Video surveillance is easy

Video surveillance systems have appeared long ago and are designed to view and / or record events occurring in a certain area. With the development of computers and networks, it became possible to make surveillance systems “smart” - such that they can detect movement and report it in a certain way. The quality of the recorded video has also increased due to the advent of new cameras and increased bandwidth of the channel through which the video is transmitted. There are opportunities for archiving, automatic backup and quick viewing of previously recorded video.

But the main thing in the video surveillance system is the camera. It can be presented with various requirements depending on the task. In some cases, high recording quality and good optics are necessary - for example, when the camera cannot be placed close to the object of observation, and recording has to be carried out from afar. Sometimes you need protection from weather conditions and physical impact, but when shooting indoors, you can do without it. There are also controlled cameras (PTZ function, from the words Pan-Tilt-Zoom: pan, tilt, zoom). And there are situations when all these functions are not needed, and the main task is simply to fix what is happening in the room where the monitoring is being conducted.

A separate class of video cameras is IP cameras, or network cameras. Their main feature is that it is a stand-alone network device that you can connect to from any computer on the network to watch video. In this case, recording can be carried out on a computer, network drive or server with the appropriate software. The ZAVIO F1100 IP camera is an entry-level video camera for video surveillance in the home or small office. Its main features are small dimensions, the possibility of mounting on a wall and a minimum of difficulties in setting up. The body of the camera itself is rectangular, with dimensions of 63 * 77 * 33 mm. Almost the entire camera is black, with the exception of the front face of white. On this side is the camera lens, as well as an LED indicating its status. When you start the camera, it glows in red, and when working, it glows in blue, but you can turn it off if you wish. On the back side are a power connector (5 volts DC), an RJ-45 port, a standard thread for a tripod, and a reset button to reset the camera. The delivery set, in addition to the camera itself, also includes a tripod stand for it, a power adapter and disks with instructions and software. The ZAVIO F1100 camera belongs to the compact class by the manufacturer, which usually means low cost and dimensions, but at the same time average recording quality. The hero we are testing, or rather the heroine, is a pleasant exception to this “ordinary” rule, as it is equipped with a megapixel matrix that allows you to record video with a resolution of up to 1280 * 720 pixels, which corresponds to the 720p format. The only caveat can be considered that it works in such a high resolution only at a frequency of 10 frames per second. This, in fact, is the mentioned retribution for compactness and budget. In addition to 720p mode, it is possible to record video with a resolution of up to 640 * 480 and a frequency of up to 30 frames per second. The camera is equipped with a single-channel omnidirectional microphone that allows you to record audio. Recording is performed with MJPEG compression, the main feature of which is that each frame is compressed separately by the JPEG algorithm, and the difference between frames is not taken into account. This allows you to get high-quality still images (since each frame is actually a separate photo), but it increases the volume of the video file. For example, one hour of video recording of this camera with a resolution of 640 * 480 and a frequency of 30 frames per second "weighs" from one to seven hundred megabytes. In practice, daily recording by a camera installed in a living room takes about ten gigabytes.


Figure 2 - freeze frame, resolution 640 * 480


Figure 3 - freeze frame, resolution 1280 * 720

Since the camera is networked, you can control it via the web interface - just enter the IP address of the camera (by default, it can be obtained through DHCP) and enter the username and password. After that, in the browser window opens viewing the video from the camera in real time.

Via the web interface, you can also view information about the camera - model, firmware version and network address. You can also configure access rights to the camera - you can create several users with different access levels. This is “Viewer”, which has the right only to watch video from the camera, “Operator” with the right also to change the position of the camera and view information about it, and “Administrator”, which completely controls the camera. In addition, you can enable / disable anonymous (without authorization) video viewing. Network settings are also configured here - choosing between DHCP and static IP, changing the web interface port, setting PPPoE and DDNS, as well as UserID to access the EZvuu service. It should also be noted that it is not recommended to use DHCP for the IP camera - the camera must be accessible at the same address. In that case,

