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Trying to add an IP Camera on LAN
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By:
GregoryR
Rank:
Frequent User
Topics:
20
From:
n/a
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Added:
03/15/2009 - 11:18 AM
Have ablecam working on my Logitech sphere & works great. Web Seerver &everything
Might like to get ablecam to work with my other (noname) wireless IP cameras (No pan/tilt OK)
Adding a Camera Direct:
Obviously it is not listed being on my local LAN and not direct to the PC.
Web-Video then config. Only option is VidCapX
I enter URL 192.168.2.21/image.jpg - Also tried via the port 192.168.2.21:81/image.jpg
Test - Both the above URL's SHOW the correct image OK.
I don't think it needs user/password to just get at the image but I have tried that also.
However, I just get the "camera offline" in the main window.
After a few seconds the messages say "too many errors while frame capturing"
Rather Odd I get the test image but nothing else. Web server off for this testing.
Do I need a IP camera driver or agent or something.
Only been trying for short while so don;t think to do with not purchasing 2nd licence.
Thanks I/A
Greg Reed.
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By:
MelvinG
Rank:
Magna Cum Laude
Topics:
661
From:
Los Angeles, USA
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Added:
03/23/2009 - 07:29 AM
Greg,
I can confirm the crash on start-up when Start Minimized is selected. If I turn that option off, start AbelCam and then minimize it manually it still works fine. This certainly looks like a legitimate bug. (Note: I am testing on XP Pro - have not tried on Vista)
I didn't test as a Service at all this time.
I am quite lazy about how I install betas. Usually, when auto-update picks up the beta I just let the updater do its thing. For betas that aren't flagged for the auto-updater to see, I d-load the .exe from the Issue Tracker and just run it. It has been a long long time since I bothered doing a manual uninstall, and I have not had any problems. Everything I've seen in the last several months leads me to believe the updater and/or .exe installer are well behaved and doing any/all old file removal that's needed.
QUESTION for SSE: Isn't there some mechanism already in place that allows Agents to insert themselves into the Device List of an already-running AbelCam (when the Agents start up)? Sorry I don't remember the details anymore but I thought there was such a feature. Seems like this might be what Greg needs. Maybe? Or maybe it just creates a different "race" at start-up (agents needing to wait for AbelCam to finish loading, instead of AbelCam needing to wait for agents to finish loading).
Actually, to get back to basics, Web Video should be able to handle this without the use of Agents and it frustrates me that I can't figure out why it fails. What in the heck could that IP Cam be saying that upsets Web Video but satisfies the Agent???  |
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By:
MelvinG
Rank:
Magna Cum Laude
Topics:
661
From:
Los Angeles, USA
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Added:
03/23/2009 - 09:54 AM
Getting back to the original issue of using Web Video... I just made an interesting discovery. I have 2 systems running AbelCam here. When I tried Web Video with my IP Cam and reported here that it worked fine, I only tried it on one system. I have now tried it on the second system and it is failing in the manner you described. Weird, since there is not much difference between the 2 systems. And no, I wasn't trying to use it on both at the same time, so it wasn't just a simple "too many users" problem with the cam itself.
I will have to look into this further.......
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By:
sse
Rank:
Forum Addict
Topics:
73
From:
n/a
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Added:
03/23/2009 - 06:21 PM
Melvin, if the Agent knows AbelCams license string and is configured accordingly, it will be able to insert itself into AbelCams camera list.
I added a new Capture Interface for IP Cameras on the latest beta release - hopefully this will cover Gregorys requirements.
It does everything the VideoCapX interface does minus Windows Media and Video Recording.
Will be released for testing soon.
I also tested the 'Start minimized' a bit with that latest release and did not have any problems, might be fixed as well.
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By:
GregoryR
Rank:
Frequent User
Topics:
20
From:
n/a
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Added:
03/23/2009 - 06:46 PM
Melvin,
Thanks for your efforts.
I have got a 95% working solution but its one of those things niggling at me.
