This is designed to be a fairly comprehensive set of API documentation for SerComm IP Cameras.

These API calls have been tested on the following cameras:

• RC8221 - a basic internal camera.
• RC8221D - a modified version of the above camera.
• OC821D - an external camera with weatherproof features.
• RC8230 - a pan/tilt camera.
• iCamera1 - a POE external camera.
• RC8025b-ADT - A version of RC8221 with similar functionality for ADT Pulse

Sercomm supplies cameras to a number of partners - each with a custom firmware. It is possible your camera does not have access to all these API calls.

Your camera may have been supplied with a username and password. If you do not know what these credentials are, you can reset the camera to its defaults.

• Unplug the power from the camera.
• Plug in a network cable and connect it to your network.
• Hold a pin/paperclip in the "reset" hole on the back of the device.
• With the pin still held in, connect the power to the camera.
• Keep the pin in for 10 seconds, then release it.
• (You may need to power cycle the camera again without holding in the reset button if it doesn't connect to the network).
• Visit the IP address of the camera.
• Click on "Administration"
• The default username is administrator. There is no password.
• You will now be able to create a new admin user with a strong password.
• Note: you will need to log in quickly, or ensure that the camera cannot connect to the Internet. Some cameras will "phone home" and reconfigure themselves with the vendor's username & password.

The API is RESTful - although it isn't very communicative.

All API calls are GET except where noted.

Responses are in plain text except where noted.

Some cameras don't show a menu by default.

• This command is used to activate the administration menu on vendor modified firmwares such as Comcast Xfinity, Cox Homelife and ADT Pulse.
  • /adm/enable_ui.cgi
  • Response OK

Many cameras have a "hidden" 720p resolution. This can be activated for video and still images.

• Set Video to 720p

  • /adm/set_group.cgi?group=H264&resolution=4
    • Response OK

• Set JPG to 720p

  • /adm/set_group.cgi?group=JPEG&resolution=4
    • Response OK

• To get a JPEG of what the camera is currently seeing.
  • /img/snapshot.cgi
    • Response is a JPEG encoded image.
• Parameters
  • Set the resolution of the image with
    • size=1 1280*720
    • size=2 320*240
    • size=3 640*480
  • Set the quality of the image. The higher the JPEG quality, the larger the file.
    • quality=1 JPEG quality 85
    • quality=2 JPEG quality 70
    • quality=3 JPEG quality 55
    • quality=4 JPEG quality 40
    • quality=5 JPEG quality 25

For cameras which have moveable lenses, it is possible to control the direction the camera is facing.

• The pan/tilt can be controlled in to different ways.
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?mv=$Direction,$Distance

Where $Direction can be Up, Down, Left, Right.

And $Distance can be any positive integer.

The maximum U and D value is 64.

The maximum L and R value is ??.

For example:

• Left
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?mv=L,10
• Right
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?mv=R,10
• Up
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?mv=U,10
• Down
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?mv=D,10

Diagonal moves can also be made:

• Up Left
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?mv=UL,10
• Up Right
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?mv=UR,10
• Down Left
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?mv=DL,10
• Down Right
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?mv=DR,10

There are preset locations which can be accessed

• Motion Detection (Unsure TODO!)
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?preset=move,100
• Camera Patrol (Unsure TODO!)
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?preset=move,101
• Pan right, then left (once)
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?preset=move,102
• Move to home position
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?preset=move,103
• Calibration (Move the full range of motion)
  • /pt/ptctrl.cgi?preset=move,104

There is no response sent in reply to these commands - although you should be able to see the camera move.

Arming a camera allows you to create triggers for specific events. For example, send an email on motion detection.

• Check arming status
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=EVENT
    • Response

[EVENT]
event_trigger=0
event_schedule=1
event_define1=
event_define2=
event_define3=
event_define4=
event_define5=
event_define6=
event_define7=
event_define8=
event_define9=
event_define10=
event_interval=0
event_mt=email:0;ftpu:1;httpn:0;httppost:0;smbc:0
event_attach=mp4,1,5,10
event_audio=email:0;ftpu:1;httpn:0;httppost:0;smbc:0
event_httpc=email:0;ftpu:0;httpn:0;httppost:0;smbc:0

• If event_trigger=0 the camera is not armed.
• If event_trigger=1 the camera is armed
• Arm
  • /adm/set_group.cgi?group=EVENT&event_trigger=1 * Response OK
• Disarm
  • /adm/set_group.cgi?group=EVENT&event_trigger=0
    • Response OK

There are several ways you can get video and audio out of the cameras.

• Motion JPEG is a simple format for viewing video (no audio) in your browser.
  • /img/video.mjpeg

• Video * /img/media.sdp

The following can be accessed via the rtsp:// protocol.

• Video and Audio
  • /img/media.sav
• Video
  • /img/video.sav
• Audio
  • /img/audio.sav

• Should you want to view the video in Flash

  • /img/media.swf
  • /img/media.flv

• With a GUI

  • /img/sc_flvplayer.swf

This is really tricky!

