Network & CCTV Designer
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The Network & CCTV Designer is a free browser tool for drawing the network behind an IP CCTV system and checking that it will actually work before anything is installed. You place cameras, PoE switches, NVRs, VMS workstations, routers and fiber links on a canvas, connect them with cables, give each device an IP address and VLAN, and the tool builds a single-line diagram and a bill of quantities from the same drawing.
It is written for ELV and security engineers, CCTV installers, estimators and students who need a clear network drawing for a submittal, a site handover or a design review. It also works as a learning tool: in simulation mode you can ping from one device to another, cut a cable and see which cameras drop off, and find addressing mistakes such as a camera placed in the wrong subnet.
What you enter
Device types and quantities, the cable or fiber between each pair of devices, IP addresses, subnet masks, gateways and VLAN IDs, and project details for the drawing title block.
How to use it
- Load the sample project or start a new one, then drag cameras, switches and recorders onto the canvas.
- Connect the devices and set each one's IP address and VLAN in the properties panel.
- Switch to simulation mode and ping between devices to confirm every camera can reach the NVR or VMS.
- Open the single-line diagram, then export it as PNG, SVG or PDF and export the BOQ as CSV.
Projects are saved in your own browser. Nothing is uploaded to the server.
Notes and limits
- The simulator checks addressing and connectivity. It does not model real switch performance, multicast behaviour or stream bitrates, so size uplinks separately from the camera bitrates set on site.
- Copper Ethernet (Cat5e/Cat6) is limited to a 100 m channel. Longer runs need fiber or an extender.
- Default device values in the palette are typical examples. Use manufacturer data sheets for PoE draw, port counts and recorder throughput.
- The drawing supports a design; it does not replace the project specification, the IT team's addressing rules or an engineer's review.
