If you want to centrally manage your IP cameras, make recordings and receive notifications at events, you do not have to purchase a pricey network video recorder for that. With a multifunctional nas from Synology or QNAP and the supplied software, you already have everything in-house for this. And for the first cameras you even use it completely free of charge. In this special you can read what you can do with it!
An IP camera has its own web interface for setting up the camera and viewing the images via programs and apps. Although they usually do not excel in ease of use or stability. You can often watch streams via protocols such as ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) or RTT (Real Time Streaming Protocol) with other, better programs or apps. But that is not a solution for continuous shooting either. And saving on the camera itself is not ideal. It is much more practical to manage (multiple) cameras via one central system where you can also view images from all cameras, and make recordings and review them. A system that immediately alerts you when you move. Although you can achieve that with a PC, for example programs such as Blue Iris or iSpy, the PC must always be switched on for recordings. A network video recorder or an nas is much more practical.
01 Why a nas?
As a loyal reader, we probably don’t have to explain to you what you can do with an nas. They are at the center of the web in more and more households. Even entry-level models are powerful enough to record images from multiple cameras. And thanks to the large storage capacity that they usually offer, you can save images for a longer period of time. Chances are that you already have an nas – or are considering. The choice is therefore obvious. But how suitable a nas is really for video surveillance depends on the availability of good software. Fortunately both Synology and QNAP have achieved this with their package of the same name, Surveillance Station (see box “What is Surveillance Station?”). And because you have it completely under your own control, you don’t have to trust anyone except yourself.
What is Surveillance Station?
Surveillance Station is a web-based application that allows you to manage all your cameras in and around the house. It is available for Synology and QNAP NASs. Although they have the same name, they are very different applications, although there are functional similarities of course. With Surveillance Station you can in both cases, for example, view current images from the cameras, possibly from several at a time, and take pictures and look back. Recording can be continuous, but also according to a certain schedule or during events such as movement. You can also receive a notification of events. In addition to the browser, many functions of Surveillance Station are also accessible via, for example, a smartphone app. In addition to Surveillance Station, QNAP recently also offers QVR Pro, which is a lot more modern, but also places much higher demands on the nas (see the “QVR Pro” box).
02 Which nas?
You certainly do not need a powerhouse of a nas for video surveillance. You can use most NASs from, for example, Synology and QNAP for Surveillance Station, including the entry models. The main task, recording video, is often a continuous process, but it requires little of your nas. So enough computing power remains available for your other applications. The live view and the viewing of images do require more processing power, depending on the resolution and frame rate and of course the number of cameras for which you view images. Manufacturers usually state how many cameras you can use at the same time, which is usually much more than necessary. For example, the NASs that we use in this article support up to forty cameras. Bear in mind that you usually only get two free licenses and sometimes only more advanced models. Any additional licenses for Surveillance Station will cost you around 50 euros per camera, which means you might be better able to search for alternatives with a relatively large number of cameras.
Our nas choice
For this article we use two well-equipped NASs: a Synology DS918 + and a QNAP TS-453Be-4G. In terms of specifications, the models have much in common, such as the same quad-core Intel Celeron J3455 processor, 4 GB RAM (expandable) and space for four internal hard drives (3.5 inches). They also have two LAN ports that you can possibly combine thanks to link aggregation so that there is more bandwidth, although that might be a bit excessive for home use.
An added value of the QNAP model for video surveillance is the dual HDMI output that you can use for example for local video display on a television or monitor. Another not insignificant difference: with the Synology model you get two free camera licenses, with this model from QNAP there are four.
03 Space for recording
The amount of storage space required for recording varies greatly depending on the situation, such as the number of cameras, the recording time, but also the desired recording quality such as video format, resolution and frame rate. There are some calculation tools that you can use to estimate, such as this one from Western Digital and this one from QNAP. You can save storage space by recording smartly, for example by recording only at specific times or only around a motion report. Yet we do not recommend that, because motion detection is sometimes difficult to get right and it would be a shame if you just missed an important event.
Note the huge difference between mjpeg and newer video formats such as h.264. That is because with mjpeg all frames are individually compressed, while with h.264 the changes in frames are considered. There are also cameras with h.265 (+) and they are much more efficient. In addition to storage space, you also immediately save on bandwidth, which is great if you have a lot of cameras.
04 Choice of storage
When purchasing an nas, the possible amount of storage space plays a major role. In terms of price, the 2bay models are the most interesting. Hard disks are available in such large formats that you can always work with them. Although the space you get is not the sum of the parts: you will probably use raid (we strongly recommend that in any case), so that the system keeps running if a hard disk fails. This is perhaps even more important for video surveillance. With a 4bay nas you are more flexible. The handy calculator from Synology shows how much storage space you actually have left, depending on the desired raid type and your disk choice. Incidentally, the most common raid type with Synology is Synology Hybrid Raid (SHR) that flexibly handles hard disks of different sizes.
