Do-it-yourself video surveillance from a WEB-camera

It’s amazing what the “left-handed” people will not think of when the question of the budget arises! Budget options for installing video equipment with your own hands For a long time, surf the Internet, but now we seem to have reached the pinnacle of perfection! It’s about how to make video surveillance from a webcam.

Most likely you already have all the components of this system: this is any computer and a webcam connected to it. It remains to download free or almost free software from the Internet (iVideon and iPRG programs have proven themselves well).

How to mount a web system

Here are simple steps on how to make a video surveillance camera from a WEB camera:

• Download the program, and
• A) if you want to install the viewing system on the same computer with the WEB-camera, install it there, and
• B) if you want to watch what is happening from another computer, install the server program on the computer with the webcam, and the client program. on a PC from which you will observe what is happening.
• Reach out and place the camera where you want it to stand.
• Set up the program according to the instructions. Done!

System capabilities

The functions of such a self-assembled system are quite extensive, and vary slightly depending on the installed program. We will describe just a few of them.

• – WEB cameras can write a video stream to disk, take pictures at a certain frequency, or, in certain cases, take photos at the moment when a change occurs in the camera’s field of view.

You can choose these operating modes according to your circumstances;

• – if a danger is detected, the program will send you an SMS;
• – the ability to view photos / videos from anywhere with the Internet;
• – support work with Windows, Mac OS, Linux.
• – quality of pictures and videos. Good WEB-cameras in this regard are already reaching the standards of video cameras working with a video recorder.

All functions are fully described on the sites providing software.

Some tips

• Do not forget to watch from a webcam with your own hands can be carried out only for security purposes, but not for the purpose of espionage! Espionage Not entirely ethical and also prohibited by law.
• The program works only when the computer is turned on. There are two ways to partially hide its presence: a) minimize its window and b) configure the program so that it turns on the computer at regular intervals, takes photos or videos, and then turns it off. The latter is also good for saving power when the laptop is not connected to the network.
• The programs only work with one webcam. However, if you open several of the same programs, you can assign a camera to each. The result is a multi-camera system.
• It is not necessary to install a hidden camera. You can put it openly. who knows, maybe the Observable, seeing her, will simply give up the intention to spoil!

What. do-it-yourself video surveillance for a dacha, house, nanny, workers, office or children is completely under your control. I wish you success. and feel safe!

Making a micro camera from a webcam

I will try to tell you how I made a microscope camera from a cheap Canyon CNR-WCAM820 webcam. The camera is made on a 1/3 “, 2mR matrix. I chose this camera, first of all, because of its easy-to-use design on the knees. At the same time, the camera remains NOT damaged, you can put everything back and use it as a regular webcam.

I warn you! You can repeat everything below at your own risk and peril, and I do not bear any responsibility for the things you spoiled. In this case, you lose the guarantee for the WEB-camera.!

We disassemble the camera and unscrew everything unnecessary (holder and lens)

We measure the diameter of the lens flange and grind a ring of the same outer diameter from thin (1mm) aluminum. The inner diameter of the ring is equal to the diameter of the frame of the used focus reducer lens. I took an eye lens, the viewfinder of an old Zenit-E camera. This lens is single-plane convex. By coincidence, it turned out that she perfectly suited my LOMO apochromats. Chromatism magnification is offset by this lens pretty well. Achromats need achromatic gluing, but this one works well too. Although the chromatism is a little more noticeable. The first (collective) lens from the 7x eyepiece can be used. But then you will have to tinker with the fastening design yourself. : D

From foil-clad PCB 1.5mm (not necessarily foil-clad, there may be another durable material) I cut out the second ring. Its outer diameter should be such that it fits into the inside of the macro ring (I have M39) and is pressed by the second such macro ring. And the inner hole for the frame of our gear lens. Both rings should be painted with matt black paint.

