Installation using PPP

The camera server supports the Point to Point Protocol (PPP) which is a mechanism for creating and running the Internet Protocol and other network protocols over a serial link. This can be either:

• a direct serial connection that uses a null-modem cable, or
• a connection established using modems and telephone lines (including digital lines such as ISDN).

PPP can transport any IP based protocol and allows the camera server to be remotely accessed almost as if it were directly connected to the network. However, the major difference between PPP and an Ethernet connection is of course speed. A standard Ethernet connection operates at 10 Mbps (maximum theoretical throughput), whereas an analog modem only operates at speeds up to 56 kbps.

Configuration of camera server

You need to enable PPP support in your camera server. By default the serial port is disabled.

1. Use a Web browser to view your camera server's home page over Ethernet, (such as http://mycam). You can do this even if you do not have access to Ethernet, look here.
2. Click on Settings at the bottom of the picture.
3. Select Host Mode in the Serial Mode pop-up on the Modem page.
4. Select Autodetect Modem in the Modem Type pop-up.
5. Choose a baud rate, 19200 or 38400 is recommended.

UNIX users

Simply treat the camera server as any other remote PPP host. No userid or password is required. You can also assign the camera server a temporary IP address for the duration of the connection.

Instructions for setting up and establishing a connection in UNIX.

Windows users

Instructions for setting up and establishing a connection in Windows 95.

Limitations

The currently known limitations in the PPP support:

• When used with a GSM/cellular phones, always set the baud rate to 9600.
• The product is optimized for US Robotics(tm) modems, since these are the most common. It will work with other modems as well, but for best result we recommend the use of US Robotics(tm).
• From Windows there is no method of setting the remote IP address. This is a limitation in the Windows PPP implementation. If you install a camera server on a remote site, make certain to set the IP address in advance. If you forget the address, while at a remote location, you can use a terminal to call the camera server, and issue the 'ip' command on the camera server's console.