Best hardware/method to stream camera image 24/7 online?
May 30, 2022 7:59 PM Subscribe
I volunteer for an organization, and we need to be able to stream some cameras 24 hours a day, so that a large group of people can look at the feed. Basically, a security camera, except it needs to be online 24 hours a day, and needs to be accessed by many different people. What do I get (cameras) to do this, and how should I set it up.
We are a group of volunteers, so there is not a lot of budget for this, but we have some funds. We don't need anything fancy, basically just a way to look at some machines to see if they are running or not. We'd place a camera above each machine, so that people can look in and see if it is in use.
I don't know if we're better off with some sort of "security camera", or some normal web cams. If we did get security cameras, are there types where we can have a link on our website for people to view it? If it requires a specific app than that wouldn't work. Ideally we'd have the feed, or a link to the feed, on our website.
If we went with some sort of wireless web cam (I'm assuming that's a thing nowadays), is there some sort of software we could use to put the video feed on our website? Again, it doesn't need to be fancy, or even very high quality, it just needs to tell us if something is being used.
I volunteered to look into this, and realized quickly that I'm in a little over my head, and could use a shove in the right direction. Thanks!
We are a group of volunteers, so there is not a lot of budget for this, but we have some funds. We don't need anything fancy, basically just a way to look at some machines to see if they are running or not. We'd place a camera above each machine, so that people can look in and see if it is in use.
I don't know if we're better off with some sort of "security camera", or some normal web cams. If we did get security cameras, are there types where we can have a link on our website for people to view it? If it requires a specific app than that wouldn't work. Ideally we'd have the feed, or a link to the feed, on our website.
If we went with some sort of wireless web cam (I'm assuming that's a thing nowadays), is there some sort of software we could use to put the video feed on our website? Again, it doesn't need to be fancy, or even very high quality, it just needs to tell us if something is being used.
I volunteered to look into this, and realized quickly that I'm in a little over my head, and could use a shove in the right direction. Thanks!
Response by poster: Thanks JohnnyGunn for that info. It looks like that software requires using an app to view the camera, which isn't going to work, it needs to be viewable online, without using a separate app. Maybe I missed the info that showed how to do that.
posted by markblasco at 10:10 PM on May 30, 2022
posted by markblasco at 10:10 PM on May 30, 2022
I have both Arlo cameras and recently set up a SimpliSafe system with some cameras for a property. Both can be accessed from the web but none would be as simple as "Click this link, see camera output". How secure do you need this to be? Both SimpliSafe and Arlo force Two Factor Authentication so each volunteer would need a login (and Arlo at least only allows you to be logged in on one device at a time so two volunteers couldn't use the same account at the same time). You can share Arlo cameras with multiple accounts so theoretically each volunteer could have an account or you could have one volunteer account that everyone shares with the understanding that you'd have to log in each time. Arlo allows 2FA to an email account so you'd need a shared volunteer email to get the code.
You could definitely put all this on a website but it would be a multistep process getting to the camera view.
I'm not sure how mission critical this system is but Arlo depends on WiFi being available (actually - newer cameras may come in a cellular version but I haven't used them). And sometimes the system hiccups on the Arlo side even if the WiFi is solid.
If all the systems being monitored are reasonably close and there's a computer nearby you could hook multiple web cams to a single computer and Chrome Remote Desktop (or some other mirroring solution) in to the computer. Again, you'd have to jump through the security hoops and make sure everyone has the code.
posted by macfly at 10:52 PM on May 30, 2022
You could definitely put all this on a website but it would be a multistep process getting to the camera view.
I'm not sure how mission critical this system is but Arlo depends on WiFi being available (actually - newer cameras may come in a cellular version but I haven't used them). And sometimes the system hiccups on the Arlo side even if the WiFi is solid.
