Using the IP camera

IP addresses of the HP mini computer and the cameras must be first configured. All devices should be configured to have internal static IP addresses. The IP cameras are PoE devices and are connected to a PoE-capable network switch located on the dome floor. The data link is established by an ethernet connection from this network switch to the ls4-webcams machine located in the control room.

Software:
To start streaming image frames to this website, start two GNU screens on a computer connected to the ls4-webcams machine (e.g., ls4-nuc). On one screen, execute upload_snapshot.py which listens for any new images that are transferred to the ~/snapshots folder and uploads them to a Google Drive repository that then posts onto this website (note that this requires a valid Google token json file for the upload to work). With the second GNU screen, execute get_stream.py which repeatedly sends commands to ls4-webcams to acquire frames and synchronize the image files with the host computer (such as ls4-nuc).

Advanced usage:
There are two proprietary software programs from Vivotek that can be used locally to aid in configuration and debugging (if needed):

• Shepherd -- this is for basic camera management and is most useful for identifying Vivotek cameras in the network when they are first connected.
• VAST Security Station (VSS) -- this is a camera viewer interface for local users. It is not necessary to keep this program open to have the cameras running, and all settings available here are also adjustable via the API interface.

Executable scripts for running the camera already loaded on ls4-webcams:

take_picture.py
Saves a frame from both cameras.

ir_led.py
Gives ability to toggle IR illuminators on either of the cameras or both simultaneously.

The scripts are also located in the LS4-ops repository (restricted access):
https://github.com/kwlin0/LS4-ops/tree/main/ipcamera

Page last modified: UTC September 16 2025 16:15:37 by Kenneth Lin

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