I can get the snapshot image directly from a browser using the path:
/cgi-bin/action?action=snapshot&lang=eng
Using this path in vera returns no image.
If I instead use the path /snapshot/snapshot.jpg I will get an image in vera, but only the last image that was saved using the previous CGI call. So it won’t achieve its purpose.
One way would be to have a cron job calling the CGI every x minutes but that’s not very elegant. What would be the best way to have the cgi call work directly from vera?
I suspect the response is in 2 steps and that’s what vera does not handle…
i can give access to the camera if needed for testing
Are you sure you have the URL entered correctly in Vera? For instance with no http:// or IP address in the URL field?! Quite a few people have made this non obvious mistake and it will prevent the image from being returned.
[quote=“JOD, post:4, topic:167505”]Try adding <&refresh=1> to the end of your code.
/snapshot/snapshot.jpg&refresh=1[/quote]
Thanks Jod. Unless I misunderstood, this won’t cut it.
From a browser that path gives a 404 Not Found: “The requested URL /snapshot/snapshot.jpg&refresh=1 was not found on this server.”
Add the code to the URL within the camera’s device within Vera. <&refresh=x> will update the snapshot within Vera every 2-5 secs, depends on the connection and number of devices.
You wont get a jpeg update within a browser unless you hit the browsers refresh button.
You should also be able to return an image by using:
http://:3480/data_request?id=cam_image&Device_Num=
I also seem to remember that there was an issue after configuring some devices (and saving), that another engine refresh was required to get things working. Its possible that you had the correct settings already and then changed it thinking that it wasn’t working. I have a distant memory of this happening to me with a new cam I added and perhaps a similar post from someone else.
Thanks both! Re-reading it, I think my description was not clear enough because the problem is not with Vera not refreshing the image, but with getting a recent image from the camera in the first place. The /snapshot/snapshot.jpg url seems to return the last picture stored by the camera with a /cgi-bin/action?action=snapshot action. But if there is no action=snapshot request made, the /snapshot/snapshot.jpg will return always the same old image.
You wont get a jpeg update within a browser unless you hit the browsers refresh button.
Actually, even when refreshing in the browser I will get always the same image back if I use the snapshot.jpg path. I need to use the /cgi-bin/action?action=snapshot if I want an updated image.
The problem is, this path /cgi-bin/action?action=snapshot does not work at all from vera.
If I add &refresh=1 to the path in vera it doesn’t work either.
You should also be able to return an image by using:
http://:3480/data_request?id=cam_image&Device_Num=
That will be useful only when vera gets the image. But it’s useful info, thanks!
I guess the crux of the problem is to understand why vera doesn’t get the image with /cgi-bin/action?action=snapshot
Entering the URL /cgi-bin/action?action=snapshot in vera UI4 or UI5 does NOT work.
In a browser, it works and returns a HTML page. The page links to the image at /snapshot/snapshot.jpg
Using this last URL in vera shows the last picture from the camera, but that picture remains the same until a new /cgi-bin/action?action=snapshot is performed. This refreshes the jpg.
So for this camera getting a picture is a two-step process:
a) run the cgi to refresh the picture inside the camera
b) get the picture from the camera
So you see, /snapshot/snapshot.jpg?refresh=1 will not work because vera will always receive the same picture.
What we would need is a way to get vera to first call the cgi, then fetch the picture.
Or a way for vera to process the HTML that is returned by the CGI call.
Any idea how to get this done?
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