Camera IP

This function block reads RTSP/HTTP camera streams in a background thread and keeps the latest frame ready with minimal CPU overhead. It is designed for live monitoring and for feeding image processing blocks reliably even when network interruptions occur.

📥 Inputs

This function block does not have any inputs.

📤 Outputs

Image Current frame retrieved from the configured IP camera.

🕹️ Controls

Status — Displays the current connection state (examples: Waiting for camera link, Connecting..., Live, Reconnecting...).

Camera link — Paste the full RTSP/HTTP link for your camera (for example rtsp://camera-ip/stream).

Username — Optional camera username when authentication is required.

Password — Optional camera password when authentication is required.

(hint) After editing the camera link or credentials the block waits a short moment before reconnecting so you can finish typing.

🎯 Key Features

• Background threaded reader that keeps the latest frame available for downstream blocks while using minimal CPU.

• Supports RTSP and HTTP camera links, with optional username/password authentication.

• Automatic status updates to indicate connection progress and issues.

• Automatic reconnect with increasing retry delays on failures.

• Keeps the last successful frame available while reconnect attempts are ongoing.

• Optional background frame uploader (when configured) to forward frames to a remote service.

⚙️ How it runs

• Provide a valid camera link in the Camera link control (and credentials if needed).

• The block will attempt to connect in the background and update the Status control.

• Once connected the block continuously keeps the most recent frame ready on the Image output for other blocks to consume.

• On connection problems the block shows status messages and performs automatic retry attempts; the most recent good frame remains available until a new one is received.

📝 Usage Instructions

1. Enter the camera URL in Camera link.

2. If the camera requires authentication, fill Username and Password.

3. Wait until Status shows a live/connected state.

4. Connect the Image output to downstream processing or visualization blocks.

Suggested downstream blocks:

• Use Show Image to preview frames in a viewer.

• Use Image Resizer or Image Resize if you need to reduce frame size before processing.

• Use Record Video or Image Logger to save frames or recordings.

• Feed into AI/analysis blocks such as Object Detection, Object Detection - Custom, Pose Estimation, or Mask Detection for live inference.

• Use Image ROI Select / Image ROI Polygon / Image ROI Polygon Multi to crop or limit processing area before detection.

• Use Background Removal (RMBG-1.4) or Background Removal (BiRefNet) if you need foreground extraction.

• Combine with Object_Detection_Tracker to maintain identities across frames.

💡 Tips and Tricks

• If your camera supports ONVIF and you prefer occasional snapshots instead of a stream, try Camera IP (ONVIF).

• For faster processing pipelines, resolution in the Camera settings.

• To debug connectivity, verify the same URL in an external player (e.g., VLC) and confirm credentials.

• Use Show Image to verify the frame content before routing it into detection or logging blocks.

• When recording long sessions, prefer Record Video to avoid filling disk with many individual images; use Image Logger for selective frame saving.

• If you need to analyze only parts of the scene, crop with Image ROI Select or define polygons with Image ROI Polygon Multi to reduce false detections and speed up processing.

• Combine with Object Detection (or Object Detection - Custom) and then with Object_Detection_Tracker for monitored tracking and counting applications (for example feeding results into Traffic Intersection Analysis).

🛠️ Troubleshooting

• No connection / status stuck on waiting: Verify the camera URL is correct and reachable on the network. Try the stream in an external player.

• Authentication errors: Double-check Username and Password and reenter them.

• Intermittent frames or reconnects: This can be caused by network instability or camera-side issues; the block will retry automatically. Consider connecting a more stable network or using a local recording if needed.

• Blank or unsupported frames: Use Show Image to inspect the output. If the viewer reports unsupported data, try a different stream format or use the camera vendor’s recommended URL.

• High CPU usage: If downstream processing is heavy, lower the resolution with Image Resizer or process frames at a lower rate by inserting throttling logic (for example a custom flow control).

If you need a different camera interface (USB, specialized camera drivers, or ONVIF snapshots), check the corresponding image input blocks such as Camera USB or Camera IP (ONVIF) to match your hardware and workflow.