4XEM WLPTZ User Manual

Product name: Wireless Network Camera

Release Date: 2005/05/24

Manual Revision: 1.00

- 1 -

Before You Use This Product

The use of surveillance devices may be prohibited in your country by law. The

Network Camera is not only a high-performance web-ready camera but also can be

part of a flexible surveillance system. It is the user’s responsibility to ensure that the

operation of such devices is legal before installing this unit for its intended use.

It is important to first verify that all contents received are complete according to the

list in the "Package Contents" chapter. Take notice of the warnings in “Quick

installation guide” before the Network Camera is installed, then carefully read and

follow the instructions in the “Installation” chapter to avoid damages due to faulty

assembly and installation. This also ensures the product is used properly as

intended.

The Network Camera is a network device and its use should be straightforward for

those who have basic network knowledge. The “Troubleshooting” chapter in the

Appendix provides remedies to the most common errors in set up and configuration.

You should consult this chapter first if you run into a system error.

The Network Camera is designed for various applications including video sharing,

general security/surveillance, etc. The “How to Use” chapter suggests ways to best

utilize the Network Camera and ensure proper operations. For the creative and

professional developers, the "URL Commands of the Network Camera" chapter

serves to be a helpful reference to customize existing homepages or integrating with

the current web server.

For paragraphs preceded by the reader should use caution to understand

completely the warnings. Ignoring the warnings may result in serious hazards or

injuries.

- 2 -

Package Contents

Network Camera

Power adapter

A/V Cable

Remote Controller

Camera stand

Software CD

Antenna

- 3 -

Table of Contents

Installation ..............................................................................................4

Hardware Installation ........................................................................... 4

To install in Ethernet.................................................................. 4

To install in wireless LAN ............................................................ 5

Software Installation ............................................................................6

Initial Access to the Network Camera.................................................... 10

Installing Plug-in .......................................................................... 10

Check Network Settings ................................................................ 11

Add Password to Prevent Unauthorized Access.................................. 12

How to Use ............................................................................................13

Authentication ................................................................................... 13

Primary User’s Capabilities .................................................................. 14

Main Screen with Camera View....................................................... 14

The Configuration: .................................................................. 15

The camera view..................................................................... 15

The pan/tilt/zoom control buttons: ............................................ 15

The CCD control buttons: ......................................................... 16

Client Settings ............................................................................. 17

Administrator’s Capabilities ................................................................. 19

Fine-tuning for Best Performance.................................................... 19

For Best Real-time Video Images............................................... 20

Only Quality Images Will Do ..................................................... 20

Somewhere Between Real-time and Clear Images ....................... 21

Select for Motion JPEG ............................................................. 21

Opening Accounts for New Users .................................................... 22

Protect Network Camera by Passwords....................................... 22

More Flexible Options for Viewers .............................................. 23

Build a Multimedia Web Attraction Site ............................................ 23

Demo on Multiple Sites – Mid-scale Service................................. 23

Product Demo for E-business – Large-scale Service ..................... 23

- 1 -

If the web space has FTP service ............................................... 24

If the web space has no FTP service .......................................... 25

Build a Security Application............................................................ 27

Send Snapshots When Motion is Detected .................................. 28

Definitions in Configuration ................................................................... 30

System Parameters ............................................................................ 31

User Group Administration .................................................................. 32

Edit User ..................................................................................... 34

Network Settings ............................................................................... 35

General....................................................................................... 35

HTTP .......................................................................................... 35

Streaming ................................................................................... 36

Wireless ........................................................................................... 37

DDNS & UPnP.................................................................................... 39

Mail & FTP......................................................................................... 41

SMTP .......................................................................................... 41

FTP ............................................................................................ 41

Video Codec Parameters ..................................................................... 44

Image Settings ............................................................................ 46

CCD Settings ............................................................................... 46

Audio ............................................................................................... 50

Motion Detection................................................................................ 52

