xxx.xxx.x.x on port 80 “.

Again check for the mobile port 34599 to see a success.

If you do not get a success , the port forwarding you’ve done is not correct.Again open the Router Setup & check the correct entries for port forwarding.Check whether the Enable box is checked.

Once you see Success on this site , you can go ahead with your Mobile installation.

Configure Router as Switch

How to configure router as switch?
Most likely you will ask this question if you plan to expand you home network, and you have only extra Ethernet router but not switch. At the same time you try to make use this extra router if possible without paying more on extra switch. Well… It’s pretty simple to get it done, keep on reading.

As you can see from 2 examples below, we can use second Ethernet router to expand existing wireless network or Ethernet home network, so that you can connect more computers to your network. Please note that first and second routers must be located on same network, because the second router just acts as a switch, not router anymore.

Ok. Let’s start to configure second router as switch.

1) Connect first router’s LAN port to second router’s LAN port by using a crossover cable. If one of the routers supports auto MDI/MDI-X feature, you can use either straight or crossover cable. Remember, don’t make any connection to second router’s WAN or Internet port.

2) Ok. Now assuming your first router's LAN IP is 192.168.1.1 with subnet mask 255.255.255.0, and then this will act as gateway for entire network (including the computers that connect to second router). If you would like to enable DHCP, then just enable the DHCP setting on first router and it will act as DHCP server for entire network (you don't need to enable DHCP on second router anymore). As an example, you can enable DHCP with IP range 192.168.1.2-250, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, gateway 192.168.1.1, DNS servers 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 on first router.

3) After talking about first router's configuration, proceed to log on to second router’s configuration page, then give this router an IP by configuring an IP and subnet mask under LAN setting. The IP that you configure should be located on subnet same with first router's subnet and this IP is not being used by any other device. If you have configured first router’s LAN IP and DHCP setting as shown in step 2 above, you can easily configure second router with LAN IP 192.168.1.251, 192.168.1.252 or 192.168.1.253 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0.

4) After that, don’t enable DHCP or any other settings on second router. If you have enabled DHCP or other settings, disable them. Finally SAVE all the settings. And now your have completed your mission of making second router as switch.

5) If you have computer that is configured to obtain IP automatically, connect it to other LAN port of this new "network switch", then it should be able connect to network, ping router IP and access to internet.

How To Convince Your Customers To Choose IP Cameras Over Analog

As IP surveillance technology becomes more affordable, it’s also becoming a more attractive solution for smaller installations – installations that used to be the sole domain of analog product. But how do you convince your customers to upgrade their analog to IP, preferably before an incident forces their hand? There are three primary selling points for an IP system of an Analog system – higher resolution, more in-depth analytics, and the ease of new network configuration.

Modern IP cameras generally offer a higher level of resolution than analog cameras. Almost all analog cameras will be limited to the equivalence of a 4CIF or D1 resolution (that is, 704 x 480 or 720 x 480). Many IP cameras boast 5MP resolutions or higher – that’s 15.5 times more pixels than a standard analog camera! And a higher pixel count means more usable surveillance information. This is especially important when it comes to identifying intruders. For positive identification, a general guideline is to have at least 12.7 pixels per inch across the face of a suspect. It’s much better to have that resolution in place during an incident, rather than upgrading to that resolution because the suspect could not be identified with footage from the existing system.

For positive identification, a general guideline is to have at least 12.7 pixels per inch across the face of a suspect.

Another way to utilize this higher resolution as a selling point is the potential lower cost of the total installation. A camera with 5MP mounted 10 feet away from the viewing area will be able to provide identification level resolution across 17 feet horizontally, while a standard analog camera can only cover just over a quarter of this area. This means that you would need four analog cameras to provide the same level of coverage as one 5MP IP camera. When cables, software licenses, mounting hardware, lenses, and all other costs are factored in this can make the IP installation much more appealing from a cost basis.

