[cam] section¶

Create a [cam <name>] section for each camera. Replace <name> with a meaningful name. cam is a required keyword to identify camera configurations.

[cam raspi]
mode: camera-streamer
...

[cam logiC270]
mode: ustreamer
...

mode¶

The streaming backend used by Crowsnest.
Default: ustreamer
Available options:

ustreamer
camera-streamer
spyglass

For detailed information about each backend, see the Backends page.

port¶

The network port through which the camera is accessible.
Default: 8080

Info

If you have Mainsail installed on the same device as Crowsnest, a Nginx reverse proxy is also installed. So you can use these URLs to access the camera stream and snapshots:

Port	Stream URL	Snapshot URL
8080	/webcam/?action=stream	/webcam/?action=snapshot
8081	/webcam2/?action=stream	/webcam2/?action=snapshot
8082	/webcam3/?action=stream	/webcam3/?action=snapshot
8083	/webcam4/?action=stream	/webcam4/?action=snapshot

device¶

The path of the video device (camera) to be used by the configured streaming service. All available devices are listed in the log file every time Crowsnest is started. You can copy the path from there.
Default: /dev/video0

A path in this format is also valid:

device: /dev/v4l/by-id/usb-PixArt_Imaging_Inc._USB2.0_Camera-video-index0

Info

Always prefer /dev/v4l/by-id/ paths as shown above. Especially in multicam setups, using /dev/video* will lead to errors or unexpected behavior. If you are using identical cameras, use /dev/v4l/by-path/ instead, as /dev/v4l/by-id/ paths will be the same for identical devices.

resolution¶

The desired streaming resolution, formatted as <width>x<height> without spaces.
Default: 640x480

Note

This setting is case-sensitive! Do not use a capital 'X'.
Resolution significantly impacts bandwidth, especially in MJPG mode.

Supported Resolutions

You can determine which resolutions are supported by your device by checking the crowsnest.log.

[11/16/22 20:16:26] crowsnest: Supported Formats:
[11/16/22 20:16:26] crowsnest:      [0]: 'MJPG' (Motion-JPEG, compressed)
[11/16/22 20:16:26] crowsnest:      Size: Discrete 1920x1080
...

max_fps¶

The desired streaming FPS (frames per second).
Default: 15

Note

It is necessary to check which FPS in combination with which resolution your camera supports. For detailed information, run v4l2-ctl --list-formats-ext in your SSH session. Higher FPS has a big impact on bandwidth, especially in MJPG mode.

custom_flags¶

This setting allows you to pass advanced parameters to the configured streaming backend. It is possible to adjust image parameters such as brightness, contrast, and saturation, or to flip the image. The passed parameters are appended to the already configured parameters. However, your camera needs to support these advanced parameters as well.
Default: not set

Note

The flags are separated by a single space, not by a comma.
Refer to the documentation of the respective streaming backend for available flags. See the Backends page for links to the repositories.

v4l2ctl¶

This option allows you to pass parameters for the configured device to V4L2 (the driver). Depending on the camera model, it is possible to pass different parameters, but not all parameters are supported by every camera.
Default: not set

Note

This is a very advanced topic and is only recommended for experienced users.
All parameters must be separated by commas!

Example: A Logitech C920 has autofocus enabled by default. To set manual focus:

v4l2ctl: focus_auto=0,focus_absolute=30

Supported Controls

You can determine what your device is capable of by checking the crowsnest.log.

[11/16/22 20:16:28] crowsnest: Supported Controls:
[11/16/22 20:16:28] crowsnest:      brightness 0x00980900 (int) : min=-64 max=64 step=1 default=-15 value=-15
...