Re: Looking for Linux-friendly network cameras

On Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:50:23 +0000, James H. Newman wrote:

On Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:03:39 -0500, Robert Heller wrote:

At Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:09:45 +0000 (UTC) "James H. Newman"
<NewJames@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


I am in the market for a network camera, and I would want to get
one that I can operate from Linux. Looking into what is out there, all
vendors so far seem to supply Windows-only software to run their
cameras - even to configure them. This despite of the fact that many
of those cameras run on Linux themselves.

I suspect that most of them just run a web server (one of the various
small-scale web servers that are commonly used in various sorts of
'network appliances' (eg routers and such). The add on Windows
software is just a more "user-friendly" interface or for additional
functionallity.

What worries me is that in some cases they explicitly mention
that you need things like DirectX, which is Windows-only, I believe.

Any members of this forum have experience on the subject? Can
anybody recommend network cameras that work with Linux?

Did you look at Axis Communications (www.axis.com). Unless they have
changed radically, the only software needed to run or configure their
cameras is a web browser. They use dhcp to get their IP address. At
least that is how we worked with the one we had while I was working at
the UMass CVRL a few years back. I really doubt they have changed the
basic camers themselves.

I was able to write a simple embedded live video viewer using one of
the internal web server's cgi scripts that fed a jpeg, using <img ...>
HTML tag. If you want to display a bunch of camera views, you should
be able to use this same trick.

Yep, they still use plain old embeded web servers in their cameras.

From the URL http://www.axis.com/products/video/index.htm:

"Access to live video at anytime, from anywhere Axis' award-winning
network video products are designed with built-in computers so they do
not require a direct connection to a PC or any additional software to
stream live video and audio over networks. Simply connect the network
video products to an IP network (such as a LAN, intranet or Internet)
and view live images from any local or remote, networked computer with
a standard Web browser. Learn more about the benefits and technology of
Axis network video products."

Thanks for the feedback. In fact, my top candidate so far is an
Axis camera. They seem to the most forthcoming when it comes to dealing
with non-Windows platforms.

The DLinks have a chioce of Java or Active X on their interface,
obviously I'm using the Java option.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Looking for Linux-friendly network cameras
    ... vendors so far seem to supply Windows-only software to run their ... those cameras run on Linux themselves. ... 'network appliances'. ... I was able to write a simple embedded live video viewer using one of the ...
    (comp.os.linux.misc)
  • Re: Looking for Linux-friendly network cameras
    ... vendors so far seem to supply Windows-only software to run their ... those cameras run on Linux themselves. ... 'network appliances'. ... I was able to write a simple embedded live video viewer using one of the ...
    (comp.os.linux.misc)
  • Re: Looking for Linux-friendly network cameras
    ... of those cameras run on Linux themselves. ... 'network appliances'. ... "Access to live video at anytime, ...
    (comp.os.linux.misc)
  • Re: Looking for Linux-friendly network cameras
    ... I am in the market for a network camera, and I would want to get ... one that I can operate from Linux. ... cameras run on Linux themselves. ... "Access to live video at anytime, ...
    (comp.os.linux.misc)
  • Re: Eh?
    ... The security operation at this week's G20 summit was thrown into chaos last night when it emerged that the entire network of central London's wireless CCTV cameras will have to be turned off because of a legal ruling. ... The council only discovered last week that images from its newly installed £15m traffic cameras do not meet the quality required under the Traffic Management Act, which comes into force on 1 April. ...
    (uk.politics.misc)