Now we collect the “sandwich”. Insert lenses We put on an aluminum ring and press it with a nut from the video finder lens. Glue the floor of the nut with a textolite ring. It would be better to fasten with the same nut, but unfortunately at the zenith she is alone.

We put the resulting reducer in place of the camera lens, before that we put on the camera an equal macro ring, and assemble the camera body. The convex side of the lens should face outward.

To attach the camera to a microscope (Biolam, MBR, MBI), an adapter must be made of two long macro rings. I only used 1 set of M42 rings and 2 sets of M39. This is quite enough for both mounting this camera and mounting DSLRs. So, two long rings are taken and glued with the sides with an internal thread to each other. For reliability, I glued it with epoxy resin, wrapping it with a thin synthetic cloth. Such an adapter will withstand a lot. I think the adapter can be made by gluing a thin macro ring into the front part of the gutted Helios-44 lens. In this case, it will be possible to smoothly change the length of the tube to achieve the correct position of the camera and the lens.

To install the camera on the microscope, remove the tube, twist the tapered mount from it and screw it to our adapter. We fasten an equally thin macro ring to the second end of the adapter, put our camera on it and press it with the ring that we put on the camera. We twist, but do not tighten to the end. After connecting the camera to the computer and running the program (I use the wonderful and free program Micam-1.4), we get the image on the monitor screen. (Before that, you need to adjust the microscope for sharpness with an eyepiece and place any object in the center of the field of view). Then move the camera to the sides and center the image. We are tightening. Sharpness should be approximately the same as with the eyepiece. If the focusing position is very different, it is necessary to select the total height of the tube from the macro rings.

That’s it, we put drugs and enjoy the observations!

Analog to digital, or do-it-yourself IP camera

I’ll start with the fact that I had an analog dome camera from the Middle Kingdom. It was bought on sale, cost around 20, worked for a couple of weeks and passed away quietly. No, she did NOT die at all, only her video became very dark and unusable for recording. So the camera was thrown into a far corner in better times.

Hi3518c DSP 1/4 “OV9712 CMOS Sensor Support Onvif CS / M12 Mount IR Lens

System: Embedded RTOS design, dual core 32-bit DSP (Hi3518C), pure hardware compression, watchdog

Sensor: 1/4 “OV9712 CMOS sensor set of double light switch IR-CUT filter, support Day and night conversion, IR sense, support the linkage signal photosensitive resistance, support CS lens mount; Color 0.6 Lux at F1.2, B / W 0.08 Lux at F1.2;

Video: H.264 main profile, support dual stream, AVI format support 0.1M

6mpbs bit rate adjustable support 1

Resolution: Main stream: 1280 720 Sub stream: 704576

Network: 1 RJ45, 10 / 100M

Power: DC 12V power supply; Power consumption. 3W

It’s time to dissect an old patient.

The operation is simple. disconnecting all the pads, remove the module from the camera, remove the lens from it and screw it onto the new board. The connector block from the OSD control of the old camera coincided one-on-one with the LAN port connector block. Therefore, there is nothing complicated here. We cut off the old tail, soldering a new one. The pinout is as follows:

1 brown RX- b-green 2 lilac RX green 4 white TX- b-orange 5 green TX orange

On pins 3 and 6 there are wires for the link and activity LEDs, they are not necessary for me, since the camera will stand in the entrance.

But I had to tinker with the power supply, since the connectors did NOT match, the old one had a three-pin connector, and the new one. four-pin. But it doesn’t matter, we take a file in our hands and gradually remove the excess from the sides, periodically try it on.

Looking ahead, I will say that the chip heats up decently during operation, so it was decided to put a small radiator just in case. On normal cameras with the same chip, radiators are already installed from the factory.

Power supply of the module and IR illumination We connect together, and send over the same twisted pair on a brown and white-brown wire. After soldering, we put everything on heat shrink.

