Intro #
In this tutorial, we will explain to you how to see and control the cameras remotely from the Live Cam tab.
Live Camera Access #
Once you’ve set up your smartphone cameras on event day, if they’re connected to the internet, you can use the Dashboard to control and monitor what is happening with your recordings on the ground.
If you click on the Live-Cam tab, you will see the status of the smartphone cameras that are online or the status of any smartphone camera at the event at the last moment they were online.
Monitoring in Real Time #
On this digital camera display, you will be able to see all the information and controls available on the actual smartphone camera, as well as the latest camera status, such as battery or storage levels, or a snapshot of the last recorded image. And you’re able to see and control all that whether you’re next to the smartphones, on the ground, or in a comfortable chair at home or in your office.
Snapshot display #
The snapshot you see is updated every 30 seconds, depending on the internet connection.
It allows you to monitor the camera view in real-time to modify it or to instruct team colleagues on adjusting the angle of view. It also allows you to control if anything is obstructing the view or if the position was moved from the original one that was set.
Monitoring the recording #
In general, you should always consider that several on-the-ground factors can jeopardize the quality of your footage, which, if noticed in real-time, can be quickly managed. You can see if there are drops of water on your lens, if strong winds have moved the camera, or in some cases if people accidentally moved or knocked down the camera. Yes, that can sometimes happen.
Information monitored #
The snapshot is a strong visual aid, but with the status info shown under the smartphone camera snapshot you can also monitor and intervene yourself, or direct your on-the-ground team to intervene:
- If the battery is running low
- If the storage is running low
- If the camera is online or not
- If it’s in recording mode or not
- Or if the footage is being uploaded or not
Check Online Connectivity #
Of course, for these features to work and for you to get the information, the cameras need to have internet access. You can either use a wi-fi connection or you can simply use a data connection plan.
As the internet connection degrades, the system is built to automatically prioritize sending status data, send lower quality snapshots or not at all but still allow you to control the cameras. So don’t worry if the snapshots sometimes get delayed.
When the cameras are online and connected, at least one of the two communication channels you see here (gRPC and VPS), if not both, will show as Online. This is just a simple indicator for you to know that the cameras are connected to the server and are transmitting information, you don’t need to worry about it more than seeing those online.
Remotely Controlling the Camera #
Now that we quickly covered the status information you can view, let’s get to control the cameras. You can do this by operating the controls on the Camera Snapshot:
- You can Start-Stop recording
- You can Toggle the Auto-Focus ON or OFF
- Control the HDR or Exposure settings
- Toggle upload ON or OFF
just like you would be operating it directly on the smartphone app onsite.
If you want to know more about all the Recording functions, please watch the Video tutorial about “Recording Landscape Mode”, where we explain in detail all these functions.
The feature of controlling your camera status remotely is one of our most sought-after by event teams working with our product, as it allows you to stay fully in control of your operations and make sure you get the best footage and results for your event.
It’s also an invaluable help when setting the cameras on the ground, as you can mount them in harder-to-reach points and fine-tune their position based on the snapshot in the Live-Cam tab, without the need to view the camera screen directly.
Live Camera Access #
After making sure your cameras are positioned for the best shot, and also operating correctly, make sure either you or your on-the-ground team checks the Live-Cam frequently tab during event day, to monitor the event. Of course, you can only do this if your smartphone cameras are online.
Check our next Tutorial where we explain the iRewind ONE Platform Upload process.