IP Cameras
If you buy an IP camera from Mi Casa Verde, we will pre-configure it to work with Vera right out of the box. If you get the camera yourself, and it's a model that is plug and play in Vera (see Supported Cameras below), then you should be sure the camera is configured to get an IP address automatically, and that the username is set to: dceadmin and the password is set to: dcepass. Vera will add the camera automatically and fill in the settings. Specific info for users of Panasonic IP Cameras. If adding a camera that is not on the supported list, see the section Manually adding a camera below.
Supported Cameras
| Manufacturer | Device Type | Model no. | Version | Date Purchased | Location (indoor/outdoor) | Specs | Product Review | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panasonic | IP Camera | BL-C131/BL-C30 | all | Indoor | The Panasonic IP cameras work well with Vera. However, for unknown reasons, the Panasonic camera will not get an IP address on your LAN until you run the Windows software supplied with it. You do not need to install the software; just insert the CD and tell the camera to get an IP address automatically (DHCP). If you buy the camera from the Mi Casa Verde web shop we do this before we ship it so the camera will work out of the box. Mac/Linux users who buy the camera elsewhere will need a Windows PC to 'activate' the camera. Set the default username/password on the camera to: dceadmin and dcepass for Vera to detect the camera automatically, or, if you use your own username/password, add the camera to Vera manually and provide Vera your username/password to access the camera. |
Manually adding a camera
In most cases, IP Camera's have a URL method for obtaining a SNAPSHOT or JPG image from the camera. If your camera supports this method, you can then use it with Vera and the FindVera.com service can archive these snapshots over time for security purposes. Most IP/Network camera's made in the past few years will have a JPG Snapshot mode. Some examples from Linksys are WVC54GCA, WVC200/WVC210. D-link, Trend-Net, and many others make similar camera's.
If your camera is not plug and play or not on the supported list, you need to specify the settings for the camera by going to the Device tab on Vera's setup page, adding the camera if it's not already there, and clicking the '+' icon to edit the camera's settings.
You will need to specify:
1. the IP address or domain name of the camera
2. the URL or path to retrieve the current image from the camera as a JPEG file
3. any username and password to retrieve the JPEG file
The URL (aka Path) needs to retrieve the actual JPEG file, not just an html page that has the JPEG file somewhere on it. For example, if you can view a JPEG file from your camera with this URL: http://192.168.81.5/SnapshotJPEG?Quality=Standard, then put in these settings:
IP Address: 192.168.81.5
Path: SnapshotJPEG?Quality=Standard
and be sure to provide the username/password if one is needed. After you specify this information, click the red 'save' button, and then you can see the camera by clicking the 'View Camera' option.
Example of using a popular Linksys WVC54GCA or WVC210 in Vera:
For example, if you can view a JPEG file from your camera with this URL: http://192.168.81.5/img/snapshot.cgi, then put in these settings:
Domain or IP: 192.168.81.5 or YourDomain.MyLinksysCam.com if remote access is enabled
Path: img/snapshot.cgi
username and password must be used unless all users are allowed in the USERS section
- If you have more than one camera, you will be using the PORT as part of the URL. If your second camera is on PORT 1024 and the IP is 192.168.81.6, you would use 192.168.81.6:1024 or YourDomain.MyLinksysCam.com:1024
