Connecting Cameras

Connecting Cameras to iSpy:

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

USB Cameras (Local Device)

USB cameras must be continued to your computer to be able to add them in to iSpy. The device volition appear in the drib down then adding it into iSpy is as simple every bit selecting it and clicking OK. Note that if the camera is in use past another application at the time iSpy will not be able to admission it. We've written a gratis virtual webcam driver which enables y'all to use any photographic camera you accept added to ispy in applications similar skype, messenger etc.

Of import: You lot volition usually only exist able to add 1 USB camera from a particular manufacturer. For case if you have 2 logitech USB webcams merely one volition work at a fourth dimension. This is due to limitations in the drivers provided by the manufacturers - it's cipher to exercise with iSpy (information technology'due south the same no matter what software yous use). There are a few workarounds to this trouble:

  1. Use USB cameras from unlike manufacturers - for example y'all could use 3 USB cameras simultaneously if you lot use 1 from Microsoft, one from Logitech and one from Targus.
  2. Add your indistinguishable cameras to other computers and install iSpyServer on those computers and admission them from iSpy as a JPEG feed.
  3. Some people take had success using multiple indistinguishable USB cameras past either using separate USB Hubs or installing an additional USB controller every bit an add-in carte (this is unverified - let united states of america know if it works!)

USB Cameras running on other computers (via iSpyServer)

To connect to USB cameras running on some other computer you need to install iSpyServer on that calculator and and so add the USB camera to iSpyServer. Under the camera in iSpyServer you'll meet a link that reads (instance):

http://192.168.1.8:256/?c=0

Re-create this address down and come dorsum to your calculator running iSpy. Add a JPEG camera (as shown) and paste the accost into the JPEG URL field. Click OK. Yous 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 sound and video feeds in other stream formats - like MP4 or ASF or RTSP. iSpy can connect to all these using the VLC plugin. To employ VLC you lot will demand to download and install it, then restart iSpy and select VLC when adding a camera. The URL to connect to your photographic camera feeds should be available in the manual that came with your camera or on request from the manufacturer.

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

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

For instance:
http://admin:countersign@192.168.1.4/video.asf

You lot can pass many other arguments in to get VLC to format your stream in dissimilar ways although the default commands that are provided in iSpy should allow you lot to connect to anything. For more than data see http://www.videolan.org/medico/streaming-howto/en/ch03.html

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

Read more: Connecting to devices and other sources with VLC

Monitoring the Windows Desktop

iSpy includes the power to monitor and tape the windows desktop. Every bit virtually desktops are loftier resolution we've added in the ability to resize the recording to minimise processor and file sizes. You can care for the windows desktop photographic camera blazon merely like a normal camera - for example y'all tin practice motion detection on it (so you get an alert if anyone starts using the computer) or you tin watch a live feed remotely to encounter what people are doing on it (and what they have been doing on it). iSpy likewise supports multi brandish setups and you can cull a screen to monitor.

XIMEA cameras

XIMEA cameras have an embedded windows operating system in them - and and so can run iSpy without the need of a separate computer. Find out more about XIMEA here.

XBox Kinect

iSpy can connect to Kinect cameras. Notation 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 usually pretty unproblematic with Fiddler:

  1. Download, install and run fiddler (information technology'due south free)
  2. Access your IP camera in the usual mode through a web browser
  3. Sentry the traffic in fiddler - it'll show you every request going in and out. When you see something that looks like a video feed (in this case it's /videostream.cgi) click on File and untick "Capture Traffic".
  4. Employ this URL in iSpy as either a JPEG feed, an MJPEG feed or a VLC feed (depending on the extension). In this example i'd add together a new MJPEG type, put my username and password into the fields and use http://192.168.i.6/videostream.cgi as the URL.
  5. Important: retrieve to close Fiddler downward before trying to connect. Fiddler includes a proxy server that can sometimes interrupt the network connexion from iSpy.