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Topics - Stefan

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31
Some Mac OS X 10.7 Lion users with certain Logitech webcams have been experiencing audio cutting out shortly after zooming in with iCam, and the latest BETA version (2.3.3) should remedy the issue.

For some reason the audio compression code we use generates slightly different audio data in Lion than it does in Snow Leopard, causing issues with playback in iCam. We have made adjustments to the audio compression code to handle the difference, and it does fix the issue in our testing.

The new version can be downloaded from the iCam Support page or form the link below:

Mac - http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource2.3.3.dmg

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks! :)

32
Beta Testing / iCamSource 2.3.2 BETA - Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Improvements
« on: August 19, 2011, 11:19:57 AM »
Some Mac OS X 10.7 Lion users with certain ATI graphics card / network IP camera / motion detection combinations have been experiencing random crashes with the iCamSource, and the latest BETA version (2.3.2) seems to remedy the issue.

It seems that Lion now enables graphics hardware acceleration by default, and certain graphics card drivers were having sporadic issues with some of the images being received by a few different network IP cameras. We have made adjustments to the image processing code to use different function calls that appear to fix the issue.

The previous code was written specifically to be backwards-compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, so now the iCamSource uses this "new" image processing code whenever a user is running Mac OS X 10.5 or later. (This new BETA is still compatible with Tiger.)

The new version can be downloaded from the iCam Support page or form the link below:

Mac - http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource2.3.2.dmg

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks! :)

33
Beta Testing / iCamSource 2.3.1 BETA - ipCam Support
« on: June 23, 2011, 12:53:36 PM »
We currently have a new BETA version of the iCamSource available for download that includes support for our latest iOS application that lets you turn your camera-enabled iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad into a mobile Wi-Fi network IP camera: http://skjm.com/ipcam/

The new version can be downloaded from the iCam Support page or form the links below:

Windows - http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSetup2.3.1.exe
Mac - http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource2.3.1.dmg

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks! :)

34
ipCam Support / Welcome to the ipCam Support Discussion Forum!
« on: June 23, 2011, 12:48:17 PM »
Please post any questions or comments you might have about the ipCam application in this forum.

Thanks! :)

35
Beta Testing / iCamSource 2.3 BETA - Motion Detection Zones
« on: May 25, 2011, 12:24:12 PM »
We currently have a new BETA version of the iCamSource available for download that includes the following additions / changes:

- Addition of Motion Detection Zones to the Motion Detection tab to allow users to "mask out" or ignore portions of the camera's view (like trees blowing in the wind or an oscillating fan) when detecting motion.
- Improved Auto-Config Router status messages.

The new version can be downloaded here:

Windows - http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSetup2.3.exe
Mac - http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource2.3.0.1.dmg

Please let us know how things go! :)

36
If you are experiencing slow / jerky frame rates from your IP cameras when they are connected to with the iCamSource then version 2.2.3 (linked below) may fix the issue for you:

Mac Version : http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource2.2.3.dmg
Windows Version : http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSetup2.2.3.exe

We believe it has to do with some AirLink and TrendNet cameras that do not support audio, but the iCamSource is still trying to make the audio connection to the camera. If you are experiencing this problem and version 2.2.3 fixes it for you please let us know so that we can link to it on the main support page.

Thanks! :)

37
This past month we have received a handful of reports from long-time iCam users who are suddenly having problems connecting via AT&T's 3G network. In troubleshooting one user's issue, we discovered that my iPhone was able to connect via AT&T 3G to their iCamSource, but Jay's was not.

In looking through the iCam Broker Server logs we were able to see that Jay's iPhone was connecting to AT&T's 3G network in a way that was much more "complex" than mine. Since iCam's zero-config connection logic depends how complex the iCam and iCamSource networks are to function correctly, a significant change in the complexity of AT&T's 3G network is going to have an effect for some users where things used to "just work" without any additional configuration.

This was also an issue back when iPhone OS 3.0 came out ... AT&T's 3G network was pretty basic with iPhone OS 2.x, but with iPhone OS 3.0 the connections became more complex, causing connectivity issues for some users. Now it looks like AT&T's 3G network is starting to transition to an even more complex network structure, and they may be rolling it out in different markets around the country.

The only difference between Jay's iPhone and my own (at least as far as we can tell) is where they are physically located: Mine is in Central Arizona, and Jay's is in Southern California.