Camera Control ................................................................................. 53

Camera control area................................................................ 53

Preset function area ................................................................ 53

Application Setup ............................................................................... 56

Weekly Schedule .......................................................................... 56

Event Operation ........................................................................... 56

Sequential Operation .................................................................... 57

Viewing System Log ........................................................................... 59

Viewing System Parameters ................................................................ 59

Factory Default .................................................................................. 59

Remote Controller .............................................................................. 60

Appendix ...............................................................................................61

- 2 -

A. Troubleshooting ............................................................................. 61

B. Cleaning the Lens........................................................................... 65

C. Pan/Tilt/Zoom Data ........................................................................ 66

D. URL Commands of the Network Camera ............................................ 67

Overview..................................................................................... 67

Style Convention .......................................................................... 67

General CGI URL Syntax and Parameters ......................................... 68

Get Server Parameter Values.......................................................... 68

Set Server Parameter Values.......................................................... 70

Available Parameters on the Server................................................. 71

Drive the Digital Output................................................................. 82

Query Status of the Digital Input .................................................... 83

Capture Single Snapshot ............................................................... 84

Account Management.................................................................... 85

System Logs ................................................................................ 86

Configuration File ......................................................................... 87

Upload File (firmware)................................................................... 87

Camera Control ............................................................................ 88

Recall ......................................................................................... 89

System Information ...................................................................... 90

Preset Locations ........................................................................... 91

E. Technical Specifications ................................................................... 92

- 3 -

Installation

Hardware Installation

Please verify that your product package

contains all the accessories listed in the

foregoing Package Contents. Depending on

the user’s application, an Ethernet cable may

be needed. The Ethernet cable should meet

the specs of UTP Category 5 and not exceed

100 meters in length.

Connect the power adapter jack to the

Network Camera before plugging in to the

power socket. This will reduce the risk of

accidental electric shock.

Upon powering up, the device runs through a self-test procedure and the front LEDs

will blink between green and red for a few times. If self-test passes, the LEDs will

shut off and the Network Camera will be on stand-by and ready for software

installation. If self-test fails the red LED will blink several times. Refer to Appendix A

for troubleshooting.

The Network Camera will first detect Ethernet. If it does not connect to Ethernet, the

Network Camera will try WLAN. During the searching and connecting process to the

wireless access point or station, the red LED of the Network Camera will flash every

second. Until the Network Camera is connected to the other wireless device, the red

LED will become lighted. Operating in either network mode, the green LED will flash

every second as heartbeat to indicate alive.

To install in Ethernet

Make sure the Ethernet is firmly connected to a switch hub. After attaching the

Ethernet cable plug in the power adapter. If the LED turns out to be steady green

- 4 -

after self-test, go to next paragraph “Software Installation”. If the Ethernet is not

available, the Network Camera will switch to wireless LAN mode.

To install in wireless LAN

If the Ethernet is not available while power on, the Network Camera will search for

any access point with the SSID “default”. Once any access point is found, the LED

will turn green to wait for installation. If the network environment cannot meet the

default settings, install Network Camera in Ethernet to proceed with wireless LAN

configuration.

The Network Camera provides a general I/O terminal block with one digital input and

one relay switch for device control. Pin 1 and Pin 2 can be connected to an external

sensor device and the state of voltage can be monitored from the initial state 'LOW'.

The relay switches Pin 3 and Pin 4 can be used to turn on or off an external device.

Consult with the dealer of the peripherals for correct installation.

1 DI+ INPUT (Max. 50mA, 12VDC)

2 DI- INPUT (Initial state of DI is low)

3 SW_COMMON OUTPUT (open from SW_OPEN at initial state)

(close with SW_OPEN when set DO to ON)

4 SW_NOPEN OUTPUT (Max. 1A, 24VDC or 0.5A, 125VAC)

- 5 -

Software Installation

In this manual, "User" refers to whoever has access to the Network Camera, and

"Administrator" refers to the person who can configure the Network Camera and

grant user access to the camera.

