Methods and systems for a video surveillance system are provided. The system includes a plurality of network buses, a plurality of surveillance sensors, control devices, and sensor data storage devices and a keypad controller communicatively coupled to the at least one network bus. The keypad controller includes a plurality of interchangeable control modules communicatively coupled to said keypad controller that matingly engage a complementary portion of said keypad controller. The keypad controller further includes a processor configured to decode codec independent video streams, said processor further comprising a module configured to receive and transmit streaming video data to a network, a synchronous memory interface, and a plurality of universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UARTs). The keypad controller also includes a universal serial bus (USB) interface.