Do *ANY* 4/Chan. EasyCap-style Chips Work PnP w/Zoneminder?
Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 5:01 pm
I'm getting into a deeper and deeper hole with my intended system, which I need to get up before I can leave on my much-delayed vacation. I seriously need some help here.
I have four new BNC-wired Q-See day/night cameras which work fine, plus a couple of USB webcams and the native webcam on my laptop.
My original intention was to get all of these working in ZoneMinder simultaneously. STOP LAUGHING!!
My problem is that the only way to get the BNC cameras up with the laptop is with a 4-channel USB capture device like the EasyCap (and some BNC/RCA adapters) or the variously dubious clones of it.
OK, I got one that installs and works in Win7/64 with the supplied primitive little SMI SuperViewer bundleware surveillance program on the supplied CD, with all four cams up and running. Unfortunately, it has the SOMagic SMI-2021 chip that from what I gather is effectively useless for ZoneMinder/Linux.
In fact, it is apparently useless for any Windows surveillance program as well, outside SMI SuperViewer! What they see in configuration is the capture dongle as a video device with no picture rather than four cameras with pictures through a capture device.
So, I'm totally back to Square One with this.
What I need to know is what chip (if any) of the several used in these EasyCap/clone devices will work plug-and-play in ZoneMinder with one of the usual Linux distros, then try to shake the chip info out of the sellers.
The object here is to get this up and the nightmare over with so I can move on with my life. If it's no-go with ZoneMinder and Linux, if there is a Windows program that is able to do this, I'd be grateful for a recommendation in that direction as well. I'm not looking for a hobby here, but a surveillance system that works.
If the whole thing is hopeless, it's OK to tell me now. It seemed like such an easy thing in the beginning...
Thanks for any help!
I have four new BNC-wired Q-See day/night cameras which work fine, plus a couple of USB webcams and the native webcam on my laptop.
My original intention was to get all of these working in ZoneMinder simultaneously. STOP LAUGHING!!
My problem is that the only way to get the BNC cameras up with the laptop is with a 4-channel USB capture device like the EasyCap (and some BNC/RCA adapters) or the variously dubious clones of it.
OK, I got one that installs and works in Win7/64 with the supplied primitive little SMI SuperViewer bundleware surveillance program on the supplied CD, with all four cams up and running. Unfortunately, it has the SOMagic SMI-2021 chip that from what I gather is effectively useless for ZoneMinder/Linux.
In fact, it is apparently useless for any Windows surveillance program as well, outside SMI SuperViewer! What they see in configuration is the capture dongle as a video device with no picture rather than four cameras with pictures through a capture device.
So, I'm totally back to Square One with this.
What I need to know is what chip (if any) of the several used in these EasyCap/clone devices will work plug-and-play in ZoneMinder with one of the usual Linux distros, then try to shake the chip info out of the sellers.
The object here is to get this up and the nightmare over with so I can move on with my life. If it's no-go with ZoneMinder and Linux, if there is a Windows program that is able to do this, I'd be grateful for a recommendation in that direction as well. I'm not looking for a hobby here, but a surveillance system that works.
If the whole thing is hopeless, it's OK to tell me now. It seemed like such an easy thing in the beginning...
Thanks for any help!