Manual > Surveillance System Construction Guide > Main Function Construction > Video Recorder > Video Recorder System Configuration and Operation > Introduction of Configuration Examples for Each Need > When Connecting Multiple Cameras Simultaneously (Low FPS Recording)

When connecting multiple cameras at the same time (recording at lower quality with reduced frame rate)

This section describes the system configuration and setting examples for connecting multiple cameras and recording at a lower frame rate.

By lowering the frame rate and reducing the recording quality, it becomes possible to connect and record more cameras at the same time. Note that low-quality recording is assumed to be recorded at a resolution of SVGA and a frame rate of about 2 fps.

Key points of this configuration

•The server PC and recorder terminal PC are configured as separate PCs.

•A NAS drive is used as the destination for transferring and viewing recorded data.

•With this configuration, up to 30 cameras can be connected simultaneously.

Expected specifications

item	Setting values etc.	supplement
Video Compression Method	MJPEG	Connection is also possible with "H.264".
Camera Image Resolution	SVGA (800*600)	Set on the camera.
Camera quality	usually	Set on the camera.
Camera Frame Rate	1fps	Set on the camera. Set to 5fps or less.
Recording Frame Rate	2fps	Set from the recording settings when registering the camera.
Number of cameras connected simultaneously	Up to 30 units	If you wish to record on more than the number listed above, this can be achieved by distributing the recorder terminal PCs.

System configuration image

p_videorecorder_0107

Components

explanation

Server PC

(Panel Server)

The server PC will be configured to run only Panel Server.

Recorder terminal PC

(Panel Browser)

Prepare a dedicated PC for the recorder terminal. On this PC, run only the video recorder in Panel Browser and do not display other functions (graphic screen, alarm monitoring, trend graph, etc.).

setting	explanation
Local Disk	Create a folder for recording directly under the local disk of the PC you want to record on. In this example, we will use the "C:\videorecorder" folder.
NAS Drive	Set up the NAS drive so that it can be connected via network sharing, and create a folder to which the recording data will be transferred. In this example, we will use the "G:\videorecorder" folder.
Recorder registration settings	When registering the recorder, set the recording destination to the local disk, transfer to the NAS drive, and view destination to the NAS drive.
Camera registration/frame rate	Set the recording frame rate to "2" fps.
Camera registration/file division unit	The recording file division unit is set to "5" minutes. In particular, if there are many cameras, this setting should be set to at least 5 minutes.
Automatic Maintenance	The number of days for automatic deletion (the number of days for which data is saved) should be determined based on the period for which you actually want to save the data and the amount of disk space available. For an estimate of the size of recorded data, please refer to "Recorded Data File Size and Disk Space".

Please pay attention to the number of client licenses. A client license is also consumed for the Panel Browser running on the recorder terminal PC.

Client PC

(Panel Browser)

The client PC that displays the graphic screen, etc., is prepared separately from the recorder terminal PC. Graphic screen and other function screen display (trend, etc.) and viewing/playback of recorded data are performed on the client PC. Note that multiple client PCs can be configured.

If you have multiple client PCs, pay attention to the number of client licenses. You need as many client licenses as the number of Panel Browsers you want to run simultaneously.

Storage for recorded data (e.g. NAS)

Use NAS as the destination for transferring recording data.

Selection points:

❖Please select a model with a fast disk rotation speed (7,200 rpm or higher) and a fast network connection speed (minimum 100BASE or higher).

❖The amount of data required for NAS varies depending on the number of cameras, storage period, recording fps setting, data resolution on the camera side, etc. In addition, "Recording data file size and disk capacity" lists the reference value of the size of the generated recording data.

❖If you would like to make the recording data redundant with this configuration, please set it up yourself using NAS functions (such as RAID).

Network Camera

Below is an example of camera body settings. For details on tuning the camera body, please refer to "About camera body settings and tuning".

setting	explanation
Video Compression Method	If you can choose the compression method, we recommend using "MJPEG".
Frame rate	Set the frame rate of the camera body to "5" fps or less. If you actually try to operate it and the processing load of the recorder PC seems to be high, adjust it further downward.
resolution	It should be around SVGA (800*600). The higher the resolution, the larger the processing load and data size. If you try running it and the processing load on the recorder PC seems high, adjust it further to lower it.
image quality	Start with the "Normal" level and select the image quality that suits your purpose. The higher the image quality, the greater the processing load and data size. If you try running it and the processing load on the recorder PC seems high, adjust it further to lower it.

Network Devices

The network equipment for connecting to the network camera should be configured so that bottlenecks do not occur. For example, even if you select high-spec models for the LAN port of the recorder terminal PC or NAS device, if the relay device such as HUB is slow, it will become a bottleneck. Also, if the communication load with the network camera is high, consider preparing multiple LAN ports and HUBs for the PC and configuring the route of the normal network and the network connected to the camera separately.

When communicating with a network camera, the network load may become high depending on the settings of the camera itself (such as the fps value and resolution of the camera itself), the number of cameras connected, etc. Therefore, please select a LAN port with as fast a communication speed as possible for the communication connection with the camera.

Points to note about this configuration

Important points to note

explanation

How many cameras can be connected at the same time?

When recording at a low fps like in this configuration, the number of cameras that can be connected simultaneously is limited to about 30. If more than that number of cameras are connected and recorded simultaneously, the processing load will be high, and problems such as skipping frames in the recorded data may occur.

If you want to handle more than 30 cameras with low fps recording, consider distributing the recorder terminal PCs.

Simultaneous playback of recorded data

When playing back multiple recordings recorded at a frame rate of 2 fps at the same time, the number of simultaneous playbacks is limited to about 20. For an estimate of the number of recordings that can be played back simultaneously, please refer to "Number of recordings that can be played back simultaneously".

Users must make the recording data redundant themselves.

If you wish to make the recording data transferred to NAS redundant, you must create the system yourself (for example, use NAS to create a RAID configuration, or create a backup system to a separate drive). For details on using the video recorder function in a server duplex configuration, please refer to the description in "When operating a server in a duplex configuration".

When connecting multiple cameras simultaneously (low fps recording)

When connecting multiple cameras simultaneously (low fps recording)