IP Cameras

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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' compatible with 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)  When adding a camera that is not on the supported list, see the section 'Manually adding a camera' below.

Contents

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.

Cameras that work

Manufacturer Device Type Model no. Version Date Purchased Location (indoor/outdoor) Path for JPEG image Product Review Added by Notes
Foscam [1] [2] IP Camera FI8908/FI8908W firmware 11.14.1.46 / 2.4.8.12 2010 Indoor /snapshot.cgi Customer reviews Ap15e Use the Foscam IP Camera Tool for initial setup, then copy IP address and path into Vera setup fields.
For Pan, Tilt, Patrol support see: DIY instructions
Linksys IP Camera WVC54GCA all 2009 Indoor img/snapshot.cgi

An inexpensive camera with moderate image quality. Use the Linksys setup wizard for initial setup, then copy IP address and path into Vera setup fields. Use a static IP address.
Linksys IP Camera WVC210 all 2009 Indoor img/snapshot.cgi

A more expensive camera with good image quality and pan/tilt ability. Use the Linksys setup wizard for initial setup, then copy IP address and path into Vera setup fields. Use a static IP address. Pan/tilt controls will not work with Vera.
Linksys IP Camera WVC80N all 2009 Indoor img/snapshot.cgi?size=2&quality=1

A more expensive camera with good image quality and wireless N. Use the Linksys setup wizard for initial setup, then copy IP address and path into Vera setup fields. Use a static IP address. Pan/tilt controls will not work with Vera.

Size can be (160 x 120 = 1,320 x 240 = 2,640 x 480 = 3) and Quality can be (Very High= 1,High= 2,Normal= 3,Low= 4,Very Low= 5)

iCamView IP Camera Server iCV-22, iCV-32 all 2009
 Indoor/Outdoor pda.cgi?user=admin&password=1234&page=image&cam=1

pda.cgi?user=admin&password=1234&page=image&cam=2

Feature-rich IP camera server, suports up to two compatible USB cameras, optional WiFi support, USB storage, USB hubs, motion; works with range of cameras, see icamview.co.uk. Excellent modular solution. They do ship to North America.
SmartHome.com.au IP Camera Z~Series Wireless Camera all 2009
 Indoor tmpfs/auto.jpg

Inexpensive IP security camera designed for the Australian and New Zealand Z-Wave users, but shipping world wide.
LevelOne IP Camera WCS-2030 all 2010 Indoor cgi-bin/video.jpg CNET review
An inexpensive IP camera with good image quality. Can be connected wired or wirelessly. Most LevelOne cameras use the same path for the JPEG image, so most of their line (both low and high end) should be compatible. Video and audio also stream over RTSP, which can be customized through the camera's web interface.
Asante IP Camera Voyager I firmware 2.02 and above 2010 Indoor image.cgi

An inexpensive IP camera that is very feature rich, has good image quality, night vision capabilities, motion detection, two-way audio, video streaming over TCP, UDP, or HTTP, and other configurable features. In firmware version 2.02, Asante added the capability to retrieve an image via a URL (however, it is delayed by 3 seconds). Offers a full-featured web interface in IE using an ActiveX plug-in (limited capabilites in other browsers).
TrendNet IP Camera TV-IP512WN all 2009 Indoor /image/jpeg.cgi

Feature-rich inexpensive IP camera with good image quality, features 802.11n, GPIO ports, not bad optics
D-Link IP Camera DCS-950G firmware 1.07  ? Indoor /_gCVimage.jpg Customer reviews Ap15e It takes about 9(!) seconds to get the jpg file from the camera, but Vera's generic Luup IP camera plugin times out after 5 seconds by default. Starting with Ui4 a timeout option was added to the device settings for the camera, which you can increase to 10.
D-Link IP Camera DCS-920 firmware 1.05?  ? Indoor /image/jpeg.cgi futzle Standard timeout (5 seconds) works. It may be necessary to turn on access control (username/password) on the camera's web configuration, and set Vera to use the username/password.

