If you want to view many cameras on the same screen, or need to record the video, you must select a video management software product (VMS) or select one of the network video recorder (NVR) systems.
There are a number of different Video Management Software (VMS) products available. The primary job of the VMS is to record the video from many IP cameras on the network. It is very important to select software that is very reliable and doesn’t crash. You certainly don’t want to lose important video. It is also important to use a dedicated computer system to run the VMS.
The various software products available have many additional functions including motion detection, special alerts that tell you when something important has happened. Flexible display of real time and recorded video, and easy locating and display of multiple recorded video channels to name a few. The exact feature set depends on your objectives. Take a look at the table of VMS that compares a number of different products.