05 Which camera?
There are cameras in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. Popular brands are Hikvision, Dahua and Foscam. There are a lot of choices that you have to make (see box “Selection criteria for camera”), but ultimately the support by Surveillance Station weighs heavily. For this course, we recommend avoiding cameras that rely heavily on the cloud for recordings and events (and also charge a solid subscription fee), such as the Google Nest Cam and TP-Link Kasa Cam. With cloud cameras, there are usually no back doors to use with other software. You can somewhat stick to the official list of Synology or QNAP. But those overviews are not complete. There is often no profile for recent models, while they work great if you choose a similar (older) model. The cameras from Ubiquiti are also a fairly closed system, but nowadays they do support rtsp so that you could possibly add the stream. Although they work better with the solutions of that manufacturer. With other cameras you can also come across the fact that more advanced options, such as special detection mechanisms, are not fully supported by Surveillance Station.
Camera selection criteria
There are many choices that you have to make when purchasing a camera. Do you want a camera for inside or a (waterproof) copy for outside? What kind of camera should it be, for example a dome, bullet or turret? Do you want a camera with WiFi or with a fixed network connection? The latter is more stable and often provides the option for Power over Ethernet (PoE). What kind of resolution should the camera offer? Although 2 megapixel (1080p) is the standard, many cameras already go further (for example 4 or 8 megapixel). Support for h.265 (+) is an added value, especially at higher resolutions. The sensor and lens are also important. For example, the sensor determines how well the camera works in low light. In addition, (especially more expensive) cameras are full of technology for image correction, better night vision and adjustment in the event of overexposure by the sun, for example (wide dynamic range).
Regarding lens, cameras with fixed focal length are the most common, but then consider carefully whether you want a wide viewing angle to oversee a large area (often with 2.8 mm) or, on the contrary, want a more detailed remote image (for example 4, 6 or 8 mm). There are also (expensive) cameras with varifocal lens where you can flexibly adjust to the situation. There are of course cameras with “PTZ” or pan (rotate), tilt (tilt) and zoom (optical zoom). Fun to play with, also in Surveillance Station, but less important in practice: cameras should mainly record things when you are not there.
06 Use of rtsp and ONTIF
There are two important protocols you can rely on when adding a camera: rtsp (Real Time Streaming Protocol) and ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum). With this you can use almost any camera, because these protocols are widely supported. It does sometimes give some limitations. So with rtsp you only have the stream and no extra functions such as pan / tilt / zoom and motion detection of the camera. In that respect, ONVIF is more flexible, a standard that tries to standardize all communication with the camera. But even then, sometimes not everything works completely. With rtsp, it is sometimes a whole puzzle to find the right path to the stream from your camera. A search on the internet can help you further. Before adding a stream in Surveillance Station, it is useful to first try it with the VLC media player, via the menu option Media / Network stream to open.
07 Installing software on the nas
Both Synology with the DSM operating system and QNAP with QTS have the option of installing additional software. At Synology you open for that Package Center, at QNAP this is called App Center. You will also find Surveillance Station there. The installation is self-explanatory. With Synology it is still useful to choose a custom alias during installation so that you can run the application directly through, for example https: // diskstation / cam can open. QNAP will ask you at the first start in which (possibly new folder to be created) the recordings should be saved; Synology automatically uses the surveillance folder for this. On both systems you can simply use your nas’ administrator account for access, but you can also create separate user accounts. The language is on both systems by default on English, but you can also change to Dutch.
08 Preparing the camera
Before you can use a camera in Surveillance Station, you must first set it up via the supplied software or web interface and check the image. That starts with configuring the network or Wi-Fi access. It is wise to give the camera a fixed IP address in your network. Also configure the stream (s) that the camera must offer. Furthermore, it is practical to create a separate user account with a strong password for access from Surveillance Station. You can then transfer the settings to Surveillance Station later. In most cases, motion detection is left to the camera. Surveillance Station actually only responds to the events that the camera itself reports. This is therefore one of the most important things to set and fine tune on the camera itself, such as the detection area and sensitivity. Some cameras, such as a recent Hikvision model that we used in this article, offer simple motion detection as well as smarter motion detection. This can not only prevent many false reports, but also detect when an object is left unattended or removed, for example. Unfortunately, Surveillance Station cannot always handle such advanced notifications.
