Video and Audio Surveillance Technology Flashcards

A surveillance technician is troubleshooting an IP camera that shows video on the local network but not through the internet. What is the most likely cause?

Answer: Port forwarding is not configured on the router/firewall

Port forwarding must be configured on the network router or firewall to allow external internet traffic to reach specific IP cameras or NVRs on the internal network.

What does the 'angle of view' specification describe for a surveillance camera lens?

Answer: The angular extent of the scene the lens can capture, measured in degrees

Angle of view (measured in degrees) describes the angular extent of the observable scene captured by the lens, with wider angles covering more area and narrower angles providing more detail at distance.

In a hybrid surveillance system, what combination of recording infrastructure is used?

Answer: Both analog cameras and IP cameras connected to a hybrid DVR/NVR recorder

A hybrid DVR/NVR supports both analog cameras (via coaxial inputs) and IP cameras (via network), allowing organizations to gradually migrate from analog to IP without replacing all cameras at once.

What is the purpose of synchronizing IP cameras to an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server?

Answer: Ensure accurate, consistent timestamps across all cameras for forensic integrity

NTP synchronization ensures all cameras and recorders share accurate, consistent time stamps, which is critical for correlating events across multiple cameras and maintaining forensic integrity of recordings.

Which IP camera stream type uses less bandwidth and is typically used for live viewing on mobile devices while the main stream is recorded at full quality?

Answer: Secondary stream (substream)

The secondary stream (substream) is a lower-resolution, lower-bandwidth stream that is ideal for live viewing on mobile devices or remote monitoring, while the higher-quality primary stream is recorded.

What does 'camera tamper detection' alert the system operator about?

Answer: When the camera is blocked, repositioned, defocused, or spray-painted to obstruct its view

Camera tamper detection analytics identify and alert operators when a camera's view is deliberately obstructed by blocking, repositioning, defocusing, or vandalism such as spray painting.

A surveillance system uses 'edge storage' on cameras with SD cards. What is the primary advantage of this approach?

Answer: Provides local video storage that continues recording even if the network connection fails

Edge storage (SD card recording) in cameras provides a local backup that continues recording even when network connectivity to the NVR is lost, ensuring no footage gaps during network outages.