Some cameras can support up to 4 areas of motion detection. For example, you might have a camera pointed at your door, but are only interested in seeing when the handle or the letter box moves.

No matter what resolution your camera is, the motion detection is defined on a 640*480 grid with the top left corner being position 0,0 and the bottom right being 639,479.

         640
+-------------------+  
|(0,0)              |
|                   |
|                   |480
|                   |
|                   |
+-------------------+
                    (639,479)

• Get the currently configured motion detection settings.
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=MOTION
  • Response:

[MOTION]
md_mode=1
md_switch1=1
md_switch2=0
md_switch3=0
md_switch4=0
md_name1=Window 1
md_name2=Window 2
md_name3=Window 3
md_name4=Window 4
md_window1=0,0,639,479
md_window2=0,0,160,120
md_window3=0,0,160,120
md_window4=0,0,160,120
md_threshold1=80
md_threshold2=127
md_threshold3=127
md_threshold4=127
md_sensitivity1=6
md_sensitivity2=6
md_sensitivity3=6
md_sensitivity4=6
md_update_freq1=90
md_update_freq2=90
md_update_freq3=90
md_update_freq4=90
md_point=0,0

As you can see, there are 4 windows, each with their own switch, name, co-ordinates, threshold, sensitivity, and update frequency.

It may help to think of them being grouped like this:

md_switch1=1
md_name1=Window 1
md_window1=0,0,639,479
md_threshold1=80
md_sensitivity1=6
md_update_freq1=90

md_switch2=0
md_name2=Window 2
md_window2=0,0,160,120
md_threshold2=127
md_sensitivity2=6
md_update_freq2=90

• Each parameter can be retrieved individually
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=MOTION.md_name1
    • Response

[MOTION]
md_name1=Window 1

• Each parameter can be set using

  • /adm/set_group.cgi?group=MOTION&
  • e.g. /adm/set_group.cgi?group=MOTION&md_window2=30,60,100,120
    • Response OK

• Properties which can be set using /adm/set_group.cgi?group=MOTION&$property=$value.

  • md_mode Motion detection mode
    • 0 Off
    • 1 On (Default)
  • md_point The position of motion using PT mode. The format is X,Y
    • X's range is -63 to 63
    • X's range is -36 to 28
  • md_switch [1-4] Set whether a motion detection window is active.
    • 0 Off
    • 1 On
  • md_name [1-4] Set the name of a motion detection window.
    • Maximum 12 ASCII characters.
  • md_window [1-4] Set the co-ordinates of the motion detection window. No matter the resolution of the camera, the area is considered to be 640*480 is active.
  • The format is X0,Y0,X1,Y1.
    • X's range is 0 to 639
    • Y's range is 0 to 479
  • md_threshold [1-4] Set the threshold(???) for the motion detection window.
    • Range is 0 to 255

You can set the cameras to perform an action when motion is detected.

• Get the current configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=HTTP_NOTIFY
  • Response

[HTTP_NOTIFY]
http_notify=1
http_url=
http_proxy=
http_proxy_no=80
http_method=1
http_user=
http_password=
proxy_user=
proxy_password=
event_data_flag=0

• Each parameter can be retrieved individually
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=HTTP_NOTIFY.http_notify
    • Response

[HTTP_NOTIFY]
http_notify=1

• Each parameter can be set using
  • /adm/set_group.cgi?group=HTTP_NOTIFY&
  • e.g. /adm/set_group.cgi?group=HTTP_NOTIFY&http_url=http://example.com
    • Response OK

• To see information about the camera
  • /util/query.cgi
    • Response

hostname=Camera
description=
defname=SC92FFF7
mpeg4_resolution=640
mjpeg_resolution=1280
h264_resolution=1280
h264_resolution2=320
h264_resolution3=320
mic_in=on
speaker_out=off
ptctrl=on
wlled=off
irled=off
serial=off
resolutions=1280x720,640*480,320*240,160*120
mac=00:0e:8f:92:ff:f7
privacy_button=off
pir_sensor=off
wps_pin_code=1234567
ioctrl=off
company_name=Xanboo
model_number=RC8230
wireless=on
sw_pppoe=yes

• For extra information
  • /util/query.cgi?extension=yes
    • Response

fw_ver=V1.0.15R00
ip_addr=192.168.0.42
netmask=255.255.255.0
gateway=192.168.0.1
timezone=26
current_time=10/13/2015 08:56:42
http_port=80
rtsp_port=554
https_port=443

• System information
  • /adm/sysinfo.cgi
    • Response

Firmware Version: V1.0.15
Serial Number:12345
Firmware Release Date: Mar 01,2013

• To see what features of the camera the current user has access to.
  • /img/query.cgi
    • Response

mic_in=on
speaker_out=on
ptctrl=on
ioctrl=off

• Some cameras have an InfraRed filter to enable them to see in the darkness.
  • /io/query_filter.cgi
    • Response filter=0 filter is off.
    • Response filter=1 filter is on.