View and manage licenses for cameras
Both with Synology and QNAP you usually get two free camera licenses for use with Surveillance Station with your nas. With a few more extensive models of QNAP, such as the TS-453Be-4G that we use for this article, you get four licenses. It is always possible to purchase additional licenses, although they are relatively expensive. At Synology you can buy licenses per item (47.95 euros), per four items (173.90 euros) or purchase eight (312.95 euros). The prices at QNAP are comparable.
You can purchase them at various online stores. QNAP also has its own licensing store. The licenses are for an indefinite period of time, without recurring costs. They are often connected to the nas, sometimes with the option of migrating them to another nas. To view and manage your licenses, open the option at Synology License in the main menu of Surveillance Station. At QNAP you open the nas’ web interface for this and choose in the menu License Center.
09 Explore the web interface
Synology’s Surveillance Station has a beautiful, modern and user-friendly web interface. The most important parts are on the desktop. There is Live View to view the live images from one or more cameras. Through Timeline You can review previous recordings, possibly for multiple cameras at the same time. Through IP camera you manage the cameras and all associated settings for, for example, recording and motion detection. Through Recording browse through all recordings by date via a file manager. And through Application center add extra functions and apps to get even more out of your camera surveillance system. You can also do the so-called here Device Pack update, which is sometimes necessary to support more recent cameras.
10 Add camera
We start by adding an officially supported camera, a somewhat older Foscam FI9831W. Open IP camera and choose Add / Add camera. We select Quick installation. In this case we can look up the camera directly in the list, after which the configuration is largely filled in. It is sufficient to enter a name, IP address and the user account. If necessary, you can trace the camera in your network via the search button. click on Test connection to see if everything has been entered correctly. Go through the wizard to actually add the camera.
If your camera is not in the list, it often works if you choose a similar model. You can also add an unsupported camera in other ways. If the camera supports ONVIF, select it behind Brand and fill in the details further. For other streams you choose User defined. Then select at Type for example Streaming – RTSP or Streaming – HTTP. Then enter behind Path the link to the stream in the correct format, and test if it works with Test connection.
11 More settings for the camera
You must specify most settings separately for each camera. If you have a lot of cameras, you can speed up this by adjusting settings in batch, but that is not taken into consideration here. Select in the window IP camera your camera and then click edit. below Device Settings you can set which streams and in which quality Surveillance Station should use, depending on the capacities of the camera. Consider, for example, the resolution, frame rate and video format such as h.264 or h.265. In terms of frame rate, 10 to 20 frames in seconds is usually enough for surveillance purposes and this saves storage space, but for smoother images you might consider 25 or 30 fps. You can optionally set a second stream in lower quality, with a lower resolution and frame rate. below Live View Settings You can then indicate the standard quality of the live images. You can also set this for recordings (see next section).
12 Settings for recording
An important part of the settings for the camera discussed above are the settings for recordings, which you will find below Recording settings. You specify on the tab Recording specifically how many days the recordings must be saved and also (possibly combined) a limit in gigabytes for the archive folder. We advise to record continuously, but on the tab Schedule you can possibly do this according to a schedule. The quality can be found on the tab Streaming select. As a compromise, you can, for example, set the standard to be included in the low quality while dynamically switching to the highest quality during this event when motion is detected. You can find the motion detection settings below Event detection. If you leave the motion detection to Surveillance Station you can adjust the settings here. But if you choose to leave that to the camera, you have to adjust it on the camera itself. Note that the processor power asks if you let your nas do this, especially at higher resolutions. It may be worth it if your camera does not do this (or does not do it properly).
13 Viewing images and recordings
Through Live View You can view the live image of a camera and also operate it in the case of a PTZ camera. You can also view multiple cameras simultaneously in the desired format. With the button Management you can compile a certain layout yourself with your cameras and save it as a pre-set. On the camera image you will find buttons for extra actions, such as playing the clip (and previous clips), taking a photo (snapshot), zooming in on an area with the mouse and adjusting the volume. To review recordings, go to Timeline. You can view recordings per camera, but also several at the same time next to each other, at the same time in the timeline. Very handy is that you can tell by the color of the timeline when motion was detected, so that you can quickly look back on those moments.
14 More advanced options
There are a number of useful extras to get even more out of your monitoring system. So you can via Notification for example, enable notifications via email, SMS or on your mobile device. You can use this to set exactly when you want to receive notifications via which method and how often. Also very practical Smart search. You can use this to search for motion in a selected camera. Has someone removed something from a certain area and do you have to search for hours of video? Simply select the area in this application, set the search function to work, and through the results list you can view the results step by step and possibly download them as a movie. The notifications on your mobile are incidentally linked to the DS cam app while you are in front Smart search need the Surveillance Station Client (see box “Extra software and apps for Synology”). That software also solves the problem with the display of h.265 (+) in your browser.
