Running IP cameras with Ubuntu 18.04, best solution

Hello all,

I joined BC to learn about Linux/Ubuntu, and after a minor issue with Win7 (which the forum helped resolved very quickly), I am finally ready to post my first Ubuntu question.

I had an older small form factor desktop that I needed an OS for, so after a bit of research I went with Ubuntu 18.04. My primary goal for this machine is to run 2-4 security cameras around my home. 

I plan to use wired I.P./network/CatV cameras wired directly to the computer. I also want to connect the computer to my home network and the internet via WiFi (which I have already done).

So, my question is this...  Is a router a viable solution to connect 2-4 cameras to the computer via the ethernet port?

I have a spare Netgear router that is currently not being used, so my thought was to connect the cameras to that, then connect the router to the computer. Am on a right path here? Is there a better solution?

I understand there will be software to be resolved, just trying to work out the hardware first.

Thanks for any & all input.

SRC

This may help.

https://reolink.com/cat5-cat6-ip-cctv-security-camera-system/

Edited by The-Toolman, 27 June 2018 - 10:25 PM.

Thanks for that link Toolman. Interesting reading.

I am looking for a DIY "homebrew" solution (if possible). I am wondering if it's possible to connect several cameras to a router (wired with CatV) and then connect that router to my computer. I think I have seen a few Ubuntu software solutions for cameras, just trying to figure out the hardware first.

Thanks

SRC

Hey SRC45,

My understanding is a switch as this one is the best solution into a router and then to the computer.

https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/datasheet/en/FS108P.pdf

Here's a link to some switches.

https://www.ebay.com/bhp/netgear-fs108p?rmvSB=true

I'm uncertain of how you would record the video or have the cameras switched without using some kind of switcher.

You might be able to locate some software for doing such although I'm at a loss here whether any is available for Linux.

It would be interesting to know what surveillance software if any is available for Linux.

I know some systems can supply power to the camera trough the cat5 cable along with the data from the cable and others use a separate cable for power and data.

Edited by The-Toolman, 28 June 2018 - 08:00 PM.

Hi, SRC45. And   to the Linux & Unix forum.

Now; I don't know whether or not this would be of any use, but one of our Puppy Forum members, rockedge, has for quite a while been running the ZoneMinder surveillance camera software in Puppy. In fact, he's gone one step further, and actually re-built/re-mastered a complete Puppy ISO around it!

https://www.zoneminder.com/

This is a Linux-only application. ZoneMinder clearly state on their website that they have not, and never will have, any plans to support Microsoft products. It should fit your requirements nicely, since the system can be as small & simple, or as large & complex, as you yourself care to make it......and works with an enormous range of cameras (including webcams, so I believe).

Don't use the ZoneMinder packages in the Ubuntu repositories; apparently, they're very out-of-date. The current stuff is located in a PPA, which you'll need to add to your system before installation. ZoneMinder give details about this on their site.

Hope that helps.

Mike.

Edited by Mike_Walsh, 29 June 2018 - 10:36 AM.

https://www.zoneminder.com/

 

This is a Linux-only application. ZoneMinder clearly state on their website that they have not, and never will have, any plans to support Microsoft products. It should fit your requirements nicely, since the system can be as small & simple, or as large & complex, as you yourself care to make it......and works with an enormous range of cameras (including webcams, so I believe).

 

Don't use the ZoneMinder packages in the Ubuntu repositories; apparently, they're very out-of-date. The current stuff is located in a PPA, which you'll need to add to your system before installation.

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

Mike.

Hey Mike,

Excellent link I'm going to do some investigating and see if it can be of use for my old outdated surveillance system.

Thanks for posting it.

No worries, mate.

I only thought of it because rockedge has been publishing packages for it recently on the Puppy Forum that he's compiled from source.....so it's still fresh in my mind.

Let us know if it's any good, will ya? Cheers.

Mike.

Edited by Mike_Walsh, 29 June 2018 - 11:11 AM.

Thanks for the replies gentlemen, I now have a starting point for research.