One way to determine whether your iPhone is connecting via the "older, moderately complex method" versus the "newer, extremely complex method" is to visit http://whatismyipaddress.com/ in Mobile Safari from your iPhone when it is connected via 3G. If the reported IP address starts with "166" then it is most likely the "moderate" network. If your IP address starts with "198" then it is most likely the "extreme" network.

In our testing we were able to replicate the situation where my iPhone could connect to a test iCamSource via 3G where Jay's could not, and the only thing that we needed to change was to tick the "Auto-Config Router" checkbox in the iCamSource, so depending on your router you may have to enable UPnP or manually forward a range of ports to get things working again if your phone starts connecting via the "extreme" method. Luckily the iCam "zero-config" connection logic does still work with some routers (like the newer Apple AirPorts) even when the iPhone is connecting via the "extreme" method, so your mileage may vary.

The reason for this forum post is to 1) Notify our users of a potential change to AT&T's network that may effect iCam's ability to connect without any additional configuration, and 2) To try and determine the scope of the change. Since this appears to be an AT&T-specific issue, Verizon and other carriers around the world probably will not be effected. It's really too early to say at this point, but if you are on AT&T in the US and would like to help us gather more information, we would greatly appreciate it. If you could reply to this post (or e-mail us at support@skjm.com) with:

1) Whether your external 3G IP address as reported by http://whatismyipaddress.com/ starts with "166" or "198"
2) Where your general geographic location is in the United States (City & State)

We may have more questions as we go along, but for now that's a good starting point.

Thanks! :)

UPDATE : We now have confirmed reports that even some 166.x.x.x IP addresses are also part of an "extreme" network. (These networks are in California and Florida.) I continue to see a 166.x.x.x IP here in Arizona that is still "moderate" as we continue to monitor this situation.

UPDATE #2 : I am now seeing "extreme" network 166.x.x.x IP addresses here in Arizona, so it looks like AT&T is continuing its roll-out to different parts of the country.

38
iCam Support / iCamSource 2.2.2 Released
« on: March 29, 2011, 01:27:26 PM »
This release includes the following changes:

  • Fixed a bug related to using multiple iCam Login / Password combinations on the same iCamSource.
  • Preliminary audio support for select AirLink101 network IP cameras. (More Info)
  • The Windows version also includes stability improvements that should better handle duplicate entries in the Cameras list.

Please let us know if you have any questions or issues with the latest version.

Thanks! :)

39
UPDATE : This functionality will also be included in the next release version (2.2.2) of the iCamSource
UPDATE #2: An iCam user has confirmed that audio also streams from his TRENDnet TV-IP422W camera, so other TRENDnet cameras may also be compatible.
UPDATE #3: Audio is also now supported on select Foscam network IP cameras: http://skjm.com/forum/index.php?topic=3932.0


iCamSource 2.2.1.1 BETA includes preliminary audio support for the following network IP cameras (basically the ones that we own):

AirLink101 SkyIPCam500
AirLink101 SkyIPCam500W
AirLink101 SkyIPCam747W

Other AirLink101 cameras may also be compatible, but those listed above are the only ones we have tested. Additionally, any re-branded incarnations of the above cameras should also work, in theory.

If you are using either of the http://x.x.x.x/cgi/mjpg/mjpeg.cgi or http://x.x.x.x/cgi/mjpg/mjpg.cgi MJPEG URLs to connect to your camera the iCamSource will also attempt to stream audio from it using the following URL: http://x.x.x.x/cgi/audio/audio.cgi?type=PCM

(That is the URL that is used by the AirLink101 ActiveX control to stream 8-bit PCM audio in Internet Explorer.)

Since it is raw PCM and not MP3 or AAC, the audio coming from the camera is not that great, but I suppose it is better than nothing.

Unlike the list of JPEG/MJPEG URLs, we have been unable to find online resources having to do with the various audio formats and URLs for all of the makes and models of cameras out there. We may be adding additional support for other network IP cameras in the future, but for now our priority is adding notifications and motion event viewing to the Android version of iCam.

Here are the download links:

Mac - http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource2.2.1.1.dmg
Windows - http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource2.2.1.1.zip - NOTE: This is just the executable, not an installer. Extract the zip into your C:\Program Files\iCamSource folder and run the iCamSource2.2.1.1.exe file to try out the BETA.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. :)

40
Beta Testing / iCam 2.0 BETA
« on: August 11, 2010, 12:26:04 PM »
UPDATE - The iCam 2.0 BETA test is now CLOSED. iCam 2.0 has been submitted to Apple for review. Thanks again to all of our testers! :)

What's new in iCam 2.0:

- Native interface support for the iPad.
- Connect to up to 12 (iPhone) or 16 (iPad) webcams at a time.
- Displays the iCamSource description in the thumbnail view.
- Support for both landscape orientations.
- Universal binary to run on iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads.

