What is Flussonic Watcher
If you have ideas in your head about how to make a story with many users, many IP cameras and a lot of profit from this, then do not pass by - we will tell about how we help launch mass video surveillance services on our Flussonic Watcher.
ready-made carrier-class software package that provides multi-user access to video and archives from thousands of IP cameras through browsers and mobile devices.
Flussonic Watcher includes:
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We developed Watcher as a response to the requests of our customers, so our new complex will be useful in the following cases:
We will tell you step by step about interesting introduction stories, but for now we’ll tell you about the details of the organization Flussonic Watcher.
Watcher is not a new tool for video transmission: Flussonic video streaming server, which many have already launched their services working with IP cameras, is transmitting video.
Flussonic copes with the task of transporting video and the whole structure of the Watcher is built so that heavy traffic only gets on the server where Flussonic stands. No proxying through balancers is not and is not necessary. And it works like this even for an agent on the cameras, but more on that below.
Of the nice features for local networks: we added Onvif camera search (and six more special protocols) to Flussonic and you can try searching all your cameras.
Watcher has two modes of operation: “I only have to try” and “I have everything serious here”, i.e. plugin mode and service mode.
In the first case, the whole complex from one Watcher and Flussonic work only on one server, the driver himself does not store information about streams in his database and fully trusts this information to the flussonic he works with. The peculiarity of this convenient, although limited, option is that you can correct the flow settings in the flusonic interface and these changes will be immediately visible in the night.
In the second case, there is no video traffic on the server where the driver works, there is only a copy of flusonic (control server) that provides interaction with the cluster of streaming flussonics. In this case, liberties with independent editing of the config on the tape drive will not work: here’s a quick rewrite of all this. But it is possible to automatically migrate cameras from one server to another.
Before we made Watcher, users had to independently develop a website (on top of Flussonic or another video core), which users log in and log in and see the cameras. Development of such a frontend is always expensive and is associated with big problems with the optimization and correct delivery of video from the media server to a browser or mobile application. We have many times made it easier for our customers and made a ready-made end-user solution over Flussonic Media Server.
Watcher is a python web application that is launched by flussonic itself. It can store its data in a sqlite or postgresql database. SQLite in order to make it easier to try, and postgresql in order to be able to work fully, incl. deploy cluster Cluster mode of working with SQLite will not work, it's all the same frankly, a bad idea.
We have tried to implement the necessary set of functions that are needed for modern online video surveillance service. Not only video analytics, but plans to start work with it are at the beginning of the 17th year.
Instantly there is a need to group users and cameras. In general, the task of grouping cameras, users, and access control can be monstrous and have a nightmarishly complex solution.
Those. in a bad version, there may be tree-like user groups, tree-like groups of cameras and some interesting connections between users, cameras, user groups and groups of cameras.
We thought over all this, painted it with a marker on the wall and made the option simpler: cameras, groups and users. A big scary scheme remained on the wall, because it didn’t fit on the whiteboard, and the flight of fantasy could not be stopped, so it would be necessary to go back to the monstrous variant.
A small operator has several thousand users. Hands to drive them from one web interface to another is very interesting, but we are not a bank to mock our customers like that.
We have an integration mechanism with billing, external user bases, etc. and it looks very convenient: a simple IDL from which you can generate CORBA stubs for access via OLE.
Do not worry, everything is much simpler: two addresses in which you can pour CSV with a list of users and a list of cameras.
In some cases, cameras can be stored in operator billing as inventory accounting units and binding to users can also be stored there. Most often, however, we encounter a situation where we are clearly given to understand: carrier billing is so flexible and modifiable that we can only take a balance by login and make a write-off.
For these cases, we are already making our own pricing system and will soon be able to please her.
If you are going to launch a service for people from the street, then of course you will need your logo in the upper left corner.
In Watcher it is possible to change a number of interface elements, so that the whole site looks like yours.
We can even give you the opportunity to add a logo to mobile applications. By the way, about mobile applications: we made them too and laid out.
We uploaded mobile apps for Android and iOS under the name peeklio (this is the code name of our hosting for IP cameras). You can use them with your own Watcher installation.
They are made using React Native (such a JavaScript, but without a web browser), so that we can share an exciting experience with this technology.
View video from cameras, access to the archive, favorites, etc. - it is already there and can be used.
However, for complete happiness and completeness of OTT service, there is not enough cherry on the cake: the ability to hang the camera on the wall, turn on and immediately see the video on the mobile phone. We also thought about this and made an agent for installation on the camera.
And we have a solution for this problem. We wrote and learned to pour the agent on the camera. This agent goes online, connects to your Watcher and then connects directly to Flussonic.
Our way to take video from the camera is better than OpenVPN, because it does not create any virtual interfaces, it does not require doubling the iron park. Our agent is very small: 200 kilobytes, so it will fit on any camera with Linux, can encrypt video, and at the same time
great improves the quality of delivery: where on OpenVPN the picture will crumble, everything will be better with our agent.
In the next articles we will try to tell you about what we have invented the processes of camera preparation, what can be the procedures for selling these cameras, taking them into account.
We will also share our plans for the future and we will welcome any feedback. You can try Flussonic Watcher today, by taking our trial: http://erlyvideo.ru/watcher
Flussonic Watcher is:
ready-made carrier-class software package that provides multi-user access to video and archives from thousands of IP cameras through browsers and mobile devices.
Flussonic Watcher includes:
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- video streaming core - Flussonic server;
- a web portal that provides administrators and users with access to cameras and video archives without the use of plug-ins;
- mobile applications;
- an agent on the camera to access it because of NAT without port forwarding, Miraya and SMS;
- system of integration with external billing systems, authorization servers;
- a set of ready-made business processes and technical regulations for the preparation and sale of cameras for client video surveillance.