Using WinPatrol (seems be quite a good utility anyway) I can delay the start of the services and it then works OK, 2 Agents & AbelCam loaded and all hidden, no taskbar or even systray icons.
Would still prefer to all be in AbelCam & will try a little more however I can't get any camera's to work with VideoCapX. Have tried 3 different usb cameras on 3 different computers. All work with TyCapture or Visoforge. I think a lost cause.
I would have liked to have gone back to a really old version of abelcam just to see if they worked but don't seem to be available to download ,links gone.
Not sure how using Abelcam & separate agents all on same computer will effect CPU usage, or if any worse than if they were all on direct. Would be nice if/when SSE gets it working with a wireless PTZ, however the panasonic looks quite expensive.
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By:
MelvinG
Rank:
Magna Cum Laude
Topics:
661
From:
Los Angeles, USA
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Added:
03/24/2009 - 07:43 AM
Greg,
Try the newest (2009-03-23) beta. Be sure to read the release notes on the ISSUE TRACKER before using. In short, to try the new IP Cam capture interface you need to check the "Use BETA Features" option, do File->Save and then re-start AbelCam.
I've tried it here and it works with my IP camera no matter which system I'm running on. This is a Good Thing! Not necessary anymore to use an Agent to hook my IP Cam.
Looks like Minimizing is fixed too. |
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By:
GregoryR
Rank:
Frequent User
Topics:
20
From:
n/a
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Added:
03/24/2009 - 08:58 AM
Melvin & SSE,
Newest Beta - WORKS!!
Only V.quick test so far but immediately found IP cams & seem to be fine, Minimize also seems OK.
Many, Many thanks to SSE for quick solution. (bought 2 more licences)
So much better being all in Abelcam.
Looking forward to getting properly setup.
I ought to be happy (And am very) just getting this working but while I am testing just a few minor questions.
I used the 4cam.html someone had posted on the forum, got working fine with my cameras (Agents at the time) I am not good with java, Is there any easy way to open this or any (new or existing) window & resize so smaller. Might be nice to have a small window 3cm x 4cm'ish just of one image. With PTZ contol if poss.
Also I will investigate myself but the PC all this is eventually going on has this CPU 100% issue others seem to have had. I think to do with Logitech Sphere. Is only a Athlon 2.4 (My testing PC without the sphere only 5-14% CPU with the two IP camera currently, but is a 4.6ghz 2 core) PC Seems to run OK though, not sure slowing anything up, wonder if just a reporting error. People seems to say driver issues but no specific resolution, I am reluctant to blindly mess with driver's at the moment as I have the lastest.
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By:
MelvinG
Rank:
Magna Cum Laude
Topics:
661
From:
Los Angeles, USA
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Added:
03/24/2009 - 09:37 AM
Regarding the 100% CPU thing... rule #1 is Do Not Use VideoCapX unless you absolutely can not do without some feature that only it has. Rule #2 is to avoid the 9.x and 10.x Logitech drivers. Rule #3 is to be sure your Input Resolution and Output Resolution are set to the same size (unnecessary re-scaling in AbelCam eats lots of CPU cycles) And Rule #4 is don't set the Framerate higher than you really need it (running 30 FPS just for the hell of it will consume most of any CPU, not to mention it saturates the USB's bandwidth).
Having said that, I run quite a few USB cams on a rather unimpressive AMD Dual Core 4600+ 2.4ghz and my CPU runs about 20-25% all day long. Cams are all 320x240 res, some are 8 FPS and some are 5 FPS.
