Skip to content

Plugin ip cam

Jump to bottom
Martin Pihrt edited this page Oct 13, 2026 · 1 revision

IP Cam

Downloads, caches and proxies JPEG, GIF and MJPEG images from IP cameras.

At a glance

Item Value
Version 1.0.0
Category Hardware, displays and outputs
Author Martin Pihrt
License GPL-3.0
OSPy 3.0.211 or newer
Python 3.8 or newer
Permissions files, network
Hardware No dedicated hardware requirement declared
Dependencies None
Python/OS packages requests (required), PIL / Pillow (required)
Interfaces No provider or mobile API declared
Source Open the plug-in directory

What it is for

Downloads, caches and proxies JPEG, GIF and MJPEG images from IP cameras.

How it works and how to configure it

Tested in Python 3+

This extension displays JPEG previews, GIF animations and proxied MJPEG streams from IP cameras. Each OSPy station can have one camera address, optional login credentials, a JPEG snapshot path and an optional MJPEG stream path.

The plug-in includes an OSPy plugin.json manifest, registers its automatic snapshot worker with the shared plug-in runtime, uses the common stop signal, and implements health(). Diagnostics aggregates the existing per-camera status into configured, responding and failing camera counts without exposing camera addresses, usernames or passwords. Completed HTTP responses are closed after their image data has been consumed.

Camera address and paths

Enter only the camera base address in IP address and port, for example:

  • http://192.168.1.120
  • http://192.168.1.120:88
  • https://camera.example.com

Enter only relative paths in the JPEG and MJPEG query fields. Username and password belong in the separate access fields.

Common presets

The setup page has a manufacturer preset selector for each camera. Selecting a preset fills the JPEG and MJPEG query fields for the currently selected station.

  • Hikvision:
    • JPEG: ISAPI/Streaming/channels/101/picture
    • MJPEG: ISAPI/Streaming/channels/102/httpPreview
  • Dahua / Amcrest:
    • JPEG: cgi-bin/snapshot.cgi
    • MJPEG: cgi-bin/mjpg/video.cgi?subtype=1
  • AVtech:
    • JPEG: cgi-bin/guest/Video.cgi?media=JPEG&channel=1
    • MJPEG: cgi-bin/guest/Video.cgi?media=MJPEG&channel=1
  • Axis:
    • JPEG: axis-cgi/jpg/image.cgi
    • MJPEG: axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi
  • Foscam:
    • JPEG: cgi-bin/CGIProxy.fcgi?cmd=snapPicture2
    • MJPEG: cgi-bin/CGIStream.cgi?cmd=GetMJStream

Plugin setup

  • Camera enabled: Enables or disables one camera without deleting its settings.

  • Use JPEG image downloads: Downloads JPEG snapshots to the plugin data folder. The latest snapshot is stored as N.jpg, where N is the station number.

  • Use GIF image creating: Stores each successful JPEG download as a GIF frame and creates N.gif from the newest frames. Failed downloads are not copied as new frames, so a GIF contains only real successful snapshots.

  • Allow IP Cam images on home: Allows OSPy to use IP Cam images on the home page when the OSPy System option Station picture source is set to IP Cam JPG or IP Cam GIF.

  • Number of frames in GIF: Number of successful snapshots kept for GIF generation.

  • Download interval: Seconds between automatic JPEG downloads.

  • HTTP timeout: Timeout for camera HTTP requests.

  • Maximum image size: Maximum cached JPEG image size from one camera. Oversized downloaded JPEG images are resized before saving when possible. Generated GIF animations are resized to stay under this limit when possible.

  • GIF frame delay: Duration of one frame in the generated GIF animation.

  • Verify SSL certificates: Verify HTTPS camera certificates.

Diagnostics and test buttons

  • Snapshot now: Downloads the selected camera JPEG immediately and stores it as N.jpg in the plugin data folder.

  • Test JPEG: Tests the JPEG path and updates diagnostics. A successful test also saves the latest snapshot.

  • Test MJPEG: Opens the MJPEG stream, reads the first available data block and closes the connection. It is only a connectivity test.

The main page shows the last download time, HTTP status and text, response time, image size, resolution, GIF frame count, success/error counters and the last error.

Snapshot management

The main page has a Snapshots button. This page lists cached N.jpg snapshots and N.gif animations, embeds previews directly from the cached files, shows file size and modification time, and allows downloading or deleting individual files. The page only shows real IP Cam cached files. If a requested cached file does not exist yet, downloads show a clear notice instead of an empty none response. The Delete cached images action removes all cached snapshots, GIF files and GIF frame folders.