Another advantage that IP cameras have is the ability to perform increasingly sophisticated analytics onboard the camera itself. Most recorded video is never watched – typically, footage is only reviewed when there is an incident. This is especially true on small installations that do not have a dedicated security guard. With the advent of on-board analytics, IP cameras themselves can now be programmed to independently analyze events, interact with other alarm systems, and send email or text alerts with pictures to interested parties. For example, a camera can be programmed to watch a specific door and only send an alert if that door is opened after regular business hours. At the very least, analytics can make it easier to sift through footage after the fact.

Finally, a lot of customers are concerned that IP video is overly complicated to manage when compared to an analog system. It’s true, earlier versions of IP cameras did require some level of networking know-how. But newer cameras are getting extremely close to plug-and-play with features that automatically detect and configure cameras added to a network through tools such as DDNS, DHCP, and other networking protocols. Depending on the brand selected, all that could be involved in the installation of a new device is plugging the camera into the switch and then selecting “Detect New Hardware” in the accompanying software. Network cameras can also run on existing network infrastructure and only one cable is required for both data and power with Power over Ethernet technology.

As every device begins to merge onto the network, it makes sense that security cameras move there as well. An IP video installation may cost more than a conventional analog system, but the price difference is getting smaller – and the benefits are increasing.

How To Setup Two or More Routers Together

One of the most common issues people encounter is when they have more than one router hooked up. Sometimes people don't realize their modem is also a router (Such as DSL) and other times people hook up an extra router to use things their router/modem doesn't have, such as wireless.

So now with 2 or more routers hooked up people start to realize port forwarding & port triggering isn't working. This is because they are only setting up the port forwarding or triggering in one router, which is what they should be doing! Now let me explain, no one wants to setup port forwarding & triggering rules in two or more routers, they should only need to do it in one, making things simple. But you may ask "If I have more than one router how can I keep it simple?" The answer: DMZ

First off DMZ is supported by nearly every router/modem out there. What DMZ does is allow you to tell the router to forward all incoming connections to a single IP address. So in this case we will setup DMZ in the first router to point to the second router. Now all incoming connections are sent to the 2nd router and thus your port forwarding & triggering will work again.

So here is a quick example. I log into router 1 and go to the DMZ settings and put the WAN IP address of the 2nd router there. Now router 1 is out of the way for port forwarding and triggering as all incoming connections are now being forwarded to router 2. Now in router 2 I can setup my port forwarding & triggering rules just like normal.

So here is a quick step by step.
Step 1. Login into your Router
Step 2. Find the status page that shows the WAN/Internet IP address and write it down. (The Gateway IP will be the IP needed to log into the first router/modem.)
Step 3. Log into the first router/modem now.
Step 4. Find the DMZ page
Step 5. Enter the IP you wrote down into the DMZ page and enable DMZ.
Step 6. Save and you’re done.

Quick Tip: You should setup a static WAN IP address for router 2. If you leave it on DHCP the IP could change thus breaking the DMZ and of course breaking the port forwarding & triggering. This doesn't happen very often, but it is always a possibility.

If you want to Setup 3 routers at home. Here is my plan to setup. Please let me know if it make sense.

1.    SMC. It is a modern with router. It locates in the first floor, Rogers cable connected to this router. It is the main router to connect outside. I turned off the wireless on the router. It has 4 ports connected to SMC all with wires. First one connect to D-615(second router) Second one connect to D-815(third router) Third one connect to WD Mybook live(NAS HHD) Fourth one connect to TV player

2.    DLink 615. It is a wireless router. It located in the first floor as well, but close to bedroom. It has 4 ports, but I only use 3 of them connected to PC. Also there are wireless device need connect to this router as well.

3.    DLInk 815. It is a wireless router. It located in the second floor. It connected with 3 PCs and also accept wireless connection. The signal in second floor is very weak if using D-615 wireless connection.

I setup the SMC to 192.168.0.1 with DHCP, D-615 to 192.168.2.1 with DHCP and D-815 to 192.168.1.1. I cannot get rid of the second router, since SMC doesn't have enough wired port. And I need to D-815 because the signal problem. Wondering if this gonna work? Thanks.

