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[advanced > configuration > device templates]

It definitely was the problem. Now the template is showing in the list.
I now know that:

• to look at any template, I can go to the webadmin and navigate to advanced > configuration > device templates where I will find all the existing templates available in my system
• I can go to admin -> Advanced -> sqlCVS -> Update to download templates
• The process runs in a separate pop up window, so pop ups need to be enabled for the site
• The window is blank while the update is taking place and the log displays when it's complete: wait for it to complete

Thank you.

I'm in the process of looking at what it takes to start viewing/duplicating/editing templates.
I started with IP cams because it seems straight forward since there is no interface configuration issue.
I've read the articles on the wiki and found the starting point on the webadmin to be advanced > configuration > device templates. The Advanced IP CameraAdvanced IP Camera page mentions the template for the D-Link DCS-2121 as an example. However, after selecting dlink as the mfr, i have no "D-Link DCS-2121" in the template drop down list. Since I don't know what's supposed to be there, I can't tell if I'm looking in the wrong place. Is it that my list of templates is not up to date? If so, can someone give the steps to follow to update it?

Thank you.

microbrain: Could you post a complete description of what you did to make your equipment work please?
Or better, create a tutorial page on the wiki for it, and link it in the thread. We really need things documented for others, so they don't go through what you went through. Please remember that not everyone "knows" asterisk well, so make sure you provide as much detail as you can an don't skip over the "obvious".

Thanks

You can follow on this thread:  problem installing IP cams in 1004

Ok folks, got a little light on the issue on IRC, thanks to tschakMAC:  (& golgoj4-qt5:  ):

19:58 mcefan:  Seeing that the equipment listed on the wiki is fairly old and most no longer supported, it would be good to have a generic approach that would help sort things out with new cameras, and new camera purchases. If we could just have basic guidelines to follow, it would help in the future, and help me complete the documentation of this section (which I'm currently working on).
19:59 mcefan:  what exactly should we be looking for in IP cameras? Why do some work, and some others don't?
19:59 golgoj4-qt5:   good question
19:59 * golgoj4-qt5:   ponders
20:00 golgoj4-qt5:   well the ones that work allow some way to access the image frames directly
20:00 mcefan:  i thought LMCE just hooked in the stream
20:00 mcefan:  but it looks like i'm missing something
20:00 golgoj4-qt5:   no, it grabs frame by frame
20:01 mcefan:  well, the stream is a flow of frames...
20:01 mcefan:  where is the difference?
20:01 mcefan:  what am i missing here?
20:01 golgoj4-qt5:   it grabs them every few seconds
20:01 golgoj4-qt5:   and not the stream of images
20:01 mcefan:  ok
20:01 golgoj4-qt5:   shit
20:02 golgoj4-qt5:   am i wrong
20:02 golgoj4-qt5:   now you made me paranoid...
20:02 mcefan:  lol
20:02 golgoj4-qt5:   we shall verify this
20:02 mcefan:  it hooks into a virtual file that happens to be a stream
20:02 mcefan:  not a static file
20:03 golgoj4-qt5:   and there is the man with the wooden shoes
20:03 mcefan:  so when you point a browser to it, it keeps downloading the file and never ends,
20:03 mcefan:  so you see video
20:03 golgoj4-qt5:   hmm ok
20:03 golgoj4-qt5:   maybe i had a crappier camera
20:03 golgoj4-qt5:   haha
20:03 golgoj4-qt5:   it always seemed that way to me