• To get the date and time information
  • /adm/date.cgi?action=get
  • Response

timezone=26
year=2015
month=10
day=13
hour=08
minute=19
second=57

• To set the date and time information
  • /adm/date.cgi?action=set&
    • Parameters
      • year
      • month
      • day
      • second
    • Response OK

• Download the camera's configuration settings

  • /adm/admcfg.cfg
  • Response is a Base64 encoded representation of the configuration file. According to the specification:

  There is the hidden check sum data inside the configuration content to validate the data, Because we use the dword-aligned checksum algorithm, so we will ignore the last data misaligned by dword.

  • The Sercomm cameras have a custom BASE64 table:
    • ACEGIKMOQSUWYBDFHJLNPRTVXZacegikmoqsuwybdfhjlnprtvxz0246813579=+/
  • For comparison, a standard table is:
    • ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+/=

• Upload a configuration file. Note this is an HTTP POST

  • /adm/upload.cgi

• Get the event log of the camera
  • /adm/log.cgi
    • Response:

2015-10-13 07:12:33 DHCP: Lease renewal successfully.
2015-10-13 07:11:28 WATCHDOG: Haven't received HTTP requests for 1200 seconds, reconnecting WIFI.
2015-10-13 06:55:12 NTP: Synchronization OK.
2015-10-13 06:53:47 DHCP: Lease renewal successfully.
2015-10-13 06:51:11 Network: Wireless activated.

• To see all available WiFi networks
  • /adm/site_survey.cgi
    • Response is in XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<SiteList>
   <Site>
        <SSID>MyWiFiNetwork</SSID>
        <BSSID>34:44:11:A9:C2:D4</BSSID>
        <Mode>Infrastructure</Mode>
        <Security>WPA2-PSK</Security>
        <AUTH>SharedKey</AUTH>
        <Encryption>AES</Encryption>
        <Channel>1</Channel>
        <Signal>100</Signal>
        <WPS>Yes</WPS>
    </Site>
    ...

• See the camera's WiFi status
  • /adm/wireless_status.cgi
    • Response:

signal_strength=100
signal_strength-A=0
signal_strength-B=0
essid=MyWiFiNetwork
domain=Europe
channel=11
bssid=C1:15:A2:01:1D:11
wps_pin_code=123456

The cameras can upload images and videos to local network shares.

• LAN survey for SMB/CIFS shares
  • /adm/smb_survey.cgi?
    • Response in XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<List>
    <WorkGroup>
        <Name>WORKGROUP</Name>
        <List>
            <Server>
                <Name>MYSERVER</Name>
                <Comment>Samba 4.1.6-Ubuntu</Comment>
            </Server>
        </List>
    </WorkGroup>
</List>

• Optional parameters
  • timeout= value in seconds between 5 - 120. Default is 30. Camera will stop searching after this time.
  • action=stop force the camera to stop searching.

Sercomm's configuration API uses the concept of "groups".

• For example, you can get all the "System" group properties by calling:

  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=SYSTEM

• Each parameter can be retrieved individually

  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=SYSTEM.ntp_server

• You can set a group's properties by calling:

  • /adm/set_group.cgi?group=SYSTEM&$property=$value
    • e.g. /adm/set_group.cgi?group=SYSTEM&ntp_server=0.uk.pool.ntp.org
  • Note some of the properties are read only.

• You can see all the possible groups by calling

  • /adm/get_group.cgi
    • Returns:

[Manufacture]
[SYSTEM]
[LOG]
[NETWORK]
[WIRELESS]
[DDNS]
[HTTP]
[RTSP_RTP]
[UPNP]
[EMAIL]
[FTP]
[SMBC]
[VIDEO]
[H264]
[MPEG4]
[JPEG]
[STREAMS]
[AUDIO]
[USER]
[IP_FILTER]
[MOTION]
[IO]
[EVENT]
[QOS]
[MCWS]
[HTTP_NOTIFY]
[HTTP_EVENT]
[PPPOE]
[BONJOUR]
[SDCARD]
[PTZ]

Note: The groups available will depend on which camera you have. For example, not all cameras have an SD Card slot.

