Communications Architecture and Operations
The MC-30/MC-60 and SiteWatch-700 Series cameras as well as the MC26 and MC78 cameras are configured to automatically connect to SiteCloud The MC26/MC78 as well as the MC-30/MC-60 and SiteWatch-700 Series cameras have both cellular and WiFi interfaces, however, the cameras must be configured to use one or the other network. The factory default is cellular.
The MC26/MC78 as well as the MC-30/MC-60/MC-70 and SiteWatch-700 Series cameras ship from the factory in a “dormant” mode in order to preserve battery power during shipping and storage. In this dormant mode, the camera will not attempt any communications. For MC-30/MC-60/SW Series cameras, the dormant mode is exited automatically whenever either the USB cable is connected, or solar power (or auxiliary power via the solar power connector) is applied. For MC26 and MC78 cameras, dormant mode may be exited by pushing the button (if the camera has enough power and/or is already plugged in) on the back of the camera or when solar power (or auxiliary power via the solar power connector) is applied.
MC26/MC78 cameras, as well as the /MC-30/MC-60/MC-70 and SiteWatch-700 Series cameras, are battery-powered devices designed to run on very low power continuously with only intermittent solar power inputs. MC26/MC78 cameras, as well as the /MC-30/MC-60/MC-70 and SiteWatch-700 Series cameras periodically contact the WebApp to check for any waiting user commands and to upload data. The length of time between contacts to the WebApp is dynamic and will vary depending on activity. The WebApp user interface under the View window will show you the time until the next expected contact by the camera.
Alerts will be processed immediately and communicated to the WebApp server (and on to the configured Notification addresses).
The MC26/MC78 cameras, as well as the /MC-30/MC-60/MC-70 and SiteWatch-700 Series cameras, have significant local storage capabilities, so if communications are unavailable, data will be automatically stored locally and uploaded the next time communications are available.
MC-60 Series, SiteWatch-700 Series, and MC78 cameras store “DVR” images/videos locally on the camera’s flash memory. Images/videos can be uploaded by the user from WebApp.
The MC-60 Series, SiteWatch-700 Series, and MC78 models support live video streaming. During live video streaming, a single H.264 video stream is sent from the camera to the WebApp server. The server then relays this stream to any users that are logged into the account and viewing the video streams. The MC-60 Series, SiteWatch-700 Series, and MC78 models also support LiveView. During LiveView, lower resolution images are sent from the camera to the WebApp server at a user-defined frequency. This allows for an up-to-date view of the site with significantly less data usage than that required by a video stream.
