Use WebCam to record (Including movement detection)

Question

What Ubuntu software is there to use a webcam as a recording camera (Like a Security System). It NEEDS to detect movement in the room, take pictures and/or record.

Solution 1

• ffmpeg

  for video only:

  ffmpeg -f video4linux2 -s 320x240 -i /dev/video0 out.
  

  for audio and video:

  ffmpeg -f oss -i /dev/dsp -f video4linux2 -s 320x240 -i /dev/video0 out.mpg
  

• ZoneMinder surveillance system. Maybe the best and most complex open source tool.

Solution 2

wxCam supports the movement detection.

Last release: 2011-11.

wxCam is a webcam application for linux. It supports video recording (in an avi uncompressed and Xvid format), snapshot taking, and some special commands for philips webcams, so you can also use the program for astronomy purposes. It supports both video4linux 1 and 2 drivers, so it should work on a very large number of devices.

Solution 3

Try Cheese, the standard webcam app in Ubuntu.

Its installed by default, go to Applications > Sound & Video

It has recording capabilities (video and sound), and it take snapshots as pictures. But i guess it lacks motion sensor.

Solution 4

Shinobi (source)

Shinobi is a ZoneMinder alternative.

The Open Source CCTV platform written in Node.JS (Camera Recorder - Security Surveillance Software). From its site:

• Records IP Cameras and Local Cameras
• Streams by WebSocket
• Save to WebM and MP4: Other formats will be added after codec choices are less confusing.
• API
  • Get videos
  • Get monitors
  • Change monitor modes : Disabled, Watch, Record
  • Embedding streams

---

Also: Webcamoid is a full featured and multiplatform webcam suite. Check here how to install.

Solution 5

guvcview is the best in the smooth video as if you are a recorder.

sudo apt-get install guvcview

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Comments

[Admin]

I gave the answer to lukasz but gave you a point because motion is console based and also very simple to use. It can be helpful for remote movement detection and things like that, hold the kids away from the PC at least.

[Luis Alvarado]

+1 for the explanation of ffmpeg with video and video+sound.

[Ashish Sharma]

How is the provided solutions capture the motion detection, please explain, I tried it and it did not work in motion detection.

[Dheeraj Bhaskar]

+1 @AshishSharma how does this do motion detection at all!