• The default manufacturer information:
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=Manufacture
    • Response:

[Manufacture]
def_name=
default_ip=192.168.0.99/255.255.255.0
max_user=20
summer_chg=1
conf_status=1

• All the "System" group properties by calling:
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=SYSTEM
    • Response:

[SYSTEM]
cfg_ver=RC8230_XANBOO_0001
host_name=MyCamera
comment=
time_format=24
date_format=1
time_zone=26
daylight_saving=1
ntp_mode=1
ntp_server=clock.via.net
ntp_date=0
ntp_hour=6
ntp_min=1
led_mode=1
reboot_time=2015-10-13 06:46:54
boot_up_time=2015-10-13 11:55:22
reboot_reason=Reboot by Internal (Reason: hydra is gone)
wd_timer_wifi=20
wd_timer_idled=300
wd_timer_acted=180
wd_reboot_num=347
wd_reboot_time=1444713006;1444585286

• Properties which can be set using /adm/set_group.cgi?group=SYSTEM&$property=$value.
  • host_name Camera's name. Maximum of 16 characters, 0-9, A-Z, a-z, space.
  • comment Camera's description. Maximum of 32 ASCII characters.
  • time_format Valid values are
    • 24-hour
    • 12-hour
  • date_format Valid values are
    • 0 YYYY-MM-DD
    • 1 MM/DD/YYYY
    • 2 DD/MM/YYYY
  • time_zone Valid values are 0-75.
  • daylight_saving Valid values are
    • 0 Off
    • 1 On
  • ntp_mode Synchronise with an NTP server. Valid values are
    • 0 Off
    • 1 On
  • ntp_server Which NTP server to use. Set using a domain name of up to 64 characters.
  • led_mode Keep the camera's information LED on. Valid values are
    • 0 Off
    • 1 On

• Get all log configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=LOG
    • Response:

[LOG]
log_mode=1
log_level=3
syslog_mode=0
syslog_server=
syslog_port=514
im_mode=0
im_server=
im_account=
im_password=
im_sendto=
im_message=
ftplog_mode=1
smtplog_mode=1
systemlog_mode=1
imlog_mode=1

• Properties which can be set using /adm/set_group.cgi?group=LOG&$property=$value.
  • syslog_mode Valid values are
    • 0 Off
    • 1 On
  • syslog_server Which Syslog server to use. Set using a domain name of up to 64 characters.
  • Others ???

• Get all Network configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=NETWORK
    • Response:

[NETWORK]
ip_addr=192.168.0.42
netmask=255.255.255.0
gateway=192.168.0.1
dhcp=1
dns_type=1
dns_server1=192.168.0.1
dns_server2=8.8.8.8
wins_type=0
wins_ip=

• Properties which can be set using /adm/set_group.cgi?group=NETWORK&$property=$value.
  • ip_addr Camera's IP address.
  • netmask Camera's netmask as IP address.
  • gateway IP of the network gateway.
  • dhcp Valid values are
    • 0 Fixed IP Address
    • 1 Use DHCP
  • dns_type Valid values are
    • 0 DNS servers assigned by DHCP
    • 1 Manually assigned DNS servers
  • dns_server1 and dns_server2 IP addresses of the DNS servers
  • Others ???

• Get all WiFi configurations
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=WIRELESS
    • Response:

[WIRELESS]
wlan_type=1
wlan_essid=MyNetwork
wlan_channel=0
wlan_domain=5
wlan_security=2
wep_authtype=2
wep_mode=1
wep_index=1
wep_ascii=
wep_kep1=
wep_kep2=
wep_kep3=
wep_kep4=
wpa_ascii=
wmm=0

• Properties which can be set using /adm/set_group.cgi?group=WIRELESS&$property=$value.
  • wlan_type Valid values are
    • 0 Ad hoc
    • 1 Infrastructure
    • wlan_essid The SSID to connect to. Maximum of 32 ASCII characters. Case sensitive.
    • wlan_channel Which WiFi channel number to use.
      • 0 auto
      • 1 - 13 a specific channel.
    • wlan_domain Different countries have different WiFi channels
      • 1 - Africa
      • 2 - Asia
      • 3 - Australia
      • 4 - Canada
      • 5 - Europe
      • 6 - Spain
      • 7 - France
      • 8 - Israel
      • 9 - Japan
      • 10 - Mexico
      • 11 - South American
      • 12 - USA
    • wlan_security Which wireless security mode
      • 0 - None
      • 1 - WEP
      • 2 - WPA/WPA2-PSK
      • 3 - WPA PSK TKIP
      • 4 - WPA PSK AES
      • 5 - WPA2 PSK TKIP
      • 6 - WPA2 PSK AES
      • 7 - WPA enterprise
      • 8 - WPA PSK
      • 9 - WPA2 PSK
    • wpa_ascii Set the password for WPA. Must be between 8 and 63 characters.
    • connection_mode Which wireless mode to boot up to.
      • 0 - If a connection is available over the Ethernet interface, the device uses Ethernet; otherwise, it uses wireless.
      • 1 - The device use wireless whether a connection is available over the Ethernet or not.
      • 2 - The device enters WPS PBC mode over wireless whether a connection is available over the Ethernet or not.
      • 3 - The device enters WPS PIN code mode over wireless whether a connection is available over the Ethernet or not.
    • wmm Use WMM mode. Valid values are
      • 0 Off
      • 1 On
    • wpa_ep_auth_type Set WPA/WPA2 Enterprise authentication type.
      • 1 - EAP-TLS
      • 2 - EAP-TTLS
    • wpa_tls_user Set EAP-TLS user name. Maximum of 64 ASCII characters.
    • wpa_tls_priv_keypass Set EAP-TLS private key password. Maximum of 64 ASCII characters.
    • wpa_ttls_auth_type Set EAP-TTLS authentication type.
      • 1 MSCHAP
      • 2 MSCHAPv2
      • 3 PAP
      • 4 EAP-MD5
      • 5 EAP-GTC
    • wpa_ttls_user Set EAP-TTLS User name. Maximum of 64 ASCII characters.
    • wpa_ttls_pass Set EAP-TTLS user password. Maximum of 64 ASCII characters.
    • wpa_ttls_anony_name Set EAP-TTLS/EAP-TLS anonymous name. Maximum of 64 ASCII characters.

