As of July 2013, I was no longer able to access remote CCTV images of my mom in Melaka and my ma-in-law in Sabak Bernam. Streamyx started allocating private IP address instead of public IP address to their residential clients. For my mom in Melaka, it was because they wanted to force her to change to UNIFI. UNIFI was still allocating public IP addresses to their residential clients.

However for my ma-in-law, it was part of the BN govt move to reduce the number of individually owned websites that was running from the residential clients public IP addresses. I guess the ruling govt needed a scapegoat for their recent election loss of votes and such websites were a convenient target. Hoping to make such websites disappear, the ruling govt made new rules, without studying the implication on the general public. Then they wonder why the general public hate them so much. Really no insight.

We spoke to Telekom Sabak Bernam, trying to get back the public IP address but they were unable to help. We even wrote a letter to them trying to get back the public IP address, but it was a futile effort. That is the problem of having monopolies providing critical utilities, they just can’t be bothered to listen to their clients. Since the only use of the Streamyx line was to monitor my ma-in-law well-being and now we can’t do so due to the private IP issue, we terminated the Streamyx line. Telekom Malaysia had the gumption to call up my wife and ask why we terminated the Streamyx line when we already stated it was due to the private IP address issue.

But the local CCTV industry did not take that lying down. In August 2013, they started testing Peer to Peer (P2P) networking for CCTV DVR and its remote monitoring application. To identify the respective DVR on the network, they used Universal IP Address (UIP).

Configuration of the DVR and its application was simple. Jack from E-Mart Pudu took only 15 minutes to teach and demonstrate it to me on how to do it. And I have successfully set up my mom’s DVR in Melaka. Took me about 30 minutes, including downloading the new software. Now I can monitor her well-being remotely again. I just have to change her DVR to one that supports UIP and install a UIP capable CCTV remote monitoring application on my smartphone. The old DVR can be re-used elsewhere where the network runs on UNIFI such as my house.

I will try to upload the step by step guide later. Basically;

  1. Replace the old DVR with the new DVR and connect all the cables again.
  2. Switch on the DVR, configure the network (same as before) and enable the UIP. Restart the DVR. Go to setup and write down the new UIP allocated.
  3. Download DPlayer from PlayStore and install it on your smartphone.
  4. Connect your smartphone to the local network via wifi. Run Dplayer, click Add and search for the DVR on the local network. Usually it is automatically detected. Else enter the UIP that you wrote down earlier. Test it out, you should be able to see the CCTV feed being displayed on your smartphone.
  5. Disconnect from the local wifi. Switch on your broadband. Try DPlayer again, you should be able to see the feed without making any changes to your configuration.

Where to buy such DVR? You can visit E-Mart Pudu at Jalan Pasar. Upon entering the main-entrance, turn right and there will be 2 CCTV shops there. Visit the second shop (currently no signboard) and ask for Jack (he is short and round). Tell him that I recommended him to you and you need a DVR that supports UIP and he will configure it for you.

Have Fun!

P.S. – no, I don’t plan to connect Streamyx again in Sabak Bernam. Instead I will use 3G. The current router there supports 3G.

E-Mart Pudu is a short walk from the Pudu LRT station.