So, we assemble the camera, connect the camera to the router and supply power. For the power supply, I used an old 12v adapter from D-link. By default, the camera address is 192.168.1.10 Ping, URA. the camera responds to pings, which means our efforts were NOT in vain!

We try to log in from chrome and get into a minimalistic web interface, admin login, password is empty. The first surprise awaits here. video on the Internet is not visible, there are no settings. To get to the camera settings, you need IE and a special ActiveX module, as well as a program to control the camera.

So the camera is working! But there is a fly in the ointment. the sensor has an infrared filter, so the colors look unnatural. In principle, this does not matter to me. the camera will stand at the entrance and the color rendition is not particularly important.

To determine the address of rtsp streams, Install a wonderful program. ONVIF Device Manager with which you can see all cameras in the local network with onvif support.

The first 720P stream is at rtsp: //192.168.1.10/user=admin_password=tlJwpbo6_channel=1_stream=0.Sdp? Real_stream

Second stream of small resolution. Stream rtsp: //192.168.1.10/user=admin_password=tlJwpbo6_channel=2_stream=0.Sdp? Real_stream

Passwords in the address. built into the camera, they cannot be changed and are probably made for forgetful people.

This concludes my story, the camera is working at the entrance, I use ivideon as a server (don’t count it as an advertisement). I’m waiting for your questions.

How to make an IP camera from a WEB-camera?

Video surveillance systems are becoming more and more popular due to the more affordable web cameras are becoming. There is a special software that helps to configure the webcam, taking into account all professional requirements. If you do this, the camera designed for a computer or laptop will turn into a real observer and will take pictures of any person who enters the room.

What is a webcam? This is a digital camera, in most cases connected via the USB port of a computer or laptop, designed for real-time scanning and image processing. Used for video broadcasts and calls.

Varieties of webcams

In addition to their main purpose, web cameras are often used in the field of security activities. They can record video in real time, additionally using motion sensors, infrared light and sound sirens.

There are several types of such devices:

• Cameras that are used in the assembly of laptops. This arrangement has several advantages. it is difficult to lose or disable it, moreover, it is immediately built into the computer;
• Cameras that transmit the image to the network. Taking a picture, such a webcam immediately broadcasts it to the Internet, and the owner can see what is happening at the same time;
• Cameras used for conferences. The most demanded type of product as it has a built-in microphone.
• Cameras used for long distance surveillance. They remain practically NOT noticed due to their compact design and small dimensions. The video can be immediately sent to the owner by email.

IP camera from WEB camera

For a standard webcam to become a surveillance video camera, the source device must have a minimum resolution of 0.3 megapixels.

Next, you need to connect the camera to your laptop, and then use the software specially created for such situations. You will need to download it, register and apply the required settings. Upon completion of this process, the webcam will begin to continuously record everything that happens in front of it.

The main programs that are used for such purposes are iSpy and Ivideon.

Using the iSpy program

In addition to standard video surveillance, this software allows you to use additional options, such as sound and motion sensors, and will also be able to notify its owner by e-mail or SMS. Installing the iSpy program consists of several steps:

• Log into the iSpy developer himself and download the type of software that is suitable for a specific OS. If you have problems with this item, then in the Start menu. Control Panel. System “you can determine the version of your system.
• In the archive downloaded on the PC, you can see the exe file, which you need to run.
• The installation procedure is completely standard, so no problems should arise. You can proceed to get acquainted with the interface.

When starting the program in the main window, you will need to click the “Add” button to add a webcam. You must select the “webcams” item. Having found your camera in the list, you need to apply the resolution settings to it, in which the shooting mode will be carried out.

In the next window, you can name the camera, as it will be convenient, and also apply additional functionality. inverted picture, adding a microphone, assigning to a group. The motion sensor is configured in the “Motion detection” tab. As a rule, the program independently sets the appropriate sensor settings, but you can slightly correct them yourself.

