{"id":6280,"date":"2025-07-23T08:35:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T08:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/?p=6280"},"modified":"2025-10-30T09:16:52","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T09:16:52","slug":"how-multicast-streaming-in-ip-cameras-enables-smart-analytics-without-extra-bandwidth-load","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/how-multicast-streaming-in-ip-cameras-enables-smart-analytics-without-extra-bandwidth-load\/","title":{"rendered":"How Multicast Streaming in IP Cameras Enables Smart Analytics Without Extra Bandwidth Load"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/How-Multicast-Streaming-in-IP-Camera-Enables-Smart-Analytics-Without-Extra-Bandwidth-Load-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/How-Multicast-Streaming-in-IP-Camera-Enables-Smart-Analytics-Without-Extra-Bandwidth-Load-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/How-Multicast-Streaming-in-IP-Camera-Enables-Smart-Analytics-Without-Extra-Bandwidth-Load-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/How-Multicast-Streaming-in-IP-Camera-Enables-Smart-Analytics-Without-Extra-Bandwidth-Load-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/How-Multicast-Streaming-in-IP-Camera-Enables-Smart-Analytics-Without-Extra-Bandwidth-Load.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">In the world of retail and commercial video surveillance, bandwidth is often one of the first concerns raised when expanding a CCTV setup\u2014especially when adding advanced video analytics systems like the FootfallCam Centroid-48 or Centroid-16.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Fortunately, there\u2019s a powerful, built-in solution that already exists in most IP cameras: multicast streaming.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif;\"><strong>What Is Multicast in IP Cameras?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Multicast is a network streaming protocol that allows one IP camera to broadcast its video stream to multiple destinations\u2014such as a network video recorder (NVR) and a third-party analytics system\u2014without duplicating the bandwidth usage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Unlike unicast, where the camera sends a separate stream for each client, multicast sends one stream to the network switch, and any number of authorised clients can &#8220;tune in&#8221; to that stream. Think of it like a radio station that multiple listeners can access at the same time\u2014no extra transmission power required.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif;\"><strong>Why This Matters for AI Video Analytics<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Many businesses today are integrating AI video analytics platforms like FootfallCam\u2019s Centroid series, which processes video feeds to extract metrics such as:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">People counting<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Queue analysis<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Dwell time<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Heatmaps of customer movement<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Customers often ask:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\"><em>&#8220;If I already have an NVR recording video from my IP cameras, won\u2019t adding an analytics system double my network load?&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">The answer is: not if you&#8217;re using multicast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif;\"><strong>Real-World Example: Multicast in Action<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Let\u2019s say you\u2019re using a typical Hikvision or Dahua IP camera\u2014two of the most common brands globally. These cameras come with multicast support enabled or configurable via the camera web interface.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">If you&#8217;re currently streaming one video feed to an NVR, your camera may be sending ~4 Mbps per stream. Without multicast, adding a second stream (e.g. for analytics) would double that to ~8 Mbps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">But with multicast, the same camera can stream just one multicast feed into the switch, and both the NVR and Centroid analytics system can receive it simultaneously, using no additional bandwidth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">That means:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">&#x2705; Your LAN remains stable<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">&#x2705; No extra cabling or switches are needed<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">&#x2705; Your network planning doesn&#8217;t need to change<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">&#x2705; You\u2019re fully prepared for advanced analytics upgrades with no surprises<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif;\"><strong>How to Enable Multicast<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Login to your camera (Hikvision, Dahua, or other)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Navigate to the Network \u2192 Advanced Settings \u2192 Multicast<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Enable multicast on the main or sub stream depending on your use case<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Ensure your network switch supports IGMP snooping (common in managed switches)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Point both your NVR and Centroid to the same multicast IP address and port<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">And that&#8217;s it. No new bandwidth headaches.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif;\"><strong>Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif;\"><strong>Q1: Do all IP cameras support multicast?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">A: Most modern IP cameras\u2014even entry-level models from Hikvision, Dahua, Uniview\u2014support multicast. Check the specs or web interface to confirm.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif;\"><strong>Q2: Will multicast affect my NVR recording?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">A: No. Your NVR will continue to receive the stream as usual. Multicast simply allows other systems (like Centroid) to listen in without adding load.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif;\"><strong>Q3: Do I need a special switch for multicast?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">A: Ideally, yes. Managed switches with IGMP snooping are recommended for multicast to function efficiently. Many enterprise and commercial-grade switches support this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif;\"><strong>Q4: Can I use multicast with Centroid-16 or Centroid-48?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">A: Absolutely. FootfallCam Centroid units are fully compatible with multicast and will auto-detect and configure to use it when available.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif;\"><strong>Q5: What if I can\u2019t enable multicast on my cameras?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">A: The system can still work in unicast mode, but your network must be sized to handle the additional stream per camera.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif;\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">With multicast, you don\u2019t have to choose between your existing CCTV system and your desire for smarter insights. By leveraging a feature your cameras likely already support, you can upgrade to FootfallCam\u2019s Centroid series with confidence\u2014knowing that your network bandwidth won\u2019t be compromised.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666;\">Want to learn more? Contact us to schedule a quick site assessment or to explore our Centroid analytics platform in action.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: archivo, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-size: 16px;\"><a href=\"#footfallcam\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#footfallcam<\/a> <a href=\"#peoplecounter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#peoplecounter<\/a> <a href=\"#peoplecounting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#peoplecounting<\/a> <a href=\"#retail\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#retail<\/a> <a href=\"#smartretail\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#smartretail<\/a> <a href=\"#aianalytics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#aianalytics<\/a> <a href=\"#multicaststreaming\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#multicaststreaming<\/a> <a href=\"#CCTV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#CCTV<\/a> <a href=\"#bandwidthoptimisation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#bandwidthoptimisation<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the world of retail and commercial video surveillance, bandwidth is often one of the first concerns raised when expanding a CCTV setup\u2014especially when adding advanced video analytics systems like &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6300,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[716,719,188,186],"tags":[574,793,646,28,792,16,15,12,530],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6280"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6280"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6809,"href":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6280\/revisions\/6809"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.footfallcam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}