ipcam

What This Skill Does

The IP Camera skill provides a robust interface for managing and controlling network-attached security cameras. It leverages the ONVIF standard (Open Network Video Interface Forum) to handle PTZ (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) operations, device discovery, and configuration. Additionally, it integrates RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) to capture high-quality snapshots and record video clips. This skill is designed to work seamlessly with Profile S and T compliant cameras, covering major brands such as TP-Link, Hikvision, Dahua, Reolink, Amcrest, and Axis. Whether you are automating home monitoring or managing a fleet of cameras in a technical environment, this tool abstracts the complexity of raw network streams into simple command-line operations.

Installation

To integrate this skill, ensure you have the OpenClaw environment ready. Install the skill using the primary repository link: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/ltpop/ipcam. Once installed, execute the local installation script via bash skills/ipcam/install.sh. You can then populate your camera list automatically using ptz.py discover --add or by manually editing ~/.config/ipcam/config.json. The configuration file requires parameters such as IP address, credentials, and specific RTSP paths, which can be verified using the utility functions provided.

Use Cases

• Home Security Automation: Automatically capture snapshots or trigger recordings when motion or specific triggers occur in your home environment.
• Remote Surveillance: Quickly navigate camera views using PTZ controls or jump to saved presets to monitor specific entry points.
• Network Auditing: Discover all ONVIF-enabled cameras across your local network and verify their stream status and connectivity.
• Asset Documentation: Use the recording function to save short, 15-second clips for incident logging or remote documentation.

Example Prompts

• "OpenClaw, take a snapshot from the front-door camera and save it to the server."
• "Move the backyard camera to the 'Gate' preset and start recording a 15-second clip."
• "Scan the network and add any newly discovered security cameras to my configuration."

Tips & Limitations

• Connectivity: Ensure your cameras reside on the same network subnet to facilitate ONVIF discovery. If discovery fails, check your firewall settings and ensure multicast is enabled.
• Compatibility: Not all cameras support PTZ. Verify your hardware meets the ONVIF Profile S standard if you intend to control motion.
• Troubleshooting: If the stream fails to initialize, use ptz.py stream-uri to re-fetch the correct path string. Many cameras limit concurrent RTSP sessions, so close other video management software before troubleshooting.