Connecting Cameras

Connecting Cameras to iSpy:

iSpy can connect to nigh any video source. To add a photographic camera into iSpy click on "Add" and click "Local Camera" to add a USB camera, "IP Camera" to add together a network camera, or "VLC Camera Source" to use the VLC plugin. You lot will be taken to one of the following screens to configure the connection. At this point you tin can change the tab selection if you change your heed most the type of camera you want to add. Alternatively you lot tin can right click on the iSpy Surface background and click "Add Camera" from there.

USB Cameras (Local Device)

USB cameras must be connected to your computer to be able to add them in to iSpy. The device volition appear in the drop down so adding it into iSpy is as elementary equally selecting information technology and clicking OK. Note that if the camera is in use past another application at the fourth dimension iSpy will not be able to admission it. We've written a costless virtual webcam commuter which enables you to use any photographic camera you have added to ispy in applications like skype, messenger etc.

Of import: You will usually just exist able to add ane USB camera from a particular manufacturer. For case if you have ii logitech USB webcams only one volition work at a fourth dimension. This is due to limitations in the drivers provided past the manufacturers - it's aught to exercise with iSpy (it's the same no affair what software you use). There are a few workarounds to this problem:

  1. Use USB cameras from different manufacturers - for example yous could utilize 3 USB cameras simultaneously if you utilize one from Microsoft, one from Logitech and i from Targus.
  2. Add together your indistinguishable cameras to other computers and install iSpyServer on those computers and access them from iSpy equally a JPEG feed.
  3. Some people have had success using multiple duplicate USB cameras by either using separate USB Hubs or installing an additional USB controller equally an add together-in card (this is unverified - allow us know if it works!)

USB Cameras running on other computers (via iSpyServer)

To connect to USB cameras running on another computer you need to install iSpyServer on that computer and then add together the USB camera to iSpyServer. Under the camera in iSpyServer you'll see a link that reads (example):

http://192.168.i.viii:256/?c=0

Copy this accost down and come up back to your computer running iSpy. Add together a JPEG camera (every bit shown) and paste the address into the JPEG URL field. Click OK. You should now exist able to access your remote USB camera feed over the network.

MJPEG and JPEG IP Cameras

MP4, ASF, RTSP and other IP Camera Sources via VLC

Many IP cameras publish both audio and video feeds in other stream formats - like MP4 or ASF or RTSP. iSpy can connect to all these using the VLC plugin. To use VLC y'all will demand to download and install it, then restart iSpy and select VLC when calculation a camera. The URL to connect to your camera feeds should exist bachelor in the transmission that came with your photographic camera or on request from the manufacturer.

VLC takes usernames and passwords direct in the URL so you need to enter the URL of your video feed formatted similar this:

http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@IPADDRESS/PATH-TO-VIDEO-FEED

For example:
http://admin:password@192.168.1.4/video.asf

You lot tin can pass many other arguments in to get VLC to format your stream in different ways although the default commands that are provided in iSpy should permit y'all to connect to annihilation. For more than information see http://world wide web.videolan.org/doc/streaming-howto/en/ch03.html

  • Reconnect Every: Some sources will only stream for a gear up amount of time. Enter a value here to force VLC to reconnect to the photographic camera on an interval (recording won't be afflicted) - or enter 0 to disable (default).

Read more than: Connecting to devices and other sources with VLC

Monitoring the Windows Desktop

iSpy includes the ability to monitor and record the windows desktop. As near desktops are high resolution nosotros've added in the ability to resize the recording to minimise processor and file sizes. You can care for the windows desktop camera type but similar a normal camera - for example yous can do motion detection on it (so you get an alarm if anyone starts using the figurer) or you can watch a live feed remotely to come across what people are doing on it (and what they have been doing on it). iSpy also supports multi display setups and you tin can choose a screen to monitor.

XIMEA cameras

XIMEA cameras have an embedded windows operating system in them - and so tin run iSpy without the need of a dissever figurer. Find out more than well-nigh XIMEA hither.

XBox Kinect

iSpy tin can connect to Kinect cameras. Note that the Kinect device needs to be plugged into your computer - it cannot be accessed over the network on your Xbox 360.

Finding Camera URLs with Fiddler/ WireShark

Finding the URL to your video feed is ordinarily pretty elementary with Fiddler:

  1. Download, install and run fiddler (it'south free)
  2. Access your IP camera in the usual way through a web browser
  3. Watch the traffic in fiddler - it'll bear witness y'all every request going in and out. When you lot meet something that looks similar a video feed (in this case it'due south /videostream.cgi) click on File and untick "Capture Traffic".
  4. Utilise this URL in iSpy as either a JPEG feed, an MJPEG feed or a VLC feed (depending on the extension). In this case i'd add a new MJPEG type, put my username and password into the fields and use http://192.168.i.vi/videostream.cgi every bit the URL.
  5. Important: remember to close Fiddler down before trying to connect. Fiddler includes a proxy server that tin sometimes interrupt the network connection from iSpy.