Basics of Internet Communication

To send data between a device on one local area network to another device on another LAN, a standard way of communicating is required since local area networks may use different types of technologies. This need led to the development of IP addressing and the many IP-based protocols for communicating over the Internet, which is a global system of interconnected computer networks. (LANs may also use IP addressing and IP protocols for communicating within a local area network, although using MAC addresses is sufficient for internal communication.) Before IP addressing is discussed, some of the basic elements of Internet communication such as routers, firewalls and Internet service providers are covered below.

Routers

To forward data packages from one LAN to another LAN via the Internet, a networking equipment called a network router must be used. A router routes information from one network to another based on IP addresses. It forwards only data packages that are to be sent to another network. A router is most commonly used for connecting a local network to the Internet. Traditionally, routers were referred to as gateways.

Firewalls

A firewall is designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks that are connected to the Internet. Messages entering or leaving the Internet pass through the firewall, which examines each message, and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria.

Internet connections

In order to connect a LAN to the Internet, a network connection via an Internet service provider (ISP) must be established. When connecting to the Internet, terms such as upstream and downstream are used. Upstream describes the transfer rate with which data can be uploaded from the device to the Internet; for instance, when video is sent from a network camera. Downstream is the transfer speed for downloading files; for instance, when video is received by a monitoring PC.

In most scenarios — for example, a laptop that is connected to the Internet — downloading information from the Internet is the most important speed to consider. In a network video application with a network camera at a remote site, the upstream speed is more relevant since data (video) from the network camera will be uploaded to the Internet.

IP addressing

Any device that wants to communicate with other devices via the Internet must have a unique and appropriate IP address. IP addresses are used to identify the sending and receiving devices. There are currently two IP versions: IP version 4 (IPv4) and IP version 6 (IPv6). The main difference between the two is that the length of an IPv6 address is longer (128 bits compared with 32 bits for an IPv4 address). IPv4 addresses are most commonly used today.

IPv4 addresses

IPv4 addresses are grouped into four blocks, and each block is separated by a dot. Each block represents a number between 0 and 255; for example, 192.168.12.23.

Certain blocks of IPv4 addresses have been reserved exclusively for private use. These private IP addresses are 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255, 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255 and 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255. Such addresses can only be used on private networks and are not allowed to be forwarded through a router to the Internet. All devices that want to communicate over the Internet must have its own individual, public IP address. A public IP address is an address allocated by an Internet service provider. An ISP can allocate either a dynamic IP address, which can change during a session, or a static address, which normally comes with a monthly fee.

Ports

A port number defines a particular service or application so that the receiving server (e.g., network camera) will know how to process the incoming data. When a computer sends data tied to a specific application, it usually automatically adds the port number to an IP address without the user’s knowledge.

Port numbers can range from 0 to 65535. Certain applications use port numbers that are pre-assigned to them by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). For example, a web service via HTTP is typically mapped to port 80 on a network camera.

Setting IPv4 addresses

In order for a network camera or video encoder to work in an IP network, an IP address must be assigned to it. Setting an IPv4 address for an Axis network video product can be done mainly in two ways: 1) automatically using DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), and 2) manually by either entering into the network video product’s interface a static IP address, a subnet mask and the IP address of the default router, or using a management software tool such as AXIS Camera Management.

DHCP manages a pool of IP addresses, which it can assign dynamically to a network camera/ video encoder. The DHCP function is often performed by a broadband router, which in turn gets its IP addresses from an Internet service provider. Using a dynamic IP address means that the IP address for a network device may change from day to day. With dynamic IP addresses, it is recommended that users register a domain name (e.g., www.mycamera.com) for the network video product at a dynamic DNS (Domain Name System) server, which can always tie the domain name for the product to any IP address that is currently assigned to it.

Using DHCP to set an IPv4 address works as follows. When a network camera/video encoder comes online, it sends a query requesting configuration from a DHCP server. The DHCP server replies with an IP address and subnet mask. The network video product can then update a dynamic DNS server with its current IP address so that users can access the product using a domain name.

With AXIS Camera Management, the software can automatically find and set IP addresses and show the connection status. The software can also be used to assign static, private IP addresses for Axis network video products. This is recommended when using video management software to access network video products. In a network video system with potentially hundreds of cameras, a software program such as AXIS Camera Management is necessary in order to effectively manage the system.

