IP Camera's are useful when you have an existing network infrastructure in your company, as they plug directly into your network via the closest available hub, with a standard ethernet cable.

Some of the advantages of IP-based video surveillance include:

• Reduced system cost and added functionality due to general-purpose IP networking equipment infrastructure.
• Choice of open-platform video recording hardware and software.
• Greatly reduced system cost due to low-cost cabling in large installations (CAT5e instead of RG-58 coaxial cable).
• Flexible and seamless support for a variety of standard and multi-megapixel image resolutions beyond NTSC, PAL and SECAM.
•  Transmission of commands for PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) cameras via the same cable.
• On-camera automated alerting via email or file transfer in response to video motion detection or dry-contact alarms.
• Support for different streaming media and compression formats to relieve transmission bandwidth and data storage requirements.
• Support for new embedded intelligent video motion detection with shape recognition/counting applied to objects, people, and vehicles.
• Integration of video surveillance with other systems and functions such as access control, alarm systems, building management, traffic management, etc.
• Future-proof installations with field-upgradeable products due to the ability to upgrade camera firmware over the network.