How to stream a remote webcam

Question

I am looking to put a camera on top of a building in the process of being built and stream it to a website. How would I go about doing this?

Would I have to hook it up to a full-blown computer on-site? or can I just plug it into a DVR with an internet connection? What is involved with processing the stream?

Answer 1

I just got a webcam and when I looked into streaming it, I found the simplest free solution (for me at least) was to use VLC media player.

This requires a computer connected to the webcam with VLC media player installed. VLC is good at streaming video and can stream it over the web and can then be embedded into a web page.

Wikihow has a (somewhat technical if you aren't comfortable with command lines) tutorial on how to stream a webcam using VLC: http://www.wikihow.com/Stream-Your-Webcam

Another solution which you'd have to pay a little money for is TinCam. It is designed specifically for streaming webcam footage so it may be a little easier to use. You can get a trial for 30 days if you want to give it a shot.

Tutorial on how to set up a streaming server using TinCam

TinCam's website

Answer 2

I'll give you the simplest way so you can start at once.

Recipe

Ingredients

1. An FTP account to your web server
2. The FWink Windows utility

Preparation

Install the FWink software. Configure it with your camera settings and ftp account. Serve yourself!

Any other way, until the extent of my limited knowlegde, will cost you money or time.

Answer 3

Ok... is this being used as a webcam, or a security cam? Do you want streaming video, or photos every 5mins? Indoor or outdoor? Easily accessible, or set and forget?

My recommendation would be to get an IP camera that can be directly connected to the internet. For under $300 (last time I checked) you can pick up an IP camera, with a web interface, that will upload pictures to an FTP site every x mins, provide streaming video when logged into the web interface, and has servo motors so you can pan + zoom remotely via the net.

The great thing about an IP camera is that it really is "set and forget", you can get weatherproof outdoor enclosures if required and you don't need to worry about a PC falling over (or associated costs).

My recommendation is to find a local security company and go have a chat to them, chances are they'll have the latest and greatest in IP CCTV + HDD DVR technology. They might not sell you a single camera (or try to overly inflate the price) but you'll be able to see how the professionals do it, and then eBay/Google till you find something yourself :)

(oh, and for super geekyness... get a camera supporting Power over Ethernet)

Answer 4

With regards to streaming the cam there is always ustream.tv