Logging webcams for RaspiOS

[bob prohaska]

Does anybody know of a WiFi webcam that can be used with
RasPiOS? I'd like to use it as a "trail camera" in low/no
light for nocturnal vermin in a garage. Motion activated,
IR sensitive. No need for PTZ or remote focus. Doesn't
matter if the logging is done on the camera or the Pi.

A quick look at Amazon reveals many, many cameras but none
say anything about software and OS requirements, I'm guessing
they're mostly mac/windows based. I didn't see any mention of
Linux. My only practical experience with surveillance was 10
years ago, and that system was strictly Windows.

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

[Knute Johnson]

I would imagine that a RaspberryPi camera is sensitive enough to IR that
using an IR LED for light would be sufficient. I don't have any IR LEDs
or I would try it. Then you could use some software for the motion
detection.

knute...

[bob prohaska]

Knute Johnson <knut...@585ranch.com> wrote:
> On 10/20/21 21:00, bob prohaska wrote:
>> Does anybody know of a WiFi webcam that can be used with
>> RasPiOS? I'd like to use it as a "trail camera" in low/no
>> light for nocturnal vermin in a garage. Motion activated,
>> IR sensitive. No need for PTZ or remote focus. Doesn't
>> matter if the logging is done on the camera or the Pi.
>>
>

> I would imagine that a RaspberryPi camera is sensitive enough to IR that
> using an IR LED for light would be sufficient. I don't have any IR LEDs
> or I would try it. Then you could use some software for the motion
> detection.

I'm looking for a standalone camera; the Pi will simply be used to
control the camera and look at the video clips recorded.

Thanks for writing,

bob prohaska

[A. Dumas]

Looks like you may not want another DIY project which I can understand,
so this is probably not helpful. Also without some clever customisations
raspi cams need a lot of attention to keep going, in my experience. But ...

You could put a RasPi NoIR (no-infrared filter, also noir=black, get it,
har har... argh) camera on a RasPi Zero, attach a PIR sensor and some
infrared LEDs, record to SD card or to network, download files to your
computer and view them locally. The camera is not really cheap, though,
for a hobby project.

On the other hand, I think off the shelf surveillance or webcam
solutions now almost always use cloud storage with subscriptions, which
is *definitely* not right for a hobby project.

[NY]

"bob prohaska" <b...@www.zefox.net> wrote in message
news:skqhjl$n0l$1...@dont-email.me...

Our Foscam FI8910W cameras can see in the dark using built-in IR LEDs. The
resolution is only 640x480 which is poor by modern standards. I've run the
camera from a large USB battery, via a lead that I made up with a USB-A plug
on one end and a cylindrical plug for the camera end. The camera
communicates by either Ethernet or wifi (2.4 GHz only) and it produces an
MJPEG interface: you can set camera-monitoring software to poll URL
http://<IP address>/videostream.cgi?user=<user>&pwd=<password> (substituting
for IP address, username and password).

I've used it with iSpy on Windows, and I'm about to investigate equivalent
software for RasPi. Some solutions (eg MotionEyeOS) require a special distro
of Linux, rather than just being add-on packages installed on top of
RasPiOS, which is a shame if you already have a Pi set up for running other
software.

I would imagine a lot of IP cameras can be used in this way: all they need
to present is a URL with MJPEG protocol (or something equivalent).

[bob prohaska]

NY <m...@privacy.invalid> wrote:
> "bob prohaska" <b...@www.zefox.net> wrote in message
> news:skqhjl$n0l$1...@dont-email.me...
>> Does anybody know of a WiFi webcam that can be used with
>> RasPiOS? I'd like to use it as a "trail camera" in low/no
>> light for nocturnal vermin in a garage. Motion activated,
>> IR sensitive. No need for PTZ or remote focus. Doesn't
>> matter if the logging is done on the camera or the Pi.
>>
>> A quick look at Amazon reveals many, many cameras but none
>> say anything about software and OS requirements, I'm guessing
>> they're mostly mac/windows based. I didn't see any mention of
>> Linux. My only practical experience with surveillance was 10
>> years ago, and that system was strictly Windows.
>
> Our Foscam FI8910W cameras can see in the dark using built-in IR LEDs. The
> resolution is only 640x480 which is poor by modern standards. I've run the
> camera from a large USB battery, via a lead that I made up with a USB-A plug
> on one end and a cylindrical plug for the camera end. The camera
> communicates by either Ethernet or wifi (2.4 GHz only) and it produces an
> MJPEG interface: you can set camera-monitoring software to poll URL
> http://<IP address>/videostream.cgi?user=<user>&pwd=<password> (substituting
> for IP address, username and password).
>

The Foscam FI8910W would be a decent start. For live viewing a browser
will work. I'll still need some sort of logger, since the vermin are
most active when I'm asleep. That particular product is out of stock
on Amazon, but a version with optical zoom is offered as substitute.
It's unclear just what sort of software is required for control. There
is a note from the seller that it doesn't support "MJ stream", but I'm
not sure if that's significant.

