Using two webcams at once

Gina · **Posted:** Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:20 pm

This topic came up before in the Yawcam thread but without a really satisfactory outcome.

What I'd like to know is if anyone has two (or more) webcams working at the same time on a single computer and uploading via FTP to separate web pages.

I currently have a Microsoft HD WideScreen webcam running with Yawcam in Windows XP. The other is an older VGA res Sweex webcam currently running with the Linux webcam command line software. I would like to run both webcams on my XP box. Hence the question above.

I tried running two instances of Yawcam but both picked up the same webcam in spite of being set to the different cams.

geoffw · **Posted:** Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:29 pm

Gina wrote:

I tried running two instances of Yawcam but both picked up the same webcam in spite of being set to the different cams.

Gina, I'm not near my PC/Webcams to check, but can't you set each instance of Yawcam to a different 'default' camera?

Gina · **Posted:** Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:34 pm

geoffw wrote:

Gina wrote:

I tried running two instances of Yawcam but both picked up the same webcam in spite of being set to the different cams.

Gina, I'm not near my PC/Webcams to check, but can't you set each instance of Yawcam to a different 'default' camera?

That is what I did but in spite of one being set to the MS and the other to the Sweex, both uploaded the Sweex image! Weird eh!?

I wonder if I'm missing something here

Should add... I tried the Yawcam support forum but it's locked!

hills · **Posted:** Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:27 pm

I'm running 2 webcams using 2 instances of Yawcam without any issues. One for my public webcam and the other to ftp motion detection images from a webcam over my front door.

These are the instuctions from the yawcam site that worked for me:

1) Install the first yawcam instance as usual and run it like usual.
2) Make a copy of the yawcam program directory (typically: C:\Program Files\Yawcam) and name the copy Yawcam2. You will now have two program directories for Yawcam:
C:\Program Files\Yawcam
and
C:\Program Files\Yawcam2
3) Create a new directory c:\yawcamsettings
4) Create a new directory c:\yawcamsettings\yawcam2

Now it's time to edit two files in here:
C:\Program Files\Yawcam2
If you are using windows xp or 2000 you can edit the files with notepad as usual, so jump to step 8 below.
If you are using windows vista or 7 you have to run the editor as an administrator, so continue at step 5.

5) Click on the windows start button and type "notepad" in the search field.
6) In the result list, right click on Notepad and choose "Run as administrator"
7) Now open the file in Notepad by clicking "File -> Open..." and browse to the file.

8) Edit the file C:\Program Files\Yawcam2\service_profile.cfg to contain one line like this:
C:\yawcamsettings\yawcam2
9) Edit the file C:\Program Files\Yawcam2\launcher.cfg
Add the word service on the last line. If it's correct the last line will end with: yawcam.Main service

10) Start the second instance of Yawcam by running:
C:\Program Files\Yawcam2\Yawcam.exe
This version will now use settings located here:
c:\yawcamsettings\yawcam2\.yawcam
Browse to this path and see that the .yawcam directry has been created.
11) You now want to create a text file disablerunningcheck.txt here:
c:\yawcamsettings\yawcam2\.yawcam\disablerunningcheck.txt
to get rid of the question when starting the second instance of Yawcam.

geoffw · **Posted:** Mon Sep 06, 2010 6:16 am

Thanks Phil. I'm contemplating a 2nd camera so will take a note of your method!

Gina · **Posted:** Mon Sep 06, 2010 8:25 am

Thanks very much Phil

I think I can see what my problem is - both instances of Yawcam using the same folder for settings.

I like Yawcam, it does what I want and rarely goes wrong. One day I might get a webcam (or two) running in Python/Linux but with so much to do I'm happy to run the webcams on a separate box with XP.

Gina · **Posted:** Mon Sep 06, 2010 4:39 pm

Now have BOTH webcams running with Yawcam on my Windows XP box. Great! Your instructions worked perfectly Phil

I also have Cumulus 1 running on the same machine. Probably check out C2 shortly

hills · **Posted:** Mon Sep 13, 2010 11:29 pm

Glad to be of assistance

I just wish he'd open up his YAWCAM forum again!

Gina · **Posted:** Tue Sep 14, 2010 8:26 am

hills wrote:

I just wish he'd open up his YAWCAM forum again!

Agreed!

Solorize · **Posted:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:49 am

Hi,

I have been having trouble getting two webcams to display at the same time in Win XP.

I have followed the steps as kindly posted by Hills, and below is what is happening;

My primary webcam is: MS LIFECAM CINEMA
My secondary webcam is: HUE HD WEBCAM

I have set up two Yawcam folders;

The 1st one is my main folder Yawcam which has been working fine with my MS LIFECAM CINEMA.

and

The 2nd one, which is a copy of the main Yawcam folder but has had the files modified as per Hills post, for my HUE HD WEBCAM.

The problem is when I restart my PC, the HUE HD WEBCAM starts to display under the 1st instance of Yawcam, which was set up for and should be displaying the MS LIFECAM.

It's like the HUE HD WEBCAM has taken dominance over the MS webcam.

I decided to delete all of the folders and re-setup the two Yawcam folders and modified files again to see if it would rectify the problem. But I am still having the HUE webcam dominating
and the MS webcam wont display at the same time, nor will apear in the "Devices", even if I try to get Yawcam to "Detect Devices".

The only way I can get the MS webcam to work is totally unplug the Hue webcam, restart the pc, and then re-setup & select the MS webcam which will then get the MS webcam working again.
But as soon as I plug in the Hue webcam it all messes up again.

Does anyone know why this could be happening? and is there a way to stop the HUE webcam from taking over?

Any help would be appreciated as its driving me mad.

slashmusic · **Posted:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:09 am

Quote:

Does anyone know why this could be happening? and is there a way to stop the HUE webcam from taking over?

this is exactly the Problem I faced with Yawcam from time to time in the past.
I used also 2 different webcams and 2 instances of yawcam. In the evening hours (night hours) I stopped Yawcam by a sheduler and restarted both instances in the morning hours and in 50% of all day's I had the same Problem.
This was the reason why I switched back to my former Webcam Program which can internally handle more than X Webcams with one instance and also IP Cams (WLAN Cams can behandled).
I don't want to advertise here, but in the past I cheked many different webcam programs but finally I always stuck and thats the reason I went back to the Webcam software I used since years. VisionGS http://www.visiongs.com/?lang=en. It has nearly all these features you can find with YawCam and some additional goodies.
-jan

water01 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:36 am

Are you using the free version or the paid for one?

slashmusic · **Posted:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:51 am

water01 wrote:

Are you using the free version or the paid for one?

some years ago I purchased the paid version but didn't used it for a long time.
Some month ago I tried to test some other webcam Products but was not really satisfied and switched back.
-jan

Solorize · **Posted:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 2:05 pm

slashmusic;

Thanks for the info..

Will the free version work with 2 cameras? or does it have restrictions that the full version does not restrict.

i.e. the amount of cameras that you can connect or a text "watermark" over the image.?

I just want to make sure as I want to try and keep my server as clean as possible, with limited
amount of software installed and not have to install something only to find out it does not work
or is crippled and then have to uninstall it.

slashmusic · **Posted:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:39 pm

Solorize wrote:

is crippled and then have to uninstall it

yes you are right.....the banner is showing an advertise from time to time (as far as I know)

but please see here: the compar. of both versions: http://www.visiongs.com/comparison.php

the only limit of the Personal edition is that IP CAMs can not be used but normal cams as you have should be run paralell.
-jan

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Using two webcams at once

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