At the end of the hardware installation, the Administrator must place the product

software CD into the CD-ROM drive of the PC running in MS Windows. An auto-run

program will pop up (If the program is not on auto-run, go to the root directory of

the software CD and click on “autorun.exe”).

Click on “Software Utility” item, after the window contains changed, click on

“Installation Wizard” to run installation program.

- 6 -

Upon Installation Wizard’s start up, a searching box will pop up. This program

searches for product on the same LAN:

After searching, Video Servers or

Network Cameras will be located by the

Installation Wizard. There may be

several entries shown in the window. The

Administrator may differentiate the

Network Cameras with the serial number.

For the series number in the “Serial Number” field, please check the label on the

bottom of the camera.

- 7 -

The IP addresses shown in the "Current IP Address" field reflect those on the local

network. They may be from the DHCP server. If there is no DHCP server, the

camera will try to find a free IP address (this takes from 15 second to 3 minutes,

depending on the LAN status). The method of finding IP address is seeking from

192.168.0.99, to 192.168.0.254. If any of the address inside this range is free, the

Network Camera will be assigned to this IP address, and its subnet mask would be

255.255.255.0. If none of the addresses is free, the Network Camera will try the

range from 192.168.0.2 to 192.168.0.98. After an IP address is assigned to the

camera, the “Activity” status LED blinks.

The new UPnP function will always assign an IP address for the Network Camera.

The Administrator can click on button “Link to selected device” to connect the I.E.

to the camera.

If the camera is not on the IP installer list, click on the “Search” button to search for

the camera on the LAN.

- 8 -

For more detailed usage of the Installation Wizard, please refer to the user’s manual

of the Installation Wizard.

- 9 -

Initial Access to the Network Camera

Installing Plug-in

For the initial access to the Network Camera in Windows, the web browser may

prompt for permission to install a new plug-in for the Network Camera after a period

of time of downloading. Permission request depends on the Internet security settings

of the user’s PC or notebook. If the highest security level is set, the computer may

prohibit any installation and execution attempt. This plug-in has been registered for

certificate and is used to display the video in the browser. Users may click on

to proceed. If the web browser does not allow the user to continue to install, check

the Internet security option and lower the security levels or contact your IT or

networking supervisor for help.

- 10 -

Check Network Settings

The Network Camera can be connected either before or immediately after software

installation onto the Local Area Network. The Administrator should complete the

network settings on the configuration page, including the correct subnet mask and

IP address of gateway and DNS. Ask your network administrator or Internet service

provider for the detail information. By default the Network Camera requires the

Administrator to run installation every time it reboots. If the network settings are to

remain unchanged, disable the Install option. Refer to “Network settings” on the

System Configuration page for details. If any setting is entered incorrectly and

cannot proceed to setting up the Network Camera, restore the factory settings

following the steps in the “Troubleshooting” chapter of the Appendix.

- 11 -

Add Password to Prevent Unauthorized Access

The default Administrator’s password is blank and the Network Camera initially will

not ask for any password. The Administrator should immediately implement a new

password as a matter of prudent security practice. Once the Administrator’s

password is saved, the Network Camera will ask for the user’s name and password

before each access. The Administrator can set up a maximum of twenty (20) user

accounts. Each user can access the Network Camera except to perform system

configuration. Some critical functions are exclusive for the Administrator, such as

system configuration, user administration, and software upgrades. The user name

for the Administrator is permanently assigned as “root”. Once the password is

changed, the browser will display an authentication window to ask for the new

password. Once the password is set, there is no provision to recover the

Administrator’s password. The only option is to restore to the original

factory default settings.

- 12 -

How to Use

Authentication

After opening the web browser and typing in the URL of the Network Camera, a

dialogue window pops up to request a username and password.

The foreground is the login window and the background shows the message if

authentication fails. The user may check the option box to save the password for

future convenience.