Using the Ivideon software

Before installing the software, you need to make sure that your webcam is working properly. To do this, just connect it to your PC. Then you will need to go through the download and installation procedure, which includes a number of simple steps:

• Download the Ivideon Server program from the developer’s website to your laptop or computer.
• Launch software.
• In the first window, the software will offer Register in the system. This step is required. Here you will need to provide some information about yourself. email, server name, and come up with a complex password.
• The following window will open, where you can see a list of all cameras that are connected to the PC.
• In order for a future CCTV camera to work without interruptions 24 hours a day, it is necessary to provide it with a Video Archive. Recommended amount of free disk space. at least 100 Gigabytes.
• In the startup parameters, it is recommended to leave automatic startup along with the operating system.
• If the algorithm is executed correctly, at the final stage it will be possible to see a small window in which the name of the web camera is indicated, as well as the website where the picture will be transmitted online.

How to make an IP surveillance camera from an Android smartphone

Android smartphones and tablets are capable of a lot, and their capabilities are further enhanced by applications. Even old or damaged devices can come in handy, for example, as an IP camera for video surveillance. If the camera is working properly in the device and you can run the application on it, it will fit in to act as a video camera, which can be installed for remote monitoring of an object. Within the framework of this article, we will consider which programs are best suited for creating an IP camera from a regular Android smartphone.

What is IP CCTV Camera

In offices, private houses, entrance halls, some real estate owners install video cameras, which they have access to from a special device, smartphone or computer. Purchase, configuration and installation of such cameras. this is a rather expensive procedure, while something similar can be done from an old smartphone or tablet.

To convert an Android smartphone to an IP camera for video surveillance, you will need:

Load one of the applications on it, which will be discussed below (or their analogs)

Install it in the place of observation;

Connect it to the Internet, preferably via Wi-Fi, since the mobile signal is not always sufficient to transmit images in real time;

Connect the device to a power source if you plan to install it for a long time.

By doing the above steps, the smartphone will become an IP camera to which you can remotely connect. over, the functionality of some applications is such that the camera can not only broadcast the image, but also record it or, for example, be activated only when it detects movement in the frame. Some programs can notify the user that motion is detected in the frame.

Installing such an IP camera can be useful if:

• Necessary Keep track of events in the room, such as a child’s bedroom;
• You are going on vacation and want to be sure that everything is in order with your apartment, house, office;
• It is necessary to see who is ringing the doorbell of an apartment or house, the camera can be placed near the door.

There are a lot of applications for IP-surveillance cameras.

Configuring IP CCTV Camera on Android

As mentioned above, there are a large number of different applications that allow you to transform your Android smartphone into an IP camera. Below we will consider two of the most convenient free programs that have a large set of options, which can be useful in various situations.

IP Webcam

IP Webcam. it is a free Android application that can be downloaded from the Play Market. The program has a very simple interface and does an excellent job of turning a smartphone into an IP camera. To start broadcasting images from a smartphone camera through the IP Webcam application, just scroll through the options offered by the program developers to the very bottom and click “Run”.

To connect from a computer or other mobile device with the image from the device’s camera, you must enter the address displayed on the screen from the broadcast into the browser line.

Important: This method will work only if the devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. If you need to connect to the camera remotely via the Internet, below will tell you how to do it.

By connecting to the camera, you can view the image from the browser page and listen to sounds picked up by the smartphone’s microphone. It should be noted that for the convenience of viewing the image from all devices, its output is provided with the introduction of Flash, Java, HTML5 or JavaScript. In addition to viewing the displayed image, you can also use the browser to:

• Switch between the front and rear cameras of the device, which allows you to see what is happening from both sides;
• Higher or lower video quality;
• Zoom in and out on the image;
• Turn on flash, bring focus, turn on night vision function;
• Record video or take photos;
• Customize video options and

If you want to broadcast outside the local network, you can use a VPN connection to connect to it. There is also an option for using a third-party ivideo application, in which you will first need to Register, and in the IP Webcam application on the device, make the appropriate settings so that the broadcast goes to a third-party service.

