Author Topic: Multiple icams  (Read 3366 times)

aen333

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 70
    • View Profile
Multiple icams
« on: October 25, 2009, 04:26:37 PM »
i have an old Toshiba (like over 5 yrs) running xp and i have it monitoring my driveway on my 3rd floor.  It is connected to wireless from the 1st floor and it says low but it works well.  I would like to connect another camera.  It only has one usb port and i was wondering if getting a usb hub to attach a second camera would be a good idea or not.  Does a hub significantly slow it down and will running 2 icams on this computer slow down the video speed, this is all i am running on the computer.  Oh and also when will auto image capture be available?  I set up the camera to get a good view of incoming cars and the other would get the licence plates, it would be really nice to have a database of all incoming and outgoing cars, being that i live on a farm with a quarter mile driveway where people are constantly coming and going. 

Jay

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1096
    • View Profile
Re: Multiple icams
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2009, 03:44:01 PM »
We have heard reports of connectivity issues with USB hub and USB extenders, but I think that only happens if there are hardware issues with that particular hub or extender.  I've personally used iCam with multiple cameras on a USB hub without any problems. 

The performance of multiple iCamSources running on one computer will depend on the specs of the computer.  If it's an older computer it may have trouble with multiple instances of iCamSource.

We're currently looking into recording/snapshot functionality.  I can't really give a timeframe, but it is near the top of our priority list.

aen333

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 70
    • View Profile
Re: Multiple icams
« Reply #2 on: October 31, 2009, 01:14:48 PM »
I got a cheap usb hub (sharper image 7$) and i am unable to use the second camera because of band width, apparently both cameras need 70%, would a stronger wireless modem help with that, it is on the 3rd floor with 2 only of 5 bars.

Jay

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1096
    • View Profile
Re: Multiple icams
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2009, 03:40:57 PM »
Both cameras are USB cameras, is that right?  Does the video for both cameras show up in the iCamSource windows correctly?

I'm not sure what you mean when you say both cameras need 70%.  How much bandwidth are the two instances of iCamSource using?  What are the symptoms of the problem you're experiencing?  Are there any error messages on the computer or the iPod?

Since I don't have a good understanding of what problem you are experiencing, I'm not sure if a different wireless router would be any help.  If you think the strength of the wireless signal is causing the problem, you can always check by moving the wireless devices (computer or iPod) closer to the wireless router.  If everything behaves better in that situation, then the wireless signal strength might be the cause of your problem.