NAT (Network address translation)

When a network device with a private IP address wants to send information via the Internet, it must do so using a router that supports NAT. Using this technique, the router can translate a private IP address into a public IP address without the sending host’s knowledge.

Port forwarding

To access cameras that are located on a private LAN via the Internet, the public IP address of the router should be used together with the corresponding port number for the network camera/video encoder on the private network.

Since a web service via HTTP is typically mapped to port 80, what happens then when there are several network cameras/video encoders using port 80 for HTTP in a private network? Instead of changing the default HTTP port number for each network video product, a router can be configured to associate a unique HTTP port number to a particular network video product’s IP address and default HTTP port. This is a process called port forwarding.

Port forwarding works as follows. Incoming data packets reach the router via the router’s public (external) IP address and a specific port number. The router is configured to forward any data coming into a predefined port number to a specific device on the private network side of the router. The router then replaces the sender’s address with its own private (internal) IP address. To a receiving client, it looks like the packets originated from the router. The reverse happens with outgoing data packets. The router replaces the private IP address of the source device with the router’s public IP address before the data is sent out over the Internet.

Internet pic

Thanks to port forwarding in the router, network cameras with private IP addresses on a local network can be accessed over the Internet. In this illustration, the router knows to forward data (request) coming into port 8032 to a network camera with a private IP address of 192.168.10.13 port 80. The network camera can then begin to send video.

Port forwarding is traditionally done by first configuring the router. Different routers have different ways of doing port forwarding and there are web sites such as www.portfoward.com that offer step-by-step instruction for different routers. Usually port forwarding involves bringing up the router’s interface using an Internet browser, and entering the public (external) IP address of the router and a unique port number that is then mapped to the internal IP address of the specific network video product and its port number for the application.

To make the task of port forwarding easier, Axis offers the NAT traversal feature in many of its network video products. NAT traversal will automatically attempt to configure port mapping in a NAT router on the network using UPnP™. In the network video product interface, users can manually enter the IP address of the NAT router. If a router is not manually specified, then the network video product will automatically search for NAT routers on the network and select the default router. In addition, the service will automatically select an HTTP port if none is manually entered.

IPv6 addresses

An IPv6 address is written in hexadecimal notation with colons subdividing the address into eight blocks of 16 bits each; for example, 2001:0da8:65b4:05d3:1315:7c1f:0461:7847.

The major advantages of IPv6, apart from the availability of a huge number of IP addresses, include enabling a device to automatically configure its IP address using its MAC address. For communication over the Internet, the host requests and receives from the router the necessary prefix of the public address block and additional information. The prefix and host’s suffix is then used, so DHCP for IP address allocation and manual setting of IP addresses are no longer required with IPv6. Port forwarding is also no longer needed. Other benefits of IPv6 include renumbering to simplify switching entire corporate networks between providers, faster routing, point-to-point encryption according to IPSec, and connectivity using the same address in changing networks (Mobile IPv6).

An IPv6 address is enclosed in square brackets in a URL and a specific port can be addressed in the following way: http://[2001:0da8:65b4:05d3:1315:7c1f:0461:7847]:8081/

Setting an IPv6 address for an Axis network video product is as simple as checking a box to enable IPv6 in the product. The product will then receive an IPv6 address according to the configuration in the network router.

Data transport protocols for network video

The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) are the IP-based protocols used for sending data. These transport protocols act as carriers for many other protocols. For example, HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), which is used to browse web pages on servers around the world using the Internet, is carried by TCP.

TCP provides a reliable, connection-based transmission channel. It handles the process of breaking large chunks of data into smaller packets and ensures that data sent from one end is received on the other. TCP’s reliability through retransmission may introduce significant delays. In general, TCP is used when reliable communication is preferred over transport latency.

UDP is a connectionless protocol and does not guarantee the delivery of data sent, thus leaving the whole control mechanism and error-checking to the application itself. UDP provides no transmissions of lost data and, therefore, does not introduce further delays.