Add a camera: discovery, wizard or stream address

What you can connect

• IP cameras that stream RTSP, found automatically when they support ONVIF.
• Video streams over RTSP or HTTP(S), including the per-camera streams most NVRs and recorders publish.
• USB webcams plugged into the PC.

CrowdSense Desktop is built for live streams. If you want to count from recorded footage, write to support@crowdsense.events with the file type and length, and we will tell you the options.

Option 1: let the app find it

ONVIF cameras on the same network appear in the list of discovered sources on the left of the app.

1. 1

   Find the camera in the list

   If it is missing, check the camera is on the same network as the PC and that ONVIF discovery is switched on in the camera’s own web settings.

2. 2

   Drag it onto the scene panel

   Or double-click it. Enter the camera’s user name and password if asked.

Option 2: the camera wizard

Use the wizard when the camera is not discovered but you know its make.

1. 1

   Open the wizard

   Choose Manual at the bottom of the source list.

2. 2

   Choose the make, model and address

   Pick the model, then type the IP address or scan the network for it. If your exact model is not listed, try another from the same maker: many share one stream format.

3. 3

   Enter the login

   Add the camera’s user name and password if the stream is protected.

4. 4

   Place the new channel

   A new manual channel appears in the source list. Drag it onto the scene panel.

Option 3: paste the stream address

If you already know the stream address, paste it into the URL field. A protected stream carries the login before the address, like this:

rtsp://username:password@192.168.1.64:554/stream1

The path after the address differs by maker. The camera’s manual or web settings list it, and our camera brand directory shows which makers are known to connect.

The two questions after you place a camera

The app then asks what the camera is for, and sets a sensible detection profile from your answers. You can change both later.

• Scenario: people; vehicles and people; faces (age and gender estimates); other (basic movement without classes); or analytics off for a camera you only want to view or record.
• Mounting: overhead (looking straight down, as from a ceiling) or tilted (looking along the scene, as from a wall).

Per-camera settings

Right-click a camera tile and choose its info and settings to change:

• The name shown in reports.
• The stream address and the transport: Auto, TCP, UDP, UDP multicast or HTTP. Changing this fixes many broken or dropping pictures.
• The stream format: leave on Auto unless the camera sends MJPEG.
• Hardware decoding, to hand video decoding to the graphics card.
• The working resolution: lower it (for example to 360p) to save processing.
• Disabled, to pause a camera without deleting it.