Using video cameras for remote monitoring

[FiltrationEngineer]

I'm developing a system that has a pretty standard controls package with PLC's and a SCADA system. I'd like to offer some remote monitoring options that an operator could log in online and see his plant, view the SCADA system and maybe even pan and zoom the cameras around.

Any thoughts or resources on the best way to get this done would be appreciated.

Oh yeah, I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it...

Thanks in advance.

 

[itsmoked]

There are web cameras that do this fairly straight forwardly. Some are even WiFi I believe. That would be the easiest by far if you can live with the interface.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[VEBill]

If you Google 'Video Ham' (sic) you may eventually learn how to try out many (!) Internet-enabled camera systems all around the world where the users have either forgotten to set a password, or have intentially chosen not to do so in order that the entire world may enjoy viewing their backyard (or whatever).

 

[stephenw22]

Your biggest problem will be balancing video clarity, resolution, and framerate with your available bandwidth.

Full-motion (30fps) video at medium resolutions (like TV resolution) takes about 4Mbit/s.

If you use MPEG-2 encoding, you can lower the bandwidth required, but your quality will go down.

If you drop framerate or resolution, the bandwidth requirement will also drop.

There are lots of camera manufacturers who make IP-based camera systems.

 

[FiltrationEngineer]

Thanks for the replies.

Do you have any suggestions on camera manufacturers?

 

[VEBill]

http://www.google.com/search?q=video+ham

Click on first link, leads directly to:

http://www.defeatingthehacker.com/videoham/

"IP cameras are available from the likes of
Sony, Panasonic, Linksys, Canon, Toshiba and
Axis..."