- 13 -

Primary User’s Capabilities

Main Screen with Camera View

The main page layout has three parts:

Configuration functions: The camera can be configured using these user

interfaces.

Camera View: What the camera sees.

Pan/Tilt/Zoom control buttons: These buttons provide a command interface to

control the aim of the camera.

CCD control buttons: These buttons provide a command interface to control the

aim of the camera.

- 14 -

The Configuration:

“Digital Output”

Clicking on the “On” or “Off” button turns the digital output to either on or off status.

“Snapshot”

Clicking on the “Snapshot” can get a JPEG format image of the current camera view

in another window.

“Client Settings”

Clicking on this button links you to the client setting page, please check the following

session for more details.

“Configuration” Only the Administrator can access camera configurations.

The camera view

The information bar at the top of the camera view shows the assigned caption and

the current date/time. The information bar at the bottom of the camera view shows

the current streaming mode and audio transmission mode. You can push/toggle the

talk button to talk to the remote server. The volume of speaker and microphone can

also be adjusted.

Digital zoom

Tal k b ut t o n

Speaker volume

Microphone volume

The camera view provides not only the live video, but also a way to aim the Network

Camera to different target. Using mouse to click on the target inside the video will

command the Network Camera to aim at the target and with the mouse wheel up or

down, the camera view will zoom out or in.

The pan/tilt/zoom control buttons:

The direction buttons are for Left, Right, Up, Down, and Home functions. The Home

button centers the camera.

“Go to” Once the Administrator has determined the preset positions; the User can

aim the camera using this control.

“Pan speed”

- 15 -

Click to focus fare

smalle

This selection box sets the moving range of the “Left” and “Right” commands.

“Tilt speed”

This selection box sets the moving range of the “Up” and “Down” commands.

“Zoom speed”

This selection box sets the moving range of the “zoom in” and “zoom out”

commands.

“Focus speed”

This selection box sets the moving speed of the “focus near” and “focus far”

commands. The focus function is obvious when the optical zoom time is larger than

“Auto pan”

This button commands the camera to pan from the current position to the left-most

and then to the right-most position. After panning, the camera returns to the

original position.

“Auto patrol”

This button commands the camera to patrol between the preset positions on the

Patrol List, which can be modified on the “Camera control page”. After one patrol

cycle, the camera returns to the original position.

“Stop” This stops the “Auto Pan” command or “Auto Patrol” command.

The CCD control buttons:

The set of the buttons is for controlling focus, iris and zooming.

Click to zoom widely

and see more.

Click to focus nearer.

Click to zoom

telescopically and see

Click to set IRIS bigger.

Click to set IRIS

Click to set auto IRIS.

Click to do auto

- 16 -

Client Settings

There are four settings for the client side.

Media Options - For the User to determine whether to receive video, audio or

both.

Protocol Options – Which allows choosing on connection protocol between client

and server. There are two protocol choices to optimize your usage – UDP and HTTP.

The UDP protocol allows for more real-time audio and video streams. However,

some packets may be lost due to network burst traffic and images may be obscured.

The HTTP protocol must be selected if the network is protected by a firewall which

allows only HTTP Port (80) to be opened. If there is no restriction, UDP protocol is

recommended. Generally speaking, the client’s choice will be in the order of UDP 

HTTP. After the Network Camera is connected successfully, “Protocol Options” will

indicate the selected protocol. The selected protocol will be recorded in the user's PC

and will be used for the next connection. If the network environment is changed, or

the user wants to let the web browser to detect again, manually select the UDP

protocol and save, then return to HOME to connect to the Network Camera.

Streaming Options – For users to select the video streaming types. Select

- 17 -

“Streaming Video” options, the video connection will keep alive to enable you to

see smooth video, while “Single JPEG” options will let you see the video in JPEG

format by client periodic update the JPEG image from server according to the

“Frame rate” settings.

