How To: Run a Live Webcam on Windows Home Server

Whilst there are currently no dedicated home security add-ins available for Windows Home Server, it is possible to run a Webcam from your home server and access it remotely when you’re away from home. WGS forum moderator, Gamer, shows us how.

What you will need

• Active Webcam (http://www.pysoft.com/ActiveWebCamMainpage.htm) – $29,00 For the full version to remove the nag screen
• Remote Desktop Connection or Advanced Admin Console
• A webcam obviously! Any USB or IP (network) camera will do.

What to Do

Download Active Webcam (http://downloads.pysoft.com/AWC-PYS.exe) and install it. I’m going to use my new USB webcam for this.

Camera Config

If you haven’t already installed the drivers for your webcam, do it now. A reboot may be required. Make sure you got a webcam that works on Windows 2003! Not all webcams has drivers for this OS. XP or Vista (32 bits) drivers may or may not work. Keep in mind that the supplied installer may complain (as mine did for the XP 32 bits drivers – I’ve got a Microsoft VX-3000). I needed to extract the install files and manually install the driver for my webcam.

Check *Force Install of non Windows Server 2003 Drivers for more info on how to do that.

OK, now that we have installed the program and the drivers, start Active Webcam. If I’m correct you’ll see a welcome wizard, if not go to the pulldown menu HELP and select WELCOME…

1. Select New Camera, find the camera you want to use and click on Next.
2. Broadcasting: Click HTTP Server and press the Next button.
3. Frame Rates: leave them as they are and enable Live Recording. Click on Next.
4. Camera Setup Completed: Press the Customize Camera’s Advanced Parameters.

Device

Here you can make some tweaks like image size and stuff. I’ll leave mine as they are.

Compression

This has to do with the quality of the pictures taken. Leave them as they are for now.

Broadcasting

As you can see HTTP Server is enabled at port 8080. this can be a little inconvenient and the port number is easy to guess (Yes, I can be paranoid). I’ll change mine to 9091 for now.

Recording

This is the interesting part. As you can see Enable Live Recoding is already checked. the temporary file is fine for me, but if you want to change it go ahead. Under Active Recording select Record All the Time and change the Folder for Archives to one of your shares if you wish.

I’ve had it running for several months now without any problems, so if you wish you can use a shared folder (with duplication). However, I use a separate drive in my setup for this. Active webcam can easily fill up your precious hard-disk space, and having a special drive/partition for it is easier to maintain some oversight. Active webcam will delete the oldest file it created when the drive is becoming full. So when using a dedicated drive or partition you don’t need to constantly check for space.

A little below you can change the file name Cam{CAMERA}_{yy-mm-dd@hh`nn`ss}.

Cam{CAMERA} – Will display As: Cam 1 (this is the first, and for most, the only camera we use) {yy-mm-dd@hh`nn`ss} – Will display as: year-month-date@hour`minute`seconds

So, the filename in default format will look something like: 08-03-20@08`40`54.xxx

change it to something you are comfortable with. I suggest using the YEAR-MONTH-DATE order for obvious reasons.

A little more below you’ll find the File Format. I’ll keep mine at AWLive. It’s a bit unusual I know, But I find this codec to be very gentle with the CPU, and the provided player will play it just fine. You can also use the player standalone (by copying the WebCamVideoPlayer.exe to another computer for example), I’ve have a copy in the folder where the video files resides. You can also use the player to convert a piece of the stream (or the whole stream) to MPEG (or another format) when needed.

Captions

This is where you can add text or time and other relevant information to the stream. It will be displayed/encoded into the stream all the time.

Motion

I’ve my cam running all the time, but if you wish you can fiddle with this. (Don’t do it now, finish this wiki to ensure everything is in working order).

Finished

Press Apply and OK.

Web Page Creation

A new wizard comes up: Web Page Creation Wizard.

1. WEB PAGE CREATION WIZARD: Camera 1 is selected, press Next.
2. BROADCASTING METHOD: Run Web Server on my computer, should be selected, press Next.
3. DISPLAY METHOD: Here are some options on how to display the stream on the web page. Select them all to try them out later. Press Next.
4. Web Page Location: These settings are fine, press Next.
5. PAGE PROPERTIES: Here you can alter the page template. A few templates are “ready for use”. Fill in the relevant information, make some alterations on the colors if you wish, and press Next.
6. As you can see the web page is being created. Press Next.
7. Press the big “Test Web Page…” button and select one of the options provided on the page. When done and satisfied, press Finish.

Almost Done

When you’re done with the settings we’re going to add some security to the page. We’re going to add a login and user name! Right click on the webcam’s window and select Camera Settings, navigate to the tab Broadcasting and press the button Additional Settings. Check Use Authorization and press the “+ Add…” button. You’ll see Administrator twice, one is the group (yellow with blue icon), the other the user itself (yellow). you can add them both or just the user. I’ll just add the user. now click on the Users & Groups button, select the user Administrator and click on properties. type in a password and press 3x OK, closing the windows till you’re back to the Camera #1 properties. Click Apply and OK. You’ll get a Warning about some parameters that where changed, press OK.

Press Next till the end, and Finish. Leaving all the settings as they are.

Log in to your security website by using your WHS domain like:http://xxx.homeserver.com:9091 and treat yourself on a well deserved beer. If you can’t connect the hold on to the beer and make the correct firewall changes in your WHS and router. In this case port 9091 should be added to your WHS firewall, and forwarded to your WHS in your router. Reload the page again and you’ll be prompted to insert a user name and password. Login and get yourself the beer you deserved.

Done

OK, everything seems to be in working order. If you have the registered version like me, you’ll be able to start this software as a service, complete with the watchdog. I’m not sure about the unregistered version though. In that case you can use the AnyService Installer Add-In @ http://www.wegotserved.com/windows-home-server-add-ins.

For having Active Webcam running as a service go to the pull down menu Tools, select Program Options and you’ll see under the General tab “Start on windows Startup”, select this. Start as Service lights up, check this too.

Under the tab “Watchdog” you’re able to enable the Watchdog and change some settings.

That’s it! I find Active webcam a bit cluttered and very overwhelming in the beginning, but now I’m used to it I don’t want any other webcam security software. It’s stable and rock solid due to it’s watchdog. Using it’s own file format was something I had to get used to, but I don’t mind as the player is stand-alone and I’m able to convert to any format when I have the right codecs installed.

I hope you enjoy this software as much as I do. It’s worth it’s 29 bucks compared to other security software I’ve tested, and yes, I’ve tested A LOT of different security software! Active Webcam is just the best for me, and hopefully for you too!