If all the systems being monitored are reasonably close and there's a computer nearby you could hook multiple web cams to a single computer and Chrome Remote Desktop (or some other mirroring solution) in to the computer. Again, you'd have to jump through the security hoops and make sure everyone has the code.
posted by macfly at 10:52 PM on May 30, 2022
Do you care about who can and cannot see the camera feed? By "some funds" do you mean 10s of dollars, hundreds, thousands? Are the machines in one area or multiple? Is there power available for the cameras and/or ability to route cabling? Are the machines indoors or outdoors? What are the lighting conditions?
posted by hypercomplexsimplicity at 10:57 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by hypercomplexsimplicity at 10:57 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
I immediately thought of those zoo cams, so these guides seem like a good place to start
posted by Adifferentbear at 11:06 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Adifferentbear at 11:06 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the info, and questions. Here's some more info:
This can all be run on WiFi, it's not critical that it works in emergency situations. The purpose is just to keep people from traveling over to use a machine that is already in use. It's for a maker space, so think 3d printers, laser cutters, that kind of thing. We don't want people to drive over, only to find that the machines are already in use.
This needs to be something people can go to a website and see a camera. It can be a publicly viewable thing, but it can't be something that people have to setup an account for. The goal isn't to make it secure, the goal is to make it quick and easy.
As to the funds, I don't know how much is actually available, but in the tens or lower hundreds of dollars is the range. Image quality isn't important, we just need to see if a machine is running or not. My job right now is to see how to do it in a way that's going to work for as low a cost as we can get by (knowing full well we get what we pay for, and we aren't going to just buy the cheapest possible option, we want the cheapest option that will actually work)
We can potentially run cabling to the cameras, but wireless would be preferred. Everything is indoors in several well lit rooms.
posted by markblasco at 11:40 PM on May 30, 2022
This can all be run on WiFi, it's not critical that it works in emergency situations. The purpose is just to keep people from traveling over to use a machine that is already in use. It's for a maker space, so think 3d printers, laser cutters, that kind of thing. We don't want people to drive over, only to find that the machines are already in use.
This needs to be something people can go to a website and see a camera. It can be a publicly viewable thing, but it can't be something that people have to setup an account for. The goal isn't to make it secure, the goal is to make it quick and easy.
As to the funds, I don't know how much is actually available, but in the tens or lower hundreds of dollars is the range. Image quality isn't important, we just need to see if a machine is running or not. My job right now is to see how to do it in a way that's going to work for as low a cost as we can get by (knowing full well we get what we pay for, and we aren't going to just buy the cheapest possible option, we want the cheapest option that will actually work)
We can potentially run cabling to the cameras, but wireless would be preferred. Everything is indoors in several well lit rooms.
posted by markblasco at 11:40 PM on May 30, 2022
I think your cheapest/simplest option (since you don't care about security) will be you create a YouTube livestream. If you have an extra PC lying around (possibly even if it's in use for the laser cutter or something) you can just hook a cheap webcam up to the PC and stream from there. There are also standalone IP cameras that don't need a PC to connect to the internet but I don't know enough about those to recommend one.
Last I checked, if you want you should be able to make the YouTube livestream "unlisted" so that it is findable by anyone with the link but isn't otherwise findable on YouTube.
posted by mskyle at 4:11 AM on May 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
Last I checked, if you want you should be able to make the YouTube livestream "unlisted" so that it is findable by anyone with the link but isn't otherwise findable on YouTube.
posted by mskyle at 4:11 AM on May 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
The features you want match up pretty with home security software. There are free versions that you can find out about on pages like this. None of the ones mentioned here look marvelous; maybe someone with experience can elaborate.
I think this would require a dedicated PC and connection to an ISP. I worry a little bit about ISP charges.
An easy way to make a start is a web page on Blogger (or other web site creation service) streaming the PC's web cam. There are lots of tutorials online about that.
BlueTooth is better than WiFi if the distance is short enough.
posted by SemiSalt at 6:55 AM on May 31, 2022
I think this would require a dedicated PC and connection to an ISP. I worry a little bit about ISP charges.
An easy way to make a start is a web page on Blogger (or other web site creation service) streaming the PC's web cam. There are lots of tutorials online about that.
BlueTooth is better than WiFi if the distance is short enough.
posted by SemiSalt at 6:55 AM on May 31, 2022
Since this is a makerspace, you might also think about non-video ways to make this work. Is there a pin-out on the 3D printer that would indicate that it is running? Could you then grab that information with a raspberry pi and update a Google sheet via the sheets API?
