Video Streaming

/IOTCONNECT™

Video Streaming

Real-time visual monitoring has become essential for comprehensive device management and situational awareness. Video Streaming in /IOTCONNECT™ is a powerful feature that enables live visual communication between connected devices and the platform, providing users with immediate access to visual data from their IoT ecosystem. This article explores the intricacies of the Video Streaming concept, its implementation across different device types, configuration options, and the significant advantages it offers for enhanced IoT monitoring and management.

Understanding Video Streaming in IoT

Video Streaming within the /IOTCONNECT™ ecosystem represents a sophisticated capability that allows connected devices to transmit live video feeds directly to the platform. This feature bridges the gap between traditional data telemetry and visual monitoring, enabling users to observe real-time conditions, monitor device operations, and gain contextual insights that numerical data alone cannot provide.

/IOTCONNECT™ developed this video streaming capability to address the growing need for visual verification and remote monitoring in IoT deployments. Organizations across industries require immediate visual access to their connected environments, whether for security surveillance, equipment monitoring, quality control, or operational oversight.

Video streaming serves multiple critical purposes:
  • Real-time situational awareness: Provides immediate visual context to complement telemetry data.
  • Remote monitoring capabilities: Enables oversight of distant or inaccessible locations.
  • Enhanced decision-making: Combines visual information with sensor data for comprehensive analysis.
  • Operational efficiency: Reduces the need for physical site visits and manual inspections.
  • Security and compliance: Offers visual verification for security protocols and regulatory compliance.

Supported Device Types

Currently, video streaming functionality is enabled across four primary device categories within /IOTCONNECT™, each serving distinct operational requirements:

  • Device: Standard IoT devices equipped with camera modules or video capture capabilities.
  • Edge: Edge computing devices that process and stream video data locally before transmission.
  • Gateway: Gateway devices that aggregate and relay video streams from multiple connected devices.
  • Edge Gateway: Advanced gateway devices that combine edge processing capabilities with video streaming functionality.

This comprehensive device support ensures that video streaming can be implemented across diverse IoT architectures, from simple single-device deployments to complex multi-tier edge computing environments.

Enabling Video Streaming through Template Configuration

The implementation of video streaming begins with template configuration, following /IOTCONNECT™’s structured approach to device management. Templates serve as blueprints that define the capabilities and characteristics of devices, and video streaming parameters are established at this foundational level.

Stream Type Configuration

When configuring video streaming in a template, users can select from three distinct Stream Types, each designed for specific hardware configurations and use cases:

  • IP Based: Designed for network cameras and IP-enabled video devices that stream over network protocols.
  • USB Based: Optimized for USB-connected cameras and video capture devices directly attached to computing devices.
  • Module Based: Configured for integrated camera modules and embedded video systems within IoT devices.

The Stream Type selection determines the communication protocol, data format, and connection methodology that the device will use for video transmission. This flexibility ensures compatibility with a wide range of hardware configurations and deployment scenarios.

Auto Start Video Stream Option
Templates also include an Auto Start Video Stream toggle option, which provides administrators with control over video streaming initialization:

  • When enabled, devices will automatically begin streaming video upon connection to the platform.
  • When disabled, video streaming must be manually initiated through the device interface.
  • This setting can be overridden at the individual device level during device creation.

Prerequisites :

Before you install and run the firmware file, please ensure the following setup requirements:

System Requirements

  • Python: /IOTCONNECT™’s Python SDK supports versions 2.7, 3.5, 3.7 to 3.12, and 3.13. We recommend installing the most stable Python version 3.13.0.
  • pip: Compatible with your Python version.
  • setuptools: Required to manage Python packages.
  • Operating System:
    • Linux: Ubuntu 22.XX LTS (x86_64 or ARM) recommended for Kinesis Video Streams

For Kinesis Video Streams (Linux Only)

  • Hardware Requirements:

    • USB Camera (e.g., Logitech USB webcam) or RTSP-compatible IP camera
    • Minimum 512MB available RAM for video processing
    • ARM64 or x86_64 processor architecture

  • Software Dependencies:

    • GStreamer 1.0 and plugins
    • AWS Kinesis Video Streams Producer SDK C++
    • Development tools (cmake, build-essential, pkg-config)
    • SSL/TLS libraries (libssl-dev, libcurl4-openssl-dev)

Installation

  • Install System Dependencies
    • sudo apt-get update
      sudo apt-get install -y \
      automake \
      build-essential \
      cmake \
      git \
      gstreamer1.0-plugins-base-apps \
      gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad \
      gstreamer1.0-plugins-good \
      gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly \
      gstreamer1.0-tools \
      gstreamer1.0-omx-generic \
      libcurl4-openssl-dev \
      libgstreamer1.0-dev \
      libgstreamer-plugins-base1.0-dev \
      liblog4cplus-dev \
      libssl-dev \
      pkg-config
  • Build AWS KVS Producer SDK
    • # Create source directory
      mkdir -p ~/src && cd ~/src

      # Clone and build the SDK
      git clone https://github.com/awslabs/amazon-kinesis-video-streams-producer-sdk-cpp.git kvs-producer-sdk-cpp
      cd kvs-producer-sdk-cpp && mkdir build && cd build

      # Configure build with GStreamer plugin
      cmake .. -DBUILD_GSTREAMER_PLUGIN=ON -DBUILD_JNI=OFF -DBUILD_DEPENDENCIES=OFF

      # Build the SDK (this may take 10-15 minutes)
      make -j”$(nproc)”

  • Verify Installation
    • # Confirm that libgstkvssink.so is present.
      ls
      # Confirm that GStreamer can load kvssink.
      export GST_PLUGIN_PATH=’pwd’
      # Have GStreamer load kvssink:
      gst-inspect-1.0 kvssink

      # Test camera capture (optional)
      gst-launch-1.0 v4l2src device=/dev/video0 ! videoconvert ! autovideosink

Device Creation with Video Streaming

Once a template has been configured with video streaming parameters, the creation of devices inherits these settings while providing flexibility for customization at the device level. This approach ensures consistency across similar devices while accommodating specific requirements for individual deployments.