Talk Button Control Style – For the User to determine whether to “click once and

talk” or “push to talk”.

- 18 -

Administrator’s Capabilities

Fine-tuning for Best Performance

There are a few choices the Administrator is allowed to maximize the capabilities of

the Network Camera. Best performance generally equates to the fastest image

refresh rate with the best video quality, and at the lowest network bandwidth as

possible. The six factors, “Size”, “Maximum frame rate”, “Video codec type”, “Key

frame interval”, “Fix bit rate”, and “Fix quality” on the Video Configuration page, are

correlative to allow for achieving the best performance possible.

- 19 -

For Best Real-time Video Images

To achieve good real-time visual effect, the network bandwidth should be large

enough to allow a transmission rate of greater than 20 image frames per second. If

the broadband network is over 1 Mbps, set the “Fix bit rate” to 1000Kbps or

1200Kbps, or set “Fix quality” at the highest quality. The maximum frame rate is 25

fps in a 50Hz system and 30 fps in a 60Hz system. If your network bandwidth is

more than 384Kbps, you can fix the bit rate according to your bandwidth and set the

maximum frame rate to 25 fps or 30 fps. If you are shooting fast-moving images,

you may want to slow the maximum frame rate down to 20 fps in order to lower the

rate of data transmission. This allows for better video quality and the human eyes

cannot readily detect the differences between those of 20, 25, or 30 frames per

second. If your network bandwidth is below 384 Kbps, set the “Fix bit rate”

according to your bandwidth and try to get the best performance by fine-tuning with

the “Maximum frame rate”. In a slow network, greater frame rate results in blur

images. Another work-around is to choose “Half” in the “Size” option for better

images, or “Halfx2” for a larger image view. Video quality performance will vary

somewhat due to the number of users viewing on the network; even when the

parameters have initially been finely tuned. Performance will also suffer due to poor

connectivity because of the network’s burst constraint.

In multi-user environment, the user who has poor network performance will receive

only the key frame in MPEG4 format. Try to reduce the key frame interval can

improve the frame rate for poor network performance, but the penalty is the

increasing of network traffic. If the server is running on the Internet, select the

“improve efficiency in the multi-user environment” will improve the efficiency in the

multi-user environment.

Only Quality Images Will Do

To have the best video quality, you should set “Fix quality” at “Detailed” or

“Excellent” and adjust the “Maximum frame rate” to match your network’s

bandwidth. If your network is slow and you receive “broken” pictures, go to the

HTTP protocol in “Connection type” and choose a more appropriate mode of

transmission. The images may suffer a time delay due to a slower connection.

- 20 -

Somewhere Between Real-time and Clear Images

If you have a broadband network, set “Fix quality” at ”Normal” or better, rather than

setting “Fix bit rate”. You can also fix the bandwidth according to your actual

network speed and adjust the frame rate. Start from 30 fps down for best results

but not below 15 fps. If the image qualities are not improved, select a lower

bandwidth setting.

Select for Motion JPEG

The Network Camera with Pan/Tilt/Zoom is a camera with dual video codec, they’re

MPEG4 and MJPEG. If MJPEG is selected, the camera will transmit video data in JPEG

format. Therefore, it requires higher bandwidth to view smooth video. General

speaking, each normal sized JPEG image would be 3k~12k bytes, depending on the

selected video quality and contents. Together with the frame rate selected, the

administrator can control the bandwidth of each connection.

- 21 -

Opening Accounts for New Users

Protect Network Camera by Passwords

The Network Camera is shipped without any password by default. That means

everyone can access the Network Camera including the configuration as long as the

IP address is known. It is necessary to assign a password if the Network Camera is

intended to be accessed by others. Type a new word twice in the first field to enable

protection. This password is used to identify the administrator. Then add an account

with user name and password for your friends in the second field. The Network

Camera can provide twenty accounts for your valuable customers or friends. Each

account identifies the access right rather than the real visitor. That allows multiple

visitors share the same account of different level. Each account has four kinds of

privileges, which can be set individually. The “I/O access” privilege permits the

user to access DI/DO of the server. The “Camera Control” privilege allows different

control to pan/tilt functions of the Network Camera. The “Talk” privilege permits the

- 22 -

user to send speech to the Network Camera. The “Listen” privilege permits the user

to listen sounds from the server. You may edit or delete some users from the third

field.

