What Is P2P Streaming And How Does A P2P IP Camera Work?

In 2022 the Global Smart Home market was valued at a whopping $7.37 billion and it is estimated to bring in a staggering $30.1 billion in 2030 at a CAGR of 19.2%.

As advanced and promising as this market may be, it is still roped by inefficient, inaccessible, and costly technology.

Enter P2P technology.

What Is P2P Network Technology?

Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing is a way of sharing tasks and resources among a group of equal participants, called peers.

In a P2P network, each peer can use and provide resources like processing power, storage, and bandwidth, without relying on a central server. Unlike the traditional client-server model, where resources are either supplied or consumed by separate entities, peers in a P2P network both give and take resources, making the system more flexible and decentralized.

What Is A P2P IP Camera?

A P2P camera is an innovative IP network camera that leverages peer-to-peer (P2P) technology to streamline the connection process between your IP security cameras and devices like smartphones or PCs.

This technology makes it easy to access your camera feeds both locally and remotely, providing seamless and hassle-free monitoring. Whether you're at home or on the go, P2P cameras offer a user-friendly solution for keeping an eye on your property.

How Does A P2P Camera Work?

Well, each P2P security camera or network video recorder (NVR) is identified with a unique ID number (UID) registered and integrated at the developer level, which is used to ping the P2P server (merely for connection, not a proxy) via network P2P IP camera apps or software for Mac/Windows.

Once the P2P camera is connected with the P2P IP camera app/software, you can stream live videos from the P2P IP security camera in a breeze in real-time even outside your home or local area network (LAN).

Like Adappt's P2P live video streaming technology shown below!

Unlike P2P cameras, analogue cameras are not equipped with advanced P2P technology and only capture and transmit images to the DVRs. Most DVRs these days have a built-in P2P system so that they can be accessed from outside the network easily.

The Speciality Of P2P IP Cameras

Before P2P IP network cameras came along, remote viewing setup on surveillance cameras used to be a headache, which involved configurations on the camera, requiring a DDNS server, port forwarding or port mapping on the router, tweaking with the network firewall, etc.

However, P2P network technology makes everything a whole lot easier! Apart from simple P2P IP camera setup, there are many advantages of P2P network technology and below are some of the main benefits:

1. Easy P2P IP Camera Setup, No Configuration

P2P network technology tackles problems that have long plagued many non-P2P IP cameras head-on.

For example, users used to labour their wits on DDNS setup or port forwarding to view IP camera video outside the home network or remotely on a mobile phone, laptop or PC.

Nowadays, there is no such complicated P2P IP camera setup because P2P IP security cameras/NVRs are pre-configured in production.

2. Easy Remote Viewing

Thanks to the simple connection between P2P cameras and your smartphone/PC/Mac, it facilitates remote viewing and resolves common problems like “Can I access my surveillance camera on the internet while I am out of the home network?” “Can I view my camera while at work or outside my country?”.

In virtue of the P2P IP camera app (iOS & Android) & software, you can view and stream live videos from P2P cameras more smoothly in real-time.

Note that you can’t view P2P IP cameras on web browsers remotely without port forwarding, because most web browsers are not built-in with P2P technology infrastructure.

3. Easy Video Playback

What’s more, you can even record videos remotely and save the P2P cam footage to the SD card or NVR remotely through the IP camera P2P viewers and software.

Even if you’re not physically there, you can playback historic videos of the P2P WiFi cameras to ensure you miss no single detail.

4. Access P2P Cameras via Multiple Devices Simultaneously

P2P IP cameras also allow you to watch live viewing on multiple devices, like your smartphone, laptop or Mac at the same time.

And that means, not only you but also your family members can access your P2P home IP camera simultaneously to steam the live feed

5. Stable Transmission/Performance

As P2P networks are highly stable, you can view the P2P IP HD cameras on your smartphone or Windows/Mac without suffering significant video delay or connection failure.

P2P IP Cameras vs. Traditional Security Cameras

So, what are the differences between peer-to-peer IP cameras and traditional port-forwarding security cameras? Do the P2P IP cameras surpass conventional surveillance cameras in performance and functionalities?

Wired and wireless P2P IP Cameras:

• Easy P2P IP camera setup via QR code scanning
• No need to set port forwarding or port mapping
• No need for a DDNS server
• P2P cameras can connect to the Internet from anywhere
• Allow secure connections between P2P cams and viewing clients with encrypted streams
• Stable video transmission

Traditional Port Forwarding IP cameras:

• Need to use the DDNS server
• Need to do port forward or port mapping
• DDNS service is not stable
• Firewalls need to be disabled, putting your network at risk

Use Cases for P2P Surveillance Cameras

Commercial Spaces

• Real-Time Monitoring: Businesses can leverage P2P streaming for real-time surveillance, ensuring immediate detection and response to security incidents.
• Cost Savings: Companies can reduce expenses associated with traditional cloud services, reallocating funds to other critical areas of their operations.

Residential Spaces

• Home Security: Homeowners can benefit from reliable, high-quality video feeds for monitoring entrances, backyards, and other critical areas without worrying about high cloud service costs.
• Remote Accessibility: Residents can access live feeds and recorded footage from anywhere, even in remote locations with limited internet connectivity.

Retail Stores

• Loss Prevention: Retailers can utilize P2P streaming for effective loss prevention strategies, monitoring shop floors and storage areas in real time to deter theft and shrinkage.
• Customer Insights: Video analytics can provide valuable insights into customer behaviour, helping retailers optimize store layouts and improve the shopping experience.
• City Surveillance: Municipalities can implement cost-effective city-wide surveillance systems, enhancing public safety and aiding in crime prevention.
• Traffic Monitoring: P2P streaming can be used to monitor traffic conditions, enabling real-time management of congestion and improving road safety.

Industrial Applications

• Operational Security: Factories and industrial sites can employ P2P streaming to monitor critical operations, ensure safety protocol compliance and quickly address any issues.
• Remote Site Surveillance: Industrial facilities in remote locations can benefit from reliable video surveillance without the need for expensive satellite internet connections.