Troubleshooting

  • 401 Unauthorized usually means wrong credentials or camera authentication mode. Check username/password and try enabling Basic or Digest authentication in the camera.
  • 403 Forbidden usually means the user has no permission for snapshot or stream access.
  • 404 Not Found usually means the selected path is wrong for that camera model.
  • Timeout usually means wrong IP/port, blocked network access, HTTPS certificate problems or a camera that is slow to respond.
  • If GIF has fewer frames than expected, check whether every JPEG download succeeds. Only successful downloads are used as GIF frames.
  • If GIF files become too large for the OSPy home page, lower Maximum image size or Number of frames in GIF. The GIF generator resizes frames and the final animation to stay below the configured maximum size when possible. Existing oversized GIF files are regenerated from cached frames when they are used and frames are available.
  • If IP Cam JPG/GIF is selected as the OSPy home page image source and the plug-in is not installed or no cached image exists, OSPy falls back to the uploaded station image and then to the default no-image picture.

The MJPEG stream is proxied through OSPy so the camera username and password are not embedded in the browser image URL.

In-app help and settings notes

The following notes are generated from the help page shipped with this plug-in. Field names are also explained directly in the OSPy settings page.

To use a camera, enter the camera base address, a JPEG snapshot path and optionally an MJPEG stream path. Username and password are entered in separate fields, not in the URL.

Camera presets

The setup page contains a camera selector and a manufacturer preset selector. Choose a station, choose a manufacturer, and the JPEG/MJPEG query fields for that station are filled automatically. You can still edit the paths manually afterwards.

  • IP address and port

  • JPEG query

  • MJPEG query

Main options

  • Camera enabled enables or disables one configured camera without deleting its settings.

  • Use JPEG image downloads stores the latest successful snapshot as N.jpg in the plug-in data folder.

  • Use GIF image creating stores successful snapshots as frames and creates N.gif from the newest frames. Failed downloads are not copied as fake frames.

  • Allow IP Cam images on home lets OSPy use cached camera images on the home page when the OSPy System option chooses IP Cam as station picture source.

  • HTTP timeout, maximum image size and SSL verification control camera downloads. Oversized JPEG images are resized before saving when possible. Maximum image size also limits generated GIF animations when possible.

Test buttons

  • Snapshot now downloads the selected camera JPEG immediately and saves it as N.jpg in the plug-in data folder.

  • Test JPEG checks the JPEG path and saves the snapshot when the request succeeds.

  • Test MJPEG opens the stream, reads the first available block and closes the connection. It does not save the stream.

Snapshot management

The Snapshots page lists cached JPEG snapshots and GIF animations. From this page you can preview, download or delete each cached file. Previews are embedded directly from cached files, so they do not require separate preview requests. It only shows real IP Cam cached files, not normal station fallback images. If the requested file does not exist yet, download shows a clear notice instead of an empty response. Snapshot now saves the latest JPEG as N.jpg, where N is the station number.

Home page images

When OSPy is configured to show station pictures and the Station picture source is IP Cam JPG or IP Cam GIF, the core image endpoint reads cached IP Cam files. If the IP Cam plug-in is not installed or no cached file exists, OSPy falls back to the normal uploaded station image and then to the default no-image picture.

HTTP status troubleshooting

  • wrong username/password or unsupported authentication mode. Check credentials and try Basic or Digest authentication in the camera.

  • the user does not have permission to access snapshots or streams.

  • the JPEG or MJPEG path is probably wrong for this model. Try another preset or the camera manual.

  • Timeout check IP address, port, network access, SSL verification and camera load.

GIF notes

A GIF is created from successful JPEG downloads. If it contains fewer frames than expected, check the JPEG test and the diagnostics counters. A camera that fails every few downloads will naturally produce fewer usable frames. GIF frames are normalized to one size and resized so the final animation stays under Maximum image size when possible. Existing oversized GIF files are regenerated from cached frames when they are used and frames are available. The GIF preview keeps the original aspect ratio, so it should not be distorted by the browser.

Safe stream proxy

MJPEG streams are proxied through OSPy so the camera username and password are not embedded in the browser URL.

Support

Check OSPy → Diagnostics first and remove passwords, tokens, private addresses and other secrets before sharing logs. Report reproducible plug-in problems in the OSPy-plugins issue tracker.

Back to the plug-in catalog

OSPy-plugins repository · OSPy Wiki · Issues · Discussions

OSPy plug-in documentation

Start

Reference

Catalog sections

Clone this wiki locally