Setting Up a DIY Video Surveillance System with ZoneMinder on Ubuntu 16.04 Using an Android Phone Camera

Looking for a smart way to repurpose your old Android device? Turn it into a state-of-the-art surveillance camera using ZoneMinder on Ubuntu Server 16.04. This step-by-step guide will unveil the secrets of this setup.

For those who just looking for commands:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo tasksel install lamp-server
cat /etc/timezone
sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata
nano /etc/php/7.0/apache2/php.ini
date.timezone = Europe/Moscow
sudo apt-get install zoneminder
sudo mysql -uroot -p < /usr/share/zoneminder/db/zm_create.sql
mysql -uroot -p -e "grant select,insert,update,delete,create,\
alter,index,lock tables on zm.* to 'zmuser'@localhost identified by 'zmpass';"
sudo a2enconf zoneminder
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo a2enmod cgi
sudo chown www-data:www-data /etc/zm/zm.conf
sudo su
echo "kernel.shmall = 134217728" >> /etc/sysctl.conf
echo "kernel.shmmax = 134217728" >> /etc/sysctl.conf
echo 134217728 >/proc/sys/kernel/shmall
echo 134217728 >/proc/sys/kernel/shmmax
systemctl enable zoneminder
echo "sql_mode = NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION" >> /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf
reboot

Also there is a video:

1. Preparing Your Ubuntu System for ZoneMinder

1. Start with the basics:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo tasksel install lamp-server

2. Synchronize Timezone on Your Ubuntu Server

Ensure a unified timezone between server and PHP:

cat /etc/timezone

If it’s differs from yours:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

Set correct timezone for php:

nano /etc/php/7.0/apache2/php.ini

Change line containing date.timezone

[Date]
; Defines the default timezone used by the date functions
; http://php.net/date.timezone
date.timezone = Europe/Moscow

2. Seamless ZoneMinder Installation & Configuration

a. Kick-off the Installation:

sudo apt-get install zoneminder

b. Database Harmony:

Merge ZoneMinder with MySQL database:

sudo mysql -uroot -p < /usr/share/zoneminder/db/zm_create.sql
mysql -uroot -p -e "grant select,insert,update,delete,create,\
alter,index,lock tables on zm.* to 'zmuser'@localhost identified by 'zmpass';"

For custom passwords, modify the /etc/zm/zm.conf.

c. Apache Configuration:

sudo a2enconf zoneminder
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo a2enmod cgi
sudo chown www-data:www-data /etc/zm/zm.conf

d. Maximizing Memory for ZoneMinder:

sudo echo "kernel.shmall = 134217728" >> /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo echo "kernel.shmmax = 134217728" >> /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo echo 134217728 >/proc/sys/kernel/shmall
sudo echo 134217728 >/proc/sys/kernel/shmmax

e. Activate ZoneMinder Automatically:

systemctl enable zoneminder

f. Avoid MySql Errors:

Add sql_mode = NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION to /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf, or you may see an error during adding a camera to your Zoneminder like this:

SQL-ERR ‘SQLSTATE[HY000]: General error: 1366 Incorrect integer value: ” for column ‘ServerId’ at row 1′, statement was ‘insert into Monitors set LinkedMonitors = ”, Name = ‘fly’, ServerId = ”, Type = ‘Remote’, Function = ‘Modect’, Enabled = ‘1’, RefBlendPerc = ‘6’, AlarmRefBlendPerc = ‘6’, AnalysisFPS = ”, MaxFPS = ”, AlarmMaxFPS = ”, Device = ‘/dev/video0’, Channel = ‘0’, Format = ‘255’, Palette = ‘0’, V4LMultiBuffer = ”, V4LCapturesPerFrame = ‘1’, Protocol = ‘http’, Host = ‘192.168.1.132’, Port = ‘8080’, Method = ‘simple’, Options = ”, Path = ‘/video’, User = ”, Pass = ”, Colours = ‘3’, Width = ‘1280’, Height = ‘720’, Orientation = ‘0’, Deinterlacing = ‘0’, RTSPDescribe = ”, LabelFormat = ‘%N – %Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S %z’, LabelX = ‘0’, LabelY = ‘0’, LabelSize = ‘1’, ImageBufferCount = ’50’, WarmupCount = ’25’, PreEventCount = ’25’, PostEventCount = ’25’, StreamReplayBuffer = ‘1000’, AlarmFrameCount = ‘1’, SignalCheckColour = ‘#0000c0’, EventPrefix = ‘Home-‘, SectionLength = ‘600’, FrameSkip = ‘0’, MotionFrameSkip = ‘0’, AnalysisUpdateDelay = ‘0’, FPSReportInterval = ‘1000’, DefaultView = ‘Events’, DefaultRate = ‘100’, DefaultScale = ‘100’, WebColour = ‘red’, Sequence = 1′

You can make changes with:

echo "sql_mode = NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION" >> /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf

g. Reboot:

reboot

3. Make initial configuration of ZoneMinder:

Navigate to http://your-ip/zm. Go to options.

Go to users tab, and select admin

Secure your surveillance with an admin password.
Activate Authenticate user logins to ZoneMinder at system tab to keep intruders out.

For dedicated recording storage, tailor the paths as required.

Don’t forget to refresh ZoneMinder:

(Console — Running):

Or:

sudo /etc/init.d/zoneminder restart

4. Integrating Your Android Device (or other camera):

Prepare your phone.
Select Add New Monitor.

Fine-tune with Source Type — Remote and Function — Modect. (Monitor – just view, without record; modect – motion detected record; mocord – permanent record, with showcasing of motion detection; nodect – turn off built in motion detection)