Cameras that don't work

Manufacturer Device Type Model no. Version Date Purchased Location (indoor/outdoor) Path for JPEG image Product Review Added by Notes
Trendnet IP Camera TV-IP100W all 2007
 Indoor none

This camera can only serve images using DirectX or Java. The workaround is complex: "using a PC you can use MPlayer to strip out a JPG image from the video stream (asf). You can then store the JPG snapshot on a PC, then run a web server and vera can then "fetch" the image from the PC instead of the camera."
Schlage IP Camera WCW100 all 2010 Indoor none Ray This camera does not give an IP address out of the box. In order for it work, it needs to be activated using the Schlage LiNK system. Without paying for the Schlage LiNK membership, this camera cannot be used with Vera unless there's a way of forcing the activation.
Asante IP Camera Voyager I firmware 2.00 2010 Indoor none Ray This camera is inexpensive, very feature rich, has very good image quality, and has night vision capabilities. However, there is no publicly accessible URL to grab a live JPG from the camera. The web interface requires an ActiveX plug-in to view the live video feed and there is a snapshot button that will deliver a JPG. Asante is reportedly making changes to their camera in the next version of the firmware that should resolve some of these issues.

Manually adding a camera

Camera1.jpg
Manually adding a camera

In Vera's setup page click Devices, Luup plugins, Install/uninstall plugins, and click 'install' next to either the 'Generic IP Camera' plugin, or, if you see a plugin for your particular camera, such as 'Panasonic IP Camera with Pan/Tilt/Zoom' use that instead.

If you have more than one camera, you can click "install another" to have multiple instances of the plugin.

In most cases, IP cameras 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 cameras 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 cameras.

If your camera is not a 'Plug and Play' model or not on the supported list, you need to specify the settings for the camera by going to the 'Devices' 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 (your camera's manual may denote this as "path" or "snapshot address") 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/Snapshot.JPG?Quality=Standard, then put in these settings:

IP Address: 192.168.81.5
Path: Snapshot.JPG?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.

Configuring the Panasonic IP camera to connect wirelessly to Vera

The Panasonic IP Cameras have a switch on the bottom: WIRED/WIRELESS. In order to connect your camera wirelessly to Vera, you'll need to follow these steps: 

   - set the switch to WIRED
   - connect your camera to Vera's LAN port using an Ethernet cable
   - turn the camera on, confirm Vera's LAN LED turns orange, and wait for the IP Cam LED to turn green
   - wait for the camera to be detected in Devices -> Unassigned Device
  - assign the camera to a 'Room' and click 'Save'
(for the camera to be detected it should have the default username/password: dceadmin/dcepass and listen on port 80)
   - confirm that you can see images from the camera
   - click on the "+" sign near your camera and note its IP address (e.g. 192.168.81.200)

   - connect your computer to the same network as your camera
   - open your web browser and type in: http://camera1_ip (in this example, http://192.168.81.200)
   - login with the default camera username: dceadmin and password: dcepass
   - go to Setup -> Wireless and set SSID, Cipher and Password to Vera's wireless settings
which can be found an the bottom of Vera. (default Cipher is WPA2-PSK)
   - click 'Save Settings'
  - turn the camera's bottom switch to WIRELESS and reboot your camera by cycling its power

Your camera should now connect wirelessly to Vera. If you change your Vera's wireless settings you'll have first to update them on your cameras, so you won't lose connection to them.

Example of using a Linksys WVC54GCA or WVC210 camera with 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
A 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


iCAMView and some Lorex network cameras

For iCAMView based cameras, including a few Lorex-branded ones, the path would be:
showimg_pda.cgi?cam=1 for the first camera
showimg_pda.cgi?cam=2 for the second camera

Older models may require slightly different path:
pda.cgi?cam=1 for the first camera
pda.cgi?cam=2 for the second camera

Other parameters would be the same as above.

Axis IP Cameras

Path: axis-cgi/jpg/image.cgi (or lastshot.jpg depending of the model)
More information here:
Axis live_snapshots
Axis techoverview


Trendnet IP camera, TV-IP110W

Path: /cgi/jpg/image.cgi

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