i-Catcher Modular Structure

Simple & Complex Systems

A complete i-Catcher system is composed of many components providing the different features of a complex CCTV network. The diagram on the right shows an example system whereby multiple computers have different roles in the CCTV operation, though simpler systems are possible using just a single computer and one piece of application software.

i-Catcher Console - Central CCTV Component

i-Catcher Console provides the centre of the CCTV network. The Console computer will typically run most of the CCTV feeds, and also provides the management process for handling all of the CCTV feeds on the network and providing remote access to the system. The Console machine also typically runs the i-Catcher Alert client, which handles the processing of email, network message, and audio alerts for those feeds which require them. i-Catcher Alert can also run on another machine if required.

Network Video Sources

Positioned around the CCTV network are various network video sources. In this example they are all network cameras, but they could also be network video servers with composite video cameras connected. The use of an already exisitng integrated network simplifies the installation when network cameras are used and reduces the need for co-axial video cameras to be run back to the Console system.

Remote Feeds & Local Capture Sources

i-Catcher Console can make use of feeds provided by the i-Catcher Sentry single-camera client. Sentry communicates with Console via a specially shared folder on the network. This allows you to run a feed on any machine connected to the network and connect that feed to the main Console system, providing additional flexibility for installation. Our example shows two such Sentry clients with composite video cameras connected.

Local capture sources are physical devices that are connected to a machine running the i-Catcher Console or Sentry software. Examples include PCI video capture cards, including our ViewCast Opsrey 100 and Euresys Picolo/Junior 4 cards, as well as other available capture cards like the WinTV series, and also USB devices, such as webcams. i-Catcher can monitor network sources and local sources at the same time, and provides all feeds for viewing locally and remotely.

Remote Clients

i-Catcher provides for two kinds of remote clients. The easiest way to view i-Catcher remotely is via a simple web browser. i-Catcher's web interface is platform independent, and relies only on JavaScript (available in most browsers) for operation. The use of the widely available Java allows i-Catcher's web interface to operate with greater performance, but is not a requirement. i-Catcher's Web View is extensive, providing access to live feeds (with multiple feeds visible on screen simultaneously), playback, statistics, and i-Catcher administration. Our example shows two web viewers: one on the local network, and one viewing from the internet. The interface is the same for both, regardless of physical location.

The remaining system in our example is a simple CCTV Monitor. By running the i-Catcher Monitor client a simple low-power dedicated system can be used to display a cycling series of feeds fullscreen on an available monitor. For mobile use, the i-Catcher PocketMonitor client installs onto supported PDAs and SmartPhones to provide handheld monitoring of feeds.