The IP Webcam program is interesting for the number of options that each user can customize for himself:

• The application can collect data from various sensors: motion, sound, battery temperature, battery voltmeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, light and so on;
• You can install scripts into the program that will perform various actions. For example: notification by mail in case of motion detection, saving a photo when motion is detected in the frame, taking a photo at regular intervals, and so on.

The application does not require high performance of a smartphone and works on almost any Android version. The program is fully localized into Russian.

Manything

Another convenient application for converting a smartphone or tablet into an IP camera is Manything. Unlike IP Webcam, the program is NOT translated into Russian, but it has its advantages. The main difference of the Manything application is the constant synchronization of the device with the “cloud storage”, where the recorded video and photos from the IP camera will be continuously transmitted. Thus, even if the camera is broken, all information from it will be stored in the “cloud”.

Manything is NOT more difficult to work with than the IP Webcam application. To get started with the application, you will need to register for free. After that, the functionality of the program will become available.

Please note: Manything app is free, but it has a paid subscription option. Paid subscription offers the option of accessing multiple cameras simultaneously.

After registering in the application, the user will see two large buttons on the first screen. Viewer and Camera. Clicking on the Viewer will lead to the selection of cameras connected to the account to view the broadcast images. Using the Camera button, you can transfer the same device on which the program is running to the IP camera mode.

In Camera mode, just press the big red button to start streaming. In this case, it is possible to pre-make various camera settings:

• Set up shooting mode: continuous or only when the object moves in the frame;
• Set the interval for continuous shooting of photos instead of video;
• Set up an alert in motion in the frame for the second devices on which the Manything application is included in the account used in the IP camera;
• Configure the maximum amount of traffic allocated to the application.

This is just a small part of the options presented in the application, in fact there are many more.

In terms of functionality, IP Webcam bypasses Manything, but in terms of usability, it lags behind. Conveniently set up push notifications, a client for Image tracking directly from the app, and saving videos to Manything servers. these are the clear advantages of the program.

How to make a microscope from a webcam with your own hands?

Remember the school biology lessons in which we examined the cells of an onion stained with iodine under a microscope? How mysterious it seemed then to penetrate this mysterious invisible world!

It turns out that each of us can make a real microscope from a webcam with our own hands. This does not require special knowledge, just a few items that can be found in any home. At the same time, we will NOT spoil the webcam, it will be able to work the same way as it did before. So, we need:

USB webcam; Scotch; scissors; a stand (a rod mounted vertically on the base) capable of working as a tripod; a subject table on which we will lay out the objects of our future research; backlight. Any light source of sufficient brightness, even a mobile phone flashlight can be used.

So, let’s begin! First step. turning the camera itself into a microscope. To do this, simply unscrew its lens and insert it back, but with the other side. The result is an amazing growth effect. It’s good if the microscope camera is at least a megapixel one. You can take less, but the increase coefficient, respectively, will also be less.

The next step. tripod. The more stable it is, the easier it will be to set up the microscope from your webcam. It is better to choose a rigid rod for it, which must be fixed at the edge of the base of a sufficient size, with a side of about 20 centimeters.

On a tripod, at a height of about 10 cm, we make a stage the size of a pack of cigarettes. In its center, you need to make a hole for illumination from below. For the table, thick cardboard is suitable, which can be easily fixed on a tripod with the help of an L-shaped corner and adhesive tape. The corner can be taken ready-made or cut from a thin tin, for example, a tin can.

It remains to fix the microscope itself from the webcam on a tripod. Please note that the lens should be free to approach the object by only a few mm, so if the shape of the front of the housing does not allow this, then it must be removed. The webcam microscope is attached by analogy to a stage, but not to the tripod itself, but to a ballpoint pen or something similar. And after that, the handle Fixing on the tripod so that it was possible to move it up or down a couple of centimeters to adjust the focus. Can be fixed with thin copper wire.