Work has kept me busy recently, but I'm going to start looking at hardware options soon, as well as software.

I'm sure I'll have additional questions soon, and I'll update this thread.

SRC

I am interested in this topic as well. For software -- first I intend to set up a multiple-IP camera/PoE/headless Linux box and use the software motion,

https://motion-project.github.io/

for motion-triggered recording.

And if it turns out I need to use a GUI for something I am thinking of trying MotionEyeOS, https://github.com/ccrisan/motioneyeos/wiki

If anyone has anything helpful to say about these softwares please share! I have used motion with one camera and it works marvelously well. They have many great options for controlling motion detection. It is command-line/text interface software.

@ mcsimenc:-

I've come across another, even easier to use one since I mentioned ZoneMinder above. It's called

Xeoma.

This one comes in the form of an AppImage (kinda like a Windows 'portable-app'). You download and extract, I think, and you end up with a single, all-in-one binary, called 'xeoma'. You can put this anywhere you like, though if using a mainstream distro, probably best in your user directory. Then simply click on it to start.

Motion-detection is catered for, though if you want several cameras set-up this way, you'll need the 'paid' version. This is the free version, which I believe caters for up to 4 cameras. It's an absolute doddle to use, too.

You can find it here:-

https://felenasoft.com/xeoma/en/

Ignore the 'Beta' and 'Trial' versions; just download the one you want, either 32-bit or 64-bit 18.11.21.

Mike. 

Edited by Mike_Walsh, 12 March 2019 - 01:42 PM.

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the suggestion. I think Xeoma won't work because I'll be running a headless system. I have the technical ability to do this as DIY as possible, and this is a very custom project, so I tend to prefer open-source software solutions.

Any tips on computer hardware (not NVR) for running about 20 cameras?

Xeoma can actually run fine in headless mode. They have a server mode and client mode.

Right now I've got a system running Xeoma on an arch server with over 70 cameras.

As for hardware to hopefully give you a reference point, the server has:

16 core AMD Epyc (I can't remember the exact part number now, but it's 2.8GHz with 32 threads)

64GB of RAM

and a 140 TB RAID array.

The client is just a random, and somewhat old, dell workstation.

as of right now, I don't have any motion detection going on, everything records 24/7 and last time I checked, the CPU is at about a 50% load. I can't remember the RAM usage, but I've got plenty of RAM left

the 140TB array can easily handle 40 days of footage, and every single camera is operating at at least 1920x1080 with varying frame rates. Many of the cameras are operating at higher resolutions, with 3 of them actually being 4k resolutions.

As for usability of Xeoma, I'd honestly recommend you find something else, especially if you're designing this project for a client or anyone other than yourself. I've noticed that with the number of cameras I'm running, the system is a little buggy. Sometimes the live preview of cameras just shows a green screen, but if you view the camera in fullscreen mode, it works fine. Connecting with VLC directly is fine too. Recording isn't affected either, but when your client walks in and sees a bunch of green previews, they think the whole system is down.

The interface is a bit clunky at times, and some things are missing that you would think should just be there (especially for the price of the software). For example, in the playback for recorded footage, theres no rewind button, or skip back 15 or 30 seconds or similar button, which makes viewing footage (and quickly showing law enforcement) a hassle. The other thing is: Let's say you know something happened at 2pm on a tuesday. So you go to that camera, and select 2pm on tuesday. Now, if you need to view the same event at the same time from another camera, it won't remember what time you were on. So you have to go through the process of selecting the time all over again. When you have to show the officers someone walking through the view of 12 different cameras, that gets old really fast.

There's a few other issues that don't come to mind immediately, but based on my experience with it, I don't think I could recommend Xeoma to people. Now, this is just my experience, maybe Xeoma really can't handle large amounts of cameras, or maybe there's some other random thing going on.

Right now Xeoma is at least recording things (mostly, had a weird issue the other day), but I'm going to setup some VMs on my tower to test out Kerberos, Bluecherry, and Motion.