Extra software and apps for Synology
With Surveillance Station Client, Synology also offers a PC and Mac program for viewing camera images. That is actually the same environment as in the browser, but without any limitations of your browser. To download it, go here. Select your nas model and search for the program under Desktop utilities. In addition, with DS cam there is also a good app for smartphones and tablets, which has recently been further improved. With this you can comfortably view the live image of the cameras (possibly several at the same time) on a smartphone or your iPad, while also shifting the time bar to look back to an earlier moment. The color of the timeline also shows with the app when motion was detected. With the app you can automatically receive push notifications for events.
15 Exploring the web interface
The web interface of QNAPs Surveillance Station does not look nearly as modern as with Synology and the user-friendliness is also not at the same level. Many options are somewhat unclear or incorrectly translated. As a network video recorder, however, the software is more than adequate and especially motion detection has many options for, for example, notifications. After starting the application you will see all the settings in the panel on the left: at the top a section for the camera, below for the system. The button Monitors opens a program to view the images from connected cameras while Play opens a program to view recordings again. We will of course also start adding the cameras here.
16 Adding a camera
Via the menu option Camera configuration you can add a camera. The number of channels is equal to the number of camera licenses (with our nas four). You can add a camera per channel via the plus sign. The old Foscam camera, but also a new Hikvision camera can be selected directly from the list. You can go behind for unsupported models Camera brand in front of ONVIF choose or via Generic Model set up an rtsp stream. Check via Test if the settings are correct. You can use the wizard to immediately turn on recordings for the camera and change the settings for the video, such as the video format, resolution and frame rate. Unfortunately, only h.264 is available and no h.265 or h.265 +, even if your camera does support those codecs. Furthermore, you can already choose how many days of recordings must be saved as a minimum. Also pay attention to the option for sound recording, this is off by default but is often desirable if the camera has a microphone. You can then use a schedule to set when recordings should be made instead of continuous recording (which is the default setting). Go through the wizard to add the camera permanently. You can of course adjust the settings at any time via the option Camera configuration.
17 More settings
Many settings are general at QNAP and therefore not adjustable per camera. below Advanced settings for example, indicate how many days of recording should be saved or how much space may be used for this. You can also choose how long to record before or after an event, so that you have an extra image around a motion detection, practically if you choose not to record continuously. You can also specify how long each recording file should be. Where Synology chooses to create a new recording file every 30 minutes, with QNAP it is standard every five minutes, which is very short.
18 View live images and recordings
At QNAP you go to the option for live images Monitors which opens the QVR-Monitor program. Choose to review recordings Play and with that another program is started, QVR-Playback. You must install these programs once through one installation program before you can use them. That installation program is already on your nas and you only have to follow the link to the installation application that is shown. The programs also refer to each other again and you can easily switch via the buttons on the top. The two programs have the necessary similarities. You can use the buttons at the top to change the desired layout for your cameras. The playback program naturally adds a timeline to review images. There is also a possibility to export images.
19 Motion detection and other events
Surveillance Station from QNAP supports motion detection, but does not do the detection itself and therefore relies entirely on the capabilities of your camera. You can set many actions as soon as motion is reported and also for other events. You can find the settings for this under Event Management. We select here Advanced mode which is clearer and offers more options. A distinction is made between camera events (such as motion detection or a connection error) and system events (such as a failed recording or disk failure). For all these events you can add one or more actions that then appear under Action List. We are going to Camera event / Motion detection. We are now going to add an action, making a recording. Press Add and select after Action type for Recording. You can optionally immediately check extra channels that should also be recorded. Then click To apply. The promotion is now under Action list appeared. You can add extra actions, such as sending a notification by SMS or e-mail (with snapshots) or “triggering” other systems.
QVR Pro
With QVR Pro, QNAP offers another camera surveillance application intended for the heavier NASs with at least 4 GB of memory. The application is still relatively new and the first versions were not that good. But in the meantime it has improved and the interface looks modern and the software is rich in functions. Unfortunately, the application often responds somewhat slowly and the stability is not optimal. A plus compared to Surveillance Station is that you immediately get eight camera licenses. With the free version, the recording period is limited to 14 days, but that will be enough for most. The software can handle motion detection for up to two cameras (and up to 1080p), useful if the camera cannot do it itself. The application can also handle h.265, but not yet with h.265 +. To view images and recordings, you can install the QVR Pro software under Windows. This is one application that allows you to view both the live image and previous recordings via a slick interface.