posted by rockindata at 12:24 PM on May 31, 2022
posted by rockindata at 12:24 PM on May 31, 2022
Response by poster: It is indeed a makerspace, and we have talked about more "makery" options, but all of them seem like very complicated ways to solve what should be a simple problem. Every machine is different, and would need an entirely different solution in order to properly tell if it was running or not. All we want to do is be able to let people look at a camera online to see if it's running or not, but I couldn't find any simple ways of doing this that didn't require a special app or a licensing agreement or anything like that. I thought it would be easy to just stream a web cam to our website, but it appears that isn't the case (or I'm just missing something obvious, which is entirely possible). I'll continue to look into the answers listed above, and I appreciate the feedback.
posted by markblasco at 2:36 PM on May 31, 2022
posted by markblasco at 2:36 PM on May 31, 2022
Your question brought to mind the 2020 Dumpster Fire. I thought it was a makerspace but it was in fact Hey.com. No matter, they posted about building and setting it up.
posted by fiercekitten at 5:44 PM on May 31, 2022
posted by fiercekitten at 5:44 PM on May 31, 2022
For anything that draws power I think a bunch of current draw sensors would be a nice maker solution and require far less work/bandwidth/security risk. These guys e.g.: https://moderndevice.com/products/current-sensor
posted by aspersioncast at 7:10 PM on May 31, 2022
posted by aspersioncast at 7:10 PM on May 31, 2022
Even if you get the cameras to work, there's a timing problem
1. I need a machine for 30 minutes (for example)
2. I love 15 minutes away
3. I look at the camera at 12:55 and no one is using it, so I leave at 13:00 to arrive at 13:15
4. BUT - someone else looked at 12:45 and left at 12:50. They arrive at 13:05 and begin working
5. I arrive at 13:15 and am disappointed
You may need a reservation system rather than a camera system
posted by TimHare at 7:21 PM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
1. I need a machine for 30 minutes (for example)
2. I love 15 minutes away
3. I look at the camera at 12:55 and no one is using it, so I leave at 13:00 to arrive at 13:15
4. BUT - someone else looked at 12:45 and left at 12:50. They arrive at 13:05 and begin working
5. I arrive at 13:15 and am disappointed
You may need a reservation system rather than a camera system
posted by TimHare at 7:21 PM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: We've talked about the logistics at length and about using a reservation system. It has been decided that we're going to go with cameras, and even though it's not 100% foolproof, it is better than what we have now, which is nothing.
Current draw sensors were also talked about, but in the end, that ends up being a more complicated problem, because that requires someone to learn how to build it, how to program it, and how to get it so that people can see it online. While this is a makerspace, there really isn't the manpower to "make" everything that we need. This is something that we want to have happen, and have a limited amount of volunteer time to impliment it. I'm happy to bolt up some cameras, run some software on a computer, and have our web hosting person connect that to our website. There is no one who will be able to program arduino devices or custom code sensors, that's just beyond our capabilities at the moment.
It seems like running a few cameras into a computer, using OBS or something similar to combine them into one image, and then streaming to youtube may be the simplest solution, it seems like that's what the dumpster fire people did from the above link.
posted by markblasco at 9:22 PM on May 31, 2022
Current draw sensors were also talked about, but in the end, that ends up being a more complicated problem, because that requires someone to learn how to build it, how to program it, and how to get it so that people can see it online. While this is a makerspace, there really isn't the manpower to "make" everything that we need. This is something that we want to have happen, and have a limited amount of volunteer time to impliment it. I'm happy to bolt up some cameras, run some software on a computer, and have our web hosting person connect that to our website. There is no one who will be able to program arduino devices or custom code sensors, that's just beyond our capabilities at the moment.
It seems like running a few cameras into a computer, using OBS or something similar to combine them into one image, and then streaming to youtube may be the simplest solution, it seems like that's what the dumpster fire people did from the above link.
posted by markblasco at 9:22 PM on May 31, 2022
A late thought: web cams are a popular project in the Arduino world. There are many different, though similar, kits. Whether they would be cheaper or better than store-bought, I dont know.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:37 AM on June 2, 2022
posted by SemiSalt at 5:37 AM on June 2, 2022
Response by poster: Anything that requires a kit is not going to fly, we need this to be simple to get up and running. Running a few web cams into a computer is the level of simplicity we're after. Putting together circuit boards and coding arduinos is not a viable option at this point.
posted by markblasco at 3:01 PM on June 2, 2022
posted by markblasco at 3:01 PM on June 2, 2022
« Older What you seek is lost to the Glow Cloud. All Hail. | Diagnosing/defusing a positive crush? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:34 PM on May 30, 2022