That 4cam.html thing was my creation. It is kind of a bash-up intended to be used as a starting point. Look at the HTML source - you don't have to mess with Java to make changes - just change the parameters and/or fields of the APPLET tags. Or post in detail what it is you want and I can try to make it for you (I'm kinda bored right now  ) |
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By:
GregoryR
Rank:
Frequent User
Topics:
20
From:
n/a
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Added:
03/24/2009 - 12:22 PM
ref. CPU, The PC in question only has the Sphere on Ty so VideoCapx not an issure, not sure what the New Beta IP driver uses but on my other PC with two running it only 10% 'ish. I do run most at 640X480 (Input & Output), I like quality image but hopefully countered by very low fps, 1 or 3 on the sphere. Only 1 or 0.5 on the IP's. Not at Sphere PC at moment so will check driver but only few weeks old so hopefully OK & not 9.x or 10.x (I know newest is not always best). I suspect it is the driver thou.
ref. bandwidth. I am pleasantly surprised but confused because with all 3 cams running and viewing on another PC over www (Not locally) my bandwidth is not eaten up. Using a few different adsl speed tests almost no loss in performance. With our Generous (Not!) UK providers I get 5800kbps down & 380kbps up and this upload in particular never drops below 360kbps whilst running. I calculate that to be 45KB ps, each image 640x480 must be about 40KB confirmed by saved images. One image should slow, 3 should be v.slow. It flashes the modem LED with the data so its doing something but a fraction of the time compared to a heavy download. Anyway not complaining just interested, either my calc's are wrong or everything freezes whilst the adsl speed test runs but the cameras seem to maintain the same fps and images are changing.
I did not realize it was your 4cam.html. I think it is pretty cool in its simplicity just the job for me at the moment, I got it to run my 3 cams easily enough.
What I would like to do, and currently with have with a program called SuperVisonView (Being replaced with ablecam, not so good over www and no PTZ control) is most of the time whilst working on the PC I have a small 2cm x 3cm window of my main camera image (Supervison uses a viewer application not browser based). I can keep this constantly live and work without it interfering with the rest of the screen. I can quickly open another screen to view other cameras that only need checking now & again or have all open when not working at PC.
Consequently a small browser window, only large enough for one image (or more), pref. without status bars & borders but pref. with PTZ control.
Trouble is manually resizing windows causes later browsers windows to open at same size. I have not done any javascript (Done quite a bit of Visual Basic so can get a handle on most things but don't have time to really learn or experiment)
So if there was a simple command that could open or resize the 4cam.htlm.
Thanks again for your help.
I wonder if this new IP camera driver would control the PTZ of an IP PTZ camera?
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By:
MelvinG
Rank:
Magna Cum Laude
Topics:
661
From:
Los Angeles, USA
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Added:
03/24/2009 - 06:01 PM
The new IP Camera capture interface most definitely will not control PTZ on an IP cam at this time. To make it do so is a large project, primarily because each and every model of IP cam has to be gotten and tested. No 2 models use the same PTZ commandset.
4Cam.html already supports PTZ for USB PTZ cams. Click on the video to pan/tilt. Use the little sliders to zoom.
Use something like the following as your "opener" if you want to control window size. Size control seems to work with all browsers. Firefox does not respect "status=0", "resizable=0" and "location=0". This is probably done "for your safety" since many obnoxious pop-ups and things use those attributes to make themselves more annoying. Feel free to get a newer JavaScript book than mine to see if there is a way to get around this FireFox "feature".
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>This Is A Test</TITLE>
<SCRIPT>
var win
function Show(url){
var h=600; // Set window height here
var w=800; // Set window width here
var sParams='height='+h+','
sParams+='width='+w+','
sParams+='toolbar=0,'
sParams+='resizable=0,'
sParams+='location=0,'
sParams+='status=0';
win=window.open(url,'foo',sParams);
if (!win.opener){
win.opener=window;
}
win.focus();
}
</SCRIPT>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<!-- put some stuff here -->
<A href='#' onClick='Show("4cam.html");'>SHOW 4CAM</A>
<!-- put some other stuff here -->
</BODY>
</HTML>
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By:
sse
Rank:
Forum Addict
Topics:
73
From:
n/a
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Added:
03/24/2009 - 06:02 PM
Gregory, the IP camera driver does not yet do PTZ, but it's also on the list To Be Done.
The latest beta, to be released tonight, support JPEG and Motion JPEG from IP Cameras. This should cure the troubles you had with the agents starting up.
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