Adding an IP network camera to a MotionEyeOS instance?

[K.]

Any recommendations on network IP cameras which work as a second video source within MotionEyeOS?

We'd like to add some additional MotionEye cameras (or really any camera which can directly upload to Google Drive) to our deployment, but being unable to source more  raspberry Pi zero 2 w boards, we're having a go at doubling up video sources on existing devices by adding cheap cameras as an IP video source in the WebUI. 

First attempt was with a Wyze camera running the RTSP firmware.   While I can connect via RTSP from VLC on my laptop,  we were unable to get MotionEyeOS to successfully connect to the Wyze IP camera.   The MotionEyeOS logs were unenlightening.

I then tried a (very expensive) Bosch hardwired IP camera  -- that works, but given the price (and the megapixels of the default video stream), won't scale.

Has anybody done this successfully using cheap and readily-available low-end IP cameras?  If so, would you be willing to share the exact model and settings which you have found to work?

[StarbaseSSD]

Most of the cameras listed at https://www.ispyconnect.com/cameras work, with their recommended URLs.

Some WiFi cameras go into a 'sleep' mode which shuts down the wifi connectivity, and motioneye gets grumpy until it's rebooted.

If you have the Wyze cameras still (and some models use proprietary encryption, which motionEye doesn't support) and want to try further, I am available to help, if I can.

I use d-Link DCS5020Ls (mjpeg) and Foscams (RTSPs) for my production IP cameras with good success. My production server handles 6 or 7 cameras (including 1 or 2 USB cameras, and / or 1 or 2 PiCams (PiZeroW and CSI Camera)) without much effort.

[K.]

We're a non-profit and don't have a budget to try a bunch of different $50-$100 cameras to find a reliable option.   Also don't have a production server (any server ) in-house;  each rPi  pushes to google cloud.   Still hoping to find an IP camera model which is relatively cheap, currently in stock on Amazon, and known to work "out of the box".      Even better if the camera can directly do a "GET" to arbitrary internet webhooks on motion start/end so I can stop relying on MotionEyeOS for that.   

I'll give the Wyze another try, it is strange that the official RTSP firmware worked with VLC from a laptop, but not MotionEyeOS.  So much more difficult to diagnose when tools like tcpdump are unavailable.

[StarbaseSSD]

I'm curious. What are you trying to set up?

You state: " Even better if the camera can directly do a "GET" to arbitrary internet webhooks on motion start/end so I can stop relying on MotionEyeOS for that."

and you state: " Also don't have a production server (any server ) in-house;"

If you are running motionEye or motionEyeOS on any of the rPis, they are all servers. You can inter-connect them all, and use a single one to manage all of them.

If you are wanting to 'get rid of' motionEye/motionEyeOS you are not looking in the right forum, you want something like a NVR or iSpy, or even HomeAssistant, and you could ask them what would be best.

RTSP is a standard that not every manufacturer follows completely. VLC is VERY flexible (they can read almost any camera out there, including some encrypted ones) but motionEye depends on the standards being followed very closely. If you were getting 'grey screens' that usually indicated you were at too high a resolution or frame rate for motionEye/motionEyeOS on a Pi. If you were getting a slashed circle, that usually indicates an incorrect URL or username/password combo. If / when you post for help with the Wyze, be sure to include the model and firmware version.

[eric]

TLDR:

OP, Did you find any workable cameras? specificly inexpensive outdoor(resuloution not important) night vision ones with ir illumination?

I see the link to the list posted above, but the ones I tried unsucessfully already(zModo) are on that list so wondering if OP found any that work.

LONG:

Ive been using motioneye (and plain old motion) for years now.

Currently I have a raspberry Pi 4 running motioneye and several raspberry pi zero Ws running motioneyeos(for the fast network cam option, so I could allow the pi 4 do do the processing) actting as fast network cameras  to relay video streams for processing by the pi 4.

It occured to me recently that I could probably use some normal(non-pi) wifi cams instead of the pi zeros so i can use the now highly valuable pi zeros for other things.

However when I bought some off the internet, zModo ones from wallmart in this case, I was unable to get them to work as I wanted, they would only work with a specific app(which was garbage) and most likely relays all my video to the Chineese Comunist Party. Are there cameras that dont have this bloat/spy/malware tendancy?

My Pi4 is runnung motoneye on raspberrypiOS Buster(at the time I set it up, motioneye wasnt working well with bullseye, but mabye thats fixed now?)

and the Pi zeros I want to replace with regular cams.

Thanks for any responses!

And thank you to the creators/maintainers of motion/motioneye/motioneyeOS it is truly amazing software that I am verry grateful for!

[StarbaseSSD]

I personally find FosCams to be very reliable, as well as d-Link. With ALL cameras though you have to be very careful, as a lot are moving over to cloud service only, or their own proprietary apps (as you found). I still find the iSpy database very helpful, though.

[eric]

Cool, thank you!

I will try out your reconmendations!