# How to build a video surveillance system from scratch?

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-build-a-video-surveillance-system-from-scratch/51077>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [15 September 2021 20:43 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-build-a-video-surveillance-system-from-scratch/51077 "2021-09-15T20:43:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 11

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**Author:** ![kevinGodell](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/kevingodell/32/27040_2.png) [@kevinGodell](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/kevinGodell)\
**Post date:** [17 September 2021 11:19 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-build-a-video-surveillance-system-from-scratch/51077/11 "2021-09-17T11:19:23Z")

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The 1st thing we have to do is figure out how what type of video/audio streams are available. Whenever you get a chance to get to the command line, run ffprobe on your input. Be sure to use quotes around the input if it has special characters in it. Change the input url to whatever your cam's docs recommend. Also, try this on the sub stream, if there is one.

```auto
kevinGodell ~ $ ffprobe -hide_banner -i "rtsp://username:password@192.168.1.32:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0"
Input #0, rtsp, from 'rtsp://admin:Purple@2026@192.168.1.32:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0':
  Metadata:
    title : Media Server
  Duration: N/A, start: 0.128000, bitrate: N/A
    Stream #0:0: Video: h264 (Main), yuv420p(progressive), 2688x1520, 100 tbr, 90k tbn, 180k tbc
    Stream #0:1: Audio: aac (LC), 8000 Hz, mono, fltp

```

edit: a better cmd to show more details:

```auto
ffprobe -hide_banner -i "rtsp://admin:Orange2021@192.168.1.32:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0" -show_format -show_streams -print_format json

```

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