20:41 mcefan:  mcefan:  Seeing that the equipment listed on the wiki is fairly old and most no longer supported, it would be good to have a generic approach that would help sort things out with new cameras, and new camera purchases. If we could just have basic guidelines to follow, it would help in the future, and help me complete the documentation of this section (which I'm currently working on).
20:41 mcefan:  19:59 mcefan:  what exactly should we be looking for in IP cameras? Why do some work, and some others don't?
20:41 mcefan:  can anyone give some light?
20:43 mcefan:  or know someone who can?
20:53 tschakMAC:  it's very simple, LinuxMCE just wants a single jpeg image
20:54 tschakMAC:  it will keep requesting that image, over and over.
20:54 tschakMAC:  (with the Get Video Frame command)
20:55 tschakMAC:  if you look at the device templates, for say the Panasonic IP camera
20:55 tschakMAC:  all it's doing is an HTTP request, to grab that image
20:56 tschakMAC:  and passing it back to the system.
20:56 mcefan:  that's what i thought
20:56 mcefan:  so all that's needed is the right path?
20:58 tschakMAC:  if it's an ip camera talking over HTTP, yes.
20:58 tschakMAC:  you have to understand, LinuxMCE doesn't give a shit where the data comes from
20:58 tschakMAC:  it just wants it
20:58 mcefan:  ok
20:58 tschakMAC:  in the panasonic ip camera template, we just do HTTP requests by hand
20:58 tschakMAC:  get the data
20:58 mcefan:  that's clarifies it
20:58 tschakMAC:  and pass it back.
20:58 mcefan:  ok
20:58 mcefan:  so what's necessary from the camera end?
20:59 mcefan:  just a jpeg?
20:59 tschakMAC:  yes. Get Video Frame expects a JPEG.
20:59 mcefan:  ok what about codecs?
20:59 tschakMAC:  when you go to a security camera page, you can see in the source code, it just ...
20:59 tschakMAC:  ...
20:59 tschakMAC:  seriously?
20:59 tschakMAC:  all we ask for is single JPEG frames
21:00 tschakMAC:  codecs do not enter into it
21:00 tschakMAC:  the codec, is JPEG.
21:00 * tschakMAC:  resists the urge to smack you upside the head.
21:00 tschakMAC:  
21:00 mcefan:  ok so any jpeg capable camera should work then
21:00 mcefan:  as long as you klnow the path to the jpeg
21:00 mcefan:  right?
21:01 tschakMAC:  yes.
21:01 mcefan:  ok
21:01 mcefan:  so looking for a camera, all you have to do is make sure the camra has a jpeg image
21:02 mcefan:  LMCE keep getting the current jpeg image
21:02 mcefan:  and that's it
21:02 mcefan:  ?
21:02 tschakMAC:  yes
21:03 mcefan:  ok so i can safely write that the only necessary requirement is that the camera serves a static jpeg image at a known address
21:04 mcefan:  and that the path be known
21:04 mcefan:  ?
21:06 mcefan:  can we lookat the setup now?
21:07 mcefan:  i've tried several cameras and could not get them to work, I have the path right, and the camera is jpeg capable
21:07 mcefan:  what are the possible causes?
21:08 mcefan:  I installed it as a plain IP and also tried the Motion wrapper, but no go
21:08 mcefan:  if it's just looking for the ip and jpeg address, what could go wwrong?
21:13 mcefan:  please enlighten me
21:21 tschakMAC:  sorry, I'm swamped at the moment, three work contracts at the moment means I have no time to be in here.
21:21 tschakMAC:  mcefan: if you want to look at what could be going wrong, look at the Generic_Serial_Device log for the camera
21:21 tschakMAC:  Motion wrapper was a stop gap, intended as a hack to allow USB cameras to be manually fudged into the system
