Technology

IP Camera monitoring

Feb 17, 2025

In order to monitor my hidden tracks underneath the layout, both the staging yards and hidden areas where derailments could possibly occur, I have purchased TP-Link IP cameras to keep a watchful eye.

I wanted a Windows computer-based software app, vs an Android based app, this because a computer monitor is bigger and therefore capable of simultaneously viewing all cameras on one screen.

I have found two software packages: “iSpy” and “IP CENTCOM” to be great, and free, products to do this with. (for a small fee, there is an option to have more functionality) Once the cameras are setup it only takes a few minutes to add them to the screen. However, the more camera views at once, they will have a short delay displaying their stream.

iSpy: Description from the software provider:

Using iSpy you can do pretty much anything, from protecting your business and home with real-time SMS and Twitter alerts to scanning the skies for UFOs, nanny cams, machinery monitoring, neighborhood watch, iSpy does it all! The best thing about iSpy though is that it’s open source and can therefore leverage some of the best open-source libraries around representing literally millions of man hours of work – code that isn’t available to proprietary developers. No wonder iSpy is the most popular and downloaded home and business security and surveillance application in the world!

iSpy currently works on Windows based PCs only (both x86 and 64 bit versions). iSpy has been tested on Windows 7, 8 and 10 but may work on other Windows variants that support the .Net v4 Framework.

Hardware recommendations vary a lot depending on how many cameras and microphones you are going to be using at any given time. An old PC with 2GB of RAM and 200 GB of free hard disk space should be more than capable of running 4 cameras simultaneously at 320 x 240 resolution.

Largest supported device database in the world:
10’s of thousands of supported devices. Supports pretty much every camera that isn’t locked down to its own proprietary platform.
Supports local USB cameras and microphones, files and desktop recording.

Integrates With…
Home Assistant
Alexa with live view*
IFTTT*
Anything else via a Full API

For a list of all the features please click here.

Download: iSpy for Windows, macOS and Linux version.

IP cameras on Amazon: TP-Link Tapo 2K Security Cameras

IP CENTCOM: Description from software provider:

Monitor and explorer for IP Cameras. Supporting ONVIF, generic RTSP, MJPEG.
If you have a modern IP camera (i.e. a future-proof ONVIF conformant one), IP CENTCOM helps you take full advantage of Windows’s superb multi-media power to monitor and control your camera with rich features.
There are over 12,000 ONVIF conformant Models of Network Video Transmitters (i.e. network cameras, servers, etc.) on the market.
IP CENTCOM also supports generic RTSP and MJPEG streaming making it virtually compatible with all IP cameras though the functionality is limited compared with ONVIF Devices.

Main Features:

ONVIF – Support over 12,000 NVT devices (e.g. network cameras, servers).
Generic RTSP/MJPEG – Support non-ONVIF IP cameras as generic RTSP or MJPEG streams.
RTSP over HTTP – The most robust video streaming method over the Internet. Simplify router’s port configuration.
H.264/H.265 – (a.k.a. Advanced Video Coding/High Efficiency Video Encoding ) The same format used by Blu-ray and YouTube. High compression allows smooth video for limited bandwidth.
Explore – In-depth exploration of extensive device properties.
Audio – Supports AAC, G.711 μ-law and G.711 A-law.
PTZ – Flick to pan/tilt, click to zoom. Both opto-mechanical and digital PTZ.
MP4 – Recording in standard MP4 format with H.264/H.265 video encoding and AAC audio encoding for high quality and video viewer compatibility.
Discovery – Discover all ONVIF devices instantly. Adding a camera can be as simple as a few button clicks.
Custom Commands – Send user defined CGI command or other HTTP based commands such as turning LED/IR on/off. (Pro version)
Configuration – Configure both video and audio streams of an ONVIF device.
Live Tile – Pin a camera to the back of the app’s Live Tile. Pin any number of cameras to the start screen for quick access and viewing their snapshots updated periodically.
Snapshot Preview – App home screen with snapshots updated periodically.
Multi-view – Viewing multiple cameras simultaneously.

Download: IP CENTCOM for Windows version.

Download: IP CENTCOM for Android version. (Onvifer)

IP cameras on Amazon: TP-Link Tapo 2K Security Cameras