If you want to test the latest version of iCam, please send us an e-mail at support@skjm.com with a list of your devices (iPhones / iPod touches / iPads) that you want to test it on, along with each device's UDID.

Also, if you are planning on connecting to more than 4 webcams / network IP cameras at a time, please let us know.

iCam 2.0 is backwards compatible with the pre-2.0 versions of the iCamSource, but to experience the full iPad image resolutions you will need to be running the iCamSource 2.0 BETA or later. (We should have a Windows version of that available next week.)

We will be contacting the accepted iCam 2.0 BETA testers via e-mail sometime next week when the testing starts and the download becomes available.

Thanks! :)

EDIT - The Windows version (2.0 BETA) of iCamSource is now available at this thread: iCamSource 2.0 BETA

41
Beta Testing / iCamSource 2.0 BETA
« on: July 05, 2010, 12:53:07 PM »
The next major version of the iCamSource is now available: iCamSource 2.0 BETA

Major new features include:

- The ability to connect to multiple (up to 16) webcams or IP cameras from a single instance of the iCamSource. (No more making copies of the application or writing batch files if you have more than one camera.)
- The ability to adjust the compression of the video stream to favor better-quality video or a higher frame-rate.
- The ability to reduce the frequency that the motion detection processing is performed or even completely disable it to reduce the overall CPU usage on older hardware.
- The ability to schedule when the recording of motion events and the sending of push notifications are enabled.
- Router auto-configuration that allows most UPnP or NAT-PMP enabled routers to automatically forward the necessary ports when needed.

The Mac OS X version (10.4.11 or later) can be downloaded here: http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource2.0.dmg

The Windows version can be downloaded here: http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSetup2.0.exe

Please reply to this forum post if you have any issues or discover anything that isn't working as expected. We had to re-arrange a lot of the underlying structure to support multiple cameras within the iCamSource, so hopefully we were able to do so without introducing any new issues. :)

EDIT - The latest version (2.0.1 BETA) includes some minor bug fixes: http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource2.0.1.dmg
EDIT #2 - The latest version (2.0.2 BETA) includes some additional bug fixes: http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource2.0.2.dmg
EDIT #3 - The latest version (2.0.3 BETA) includes some additional bug fixes: http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource2.0.3.dmg
EDIT #4 -  The Windows version (2.0 BETA) is now available: http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSetup2.0.exe
EDIT #5 - This BETA testing round has ended with the release of version 2.1 of the iCamSource. Many thanks to all of the BETA testers. :)

42
iCam Support / USB Webcam / WiFi Network IP Camera Recommendations
« on: June 01, 2010, 12:59:26 PM »
We are often asked what webcams or WiFi cameras we recommend people use with iCam and the iCamSource.

iCam and the iCamSource are compatible with USB, FireWire, and Built-In webcams in addition to network IP cameras that support JPEG or MJPEG (Motion-JPEG) video streaming.

USB, FireWire & Built-In Webcams

We currently use the Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 in both Windows and Mac OS X. (Yes, it does work in Mac OS X even though it does claim to only support Windows.)

Any USB, FireWire, or Built-In webcam that is compatible with your computer's operating system should also be compatible with the iCamSource.

Ethernet & WiFi Network IP Cameras

We currently use and/or recommend the following network IP cameras:

Ethernet Only
AirLink101 SkyIPCam500

Ethernet & WiFi
Linksys WVC54GCA
Linksys WVC80N
AirLink101 SkyIPCam500W
AirLink101 SkyIPCam747W
AirLink101 SkyIPCam1500W
AirLink101 SkyIPCam1747W

All of the above network IP cameras claim that they only support Windows (no Mac OS X) but they do indeed work with Macs. (That is what we use them with.) The problem is that they do require Windows to do the initial setup to get them connected to your network. We have now developed a utility which can do the initial setup for the AirLink cameras (and others) from a Mac or iOS device: http://skjm.com/ipcamconfig/ Once they are on your network, you can access them with a Mac.