21:22 tschakMAC:  if the camera is an IP camera, there is no reason to use Motion Wrapper
21:22 mcefan:  ok
21:22 tschakMAC:  if you need to, add additional logging statements to the path that's created
21:22 tschakMAC:  and see if the path printed in the log matches what is required to send an image back.
21:23 mcefan:  unfortunately, i have not gotten that far in my experience with LMCE, so i will have to get under the hood
21:23 mcefan:  what else do  i need to know, i will do some digging
21:24 mcefan:  where do i fing the gsd log for the cam?
21:27 mcefan:  also, when can you find some time for us to discuss this further? I'm trying to write step by step instructions on installation and troubleshooting on the wiki
21:40 tschakMAC:  mcefan: all the logs for the devices can either be viewed in the web admin, advanced > configuration > devices, selecting the camera, and selecting View Log, or Follow Log
21:40 tschakMAC:  mcefan: or you can tail -f /var/log/pluto/XX_Generic_Serial_Device.log
21:40 tschakMAC:  where XX is the device #
21:40 tschakMAC:  all of the logs for the various devices end up in /var/log/pluto
21:41 mcefan:  great
21:41 mcefan:  thank you
21:41 tschakMAC:  no problem
21:42 mcefan:  to make sure: motion is not needed for ip cams
21:42 mcefan:  so install them directly?
21:43 tschakMAC:  when properly configured
21:43 tschakMAC:  the cameras should detect and install what they need
21:43 tschakMAC:  GSD devices automatically have the Generic Serial Device package selected in their device template
21:44 mcefan:  well this one did not detect
21:44 tschakMAC:  and in the panasonic IP camera template, there is a MAC
21:44 mcefan:  i had to manually add it
21:44 tschakMAC:  let me finish.
21:44 mcefan:  ok
21:44 mcefan:  sorry
21:44 mcefan:  i did not realize u were not done
21:45 tschakMAC:  in the device template, there is a section for detecting devices
21:45 tschakMAC:  for network devices, this is done via MAC address
21:45 mcefan:  ok
21:45 tschakMAC:  so there are ranges (in decimal) for MAC addresses, if  a mac address falls within that range
21:45 tschakMAC:  then the system will say it's detected, and if confirmed, will install the software it needs.
21:46 tschakMAC:  you use convert_mac in /usr/pluto/bin to create a decimal mac address from a hex one
21:46 tschakMAC:  the reason your camera was most likely not detected was because it's not within the range of mac addresses that we try to detect.
21:46 mcefan:  ok
21:47 tschakMAC:  if you're wanting to understand how all this works
21:47 tschakMAC:  you need to read two documents
21:47 tschakMAC:  in the wiki
21:47 mcefan:  ok
21:47 tschakMAC:  * Developing a DCE device
21:47 tschakMAC:  * Developers Guide
21:47 mcefan:  i'm actuall reading them now
21:47 tschakMAC:  Developing a DCE device is mainly for C++ devices, but it does explain how the device templates work.
21:47 mcefan:  just haven't finished
21:48 mcefan:  ok
21:48 tschakMAC:  and Developers Guide is a conceptual overview of the system
21:49 mcefan:  I'll complete that reading and pull what users need to know from it
21:49 tschakMAC:  ok.
21:49 mcefan:  and hopefully, it's enough info
21:49 tschakMAC:  just keep asking questions
21:49 mcefan:  if i have any other questions, i'll post tomorrow
21:49 mcefan:  or day after
21:49 tschakMAC:  ok
21:49 mcefan:  thank you for your help
21:49 tschakMAC:  np
21:50 mcefan:  thanks though, serious!
21:50 mcefan:  i appreciate it
21:50 tschakMAC:  you're welcome.