> I've used it with iSpy on Windows, and I'm about to investigate equivalent
> software for RasPi. Some solutions (eg MotionEyeOS) require a special distro
> of Linux, rather than just being add-on packages installed on top of
> RasPiOS, which is a shame if you already have a Pi set up for running other
> software.
>

If you find something useful please post. If I have to buy a more
costly camera to get standalone (no cloud) operation so be it.

> I would imagine a lot of IP cameras can be used in this way: all they need
> to present is a URL with MJPEG protocol (or something equivalent).
>

Is MJPEG the same as MJ stream? if so the Foscam Z2 1080P FHD won't help.

Thanks for posting!

bob prohaska

[Scott Alfter]

In article <skqjbp$a6$1...@dont-email.me>,

Knute Johnson <knut...@585ranch.com> wrote:
>On 10/20/21 21:00, bob prohaska wrote:
>> Does anybody know of a WiFi webcam that can be used with
>> RasPiOS? I'd like to use it as a "trail camera" in low/no
>> light for nocturnal vermin in a garage. Motion activated,
>> IR sensitive. No need for PTZ or remote focus. Doesn't
>> matter if the logging is done on the camera or the Pi.

Somewhere around the office, we have a pile of Geovision (?) IP cameras that
I was able to get working by pointing VLC at a port that hosted streaming
video. They were wired cameras powered by PoE (if you have to run a cable
to it for power, you might as well put data on it too). No motion
detection, but wouldn't something like Zoneminder have that?

I was able to find documentation for our cameras so I could get them to do
that. Lack of documentation is a problem for most IP cams; they'll want by
default to send everything back to the "mothership," and corralling them
into doing your bidding is tricky.

If you don't mind putting something together from parts, you might look into
the ESP32-CAM. They're dirt-cheap, include WiFi, and you can connect a PIR
motion sensor to trigger it.

>I would imagine that a RaspberryPi camera is sensitive enough to IR that
>using an IR LED for light would be sufficient. I don't have any IR LEDs
>or I would try it. Then you could use some software for the motion
>detection.

They have a "NoIR" camera specifically for low-light use that lacks the
usual IR filter. I used to have one on my 3D printer (happened to be the
camera type I had on hand); when I was using a halogen light bulb as a light
source instead of LEDs, what it did to colors was...interesting. :)

_/_
/ v \ Scott Alfter (remove the obvious to send mail)
(IIGS( https://alfter.us/ Top-posting!
\_^_/ >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?

[nev young]

On 21/10/2021 11:34, NY wrote:
> I've used it with iSpy on Windows, and I'm about to investigate
> equivalent software for RasPi. Some solutions (eg MotionEyeOS) require a
> special distro of Linux, rather than just being add-on packages

Although it can be a steep learning curve the package "Motion" runs well
for me on raspbian / rasp OS.

apt install motion

--
Nev
It causes me a great deal of regret and remorse
that so many people are unable to understand what I write.

[bob prohaska]

nev young <newsforpa...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> On 21/10/2021 11:34, NY wrote:
>> I've used it with iSpy on Windows, and I'm about to investigate
>> equivalent software for RasPi. Some solutions (eg MotionEyeOS) require a
>> special distro of Linux, rather than just being add-on packages
>
> Although it can be a steep learning curve the package "Motion" runs well
> for me on raspbian / rasp OS.
>
> apt install motion
>

Motion installed without visible difficulty. The man page suggests
that network cameras are supported, but didn't list any particular
cameras. The key seems to be RTSP or RTMP compatibility, terms I've
never seen before. It'll take some searching to locate a suitable
camera.

Thanks very much for posting!

bob prohaska

[The Natural Philosopher]

IIRC VLC supports RTSP

It's fairly common with e.g. TV dongles etc.



--
"A point of view can be a dangerous luxury when substituted for insight
and understanding".

Marshall McLuhan