There may be IP cameras that can be setup without Windows, but we haven't personally used or come across any. There are online guides to setting up various "Windows-only" cameras on a Mac, but they are more cumbersome than if you had a Windows machine available, or Windows running in Parallels or VMWare Fusion on your Mac:

http://xmetal.me/index.php?id=15
http://www.networkwebcams.com/ip-camera-learning-center/2008/05/15/howto-set-up-an-axis-ip-camera-using-a-mac/
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1VTEFEEWY0OCI/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm



If you are interested in a Pan-Tilt webcam or network IP camera that you can control with iCam, we discuss those here: http://skjm.com/forum/index.php?topic=3162.0



UPDATE - We have also been using the two WiFi Foscam models listed below for a while and they work just as well as the AirLink cameras, in our experience.

Foscam FI890W
Foscam FI891W

Also, for our Mac users, Foscam cameras do include a Mac installation utility. :)

43
iCam Support / iCam 1.3.1 is Now Available in the App Store!
« on: March 22, 2010, 05:00:39 PM »
We are pleased to announce that iCam 1.3.1 is now available for download in the App Store!

What's New in This Version:

- Improved "zero-config" connection logic.
- Optionally display an iCamSource's description, date, and time stamp when zoomed in.
- Added the ability to Delete All Motion Events.
- Push on Motion is now included standard at no additional charge.
- Minor bug fixes and improvements.

If for some reason after you update both iCam and the iCamSource (to version 1.4.2) and you are suddenly unable to connect, let us know, and then try reverting back to the previous version of the iCamSource:

http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource1.4.dmg - Mac OS X
http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSetup1.4.1.exe - Windows

We had a number of beta users test out the new connection logic before releasing it, but you can never test all possible configurations before releasing a product. If you let us know at support@skjm.com that the new version is not working for you we can determine what the issue is and hopefully get you back on track with the latest and greatest.  ;)

Thanks!  :)

44
Here is a link that goes through the steps of installing the Ad Hoc Distribution iCam Beta builds onto your beta testing iPhone and iPod touch devices:

http://www.mobdis.com/technical/iphone/installing-an-ad-hoc-distribution/

Some other links that go through the same steps:

http://www.innerfence.com/howto/install-iphone-application-ad-hoc-distribution
http://forum.voxilla.com/rf-support-forum/install-ad-hoc-distribution-iphone-ipod-touch-application-33448.html

Once we have received everyone's UDID we will make the mobile provisioning file as well as the iCam and iCamSource beta downloads available.

If anyone has any problems installing the beta builds of iCam onto their devices, you can either contact us directly or reply in this thread to this forum post.

45
Beta Testing / WANTED : iCam Beta Testers
« on: March 03, 2010, 11:57:12 AM »
UPDATE - iCam BETA testing is COMPLETE. Thanks again to all of our testers!

We are finishing up work on the next version of iCam that contains a major overhaul of the "zero-config" connection logic that allows iCam to connect from both WiFi and 3G without having to open ports in your firewall or forward ports in your router. The current versions of iCam and the iCamSource "just work" for about 90-95% of our users, and we are hoping that this new version will get that number up to somewhere around 99%.

Now, you may be asking yourself: "Why do a major overhaul just to get achieve a 5-10% increase?"

Well, the issue is pretty simple: Support E-mails :)

Since iCam doesn't "just work" for about 10% of our users, every day we need to respond to support e-mails from those users, directing them through the port forwarding process. Answering support e-mails is time-consuming, and takes away from the time that could be spent developing new features. There have even been times when we've had such a large bump in sales (due to some favorable blog posts) that all we've been able to do some days is answer support e-mails. If we can reduce the support e-mail load to a fraction of what it currently is, then everyone will benefit.

One potential problem of doing a "major overhaul" is that we are unable to test the new logic on all of the networks (and in all of the countries) that are connected to the Internet.

This is where you come in.  :)

We are looking for users from all over the world to help us fine-tune this new release, so if you would like to help, please send us an e-mail with answers to the following questions:

* Country?
* Mobile Provider?
* iCamSource's Internet Connection? (Cable, DSL, etc.)
* Are you already forwarding ports in your router to connect via 3G? If so, what is your router's make and model?

If your country / provider / internet connection / port forwarding combination has not been tested yet, you will also be asked to provide your iPhone or iPod touch's UDID (http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/08/iphone-101-find-udid-with-a-single-click/) so that we can make the beta builds of iCam. We are limited to the number of UDIDs we can use each year as beta test devices, so we are going to try to have as many different test combinations as possible.

Thanks! :)

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