Our webcam microscope is almost ready. Now it is imperative to highlight the stage from below. If you DON’T find anything suitable, use a small mirror. Arrange it under the table at an angle so that it throws the bunny from the light source onto the stage. The light source can be a table lamp or flashlight.

Now you need to focus the camera. Plug it in. Place a sheet of paper with printed text on the stage and move the webcam on our makeshift slide and adjust the sharpness. You now know the approximate focal length of the lens. This is the new use for our webcam. Microscope ready to work.

Of course, the design is imperfect, and it was made in a hurry. If you get carried away, we will surely come up with an option much more perfect than this. Good luck with your experiments!

Multibukff. Vladislav’s personal blog site. We create an IP-surveillance camera from an old smartphone

In an era of active consumption, it is considered good practice to change mobile phones at least once every one and a half years. Smartphones cannot stop working, they simply become obsolete and cannot function normally with modern software. The flagship of two years ago is already starting to slow down when working with current programs, and a budget phone that has worked for a couple of years generally starts to stick at the slightest touch. In principle, such devices are already asking for the trash, but you can squeeze something out of them, give one more chance for existence.

Modern smartphone. This is not only a high-tech device with a screen, battery and microcircuits. This is a real mini-computer equipped with a camcorder, display, wireless connectivity and other useful devices. And on top of that, it’s almost free. Many people buy devices like the Raspberry PI and then use them as miniature computers for certain simple tasks. And here, imagine, you already have a complete solution, you just need to program it in the required way. Of course, the SU phone can be sold to buyers, disposed of, or try to smelt valuable metals from the phone’s electronics. But I have a better idea.

A BU smartphone on the Android platform can be successfully transformed into an IP surveillance camera with a Wi-Fi connection. It will only be needed for this. Several programs and that’s it. So let’s get started.

LG Optimus L7 II Dual P715

As a test device, a smartphone LG Optimus L7 II Dual P715 appeared on my desk. For its time, the device is quite good, although far from being top-end. The phone can work with two SIM-cards and supports 3G communication. Among other things, a microSD card can be inserted into it, and a microUSB connector is used for charging. In general, the device is fully operational, although it slows down noticeably when working with a network or in capacious applications, for example, cards.

LH Optimus P7 II Dual P715 Smartphone

In order to transform the phone into something useful, you need to do some shenanigans with it. Some of them are optional and can be simply omitted. Below I present the steps that were taken for the P715 phone, but in general they are suitable for any of the Similar devices.

Flashing.

So, in my hands I have a phone on which the Android operating system version 4.1.2 is already installed. By today’s standards, the system is already old and it is desirable to update it to something more modern. Surprisingly, as the Android version rises, phones tend to run faster. An update built into the phone shows that the phone already has the latest firmware available for the phone. But if you read the m forum w3bsit3-dns.com. Then you can see that there is a more recent firmware based on Android 4.4.2. In addition, there are variants of this firmware with already obtained root rights, installed by BusyBox and CWM recovery. In the future, these additional gadgets will allow you to customize the phone more subtly for the needs of video surveillance. Therefore, I install just such a modified firmware with CWM already installed and obtained root rights.

Of course, you can do without flashing your phone. This operation is not trivial, in the process, if suddenly what goes wrong, you can get a non-working unit. And if someone does not feel the strength to take such a step, then it is better to refrain from it. And instead of flashing the phone, just reset the settings to the factory settings.

System cleaning.

So, the phone has the latest firmware installed, Wi-Fi is connected and the initial setup is done. Now the time has come to clean the phone of unnecessary junk, including programs unnecessary for video surveillance. Looking ahead, I will say that this item can be safely skipped, especially if no root rights were obtained on the phone.

