Universally supported IP Cameras?

[ChuckSchick]

Greetings all.  A lightning event last weekend has given me the "opportunity" to replace most of my ELK setup and my surveillance cameras.  Unfortunately, I've been on a several-year-long period of everything working perfectly and thus haven't been following the forums.  My current knowledge level is low.
 
Anyhow, I'm short on research time and need to order a couple replacement outdoor IP cameras (1 fixed, 1 PTZ).  The last time I bought cameras, I chose poorly and ended up with a couple of Toshiba PTZ's that basically no software supported and that required a dang ActiveX control / IE to even view in a web browser.
 
Are there any universally beloved brands of IP cameras that our supported by most of the automation software out there?  Is there a brand that has enough momentum to make future support likely?  
 
Much thanks!  - chuck
 
 
 
 

 

[Del91574]

Axis (though they make their models obsolete every year or two).
Sony Ipela's
 
 
I don't know of any "real" cameras that don't require some flavor of activeX to run in a browser, though some offer a "lite" or viewerless operation.

 

[pete_c]

Here I have been "playing" with Ubuiqiti Aircams and Grandstream IP HD cameras.  These are a bit lower priced than Axis IP cameras.
 
I have left one Grandstream HD IP branded camera baking in the sun outdoors and its doing OK.  I also purchased Grandstream OS IP HD camera lens / boards (these do audio in/out in addition to the cctv stuff).  The Grandstreams have active x plugins and mozilla plugins.  My preference is the mozilla plugin.  These also stream in H.264 and MJPEG and JPG stills.  That said those the standards are similiar / same between different IP HD cameras. 
 
Its the methodology of the way the configure the little OS's on these cameras that is different which can cause issues relating to the way the streams are named, directories, et al.  They are all a bit different.
 
While doing automation here with the Leviton HAI OPII panel and Homeseer software; I integrated the CCTV HD stuff via a Linux application called ZoneMinder (http://zoneminder.com) (http://zoneminder.com).  Its multiple layers a bit depending on what you are doing.  I have an Omnitouch video Hub here and still have analog cams plugged into the Linux box. I utilize a Grandstream device to convert multiple IP HD cameras into analog for the HAI Omnitouch video hub.
 
The software automation application is just using fast jpg's to display video or VLC to stream video from the cameras.  The links even though the cameras are different are all the same with the linux program.   I would be doing similiar with Axis cameras in the mix.
 
There is really no universal fit though.  Typically the HA software / console just utilizes the generic web link whatever it is for any one particular camera.  They are all very different.  (IE: for the Omnitouch 5.7e's I use the same generic link for pure video that I use to stream video on my PC).  BTW just noticed that the Mozilla link is broken in Firefox.  This is probably the 3rd time this year and appears to happen when I update firefox.  IE view is still working.

 

[sda]

Chuck - since the ELK doesn't directly support cameras, maybe you should determine what you want to do with the video, then pick some software, then pick the cameras. 
 
My recent first foray into IP cameras was a Foscam 8910.   For a cheap dorky looking camera it has a lot of value.  It doesn't need ActiveX.  It can be controlled and configured using the built in web UI or sending it direct http commands.  Foscam is supported by most video software (BlueIris, zoneminder, etc).  The resolution is crappy, 640x480, but that seems to be true of most cameras until you step up to HD.  The big complaint I have is that the Foscams don't have a way to directly upload a video stream during a motion event.
 
A few things I've played with is:
 
using wget to capture a video stream
 
having the camera ftp snapshots every 5 seconds during a motion event
 
using wget to capture a snapshot every 15 seconds, then using avconv to make it into a movie of the day.
 
new project is to monitor the ftp upload folder for changes, then capture video with wget
 
I know this can be handled by video software, but I like to know how it works in case I want to do something custom.