• Get all Dynamic DNS configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=DDNS
    • Response:

[DDNS]
ddns_mode=0
ddns_service=
ddns_account=
ddns_password=
ddns_host_name=
ddns_hour=12
ddns_minute=
ddns_update_unit=3
ddns_update_period=10

TODO! Many of the DDNS providers no longer work.

• Get all HTTP configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=HTTP
    • Response:

[HTTP]
http_mode=1
http_port2=1
http_port2_num=8080
https_mode=1
ssport_enable=0
ssport_number=1025

• Get all RTSP configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=RTSP_RTP
    • Response:

[RTSP_RTP]
rtsp_port=554
rtp_port=5000
rtp_size=1400
mcast_enable=0
mcast_video_enable=0
mcast_video_addr=224.2.0.1
mcast_video_port=2240
mcast_h264_enable=0
mcast_h264_addr=224.2.0.1
mcast_h264_port=2242
mcast_audio_enable=0
mcast_audio_addr=224.2.0.1
mcast_audio_port=2244
mcast_hops=16

• Properties which can be set using /adm/set_group.cgi?group=RTSP_RTP&$property=$value
  • rtsp_port RTSP port number. Valid values are
    • 554
    • 1024 to 65535
  • rtp_port RTP port number. Valid values
    • 1024 to 65535
    • Default of 5000
  • rtp_size RTP packet size. Valid values
    • 400 to 1400
  • mcast_enable RTP/RTSP multicast mode. Valid values are * 0 Off (Default) * 1 On
  • mcast_video_addr Video multicast IP address.
  • mcast_video_port Video port number.
    • 1024 to 65534 Even numbers only.
  • mcast_audio_addr Audio multicast IP address.
  • mcast_audio_port Audio port number.
    • 1024 to 65534 Even numbers only.
  • mcast_hops Multicast time to live value.
    • 1 to 255

• Get all UPNP configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=UPNP
    • Response:

[UPNP]
upnp_mode=0
upnp_traversal=
upnp_camera=

• Properties which can be set using /adm/set_group.cgi?group=UPNP&$property=$value
  • upnp_mode
    • 0 Off (Default)
    • 1 On

• NOTE: On an RC8025b-ADT, this is the only way to enable/disable UPNP. Setting it from the webpage GUI results in an "Invalid Group" error and the change is not saved.

• Get all Email configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=EMAIL
    • Response:

[EMAIL]
smtp_enable=1
smtp_server=
pop_server=
smtp_port=465
smtp_auth=1
smtp_account=
smtp_password=
smtp2_enable=0
smtp2_server=
pop2_server=
smtp2_port=25
smtp2_auth=0
smtp2_account=
smtp2_password=
from_addr=
from_addr2=
to_addr1=
to_addr2=
to_addr3=
send_email=1
email_att=7
subject=
smtp_serv_flag=1
smtp2_serv_flag=1

Note: The response will never display your passwords.

TODO!

• Get all FTP settings
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=FTP
    • Response:

[FTP]
ftp1=1
ftp1_server=
ftp1_account=
ftp1_passwd=
ftp1_path=
ftp1_passive=1
ftp1_port=21
ftp2=0
ftp2_server=
ftp2_account=
ftp2_passwd=
ftp2_path=
ftp2_passive=0
ftp2_port=21

Note: The response will never display your passwords.

• Get all Samab configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=SMBC
    • Response:

[SMBC]
smbc_enable=1
smbc_server=
smbc_path=
smbc_account=
smbc_passwd=
smbc_rec_enable=0
smbc_rec_file_ctrl=1
smbc_rec_filesize=0
smbc_rec_duration=15
smbc_rec_streaming=1
smbc_rec_mode=1
smbc_rec_server=
smbc_rec_path=
smbc_rec_account=
smbc_rec_passwd=
smbc_rec_filename_prefix=
smbc_rec_behavior=0,0,1
smbc_rec_schedule=
smbc_rec_bymd_fn_prefix=
smbc_rec_bymd_len=

TODO!