The next menu item contains image properties settings - brightness, contrast, color saturation, sharpness and white balance. Video setup is also available - here you can configure the video resolution (available options are 1280 * 720, 640 * 480, 320 * 240, 160 * 120), frame rate (1, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 30 frames per second; for resolution 1280x720 the maximum number is 10, for all other resolutions all options are available). In addition, you can choose the frequency of artificial lighting - 50 or 60 Hz. Correctly set the frequency of lighting will prevent flickering images. Next - the settings of the camera itself - the network name, the color design of the web interface and the on / off LED under the camera lens. There is also the ability to turn on the software motion detector - here you can configure the sensitivity of motion detection, area,

In addition, system settings are available - rebooting, resetting, backing up and restoring all settings, as well as flashing and installing language packs. I note that updating to the latest firmware version (dated September 4 of this year) did not cause any difficulties. The next item is setting the date and time, synchronizing with the NTP server the exact time, as well as choosing the time zone. A separate choice of the language of the web interface was made - 8 different languages ​​are available, including Russian.

Watching videos is possible not only through the web interface. To view the video and record on the video stream on the PC there is a special program for Windows - Zavio CamGraba. This program comes free with every ZAVIO camera and has extensive functionality sufficient to use the computer as a DVR and video surveillance terminal. Consider the features of this program.


Figure 4 - CamGraba program interface

The main function is to watch video from one or several cameras at the same time, the maximum number of cameras is 32. In this case, various options for splitting the screen are possible: “picture” from one camera to full screen; four, nine or sixteen “pictures” of the same size; one or two large "pictures" and around them a different number of small ones. At the same time, by clicking on one of the “pictures”, you can enlarge it to full screen, and then return to the previous viewing option in the same way.

Camera control is available if it supports the PTZ function (Pan, Tilt, Zoom - pan, tilt, zoom) to change the area being monitored.

It is possible to view previously recorded video - you can select any moment using the preview function, and then start playing from it. You can also change the number of video streams displayed on the screen and change the playback speed. There is also the opportunity to change the scale, zooming in on any part of the frame.

Set up video recording. You can set the start and end time of the recording, the days of the week on which it will be kept (each day of the week has its own schedule), and also add holidays for which a separate recording schedule will be set. Also, recording can only be carried out when motion is detected, while the detection sensitivity is set by the user.

Program settings. Here you can add or remove a camera, as well as configure a connection to it (IP address, username and password). There is also the opportunity to change the settings of the camera itself - the resolution and frame rate of the video, as well as image settings. You can select the data that will be superimposed on the video stream - the date, time, name and camera number, as well as the video bitrate. In the main parameters section, the program is automatically launched when the computer is turned on, the storage location of the recorded video, automatic cleaning by time or exhaustion of free space on the disk, as well as audio playback from one of the cameras. There are PTZ settings: the speed of rotation or scaling of the camera, as well as the choice of the point to which it will return after the termination of control after a user-specified time.

Setting access rights to the program. Here user accounts are created, which may have different rights to work with the program, as well as the right to connect to specific cameras or control PTZ functions on them.

Together with so many features, the program interface is simple and intuitive. In addition, the entire program has been translated into Russian. Thanks to this application, you can turn a computer into a full-fledged video surveillance station.

There is a program for Android devices designed to connect to a PC on which the Zavio CamGraba application is installed.

But not only a computer can be used to store records. Synology NAS can also be used for the same purpose. The recently released operating system update, DiskStation Manager 4.1, also brought with it an update to Surveillance Station to version six, which added even more features. In addition, Zavio IP cameras are officially compatible with Synology drives.

Installing a proprietary Surveillance Station application on Synology is straightforward. It is enough to open the Package Center in the drive’s web interface, select Surveillance Station from the list of available ones and install it. After installation, the application shortcut will appear on the desktop of the drive’s web interface. The application itself opens in a new browser window. There are three main sections: “Real-time video” allows you to view the stream from one or several cameras, “Timeline” is intended for viewing previously recorded video, and in the “Management” section all application settings are collected.

Section "Management". It starts working with the application.


