A Web based IoT project which transforms a webcam into a IP Camera for surveillance systems using Intel Edison. This project doesn't need any configuration for the IP Address as it automatically detects the system's IP Address and works accordingly. SmartCam demonstrates live video streaming on Intel Edison using Node.js and WebSockets (inspired from the project edi-cam). Ongoing work includes Face Detection, Bar-code Detection, Image Recognition etc. on the video feed coming from the webcam. Furthur work may include Analytics and Complicated Image Processing.
The Node.js server is responsible for:
- Listening for the incoming video stream via HTTP. ffmpeg, a multimedia framework for converting and streaming audio / video, is used to encode the webcam's video to MPEG1.
- Broadcasting the video stream via WebSockets to all connected browsers.
- Serving 'web/client/index.html', which renders the video stream onto a canvas element. [jsmpeg] (https://github.com/phoboslab/jsmpeg), a JavaScript MPEG1 decoder, is used to decode the video stream.
This project was also inspired by [phoboslab] (http://phoboslab.org/log/2013/09/html5-live-video-streaming-via-websockets).
To get started with Edison if you have never set it up before, see this post. The most relevant sections are "Connecting Edison" and "Connect Edison to WiFi". Although the instructions are for the Arduino breakout board, setup is similar for the Mini breakout board: Snap Edison onto the left side of the board, then connect two micro USB cables to the board and to your computer.
The setup assumes that Edison and your computer are on the same Wi-Fi network. This is also the case for additional computers that are used to view the video stream.
With Edison and your computer on the same Wi-Fi network, it is also possible to connect to Edison wirelessly via SSH. This is particularly helpful when running the demo. To do so, open a new terminal window and type the following:
$ ssh [email protected]
[email protected]'s password:
root@myedison:~#
Replace myedison with the name of your Edison. When prompted for your password, use the password you created when configuring Edison. Same can be done in case of Ubilinux OS.
Use a UVC-compatible webcam. In my setup, I am using the Logitech C270 HD Webcam.
External power (7-15 VDC) must be supplied to use Edison as a USB host. Refer to the appropriate item below (based on the board you have) to power and connect a USB device:
- If you have the Arduino breakout board, see this document. Power must be supplied on J1 (the power jack). Plug the webcam into the USB port next to the power jack. Make sure the switch SW1 is switched towards the USB port.
- If you have the Mini breakout board, see this document. Power must be supplied on J21 / J22, e.g. a 9V battery can be connected to J21 with a 2-pin connector. Connect a micro USB to USB OTG adapter to the webcam and plug into the micro USB port closest to J21 (lower right).
Update Packages:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
To install git:
sudo apt-get install git
Then clone this repository using git clone <git repo URL>.
Older versions of the Edison Yocto image do not contain the UVC driver. To check whether or not the UVC driver is installed, type the following:
find /lib/modules/* -name 'uvc'
If the UVC driver is installed, the output should look something like this:
/lib/modules/3.10.17-poky-edison+/kernel/drivers/media/usb/uvc
If nothing is returned, the UVC driver needs to be installed.
To make sure the UVC driver is loaded and the webcam is detected properly, plug in your webcam, then type lsmod | grep uvc:
root@myedison:~# lsmod | grep uvc
uvcvideo 71516 0
videobuf2_vmalloc 13003 1 uvcvideo
videobuf2_core 37707 1 uvcvideo
Also, verify that the video device node has been created by typing ls -l /dev/video0:
root@myedison:~# ls -l /dev/video0
crw-rw---- 1 root video 81, 0 Nov 10 15:57 /dev/video0
To install ffmpeg:
- Navigate to
bin. - Type
./install_ffmpeg.shto run the shell script.
If the download doesn't work, the release link may have changed. Check here, copy the address of the latest release, and replace in the shell script.
- Navigate to
web/server. - Install the Node.js packages by typing
npm install.
- Navigate to
web/server. - Run the server by typing
sudo node SmartCam.js.
The Node.js server should now be running. The console will look something like this:
Starting on System IP: 192.168.8.102
WebSocket server listening on port 9084
HTTP server listening on port 9080
Listening for video stream on port 9082
Stream Connected: 127.0.0.1:52995 size: 640x480
Open a browser window and navigate to http://192.168.8.102:9080, where 192.168.8.102 is the ip of your Edison. You should now see the video stream from your webcam!
On Yocto, 'CTRL+C' can be used to close the node process and ffmpeg.
But on Ubilinux, if using 'CTRL+C' causes issues in restarting the Node Server, then use 'CTRL+Z'. 'CTRL+C' causes issues with closing the WebSocket port for ffmpeg, which requires a reboot of the system in order to use the video stream again. So the steps to close the stream effectively is: ('CTRL+C' event can also be handled from NodeJS for proper killing of PIDs)
'CTRL+Z'
ps alx
kill -9 <pid of sudo node SmartCam.js>
You have effectively closed all the connections, and ready to reconnect hassle-free. In case of using 'Forever' node module, use appropriate commands to terminate the node process.