How to view your iCatcher images online

Introduction

This HowTo documents the process of getting your iCatcher software online, that is, getting your camera feeds visible from the internet. This is the simple HowTo, and makes a number of assumptions about your network configuration. For a more in-depth discussion that covers a wide range of network circumstances, see the advanced HowTo.

iCatcher supports many ways of getting your feed images on the internet, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol). The former method works by "pushing" feed images onto a website by uploading, where as the latter works by having visitors to your site "pull" the images directly from iCatcher.

Uploading images to a website by FTP

The FTP/Push method is the simplest method to set up and use, providing you understand what its going to do. In order to use it, you will need to know a few details about your website. If you have signed up with a website hosting provider they will probably have given these details to you. You will need your login username and password, the name of the host to upload to, and of course you will need to know where you want to upload the images to.

The following text refers to FTP uploads with i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife. For instructions regarding iCatcher Console, the following information still applies for what information to put in what fields, but the procedure is slightly different. See below for Console-specific information. The behaviour of the FTP mode depends on the mode of operation i-Catcher is in. Motion detection mode causes an upload when there is motion, where as Time Lapse and Webcam modes upload at a specified interval.

The FTP settings can be found under "Alerts", and then "FTP". For Webcam and Time-Lapse modes, the interval is specified next to "Upload every". Next to this option is two list boxes that allow you to specify the upload interval.

Under server name you will need to enter the name of the server to upload to, and you will need to enter your username and password in the appropriate boxes. The directory field is the path on the FTP server that you wish i-Catcher to upload to. Be aware that some website providers require that actual website files be placed in a specific directory, so you will need to include this directory in the path you specify.

Page template and maximum number of stills are fields relating to the page of images that is uploaded. Here you can specify how many images to upload at once, and what page to use to show them. The default file "default.htm" is provided, and is a good starting base. If you wish to design your own page templates, you might find the section on templates useful.

The proxy settings are only of use if you use a proxy server to access FTP sites. If you don't know if you are using a proxy, then you probably aren't, and don't need to bother with this. If you know you are using a proxy, then fill in the appropriate values. If you an unsure as to these values, then consult your proxy and its documentation.

The passive option is to make a "passive" FTP connection, which is used on some types of networks. If you are unsure if you need this, then you can safely leave it disabled.

The Motion detection mode adds extra options to the FTP dialog. The defaults are fine in most circumstances. If you feel you need to adjust these settings, then you are advised to consult the help file/online documentation on what these should be set to.

FTP For iCatcher Console

iCatcher Console uses a different system and FTP Uploads are counted as alerts, and as such are configured from the "Alert Settings" button on the main Console window. You need to select the "FTP/Web" tab and enable FTP. Fill in the FTP options as per above (for i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife), and click "OK".

Using the HTTP Server to serve images directly

iCatcher can be configured to use its embedded HTTP server component, and function as a website itself. To enable the HTTP Server, select "Settings" from the main window, and then "HTTP Server" (for i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife) or the HTTP Server tab for iCatcher Console.

At this point it is assumed that your network is configured to allow iCatcher to be accessed from the web. If you are unsure, then consult your network administrator if you are on a local network, or if you are on a standalone system, then your system is probably already set for iCatcher. 

The dialog presented contains the same set of options between both iCatcher applications. You will need to ensure "Enabled HTTP Server" is checked (the remaining options are not greyed out). You are presented with a box to enter an IP Address, and the port that you have chosen to use. Also in this dialog is a setting to restrict iCatcher to only serving content to those persons who know the username and password (as set on this dialog).

The default IP address of 0.0.0.0 should be fine for almost every situation. This setting simply means "listen for all connections". The Port setting should ideally be a number above 1024 (for reasons to do with service conflicts), however you are free to choose any port that is available.

Now that you have set your networking settings, you should be able to click on "OK" (and "OK" on any remaining dialogs), and your iCatcher software will begin listening for connections.

In order to test the HTTP Server, you will need to point a web browser at iCatcher. For testing on the same computer, you can use the address "localhost" as a website address. Website addresses have a standard format which can be summarised as http://<hostname or IP Address>[:<port>]/.  Items in <>'s are items you should replace with actual data, for example, <username> means put in the required username. Do not include the <>'s. The square brackets []'s indicate optional parts, that is, you can specify them if you wish, but they are not necessary.

While it is permissible to use :80 on the end of a web address, it is not required, as web browsers use port 80 as the default when accessing web sites. You need only specify the port if your iCatcher is listening on a port OTHER than 80.

The image to the right gives an example of a web address you might type to access a page showing a continually updating feed image on i-Catcher Sentry/Wildlife.

The help files for iCatcher detail some of the pages available through the HTTP Server.

Problems beyond your control

Unfortunately, in the modern world of the internet, with the upsurge in Denial-of-Service attacks, Unsolicited Commercial Email (Spam), and use of unauthorised or maliciously used servers, you may find that despite all your efforts, your iCatcher system is still not available online. Many Internet Service Providers are imposing strict firewalls, and awkward proxy systems to circumvent mis-use of the internet by blocking customers from running any kind of server.

i-Catcher Video Server - A special case

i-Catcher Video Server is a special case for the iCatcher Software. i-Catcher Video Server is intended as a simple Video-to-HTTP converter of sorts, and as such doesn't have any of the advanced features of the the HTTP Server in Console for example, such as remote administration, etc. The HTTP Server in i-Catcher Video Server is configurable directly from the main window of the application, and has the same format as that of iCatcher Console and Sentry/Wildlife.