In trac just add a comment

I don't know what trac is...
but since the subject came up, I looked on the main site and found the link "Tracker" under "Developer", which takes me here.
Seeing that I am not a developer, I would not have ventured under that heading.
I suggest we add a simple paragraph to the wiki that will point people to it, with a simple explanation of when to do so, and links to the most important pages there.

[it has to be a jpg or mjpg file]

I knew I wasn't dreaming:

"Device data" :

   "Path" : set the path to your IP Camera current snapshot, it has to be a jpg or mjpg file

This is from: "Adding IP Cameras under Motion Wrapper" on the "Monitor surveillance cameras" page on the wiki.

So, I'm still on a quest for understanding here: what are the requirements for an IP camera to work?

Seeing that the equipment listed on the wiki is fairly old and most no longer supported, it would be good to have a generic approach that would help sort things out with new cameras, and new camera purchases. If we could just have basic guidelines to follow, it would help in the future, and help me complete the documentation of this section (which I'm currently working on).

If you (or anyone you know) know anything on the subject, please drop a note, or link.

If the above is inaccurate, we need to amend the documentation. If it is correct, then fine, but then the question remains: besides the file name, what exactly should we be looking for in IP cameras? Why do some work, and some others don't?

mcefan, if you find it useful to add a link to this thread, why didn't you

Because I had no clue where that was! Unfortunately, people assume others know. I for one, don't usually work with these things, so, this is a learning experience for me, and in the process,  I made up my mind to try to lower the entry curve for others. Not everyone interested in the project is a developer, and I really believe that a larger user base will help the project a great deal, and that's my goal. The entry level learning curve is ridiculously steep, so, every time you see me asking or commenting, I'm not necessarily thinking about myself.

When I do know, I do post the links.

Hope this helps clear things a bit.

OK, the other path is /image/jpeg.cgi, and I can see a static image in FF from that one also, but same result in preview.

There's also:

D-Link DCS-930L wireless (802.11g) net camera
Firmware version: 1.00
Product: http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=DCS-930L
Tested with motion 3.2.12
    JPEG: netcam_url http://x.x.x.x/image.jpg
    MJPEG netcam_url http://x.x.x.x/mjpeg.cgi

I tried /image.jpg, same result.


The camera is said to be using jpeg. Does the mjpeg extension make any difference with the contents (I'd like to know the difference in this case)? In other words, does that extension HAVE to be jpeg? I made sure I followed your advice and got a jpeg cam this time. What am I missing? I'm sure there's a knowlege gap here, and I'm missing something.

The url is: /mjpeg.cgi
As mentioned before, I can see the live stream in FF browser with http://192.168.80.X/mjpeg.cgi

I picked up a different camera: dcs-930l

I still can't get it to work with LMCE, so I want to clear out the fact that I understand the process properly:

• Verify that the path to show the video works in a browser. For completeness and future reference, the list of stream URLs ("Connecting to IP Cameras") can be found here, and here. For Surveillance IP Camera RTSP URLs, look here.
  
• Create Motion Wrapper as a Child Device of Core with everything else left as is.
  
• Create IP Cameras as a "Generic Motion IP Camera" Child Device of Motion Wrapper with device data fields edited for camera's IP, MAC, port, user, password, and path.
  

The camera is listed on Motion's site as a compatible, and I double checked that it is a jpg camera.

I am trying to use compatible cameras for the time being because I have not looked into templates editing yet, and at this point, I'm working on breaking down what's necessary to make cameras work, so I am more concerned with the procedure than anything else.
I still can't get video in Security | View Cameras. From my reading, it should work, but since this is my first install, and the documentation is not yet where it should be, I'm not sure what to think.
What am I missing?
Where should I go from here?

http://svn.linuxmce.org/trac.cgi/ticket/1595

I looked at the post, I did not see any reference to this thread. It might be useful to do so, in case someone starts from there, as a way of introduction. It helps understand the issue better.
Also, please complete this thread with updates when you have them.

Thank you.

Linuxmce does not support the use of rtsp.
What you have to have, like i said is, an jpg url. Mean an url which delivers an true JPG not mjpeg,

On the Motion page, the wiki states:

Motion is a command line based tool whose output can be jpeg or ppm files, or mpeg video sequences.

That' the reason I was looking into the mjpeg since motion is what I was tying the cam to. I had misread the above line.
I will look into pure jpeg now. Thank you.

I've been on the phone after dlink the whole week, and today also. They don't even understand that there's a url. I'm waiting for a level3 to call me back on monday.

I the mean time, I'm back to looking for another cam, and trying the link you posted.

Thank you!
Please make it SOP.

murcel,
that url gives me:

File is not found.
please enter correct url.

so I guess it's not the right one. The camera settings have RTSP URL set as play3.sdp for jpeg. Not sure what this means.
I've been all week after dlink to get the full url, but i'm still waiting. I looked @ the page source of the stream from the cam's web server stream to see if I could glean something, but nothing there. The url of that page is http://192.168.80.138/eng/liveView.cgi#

http://<dlink camera username>:<dlink camera password>@<ip address>/cgi-bin/video.jpg

Where did you get that url from?