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# simple web-cam server
## research the camera hardware
### camera
the camera unit you are considering must be able
to connect to wifi and/or lan
determine the following for the camera unit:
* the "snapshot url"
* the "default ip"
* the default username and password
most of the above is brand/model-dependent, so
you need to use some "google fu" to search for
them.
#### what is a "snapshot url"?
a "snapshot url" is a hidden ability on
some cameras that allows you to directly
download pictures from the camera without
having to use any app
here is an example for the **tp-link nc200**:
original source:
https://community.netcamstudio.com/t/tp-link-nc200-vlc-ok-but-not-in-netcam-studio/853/9
the link is actually:
http://admin:YWRtaW4%3D@my_lan_ip:8080/snapshot.jpg
#### default ip, default username, default password
this is the default ip address that the
camera will use if there is no internet
connection e.g. when it is connected
directly to a desktop/laptop
for the **tp-link nc200**, when the camera
fresh out of the box and connected directly
to a computer, the following is applicable:
* default ip: 192.168.0.10
* username: admin
* password: admin
## initial camera setup
### ensure that you connect to the camera
* plug the camera network directly into a computer
* switch everything on, give everything time to start up
* give the computer a temporary static ip address in the
same range as the camera default ip e.g. if the default
ip is 192.168.0.10, then give the computer any ip from
192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.254 (EXCEPT the same ip as the
camera)
* open a browser, and in the address bar provide the
default camera ip and hit ENTER
* login into the camera using the default username/password
### perform any additional setup
note: do any of these as required by your local environment
* test the snapshot url
* change camera username/password (for better security)
* setup a connection to your wireless lan
* setup the actual fixed ip
IMPORTANT: changing the username and password may break
the snapshot url temporarily - this is because some types
of cameras encode the username and password as part of
the link. in the case of the tplink nc200, the username
is in plaintext ("admin") but the password is base64-encoded
("YWRtaW4" base64 decoded is "admin"). therefore, if you
change the password, then you must base64 encode the new
password using a script or an online service like
https://www.base64encode.org/ - when in doubt, research
the brand/model snapshot url with google
EXAMPLE: with the **tplink nc200** - if the username is
"admin" and the password changed to "abc123" and the ip
changed to 192.168.0.87:
http://admin:YWJjMTIz@192.168.0.87:8080/snapshot.jpg
once everything is setup, connect the camera to the LAN
wia wifi or cable, and ensure the ip is setup properly.
finally, test the snapshot url AGAIN on the actual network
### test the camera from the raspberry pi
to test the URL on the raspberry pi:
1. open the terminal
2. type `wget <full snapshot url> -O now.jpg`, hit ENTER
3. a picture should be downloaded as `now.jpg`
note: running step 2 over and over again, will fetch a new
image from the camera and overwrite any existing now.jpg
## raspberry pi
### create the automatic snapshot download script
1. open the terminal
2. `mkdir camera` - make a new directory for the camera project
3. `cd camera` - (change directory)/enter into the camera folder
4. `nano camera.sh` - create/edit a file called 'camera.sh'
5. enter the following "shell code":
```
wget <full snapshot url, as before> -O now.jpg
sleep 3 # in seconds, between frames
./camera.sh
```
6. to save the file, press CTRL-O (output), then confirm the
filename with enter
7. to exit, press CTRL-X
8. back to terminal, type 'chmod +x camera.sh' - this makes the
file "runnable"
9. run the file with './camera.sh'
note: do not close the terminal window, let it run endlessly
advanced: if you have more cameras, repeat these steps, and open
more terminal windows (one per camera) fetching the unique camera
snapshot url. don't forget to change the "-O" option so that each
camera will be written to a different snapshot file e.g.
"wget ... -O cam1.jpg", "wget ... -O cam2.jpg", etc
just in case the window gets closed, just do step 1, 3, 9
### camera server - part 1: preparing the environment
we must install php on the raspberry pi so we can make a simple
server - we only have to do this once per pi
1. open a terminal
2. run `sudo apt update`
3. run `sudo apt install php-cli`
4. confirm install with "Y"
5. wait until installation is complete
close the terminal when done OR use it for part 2...
### camera server - part 2: run a test server
1. open a terminal (or reuse the part 1 terminal)
2. run `hostname -I` to get the ip address of the pi,
take note of it
3. run `cd /home/pi/camera/` - we use the full directory
structure for convenience
4. run `php -S 0.0.0.0:8010`
5. on a separate computer/mobile, use a browser and access:
`http://<ip address of pi>:8010/now.jpg`
6. refresh the browser to refresh the picture
note: do not close the terminal window, let it run endlessly
just in case the window gets closed, just do step 1, 2, 3, 4
### camera server - part 3: make a web page
1. open a NEW terminal
2. run `hostname -I` to get the ip address of the pi,
take note of it
3. run `cd /home/pi/camera/`
4. run `nano index.html`
5. type the following simple web page...
```
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="5">
</head>
<body>
<h1>camera server</h1>
<img src="now.jpg" />
</body>
</html>
```
6. to save the file in `nano`, CTRL-O, enter to confirm name
7. to exit `nano`, CTRL-X
8. on a separate computer/mobile, use a browser and access:
`http://<ip address of pi>`:8010` - you no longer have to
have `/now.jpg` at the end
notes:
* the meta tag in the code at step 4 will make the page refresh
every 5 seconds automatically.
* you can close this terminal when done
advanced: for multiple cameras, just add more `img` tags with
the `src` attribute pointing at the correct snapshot filename
e.g. `<img src="cam1.jpg">` `<img src="cam2.jpg">` etc
## you're done... for now
congratulations, you have created your first camera server
suggestion for improvements:
* add more cameras, use only one pi
* change the camera server from PHP to a python mini-server
with `python3 -m http.server`
* make the page look better!
* ...and much much more!
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