Figure 5 - Add Camera

In the “Camera” subsection, we add a new ZAVIO camera by selecting its model from the list and specifying its IP address, username and password. However, it should be noted that to connect the second and subsequent cameras you need to buy a license - by default, NAS will allow you to connect only one camera at a time. If multiple cameras are connected to the same drive, they can be grouped to make them easier to manage. In addition, each camera can configure the video recording format and frame rate for recording, as well as the size and duration of each video file allocated for video files. In addition, you can configure the schedule by which the recording will be carried out - accurate to half an hour on any day of the week. In this case, you can choose in which case recording will take place during the 30 minutes data - constantly, only when motion is detected, by triggering a warning signal, or not go at all. In the same subsection, you can adjust the sensitivity of motion detection in real time - that is, the interface will show if the camera will react to the current movement in the frame or not. In the screenshot, the red indicator to the left of the image indicates that this level of movement will be processed by the program in accordance with the settings for the appearance of movement - for example, an SMS or e-mail message will be sent.


Figure 6 - motion detection setup

There is also the ability to configure video analysis: by detecting movement in any area of ​​the frame, by the disappearance or appearance of an object, by blocking or defocusing the camera’s camera. There is also the ability to turn on the counter or set up a notification when crossing a certain line in the frame. In the next subsection - “Event” - you can view a list of all recorded video fragments. All recordings made by the camera will be shown here: fragments recorded when the motion sensor was triggered, scheduled recordings, as well as fragments that are currently being recorded. For each recording, the camera on which the fragment was recorded, the recording inclusion mode (according to the schedule, movement, etc.), start time, video format, its duration and size are shown.


Figure 7 - setting notification options in the "System" subsection

The System subsection allows you to configure general Surveillance Station settings. Here you can create a map on which all cameras will be placed and the direction of their view will be shown. You can also configure notification of events (creating or deleting a camera, motion detection, reaching the limit of free space, etc.) using various services. Notification can be sent by e-mail, MSN- or Skype-account, as well as via SMS-message or Push-notification to a mobile device (DS Cam program must be installed, iOS and Android are supported). At the same time, for each situation, setting up your own notification schedule is available. For notifications by e-mail and SMS, a separate setting can be used, as well as parameters from DSM. In the same subsection, you can customize the page,

In the same subsection, access rights to the application are configured, while users can be either registered in DSM (if they have the right to access the application) or created separately in Surveillance Station. Each user can be given a role - a dispatcher or browser, and also indicate which cameras or groups of cameras the user has access to. In the next tab, you can add license keys to cameras (by default it is possible to use only one camera, the right to connect more must be purchased separately), as well as view the application’s log (log).


Figure 8 - View Previously Recorded Video from a Single Camera

The "Timeline" section allows you to view the video you shot earlier. At the same time, you can choose to display several records at once to see one event from different cameras. You can also change the brightness, contrast, sharpness and color saturation of the recording. It is possible to save the current frame or video being watched on a computer. It is possible to analyze already recorded video for the appearance or disappearance of objects, defocusing, and so on - all of the analysis capabilities that have been described above.


Figure 9 - View Previously Recorded Video from Multiple Cameras

The “Live video” section is intended for viewing what cameras are currently showing. At the same time, it is possible to enlarge a portion of the frame, save a picture or a recorded video, as well as display the previously compiled map of the room with the cameras shown on it. “Pictures” from cameras can be presented in several versions - one full screen, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36 or 49 “pictures” of equal size, one large “picture” and several small ones around it, as well as camera rotation screen with a given sequence and interval. It is also possible to control a camera that supports the PTZ function.


Figure 10 - viewing video from the camera with the included room scheme (E-Map)

There is also a mobile version - Synology DS Cam, available on the AppStore and Google Play. It allows you to watch video from any camera in real time, as well as view any previously recorded fragment. In addition, after installing this program, it is possible to automatically send push notifications about various events to your smartphone.

The Zavio F1100 IP camera is a successful solution for organizing video surveillance in a home or small office. With small dimensions, the device allows for high-quality video recording, and in two versions - either with a high resolution image, but a low frame rate, or vice versa, with a small resolution, but a large number of frames per second. Support for the Russian language in the web interface of the camera makes working with it simple even for a novice user. In addition, the capabilities of the camera are expanded with the help of Synology drive, which allows you to record video on a schedule or motion detection from multiple cameras at the same time. It is also possible to automatically analyze the video, view it through the web interface of the drive and save the selected fragments to a USB drive. Thus,

The author thanks InPrice Distribution for the provided Zavio F1100 IP camera.
Konstantin Boyarov