Use Cameras#

This article explains how to use the Camera module in ViPPET to detect and connect to cameras. ViPPET supports two types of cameras: USB cameras and network cameras. USB cameras are detected automatically via plug-and-play, while network cameras are discovered using the ONVIF standard.

Use USB cameras#

Connecting a USB camera requires no additional configuration. Simply plug the camera into the host machine. ViPPET automatically detects the device and displays it in the Cameras tab.

Use Network cameras#

Network camera discovery#

Network cameras are discovered using the ONVIF standard. Before ViPPET can detect a network camera, you must configure it correctly:

  1. Enable the ONVIF service on the camera. Refer to the camera manufacturer’s documentation for instructions on how to do this.

  2. Create an ONVIF media profile on the camera, defining the desired stream settings (resolution, encoding, frame rate, and so on).

  3. Connect the camera to the same subnet as the host machine running ViPPET. The ONVIF discovery agent uses multicast to find cameras, so the camera must be reachable within the local network segment.

Once the camera is properly configured and connected to the network, ViPPET automatically discovers it and displays it in the Cameras tab.

Note: If a network camera does not appear in the Cameras tab, verify that the ONVIF service is enabled, a valid media profile exists, and the camera is on the same subnet as the host machine.

Network camera authorization#

After a network camera is discovered, authorization is required before it can be used. An Authorize button appears next to the camera entry in the Cameras tab.

To authorize a camera:

  1. Click the Authorize button next to the camera.

  2. Enter the camera’s Username and Password.

  3. Confirm. If the credentials are accepted, the camera status changes to Authorized.

Note: If authorization fails, verify that the username and password are correct, and ensure that the clock on the camera is synchronized with the clock on the host machine. Time skew between the camera and the host is a common cause of ONVIF authentication failures.

Use cameras in pipelines as input sources#

To use a camera as a streaming source for a pipeline, open the Pipeline Builder and click the input block. A configuration panel appears on the right side, where you can set the Source Type and Source. Change Source Type to Camera, then select the desired camera from the Source drop-down list.

Note: A network camera that has not been authorized yet appears grayed out in the list and cannot be selected. To authorize the camera first, follow the steps in the Network camera authorization section.