A system and method for using both video and periodically refreshed images in a video surveillance system is described herein the method comprising receiving a first request from a first device at a first camera for a first video stream generated by the first camera to be transmitted using a first communication path; beginning the process of establishing the first communications path from the first camera to the first device; establishing second communications path from the first camera to the first device while the first communications path is being established, wherein the second communications path can be used to transmit a plurality of periodically refreshed images while the first communications path is being established; transmitting the plurality of periodically refreshed images from the first camera to the first device using the second communications path while the first communications path is being established; and transmitting the first video stream from the first camera to the first device using the first communications path once it has been established, and then shutting down the transmission of the plurality of periodically refreshed images using the second communications path.