• Get all Video configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=VIDEO
    • Response:

[VIDEO]
video_schedule=0
video_define1=
video_define2=
video_define3=
video_define4=
video_define5=
video_define6=
video_define7=
video_define8=
video_define9=
video_define10=
time_stamp=1
text_overlay=0
text=
power_line=50
color=0
exposure=4
sharpness=4
flip=0
mirror=0
hue=4
saturation=4
contrast=4
default_channel=1
mask_window1=0
mask_window2=0
mask_window3=0
mask_window4=0
mask_color1=888888
mask_color2=888888
mask_color3=888888
mask_color4=888888
mask_position1=160,180,480,300
mask_position2=160,180,480,300
mask_position3=160,180,480,300
mask_position4=160,180,480,300
night_mode=0

• Properties which can be set using /adm/get_group.cgi?group=VIDEO
  • time_stamp Display a date / timestamp on the images
    • 0 Off
    • 1 On
  • text_overlay Display a line of text on the images
    • 0 Off
    • 1 On
  • text The text to display
    • Maximum of 20 ASCII characters
  • power_line Adjust the picture to reduce flicker from lights. This should be set the to Hz of your electrical grid.
    • 50 UK / Europe
    • 60 USA
  • color Configure the colour balance of the picture
    • 0 Auto
    • 1 Indoors
    • 2 White lighting
    • 3 Yellow lighting
    • 4 Outdoor
    • 5 Black and White
  • exposure brightness of the image. Range of 1 to 7
    • 1 Darkest
    • 7 Brightest
  • sharpness Sharpness of the image. Range of 1 to 7
    • 1 Least sharp
    • 7 Most sharp
  • flip Veritcally flip the images - useful if the camera has been installed upside down.
    • 0 Off
    • 1 On
  • mirror Horizontal flip the images
    • 0 Off
    • 1 On
  • time_stamp Display a date / timestamp on the images
    • 0 Off
    • 1 On

TODO!

• Get all H264 Video Codec configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=H264
    • Response:

[H264]
mode=1
resolution=4
quality_type=1
quality_level=5
bit_rate=768
frame_rate=25
gov_length=25
sp_uri=
mode2=1
resolution2=2
quality_type2=0
quality_level2=3
bit_rate2=256
frame_rate2=10
gov_length2=10
sp_uri2=
mode3=1
resolution3=2
quality_type3=0
quality_level3=3
bit_rate3=64
frame_rate3=10
gov_length3=10
sp_uri3=
bandwidth=0
profile=66
cropping=0
bandwidth2=0
profile2=66
cropping2=0
bandwidth3=0
profile3=66
cropping3=0

TODO!

• Get all MPEG4 configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=MPEG4
    • Response:

[MPEG4]
mode=1
resolution=3
quality_type=1
quality_level=5
bit_rate=256
frame_rate=25
gov_length=10
sp_uri=
mode2=0
resolution2=1
quality_type2=1
quality_level2=3
bit_rate2=256
frame_rate2=15
gov_length2=10
sp_uri2=
mode3=0
resolution3=3
quality_type3=1
quality_level3=3
bit_rate3=1000
frame_rate3=15
gov_length3=10
sp_uri3=
bandwidth=0
cropping=0
bandwidth2=0
cropping2=0
bandwidth3=0
cropping3=0

TODO!

• Get all JPEG image configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=JPEG
    • Response:

[JPEG]
mode=1
resolution=4
quality_level=3
frame_rate=15
sp_uri=
mode2=0
resolution2=1
quality_level2=3
frame_rate2=15
sp_uri2=
mode3=0
resolution3=3
quality_level3=3
frame_rate3=30
sp_uri3=
bandwidth=0
cropping=0
bandwidth2=0
cropping2=0
bandwidth3=0
cropping3=0

TODO!

• Get all video streaming configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=STREAMS
    • Response:

[STREAMS]
channel1=H264,1
channel2=JPEG,2
channel3=MPEG4,3

TODO!

• Get all Audio configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=AUDIO
    • Response:

[AUDIO]
audio_in=1
in_volume=1
in_audio_type=1
audio_out=0
out_volume=8
out_audio_type=0
audio_mode=1
operation_mode=1
in_pcm_sr=8000
audio_in2=1
in_pcm_sr2=5512
in_audio_type2=3
au_trigger_en=0
au_trigger_volume=50
au_trigger_method=0

TODO!

• Get all User information
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=USER
    • Response:

[USER]
login_check=1
admin_timeout=5
admin_name=admin
admin_password=
viewer_name=demo
viewer_password=
user1=viewer,
user2=
user3=
user4=
user5=
user6=
user7=
user8=
user9=
user10=
user11=
user12=
user13=
user14=
user15=
user16=
user17=
user18=
user19=
user20=
audio_in_ctrl=1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
audio_out_ctrl=1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
pt_ctrl=0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
adm_ctrl=0
io_ctrl=0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0

Note: The response will never display your passwords.

TODO!

