How can I connect a TCP/IP Camera to the PC?

Question

I want to write an application that can capture from a TCP/IP camera. I haven't bought the camera yet. I have the following questions:

• What should I look for in the camera?
• Do all cameras have SDKs or APIs for that?

thanks

Answer 1

Get a camera that has an HTTP server, allowing you to download images from it like any web server. This is standard on most IP cameras.

Answer 2

Most cameras produce a JPEG or MPEG4 stream, or both, that you can capture. My cameras do not let you download images, unlike Earwicker claims. They can, however, send images by email, ftp, or write them to an SD card.

I use the software on my Synology Rackstation to record streams on the NAS. I have not really looked at the software that they use, but I am almost certain that, behind the scenes, it is some Linux software that is freely available. You could look into that.