System integrators will appreciate the VPort 251's specially designed hardware features for IP video surveillance applications. A BNC video connector allows the connection of any analog video source, which can be powered through the loop-through power output and controlled through the RS-232/422/485 port. A 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port connects the video source to the network, with video signals digitized and compressed using the MJPEG or MPEG4 codec. The Transparent PTZ feature allows remote PTZ control of cameras over the network without requiring any new hardware or software.

Other features include motion detection, alarms for signal loss, alarm-triggered snapshots, bidirectional voice communication over the network, RSTP (real-time streaming protocol), and QoS for prioritization of video data.