Flexible Stream Type Modification
During device creation, users retain the ability to modify the Stream Type selection, allowing for device-specific optimizations:

  • Override template settings if hardware requirements differ.
  • Adjust streaming parameters based on network conditions or bandwidth constraints.
  • Customize settings for specific operational requirements.

Auto Start Configuration Control
The Auto Start Video Stream setting can also be modified during device creation, providing granular control over streaming behavior:

  • Enable automatic streaming for devices requiring immediate visual monitoring.
  • Disable automatic streaming for devices where manual control is preferred.
  • Configure based on operational schedules or specific use case requirements.

Device Creation Process:

  • Select the pre-configured template with video streaming capabilities.
  • Modify Stream Type settings if device-specific requirements differ from template defaults.
  • Configure Auto Start Video Stream based on operational needs.
  • Complete device creation by clicking “Save & View” to establish the device with video streaming enabled.

Managing Video Streaming in Device Properties
Once devices are successfully created and deployed, video streaming management becomes accessible through the device properties interface. This centralized control panel provides comprehensive access to streaming functionality and real-time visual data.

Streaming Control Interface
The device properties interface displays video streaming as a distinct feature set with the following capabilities:

  • Start/Stop Controls: Manual initiation and termination of video streams.
  • Stream Status Monitoring: Real-time indication of streaming status and connection health.
  • Live Video Display: Direct viewing of current video feed from the connected device.
  • Stream Configuration: Access to streaming parameters and quality settings.

Real-time Visual Monitoring
When video streaming is activated, users gain immediate access to live visual data from their devices:

  • View real-time conditions and environmental factors affecting device operations.
  • Monitor equipment status and operational parameters visually.
  • Observe changes in device surroundings that may impact performance.
  • Combine visual information with telemetry data for comprehensive situational awareness.

Streaming Management

  • Access device properties through the device management interface.
  • Locate the Video Streaming section within device properties.
  • Use start/stop controls to manage streaming as required.
  • Monitor live video feeds for real-time visual information.

Video Stream Activity Monitoring
Comprehensive activity logging provides administrators with detailed insights into video streaming usage, performance metrics, and historical data. The Activity section serves as a centralized hub for all video streaming-related events and analytics.

Activity Tracking Features The video stream activity interface captures and displays:

  • Streaming Sessions: Complete logs of all video streaming sessions with timestamps and duration.
  • Connection Events: Records of stream initiation, interruption, and termination events.
  • Performance Metrics: Data on streaming quality, bandwidth usage, and connection stability.
  • User Activity: Tracking of which users accessed video streams and when.
  • System Events: Automatic logging of system-initiated streaming events and maintenance activities.

Historical Analysis Activity logs enable administrators to:

  • Analyze usage patterns and peak streaming periods.
  • Identify potential connectivity or performance issues.
  • Monitor compliance with organizational video monitoring policies.
  • Generate reports for operational analysis and optimization.

Accessing Activity Information:

  • Navigate to the Activity section within device properties.
  • Review comprehensive video streaming activity logs.
  • Analyze historical streaming data and usage patterns.
  • Monitor system performance and user engagement metrics.

Benefits of Video Streaming Integration:

The integration of video streaming capabilities within /IOTCONNECT™ delivers substantial operational advantages:

Enhanced Situational Awareness
Video streaming provides immediate visual context that complements traditional sensor data, enabling more informed decision-making and faster response times to operational changes or anomalies.

Reduced Operational Costs
Remote visual monitoring significantly reduces the need for physical site visits, lowering travel costs, labor expenses, and operational overhead while maintaining comprehensive oversight capabilities.

Improved Security and Compliance
Visual verification capabilities support security protocols and regulatory compliance requirements by providing documented evidence of conditions and activities at monitored locations.

Streamlined Troubleshooting
Visual access to device environments accelerates problem identification and resolution by allowing technical teams to observe conditions directly rather than relying solely on diagnostic data.

Scalable Monitoring Architecture
The multi-device support and flexible configuration options enable scalable video monitoring deployments that can grow with organizational requirements and technological advancement.

Conclusion
Video Streaming emerges as a transformative capability that bridges the gap between data monitoring and visual verification. /IOTCONNECT™’s implementation provides a comprehensive framework for deploying, managing, and scaling video streaming across diverse device types and operational requirements. Through structured template configuration, flexible device management, and robust activity monitoring, organizations can harness the power of real-time visual data to enhance their IoT ecosystems.

The combination of traditional telemetry data with live video streaming creates a powerful monitoring solution that drives operational efficiency, improves decision-making, and enables truly comprehensive IoT management. As IoT deployments continue to evolve in complexity and scope, video streaming capabilities will play an increasingly critical role in ensuring effective oversight and management of connected environments.