Access Home Camera From The Internet (Easy Setup Guide)

As more households begin to explore the benefits of home security cameras, occupants are looking for ways to view and control these cameras remotely. This is useful for homeowners who are away from home for extended periods of time, such as during the holidays, as it enables them to keep an eye on their property and ensure that everything is secure.

This article will explore the ways you can view and control your home cameras over the internet, including through a web browser, on a computer, and with an IP address. Along the way, we will also discuss the use of port forwarding and reverse proxy solutions to access cameras remotely, and offer some essential tips for hitting the ground running with this.

Table of contents

• Can I view an IP camera on a web browser?
• How do I access my camera with an IP address?
• How do I access my camera through WiFi?

Can I view an IP camera on a web browser?

If the camera is connected to the internet and is configured correctly, you can view the camera on a web browser. Most modern IP cameras come with their own web-based interface that you can access from any device with a web browser, such as a laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

But some IP cameras require additional configuration to gain access over the internet. This can include setting up port forwarding or using a reverse proxy solution (opens in a new tab) to make the camera accessible from outside your local network.

How do I access my camera with an IP address?

An IP address is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. If your camera is reachable from the internet, then you just need to know you Camera IP:Port and access it through your web browser like http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:yyyyy.

Can you watch IP cameras online?

You will need to be connected to the internet to watch your feed online but because most users will have difficulty to reach their localhost services through the internet because of multiple reasons like ISP restrictions, you will need a tunneling solution (opens in a new tab) like LocalXpose.

Imagine you IP camera is running on localhost:80, To access your camera via the internet, you can tell LocalXpose to forward any connections that come from the internet (on domain camera.loclx.io) to your camera. The command will typically appear like the below:

./loclx tunnel http --subdomain camera --to localhost:80

This type of command will produce an address for you, such as https://camera.loclx.io, which you can utilize outside your network to access your home camera. With the support of IP whitelisting, LocalXpose’s reverse proxy enables you to grant access to specific IP addresses, making it clear that only those you authorize are able to access your home camera.

While port forwarding is the most effective way to access your camera remotely, there are some security risks. When you open a port on your router and forward incoming connections to the home camera, it’s important to use a reverse proxy solution like LocalXpose that provides secure tunnels. With LocalXpose, you can start an end2end and password protected tunnel.

Ready to begin the process of port forwarding? Explore the possibilities of LocalXpose (opens in a new tab).