• Get all IP Filters
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=IP_FILTER
    • Response:

[IP_FILTER]
ip_filter=0
ip_filter_rule=0
ip_filter1=
ip_filter2=
ip_filter3=
ip_filter4=
ip_filter5=
ip_filter6=
ip_filter7=
ip_filter8=
ip_filter9=
ip_filter10=
ip_filter11=
ip_filter12=
ip_filter13=
ip_filter14=
ip_filter15=
ip_filter16=
ip_filter17=
ip_filter18=
ip_filter19=
ip_filter20=

TODO!

Some cameras have IO pins on the back. You can use these to send signals to, or receive signals from the camera.

• Get all IO configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=IO
    • Response:

[IO]
in1_trigger=0
in2_trigger=0
in1_type=3
in2_type=0
out1_init=1
out2_init=1
out1_button=0,0,10
out2_button=0,0,10
out1_action=1
out2_action=1
out1_pulse_duration=10
out2_pulse_duration=10

TODO!

• Get all QOS configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=QOS
    • Response:

[QOS]
qos_enable=0
qos_dscp=32
qos_av_switch=0

TODO!

• Get all ??? configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=MCWS
    • Response:

[MCWS]
url_periodic=
url_event=
expire_hours=0

TODO!

• Get all HTTP POST Events configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=HTTP_EVENT
    • Response:

[HTTP_EVENT]
http_event_en=0
http_post_en=0
http_post_user=
http_post_pass=
http_post_url=

Note: The response will never display your passwords.

TODO!

• Get all PPPOE configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=PPPOE
    • Response:

[PPPOE]
pppoe_enable=0
pppoe_username=
pppoe_password=
pppoe_dod=0
pppoe_idle_time=300
pppoe_redial_time=30
pppoe_hostname=
pppoe_mtu_type=0
pppoe_mtu=1492

Note: The response will never display your passwords.

• Get all ZeroConf Networking configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=
    • Response:

[BONJOUR]
bonjour_name=RC8230-92fff7
bonjour_mode=0

Some cameras have a slot for a MicroSD Card, onto which images and videos can be saved.

• Get SD Card configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=SDCARD
    • Response:

[SDCARD]
sdcard_rec_enable=0
sdcard_rec_event_enable=0
sdcard_rec_audio_enable=0
sdcard_rec_file_ctrl=1
sdcard_rec_file_size=10
sdcard_rec_disk_ctrl=0
sdcard_rec_duration=60
sdcard_rec_stream_id=1
sdcard_rec_filename_prefix=
sdcard_rec_event_prefix=
sdcard_rec_schedule=
sdcard_rec_schedule1=
sdcard_rec_schedule2=
sdcard_rec_schedule3=
sdcard_rec_schedule4=
sdcard_rec_schedule5=
sdcard_rec_schedule6=
sdcard_rec_schedule7=
sdcard_rec_schedule8=
sdcard_rec_schedule9=
sdcard_rec_schedule10=

TODO!

• Get all PTZ configuration
  • /adm/get_group.cgi?group=PTZ
    • Response:

[PTZ]
PtzMode=1
PtzMdMutex=2
Preset1Name=
Preset2Name=
Preset3Name=
Preset4Name=
Preset5Name=
Preset6Name=
Preset7Name=
Preset8Name=
Preset9Name=
Preset1Position=
Preset2Position=
Preset3Position=
Preset4Position=
Preset5Position=
Preset6Position=
Preset7Position=
Preset8Position=
Preset9Position=
Patrol1Position=
PredefineHome=0,0
PatrolInterval=
PatrolStyle=0

TODO!

• Download the camera's firmware
  • /adm/flash_dumper.cgi
    • Response is a file called fw.bin

It is possible to upgrade the firmware via the API. I would strongly recommend doing this via the GUI to ensure that the upgrade is accepted.

Never upload the firmware from one model of camera to a different model.

• Upgrade the camera's firmware using HTTP POST
  • /adm/upgrade.cgi
  • The firmware must be uploaded in base64
  • Wait at least 5 minutes to ensure that the firmware has been successfully flashed.

These controls allow you to reboot/restart the camera. You can also reset it to its system defaults.

Note: There is no confirmation prompt! Once you issue these commands, they will execute immediately.

• Reboot the camera

  • /adm/reboot.cgi
    • Response OK
    • Camera will immediately restart.

• Factory reset the camera

  • /adm/reset_to_default.cgi
    • Response OK
    • Camera will immediately factory reset.

The cameras make extensive use of Open Source Software. You can see the software versions and Open Source Licensing information.

• View software licenses
  • /adm/Licenses.txt
    • Response: a text file containing the information

The cameras use a somewhat baroque way of representing Timezones. Each zone has a number. Timezones with daylight savings are marked with an asterisk *.