Why do you need a watcher?
We developed Watcher as a response to the requests of our customers, so our new complex will be useful in the following cases:
- creation of subscriber service of video surveillance on the basis of the Internet provider or OTT, i.e. without base;
- solutions for municipal chambers: safe region, city, village, etc .;
- creation of a service for online access to cameras for customers of the camera manufacturer;
- Intracorporate remote access to surveillance cameras with the ability to access a wide range of people;
- audio-video recording of technological processes in production.
We will tell you step by step about interesting introduction stories, but for now we’ll tell you about the details of the organization Flussonic Watcher.
Flussonic inside
Watcher is not a new tool for video transmission: Flussonic video streaming server, which many have already launched their services working with IP cameras, is transmitting video.
Flussonic copes with the task of transporting video and the whole structure of the Watcher is built so that heavy traffic only gets on the server where Flussonic stands. No proxying through balancers is not and is not necessary. And it works like this even for an agent on the cameras, but more on that below.
Of the nice features for local networks: we added Onvif camera search (and six more special protocols) to Flussonic and you can try searching all your cameras.
Watcher has two modes of operation: “I only have to try” and “I have everything serious here”, i.e. plugin mode and service mode.
In the first case, the whole complex from one Watcher and Flussonic work only on one server, the driver himself does not store information about streams in his database and fully trusts this information to the flussonic he works with. The peculiarity of this convenient, although limited, option is that you can correct the flow settings in the flusonic interface and these changes will be immediately visible in the night.
In the second case, there is no video traffic on the server where the driver works, there is only a copy of flusonic (control server) that provides interaction with the cluster of streaming flussonics. In this case, liberties with independent editing of the config on the tape drive will not work: here’s a quick rewrite of all this. But it is possible to automatically migrate cameras from one server to another.
Users in Watcher
Before we made Watcher, users had to independently develop a website (on top of Flussonic or another video core), which users log in and log in and see the cameras. Development of such a frontend is always expensive and is associated with big problems with the optimization and correct delivery of video from the media server to a browser or mobile application. We have many times made it easier for our customers and made a ready-made end-user solution over Flussonic Media Server.
Watcher is a python web application that is launched by flussonic itself. It can store its data in a sqlite or postgresql database. SQLite in order to make it easier to try, and postgresql in order to be able to work fully, incl. deploy cluster Cluster mode of working with SQLite will not work, it's all the same frankly, a bad idea.
We have tried to implement the necessary set of functions that are needed for modern online video surveillance service. Not only video analytics, but plans to start work with it are at the beginning of the 17th year.
Group of users
Instantly there is a need to group users and cameras. In general, the task of grouping cameras, users, and access control can be monstrous and have a nightmarishly complex solution.
Those. in a bad version, there may be tree-like user groups, tree-like groups of cameras and some interesting connections between users, cameras, user groups and groups of cameras.
We thought over all this, painted it with a marker on the wall and made the option simpler: cameras, groups and users. A big scary scheme remained on the wall, because it didn’t fit on the whiteboard, and the flight of fantasy could not be stopped, so it would be necessary to go back to the monstrous variant.
Integration
A small operator has several thousand users. Hands to drive them from one web interface to another is very interesting, but we are not a bank to mock our customers like that.
We have an integration mechanism with billing, external user bases, etc. and it looks very convenient: a simple IDL from which you can generate CORBA stubs for access via OLE.
Do not worry, everything is much simpler: two addresses in which you can pour CSV with a list of users and a list of cameras.
In some cases, cameras can be stored in operator billing as inventory accounting units and binding to users can also be stored there. Most often, however, we encounter a situation where we are clearly given to understand: carrier billing is so flexible and modifiable that we can only take a balance by login and make a write-off.
For these cases, we are already making our own pricing system and will soon be able to please her.
Branding
If you are going to launch a service for people from the street, then of course you will need your logo in the upper left corner.
In Watcher it is possible to change a number of interface elements, so that the whole site looks like yours.
We can even give you the opportunity to add a logo to mobile applications. By the way, about mobile applications: we made them too and laid out.
Mobile applications
We uploaded mobile apps for Android and iOS under the name peeklio (this is the code name of our hosting for IP cameras). You can use them with your own Watcher installation.
They are made using React Native (such a JavaScript, but without a web browser), so that we can share an exciting experience with this technology.
View video from cameras, access to the archive, favorites, etc. - it is already there and can be used.
However, for complete happiness and completeness of OTT service, there is not enough cherry on the cake: the ability to hang the camera on the wall, turn on and immediately see the video on the mobile phone. We also thought about this and made an agent for installation on the camera.
Agent on camera
And we have a solution for this problem. We wrote and learned to pour the agent on the camera. This agent goes online, connects to your Watcher and then connects directly to Flussonic.
Our way to take video from the camera is better than OpenVPN, because it does not create any virtual interfaces, it does not require doubling the iron park. Our agent is very small: 200 kilobytes, so it will fit on any camera with Linux, can encrypt video, and at the same time
great improves the quality of delivery: where on OpenVPN the picture will crumble, everything will be better with our agent.
Banquet Continuation
In the next articles we will try to tell you about what we have invented the processes of camera preparation, what can be the procedures for selling these cameras, taking them into account.
We will also share our plans for the future and we will welcome any feedback. You can try Flussonic Watcher today, by taking our trial: http://erlyvideo.ru/watcher
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/316360/
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