 

[ChuckSchick]

These are some great ideas.  Thanks guys.  I'm definitely still at the cave-man stage for using these cameras.  I gave up using CQC a few years ago and am now just using various in-wall monitors to display the camera feeds via a web page.  I tend to use chrome in "kiosk" mode for this -- thus the dependence on the ActiveX controls for some of these cameras is a pain.  Also there have been problems with supplying various login credentials to the cameras before the feed will start.
 
Trying to fit camera imagery on various size monitors makes it particularly important that the images can be resized via an http command.  I once have a single Axis camera and IIRC this was very easy.  With the toshibas, it required a lot of strategically cropped "inline frames" to make several cams fit onto a 1024x768 webpage.
 
I'll be checking those cameras out.  I must admit that moving into HomeSeer at some point looks interesting.  I suppose I'll check the supported cameras out for that product.
 
much thanks!
 
 

 

[pete_c]

Yup; about 10 years ago started with ZM/capture card and analog cameras (Optex combo analog outdoor).  Over the years upgraded the Optex lens' boards to better optics/different lens and different lens boards.  5-6 year ago started to play with IP SD cams which were OK but nowhere near what the newest IP HD cameras are like.  Current outdoor favorite is a 960 resolution which is between 720 and 1080.  The 1080 IP HD OS gives me two better HD streams though than the 960 resolution.  Best views are on the LCD big screen LCD TVs which today all have XBMC boxes and favorite links to the HD IP cams.
 
BTW the Grandstream OS'd boards now include POE which makes my testing easy these days.  They all include the base SIP stuff on most of the Grandstream boards.  Grandstream did remove some hardware in their outdoor with LED illumination IP HD cams though and I cannot change the lens easily in the Grandstream outdoor IP HD camera.  My favorite outdoor lens though is 3.6mm or 2.8mm lately.  I can also now stream HD on my little test tabletop touchscreens (Homeseer) which run Linux, Android or Wintel versions of HS touch. 
 
The HAI Omnipro 5.7e screens stream SD OK but not HD.  The Omnipro Software breaks when I try to stream HD on it.  (must be a bug?).  What is working OK in my transition is the Grandstream HD IP multiview to analog device where I am switching some 4 IP HD cameras now to one SD Omni pro legacy view on the legacy Omnitouch 5.7's that I have in place.  Just mentioning the Grandstream cameras/Ubiquiti Aircams as other alternatives relating to HD IP cams.
 
I am not knocking the Axis cameras here as I did get to play and test various Axis cameras in the early 2000's doing some OS changes and propietary stuff for some unique purpose use of these cams.  They are very well constructed cameras and made to last a long time.

 

[Dean Roddey]

These are some great ideas.  Thanks guys.  I'm definitely still at the cave-man stage for using these cameras.  I gave up using CQC a few years ago and am now just using various in-wall monitors to display the camera feeds via a web page.
much thanks!

 
Could I ask you what drove you to stop using CQC, so that we might have a chance to address that issue?

 

[ChuckSchick]

Hi Dean. I loved the potential of CQC and still think it's a great product.  The annual recurring cost probably pushed me over the edge.  I use SageTV and Sonos for my media and thus was only using CQC for the "interface" for the cameras and the ELK driver.  The $100 a year for just those two things seemed steep to me (especially after the initial $500 or so software purchase).  If you ever came out with a pricing for "leaner" non media repository users, I'd be back in a second.  

 

[Dean Roddey]

We do have drivers for Sonos and SageTV these days as well, if that makes a difference.

 

[ddennerline]

I just purchased this Hikvision (http://www.hikvision.com/en/Products_show.asp?id=7326) IP 1080P HD camera and have been tinkering with it inside house. I have never owned CCTV camera. I wanted a camera that had good image capture detail and didn’t break the bank. This camera is easy to use, small, great picture, and comes with APIs. The camera's feature list is pretty basic, but does have a large number of configuration options.
 
 One of the bigger challenges will be building a video surveillance system that supports 2-3 cameras and automated suspicious activity notification (i.e., alarm on/off, day/night, etc.) I am starting to think the camera is the least costly part of this system.