My firmware has KingRoot installed as a superuser manager. The program not only allows you to manage application requests for superuser privileges, but also has some capabilities to remove system applications and disable programs at startup. With the help of KingRoot, we can safely remove and disable what, in our opinion, does not apply to video surveillance, Wi-Fi, camera operation.

After working out KingRoot, it seemed to me that there were still some applications in the system, which are just superfluous on the CCTV camera. over, I was constantly asked to accept the license agreement from LG. I had to additionally use Root Uninstaller and take out everything that arouses suspicion at least in the slightest degree. In the process of uninstalling unnecessary applications, it is important not to get angry, otherwise you will have to reset the phone again.

Additional software.

Since it is assumed that a surveillance camera is usually installed at some inaccessible distance, it needs to be able to somehow remotely control it. A phone turned into a camera is NOT an exception. For remote control, not complete, but at least partial, I installed an SSH server on the phone. Now, using client applications, you can remotely connect to the phone and perform some actions to control it.

SSH is commonly used to manage, configure and monitor servers running Linux operating systems. Android is a close relative of Linux, so it can be completely managed over an SSH connection. The only thing to know about Android infrastructure commands and applications. Although he is a relative of Linux, they have a different set of programs. SSH started working a little slow, there is a delay between pressing and reaction of the phone, but the phone remotely executes my commands, the shell is working.

The SSH interface is textual, you need to work with it through the command term. If it is still convenient to give phone commands in this way, then some kind of window or panel manager is required for the usual crawling through catalogs. For Linux, the Midnight Commander (MC) is considered to be the only common version of such a manager. It is MC that I additionally and Install on the phone for more convenience.

MC Sessions launched in SSH on smartphone

Well, as a final chord, for very neglected cases, when a camera phone is installed in a place with difficult maintenance, and sometimes it would be good for it to be rebooted, I Install Tasker. Tasker is not just a scheduler, but a whole set of triggers that allows you to configure many actions when certain events occur. But, as part of the implementation of the IP-camera, I just need to set up a regular restart of the phone, which is easily done using Tasker.

In practice, you can safely do without all this additional software, but with it it is somehow more reliable.

Video surveillance software

After preliminary preparation of the phone for the function of video surveillance, you can, in fact, proceed to the organization of the video surveillance process itself. There are three main ways to enter here.

Path 1. Using cloud surveillance.

In the field of cloudy video surveillance, where data is NOT stored locally or on a camera, but somewhere out there, in the cloud, there are several companies, but I will focus only on one of them. Ivideon is, works and performs its functions. There is nothing more to say about him. Moving on.

Way 2. We use professional video surveillance.

As a PRO product, I tried to apply the solution for the Android platform from FelenaSoft. Xeoma video surveillance complex can be easily installed on the phone, started up and even works. Here I consider it my right to note that Xeoma for Android is exactly the same product as for Windows or Linux. Install Xeoma on your phone, you get a complete industrial standard video surveillance system.

This has its advantages. This allows you to organize the use of the built-in camera in various ways. You can simply broadcast the stream from the camera in the RTSP standard to the network. You can transfer a video stream to another Xeoma, where it will be processed, motion detection and recording to the archive. Alternatively, you can detect motion directly in the phone, and upload the recorded video via FTP to a network resource. And of course, the user has an option with the introduction of autonomous video surveillance, when the video stream by the motion sensor is recorded directly into the phone. This approach is convenient because the phone can be placed somewhere where there is nothing else besides an electrical outlet. And then connect to it via Wi-Fi and watch the recorded video. It is clear that due to the small amount of memory in the phone, you should only write video using a motion detector.

But the use of such an all-in-one harvester on the phone has its own rather significant drawbacks. The processor installed in the LG P715 is powerful enough to pull Xeoma, a motion detector, and other smartphones. And in conditions of power supply from a stationary network, we are not particularly interested in battery consumption. But during operation, the processor heats up and drastically reduces its performance. This makes it completely impossible to use Xeoma. Alas, you need to look for a lighter weight solution or do the modding of the processor cooling in the phone.

