Knowledge Base

Using Multiple GigE Cameras

Aim: To track from two up to four GigE cameras. This topic applies to Basler GigE cameras only.

Important: You cannot use a combination of analog and digital cameras. Also, mixing video images of different camera types is not supported.

Connect the Cameras

How you connect multiple GigE cameras depends on which Ethernet interface board you have installed.

• If you have multiple, 1-port Ethernet boards, connect each camera to an Ethernet board. If the boards are not powered, you must connect the cameras through PoE injectors to a power supply. Only use 1Gbit/s PoE injectors.
• If you have a 4-port Ethernet board, you can connect up to four cameras.

Important: Make sure the Ethernet board also receives power from the PC. See the connection in Power the Ethernet Board for the GigE Cameras.

Important: Each camera must always be connected to the same port on the Ethernet board, because the IP address of the camera and that of the Ethernet port must match. In the case of a multi-port Ethernet board, each port is viewed as a network adapter, with its own IP address. The information of which port is linked is stored in the driver software of each camera. If you swap cameras, they will not be recognized. Therefore, always label the Ethernet ports and the cameras.

Tip: When using one Ethernet interface board per camera, rename the network adapters listed in the Windows Control Panel, for example Front camera and Top camera.

Assign the IP Addresses to Multiple Cameras

You can assign IP addresses with pylon IP Configurator.

1. Assign an IP address to each Ethernet port on your PC. See Assign IP Addresses.
2. Assign an IP address to each camera. See Assign IP Addresses.

Here are the main rules:

• Each camera must have a unique IP address.
• Always set the first two numbers to 192.168.
• The third number must be the same for the camera and the Ethernet port the camera is connected with.

Example:

• Camera 1: IP address 192.168.x.101 connected to Ethernet port with IP address 192.168.x.51
• Camera 2: IP address 192.168.x.102 connected to Ethernet port with IP address 192.168.x.52

Video Resolution

You can set the video resolution in EthoVision XT. See Select Multiple GigE Cameras in EthoVision XT.

See Also

• 16-Camera Configuration
• GigE Cameras
• Install an Ethernet Board for GigE Cameras
• Power the Ethernet Board for the GigE Cameras
• Assign IP Addresses
• Configure the Digital Camera

16-Camera Configuration

Important: When using a 16-camera configuration, we recommend using Contour-based tracking, not Deep learning. This is because Deep learning is so resource-demanding that it is unlikely to work with 16 arenas on a typical PC.

Setup

Hardware and Settings:

• PC: Dell Precision 3680, CPU i7-14700K 3.4 GHz, RAM 32GB, GPU NVIDIA T1000 8GB; Windows 11 Pro 23H2
• Cameras: 16 Basler GigE cameras acA1300-60gm
• PCIe Ethernet interface board: FS X550-AT2, 10GBase-T Dual-Port, PCIe 3.0 x4
• Network switch: FS S3100-16TMS-P, 16-Port Gigabit Ethernet L2+ PoE+, 8x PoE+ Ports@125W, 2x 5Gb RJ45, with 2x 10Gb SFP+ Uplinks
• For this switch you need an adapter (SFP+ 10GBASE-T Copper 30m RJ-45 Transceiver module) for the network cable that goes to the PC.
• We recommend using CAT6+ network cables.
• Video resolution: Single camera view 640 x 480, merged view in EthoVision XT 2560 x 1920
• Image binning: 2. See Binning.
• Video frame rate: 30 fps. Trial duration: 72 hours.
• Video source: Live tracking; Number of subjects per arena: 1; Tracked features: Center-point, nose-point and tail-base detection; Body Point Detection Technique: Contour-based; Detection method: Dynamic Subtraction or Differencing; Acquisition mode: Track + Save video.

Connection Scheme

Follow this scheme also for PhenoTyper 2. Note that in the S3100-16TMS-P network switch, the RJ45 ports marked in yellow are powered, so eight cameras do not need PoE injectors. Connect the remaining eight cameras through PoE injectors.

Assign the IP Addresses

Connect the cameras to the switch using the ports as shown in the connection scheme figure. For a good overview of the IP addresses, we recommend using pylon IP Configurator.

1. Start pylon IP Configurator.
2. For the port of the Ethernet board of the PC connected to the switch, specify the address 192.168.x.51. To do so, locate the Ethernet row in IP Configurator — that is, the row with the board symbol connected to the cameras. Note that the name of the Ethernet row may vary between PCs.
3. Right-click and select Properties, then double-click Internet Protocol Version 4, select Use the following IP address, and enter the IP address in the IP Address field.
4. For the cameras (1 to 16), specify sequential addresses in the 192.168.x.x range. Note that the third number must be the same as that for the Ethernet port connected to the network switch. To assign the IP addresses to a camera, select the camera row, then in the panel at the bottom of the screen choose Static IP and enter the IP address.
5. For all Ethernet ports and cameras, leave 255.255.255.0 as the Subnet Mask.

For more schemes of multiple camera configurations, see also the PhenoTyper - EthoVision XT 19 - Reference Manual.

Using Network Switches

• The network switches must be of type PoE (Power over Ethernet), that is, they must provide power to the cameras. Note that the maximum power provided by a switch, measured in Watt (W), must be greater than the total requirements of the cameras (one Basler camera requires about 2.5 W).
• The network switches must be able to handle large packets (known as jumbo packets or jumbo frames). With jumbo frame-capable devices, the maximum packet size can be up to 16 KB. For maximum network efficiency, your camera should be configured to use the largest packet size that your network adapters and switches can handle.
• Refer to the user guide of the network switch for how to set it up.

See Also

• GigE Cameras
• Install an Ethernet Board for GigE Cameras
• Power the Ethernet Board for the GigE Cameras
• Connect the GigE Camera to the PC
• Assign IP Addresses
• Configure the Digital Camera
• Select Multiple GigE Cameras in EthoVision XT

Source: EthoVision XT 19 Help, Noldus Information Technology