Live streams
Connect something that sends data while it runs — a camera, microphone, vehicle, robot or bus.
Three types are built in:
| Type | What it is |
|---|---|
| Camera | a USB camera on this device |
| MJPEG camera | a camera or server you reach over HTTP |
| Microphone | audio plus a live loudness level |
Add one on Inputs (how). Channel path is optional; it sets where the data lands. Network sources reconnect if the link drops.
For anything else, install a connector from Connectors, then add it the same way. Every live connector is listed at the end of this page.
| For | Connector |
|---|---|
| a PX4 or ArduPilot vehicle | MAVLink |
| ROS 1 / ROS 2 topics, over rosbridge or DDS | ROS 2 |
| a CAN bus, decoded with your DBC | CAN |
| a PLC | Modbus, OPC UA, EtherNet/IP |
| a DAQ | NI-DAQmx, LabJack, Measurement Computing |
| Field | Required | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Device | yes | /dev/v4l/by-id/usb-046d_C920…-index0 |
| Channel path | no | /cam/front |
Use the /dev/v4l/by-id/… path; short names like /dev/video0 can change
after a reboot. A camera with a built-in microphone also sends
/cam/front/audio/level (loudness in LUFS; higher is louder), so it needs no
second input.
| Field | Required | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stream URL | yes | http://127.0.0.1:8090/stream |
| Channel path | no | /cam/front |
Video is stored as H.264. If the stream also sends JSON between frames, like
{"path": "/audio/level", "f64": 0.42}, each one becomes its own channel. One
stream can carry both video and numbers.
| Field | Required | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone | no | (system default) |
| Channel path | no | /audio |
Loudness lands on /audio/level, and the audio is recorded beside it.
#Connectors
Install one on Connectors and it becomes an input type here. Each page has its setup and fields.
LabJackStream and set LabJack T-series I/OMeasurement ComputingStream and set Measurement Computing DAQ I/O
NI FlexLoggerStream channels from a running FlexLogger session
NI-DAQmxStream and drive NI-DAQmx inputs and outputs
SimDAQA simulated high-rate DAQ, no hardware neededEchoA counting test source for trying Phloem outEtherNet/IPRead and write Allen-Bradley PLC tagsModbusRead and write Modbus TCP and RTU devices
OPC UAStream and write nodes on OPC UA serversSCPIRead and control SCPI bench instruments
GazeboStream sensor topics from a Gazebo simulation
X-PlaneStream flight data from the X-Plane simulatorMAVLinkLive telemetry from PX4 and ArduPilot vehiclesUpdated