• 0 (GMT-12:00) International Date Line West
• 1 (GMT-11:00) Midway
• 2 (GMT-10:00) Hawaii
• 3 *(GMT-09:00) Alaska
• 4 *(GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada), Tijuana
• 5 (GMT-07:00) Arizona
• 6 *(GMT-07:00) Chihuahua, La Paz, Mazatlan
• 7 *(GMT-07:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada)
• 8 (GMT-06:00) Central America
• 9 *(GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)
• 10 *(GMT-06:00) Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey
• 11 (GMT-06:00) Saskatchewan
• 12 (GMT-05:00) Bogota, Lima, Quito
• 13 *(GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
• 14 (GMT-05:00) Indiana (East)
• 15 *(GMT-04:00) Atlantic Time (Canada)
• 16 (GMT-04:00) La Paz
• 17 *(GMT-04:00) Santiago
• 18 *(GMT-03:30) Newfoundland
• 19 *(GMT-03:00) Brasilia
• 20 (GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown
• 21 *(GMT-03:00) Greenland
• 22 *(GMT-02:00) Mid-Atlantic
• 23 *(GMT-01:00) Azores
• 24 (GMT-01:00) Cape Verde Is.
• 25 (GMT) Casablanca, Monrovia
• 26 *(GMT) Greenwich Mean Time: Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London
• 27 *(GMT+01:00) Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna
• 28 *(GMT+01:00) Belgrade, Bratislava, Budapest, Ljubljana, Prague
• 29 *(GMT+01:00) Brussels, Copenhagen, Madrid, Paris
• 30 *(GMT+01:00) Sarajevo, Skopje, Warsaw, Zagreb
• 31 (GMT+01:00) West Central Africa
• 32 *(GMT+02:00) Athens, Istanbul, Minsk
• 33 *(GMT+02:00) Bucharest
• 34 *(GMT+02:00) Cairo
• 35 (GMT+02:00) Harare, Pretoria
• 36 *(GMT+02:00) Helsinki, Kyiv, Riga, Sofia, Tallinn, Vilnius
• 37 (GMT+02:00) Jerusalem
• 38 *(GMT+03:00) Baghdad
• 39 (GMT+03:00) Kuwait, Riyadh
• 40 *(GMT+03:00) Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd
• 41 (GMT+03:00) Nairobi
• 42 *(GMT+03:30) Tehran
• 43 (GMT+04:00) Abu Dhabi, Muscat
• 44 *(GMT+04:00) Baku, Tbilisi, Yerevan
• 45 (GMT+04:30) Kabul
• 46 *(GMT+05:00) Ekaterinburg
• 47 (GMT+05:00) Islamabad, Karachi, Tashkent
• 48 (GMT+05:30) Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi
• 49 (GMT+05:45) Kathmandu
• 50 *(GMT+06:00) Almaty, Novosibirsk
• 51 (GMT+06:00) Astana, Dhaka
• 52 (GMT+06:00) Sri Jayawardenepura
• 53 (GMT+06:30) Rangoon
• 54 (GMT+07:00) Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta
• 55 *(GMT+07:00) Krasnoyarsk
• 56 (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
• 57 *(GMT+08:00) Irkutsk, Ulaan Bataar
• 58 (GMT+08:00) Kuala Lumpur, Singapore
• 59 (GMT+08:00) Perth
• 60 (GMT+08:00) Taipei
• 61 (GMT+09:00) Osaka, Sapporo, Tokyo
• 62 (GMT+09:00) Seoul
• 63 *(GMT+09:00) Yakutsk
• 64 *(GMT+09:30) Adelaide
• 65 (GMT+09:30) Darwin
• 66 (GMT+10:00) Brisbane
• 67 *(GMT+10:00) Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
• 68 (GMT+10:00) Guam, Port Moresby
• 69 *(GMT+10:00) Hobart
• 70 *(GMT+10:00) Vladivostok
• 71 (GMT+11:00) Magadan, Solomon Is., New Caledonia
• 72 *(GMT+12:00) Auckland, Wellington
• 73 (GMT+12:00) Fiji, Kamchatka, Marshall Is.
• 74 (GMT+13:00) Nuku'alofa
• 75 (GMT-04:30) Caracas

Some cameras will allow Telnet access.

• Activate Telnet

  • /adm/file.cgi?todo=inject_telnetd
    • Response: if successful, you will see Open Telnet Daemon successfully!

• (confirmed to work on RC8025b-ADT)

• username: root
• password: Aq0+0009

List of available telnet commands:

- .
- :
- [
- [[
- alias
- bg
- break
- cd
- chdir
- continue
- echo
- eval
- exec
- exit
- export
- false
- fg
- hash
- help
- jobs
- kill
- let
- local
- printf
- pwd
- read
- readonly
- return
- set
- shift
- source
- test
- times
- trap
- true
- type
- ulimit
- umask
- unalias
- unset
- wait

If you can help with these missing piece of functionality, I would be most grateful.

With the speakers enabled, it should be possible to POST an audio file to the cameras, either in G.726, or G.711 (a-law or u-law). I've not been able to get this working. See further discussion.

Not all API calls are documented. Not all which are in the official documentation are valid. Fill in the gaps :-)