AVTech IP Camera config

[duncanwatkinson]

I'm hoping to use a Raspberry Pi with ZoneMinder as a motion detecting server for my AVTech AVN257 IP bullet Camera. Before trying the Pi, I'm using a Debian Squeeze distro in a VirtualBox and I'm having difficulty with the ZoneMinder configuration.

I've also installed VLC, and if I use that to connect to the camera, the config line I use is "rtsp://user:password@192.168.0.100:554/live/h264", which works fine in both the Debian VirtualBox & Windoze. I've also installed iSpy on Windoze and successfully used the same connection string to connect to the camera. I've configured that to do motion detection and video grab from the camera with no problem.

If I try the same thing in Zoneminder, I've tried a few configuration settings, but not yet managed to get video in the monitor popup window when I click the watch link in the Monitor configuration page.

The ZoneMinder supported camera list doesn't include any AVTech cameras, but I hope that's because nobody has tried them, rather than them not being supported.

Please can anyone suggest whether they think this should work, whether I need any additional dependencies, and what configuration should work.

Many thanks
Duncan

[mindriot]

How did you get on?

Glad it worked for ispy, thats one of my fallback options

Im about to build a system initially using 3 of the AVN257 cameras and I hope to use zoneminder and h.264 from the cameras. Theyre nice cameras with a decent spec for the price, I struggled to find better for less.

[lojeda]

I am working with Avtech camera as well, but with the model AVN801Z. I'm testing with this one because
we are planning to get more but those are going to be outdoor cameras. I got the stream from VLC, but not
from Zoneminder. I posted in the forum but I haven't gotten any replies. If I find the connection in Zoneminder,
I will let u know. Let me know as well, if u can.

Luis

[mindriot]

thanks for responding, thanks.

similarly just got one initially to test. I wont be testing for a few days yet but I will report back if I can.

Could this be down to dependencies like ffmpeg libx264 etc?

[duncanwatkinson]

I think you might be right; I was assuming because I could stream in VLC, the H.264 codec must be present, but I don't have the libx264 package. I'm not very familiar with Debian, but I'll look into that next!

[mindriot]

Its always dependencies with things like this in linux

Annoying, it wont let me post links, was going to link to a guide that seemed to fit for you that I found.

Google "ffmpeg all codecs x264 debian" some results in fist page of results seem to be suited to your purposes.

[wocketfast]

I have just purchase some AVtech 257 cameras, here is what I have tried.

On the camera
got to config
online > Anonymous Viewer Login: Enable
video > Change all FPS to the rate you want in zoneminder e.g. 4.
make sure you pause the live stream if you were watching and log out

Zoneminder
Source FFMPEG
fps: leave me blank!

source path: rtsp://IPADDRESS:554/live/h264 or rtsp://IPADDRESS:554/live/mpeg4
Colours: 24 bit
width: 720
height: 480
Alarm frames: 2


H264 works, but drops the bottom half of the frame, bit rate?

shame because the camera is actually pretty good having a real IR cut and the ability to force into IR mode at all times so headlights/security lights freak out the exposure.

[wocketfast]

This is a screen cap running at 640x480 with a 12mm lens with the IR filter set to be always ON i.e. use IR all the time so bright lights dont make it switch modes at night.

add http to this.

imm.io/XlkE

[wocketfast]

Camera works okay, but the mpeg4 stream just stops in Zoneminder over night. As the camera is on a test bench this could either be

• because there is no movement (it doesn't pick it up again)

• Zoneminder doesn't keep the multicast ports open

It works again after I access the stream from VLC on another machine. might have to set something up to ping/query the right port every hour.

the picture is really good for the price.

[duncanwatkinson]

Thank you for your information... I've been trying again with your settings, and 4fps but I think I must be missing something. I still get a blank screen saying it's waiting for localhost.

Have a look at the Monitor screen by adding XujJ to imm.io

I've also added screenshots of the ZM Config at these imm.io locations...
Console: Xukx
General: XukR
Source: Xulu
Timestamp: XulQ
Buffer: Xume
Misc: XumL

If I use the same connection string in VLC on the same desktop, I get this: Xun3

[wocketfast]

Hi

That imm.io keeps losing pics

The camera is currently offline as I have finished testing and have re-boxed it until we install it (hopefully next week) Ive uploaded some images to photobucket. Search for the user wocketfast and look in the zoneminder library. Can't wait to get the new user limits lifted.

stream is rtsp://IPADDRESS:554/live/mpeg4
gave up on h264 in the end as the stream was noticeably lower quality and kept locking up.

I think the detail is in the camera settings, I'll post those when the camera is on-line again as I need to document it for internal use anyway.

[wocketfast]

Lets see if I can post image yet!



nope

[wocketfast]

It seems I can add attachments though