Way 3. Organize the broadcast of the RTSP stream from the phone.

It was this way, Subsequently, it was recognized as the most efficient option for implementing the video surveillance function on a smartphone. To implement it, you need to install a program on your phone that will broadcast video from the phone’s camera to the network according to the RTSP standard. There are many such programs, but I liked IP Webcam. The program, on the one hand, is lightweight, and does not overheat the processor, on the other hand, it does what is required of it and even more.

Accessing the IP Webcam interface via a browser on a computer

IP Webcam organizes a Web server on the phone, with which you can view some information from the phone, and at the same time observe what the phone “sees”. You can record what you see in a video file or take photos. In extreme cases, the video stream can be recorded on the phone itself, and then the recorded from it can be taken. Although I prefer another option, when only stream broadcasting is enough from the phone. The stream itself is already processed by a full-fledged solution, for example, the same Xeoma or iSpy installed on stationary PCs. The program interface contains several examples of connecting to popular video surveillance systems.

It was on this option that I stopped. It is possible that IP Webcam is generally the best solution for video surveillance from a phone, since the functionality of the product is at least impressive, and at the most worthy of sincere admiration.

On practice

When implementing a project to create an IP-surveillance camera from an ordinary smartphone, thoughts constantly swarmed in my head about the expediency of the very idea of ​​implementation. One side. a free phone, which is simply a pity to throw out, since it is still quite efficient, on the other hand, there are some limitations of this unit, which can leave an imprint of a negative scenario of use.

Firstly, connection to a mobile phone network is possible only via Wi-Fi, and we are not considering the option of connecting via a mobile network at all. In the disassembled LG model, the maximum LAN connection speed is only 54 Mbit, which makes it possible to push MJPEG videos with a frame rate of about 5 frames per second and a resolution of 800×600 pixels or so more or less tolerably over a wireless communication channel. On the other hand, the phone’s modest performance does not allow raising the resolution higher, although it can record videos in FullHD format, but slightly different codecs are used there. But even with such a stream of knocks, gigabytes of information are pumped, I managed to intend about 35 gigabytes of traffic from the phone to the network.

Secondly, the lifespan of the device received. In theory, electronics with no moving parts will NOT wear out. But this is only in theory, but in practice, all are subject to gradual wear and tear. For this reason, it is impossible to vouch for the long term use of the phone as a camera. It is possible that he will work in this mode for 3-5 years, but no more. The second factor of reliability is the lithium battery in the smartphone. The term of its use is even less than the term of the phone. It is capable of storing rather large amounts of energy, and sometimes ignite or explode. A device left unattended with an old battery is alarming. You can use the phone without a battery in most cases, but after any power outage you will have to turn on the phone with your hands.

Third, practically limited outdoor use. I would not risk using such a device without an external protective casing outdoors. There is a very high risk of its premature failure due to excess moisture in the case. But the effect of just a negative temperature, for example, in winter, and will not bring noticeable changes in the performance of the device. Manufacturers limit the temperature range of using phones due to the catastrophic loss of battery capacity at negative temperatures, followed by inadequate operation of the battery controller, plus the LCD screen simply will not display information when all its liquid crystals are corny to freeze. However, both are not critical if you do not use the screen, but it is not needed and you use a low-power charger, which will not exceed the dangerous limits of the charging current.

The project to create an IP camera for video surveillance from an ordinary smartphone is quite feasible and efficient. But it is not entirely advisable, it is better to try to adapt the phone for some other tasks, for example, to work as a touch screen for a smart home system. And worries about video surveillance are best left to specialized solutions. They cope with this task much better. And yes, you should not build a system with video transmission based on a Wi-Fi network, it is better to use a proven Ethernet solution. And Summing up: making an IP Wi-Fi camera from an old smartphone is possible, but not necessary.