iCam / IP Cam

[j4rbo]

Ok, I'm a little frustrated. I came across the iCam app for iPad and iPhone and thought this looks handy to have a bit of security around the house. So I bought the app on the iPad and then bought a wireless IP Cam from eBay. I have it working but only with IP cam URL from a laptop. I cannot get this to work with/through iCam Source options. However I've followed the instructions regarding Port Forwarding etc on my Virgin Media Netgear wireless router. It does state that the UDP Port 12000 is blocked, how do I get this to unblock and is this why I'm having problems getting the iCam Source to work?

Also, once setup, do I need a computer running at all times if I only wanted to view via iPhone and or iPad?

Any help appreciated please, thank you.

[OUAnthony]

The easiest thing to do would be to enable uPNP in your router and check the "auto config router" box in icamsource...then reboot everything for good measure. Icamsource should report any uPNP success/error messages.

To view your camera in iCam 24/7, you will need to have a computer on 24/7 (running icamsource of course).

[j4rbo]

So if I wish to view the camera using either the iPhone or iPad out of the house, I would still need the computer on for this feature to work!?!?

[OUAnthony]

If you want to use iCam, yes...unfortunately. Icamsource.exe actually analyzes the images for motion (by comparing images on a pixel-by-pixel basis to look for significant pixel changes) and resizes the images to 640 x 480 (due to Apple limitations on streaming the images). While most IP cameras do have a motion detection feature built in, they all work differently...so imagine how incredibly difficult it would be to write (and keep up-to-date) an app that could take advantage of the built-in motion detection. It would also rule out the possibility of using USB webcams. Additionally, many cameras now have a resolution greater than 640 x 480...so I would assume that Apple's limitations would result in a lower framerate for even higher resolutions.

There are too many limitations that would prevent them from having a dedicated server that would take care of icamsource's job for you (incredible bandwidth costs for them, the need for you to have a very good upload rate through your ISP, the unpredictable nature of the Internet and transmission speeds, the processing power required for motion detection/image resizing for each IP camera, etc.

Once you come to terms with keeping your computer on 24/7, you can make the most of it. For example, I use my computer to do the following:

1) DVR (using Hauppauge DCR-2650) for Verizon FIOS (eliminates the need to rent a DVR from them)
2) Home Theater PC (HTPC) - Hooked up to the DV through a HDMI cable...playback recorded shows on the TV, acts as a DVD/Blue-Ray player (no need to buy a separate one now), stores music, pictures, and other files for listening/viewing on any device throughout the house
3) Video security system - iCam monitoring 5 IP cameras throughout the house with Dropbox backing up the images offsite for free in case the computer is stolen
4) Coming soon - Home automation control...control lighting and various other things throughout the house through X10 or similar technology from anywhere in the world
5) Remote PC - When away from home, I can connect to/control my computer. If I need to do something on a computer that my phone can't do, no problem...just connect remotely to the computer and take care of it. It has come in handy numerous times. You can also restart icamsource or even the computer if you're having issues. Heck, I can even turn the computer on from anywhere in the world (if it's turned off for some reason).

Anyway, I know it kinda sucks...but if you take full advantage of it, you can get a lot more out of it (and maybe save some money in other areas).