How to set up a VLAN between sites seven sites..

[kuttkun]

Hi all:

We are planning to install security camera at eight of our offices which are 3-4 miles apart. Want to keep individual servers at the locations to record video. But want to check or trouble shoot from a single location or from other locations. How we could connect all these into a single network?? If leasing a dsl line with static Address and protecting the data from hackers?? Anyone have any idia???

 

[chipk]

When you say check/troubleshoot, will you be watching video remotely, or stictly troubleshooting server stuff? Are there other business reasons for connecting everything on one network, or is it just the security camera thing?

If you're not going to be streaming video back to a central office, why not just set the servers up with RRAS, and dial-up for maintenance/troubleshooting using remote desktop or pcanywhere or something? Much cheaper than a monthly recurring cost for a leased line. And actually, if your frame rate is low enough on the video, you COULD view via dial-up.

 

[kuttkun]

Thanks Chipk:

Let me explain you my situation. We have 7 offices but not connected together. We will be recording the video at individual stations. But we want to check in periodic manner, may be once in every 6 hrs for functionality. We have a facility where people sit at 24 hrs. So individual LANs but need to be connected to internet to interconnect. How can I acces these video recording servers from out side if I have one DSL connection at each site. Can I have a public IP address for the server and private addresses for the work stations and cameras at the sites. By the way these cameras are IP cameras, need to connect to the LAN using IP.

 

[fartingfrog]

If your sites are only 3-4 miles apart, the best interconnectivity between sites is wireless, as long as you have line of site. Radios can xmit and receive up to like 8-10 miles with no problem, using microwave and higher frequencies. The company I just left specialized in this, Your link would be 54Mbps. What kind of business is this? If you don't want to interconnect, just VPN into the individual servers, or like the other gentleman said (Chipk), use a dial up and set the servers to warn you if something goes wrong. I'm sure that if you research (Google!) you could find software to communicate with the video cameras and allow the server to warn you if one goes bad. That way, you won't have to check on it. ISDN lets you pay only when nthe link sends info (which can save $ depending on how the router is set up.

Tim

 

[chipk]

Good ideas. I don't have much experience with wireless comms, but if it's practical and you have line-of-sight, I don't see why you couldn't do it. We actually discussed using it at my company for some of our offices that are close together.

If you're really looking at the DSL option, then you would need a router/modem at each site. Modem is generally supplied by the ISP (at a cost) and you would have to buy the router/firewall. Eash site would have its own public IP. You could basically secure the network by blocking all incoming traffic except for maybe Remote Desktop Protocol. You could just use portforwarding on your router to direct RDP to the "video server" for remote viewing, troubleshooting, etc.

 

[fartingfrog]

For site-to-site, the dsl that is most practical is SDSL, so that upstream speeds are the same as download speeds. That will surely up the cost. See what the ISP charges you for that! Plus, compare the 1.5-4 Mbps with SDSL to the 54 you get with wireless. Good luck.

Tim