More Flexible Options for Viewers

If you want to have a guest account for viewers only, you just need to add a user

without password and disable all the privileges. Share the account to your friends to

access your camera.

Build a Multimedia Web Attraction Site

Demo on Multiple Sites – Mid-scale Service

The Network Camera can allow ten visitors on-line simultaneously. After Installation,

focus the Network Camera on any object you wish to share, and tell the visitors to

type in the web browser address. Caution: You may want to maintain your visitor’s

list in the security configuration page to block out unexpected visitors.

Product Demo for E-business – Large-scale Service

If the number of visitors has exceeded the limit, the Network Camera can allow the

"overload" viewers to see the snapshots in JPEG mode, on the homepage. These are

still images and will be refreshed periodically and automatically.

1. Click on “Client Settings” on the homepage,

2. Select “Single JPEG” in “Streaming Options”,

3. Set the snapshot interval to refresh the still image automatically. The longer the

snapshot interval, the better the snapshot mode works for multiple viewers.

If you want to expand to allow in more viewers, the host server should be able to

handle large network traffic, which must handle the picture refreshing from the

Network Camera.

- 23 -

If the web space has FTP service

Set the Network Camera up as an FTP client to upload the pictures. The access to

the Network Camera will be independent of the number of viewers and the picture

quality will remain constant.

1. Click on “Configuration” on the homepage,

- 24 -

2. Click on “Mail & FTP” in the left column,

3. Fill in the FTP related settings including server, server port, user name and

password, as well as the upload path if it is specified by the web space,

4. Click on “Save”,

5. Click on “Application” in the left column,

6. Select the day or days of the week in “Weekly schedule” you want to upload the

pictures,

7. Select “Sequential operation” and set the interval,

8. Unselect “FTP put snapshots with date and time suffix” as the upload method and

click on “Save”,

9. The image file uploaded to the web space is named “video.jpg”. Check if the file is

successfully uploaded to the correct folder,

10. Prepare a homepage with the embedded image reference to the image file

uploaded via FTP in advance.

If the web space has no FTP service

An auto-refresh homepage can be used to periodically poll the newest image from

the Network Camera. It is most efficient if using a free web space provider as the

FTP service may be limiting.

1. Prepare an auto-refresh homepage as the following example. The URL of image is

http://<IP address of the Network Camera>/cgi-bin/video.jpg. Modify the IP address

according to your Network Camera. Define the refresh interval according to your

network bandwidth for best result. If the refresh rate is too fast and there is a large

number of visitors, this may overload the Network Camera and slows the response.

- 25 -

Example of an auto-refresh web page:



<html>

<head>

<title>Example - auto refresh</title>

</head>

<body>

MiniAVServer Demo

</font>

</p>

<!-- Begin of scripts to auto refresh the image. Change the IP address in the

image URL and refreshrate if necessary. //-->

var image="http://192.168.0.203/cgi-bin/video.jpg"; //IMAGE URL

var refreshrate=5; //SECONDS BETWEEN REFRESH

var imgwidth=352; //IMAGE WIDTH

var imgheight=240; //IMAGE HEIGHT

function refresh(){

document.images["pic"].src=image+"?"+new Date();

setTimeout('refresh()', refreshrate*1000);}

document.write('<img src="'+image+'" height="'+imgheight+'"

width="'+imgwidth+'" name="pic">');

if(document.images)window.onload=refresh;

</script>

</p>

</body>

</html>

- 26 -

+ 67 hidden pages