How to setup GigE cameras with Swing Catalyst
This article covers how to setup a GigE camera to be used with Swing Catalyst.
GigE Vision is an interface standard for machine vision cameras. Swing Catalyst supports the GigE Vision standard through a licensed USB dongle.
Swing Catalyst also supports several gigabit Ethernet cameras from different manufacturers.
- Swing Catalyst Brand: Fox & Lynx.
- FLIR (Spinnaker SDK).
- AVT, IDS, Point Grey (legacy / old SDK integrations).
- Other GigE Vision cameras through third party licensing.
For more information related to our supported cameras please see this article: http://support.swingcatalyst.com/hc/en-us/articles/200967858-Supported-Cameras
For the most accurate recommendations please refer to your camera manufacturer's setup articles.
This article is split into sections:
Recommendations
Recommended Network Adapters
To setup and install GigE cameras you will require one or more free network ports in your computer, please make sure you have the correct type of PCIe slot available. Generally most dual port cards require 1 x4 PCIe slot.
We recommend using one of the following network cards since they have been tested and verified to work by the manufacturer:
- Intel Pro 1000 PT Dual Port (PCIe x4, 2 ports)
- Intel Pro 1000 PT Quad Port Low Profile (PCIe x4, 4 ports)
- Intel Pro 1000 PT (PCIe x1, 1 port)
- Intel CT (PCIe x1, 1 port)
The network cards sold by us through our webshop uses Intel and is verified for use with Machine Vision cameras: https://shop-world.swingcatalyst.com/products/poe-dual-network-card
PoE Network cards
Recommended models:
- Swing Catalyst brand Dual port or Quad Port network cards (PCIe 2x or 4x)
- Adlink GIE72/74 Dual or Quad port Card
- Adlink GIE64 Quad Port Card(PCIx x4 4 ports)
Please note PoE network cards require power from the computers power supply, a SATA to 4-pin Molex connector / adapter might be necessary.
It is also possible to use other Gigabit network cards, but it is important to note that the card must support Jumbo Frames / Jumbo Packets. Generally speaking we don't recommend using other chipsets than those by Intel for compatibility purposes.
Non supported adapters
These are some network cards we've run into trouble with and generally don't recommend to use:
- Qualcomm Killer / Etherkiller e2200 network card series.
- Many Realtek network cards
- StarTech network cards.
Using more than one camera per network adapter
We generally don't recommend this anymore as the cameras sold today have higher frame rates than before and use much more bandwidth.
It's best to have one dedicated network adapter for each camera.
Network adapter configuration
To configure the network adapter(s) go to the Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center and click "Change Adapter Settings" (on the left).
- Configure the network card to accept "Jumbo Frames (9K)"
- Install the drivers and make sure to accept installation of the "filter" driver (note: the filter driver is different for each camera manufacturer, make sure you install and enable the one for the camera type you're using).
- Enable Interrupt Moderation & set rate Extreme or High.
- Disable all network modules on the network card except IPv4 & the filter driver.
Example configuration:
We have deselected the unused / unnecessary items, this is not a strict requirement.
IP Address Configuration
We recommend using a static IP setup on both the camera and network adapter to ensure optimal stability
Before changing the IP addresses on each network adapter, set the IP address on the camera first. For example for face on right, make sure the camera is set to use a static IP and set the IP to 10.0.1.10 (per the recommendation below). Make sure to save the changes to the camera, and then make the changes to the network adapter.
This is a generic article, please use our camera specific articles for camera IP setup specifics.
Example configuration for two GigE cameras connected to a dual port network card:
Network adapter 1
-Connected to the face on right camera.
Adapter IP: 10.0.1.1
Camera IP: 10.0.1.10
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Network adapter 2
-Connected to the down the line camera.
Adapter IP: 10.0.2.1
Camera IP: 10.0.2.10
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Optional
Uncheck unnecessary items:
If you uncheck items make sure you click "OK" and then go back to the network adapter properties.
Advanced network adapter configuration
Jumbo Frames: Enable Jumbo Packet / Jumbo Frames and make sure to set it to a value above 9000 Bytes.
Interrupt Moderation: Set to High or Extreme if available.
Receive Buffers: Set Receive Buffers to the maximum value.
Troubleshooting
Dropped frames
Reducing the frame rate on each camera may help avoid or reduce dropped frames.
Do you have one of the recommended network cards? If not it may be the network card itself that is causing problems. Please contact our sales team to ensure you have the proper network equipment.
- Improper network card configuration. Check that 9kB jumbo frames is enabled on each network adapter. See our support article on recommended configuration
- Set GEV SCPD to 150 if using more than 2 cameras (see the camera settings under the Device / Link section).
- Confirm that the link speed is 1000 Mbps not 100 Mbps (see "Device Link Speed" under the Device / Link section in camera settings).
Link speed is 100 Mbps:
- If the link speed is 100Mbps instead of 1000Mbps the cable you're using may be bad or damaged, or the network adapter might not support Gigabit speeds. Try replacing the cable.
- Try to reset camera the camera settings to defaults, check link speed again under the "Device/ Link" section in camera settings.
- Check the status of the network adapter from the Windows Control Panel
Note: Speed should be 1.0 Gbps (1000Mbps), not 100Mbps.
Reducing dropped frames additionally by using Region Of Interest (ROI):
Using a region of interest (or area of interest) will reduce the overall image size and boost the FPS, but also it can help lower the bandwidth usage which in turns could reduce dropped frames (see above on how to utilize ROI).
Connectivity problems (camera disconnects):
- Inspect network cabling.
- If using external power supplies to cameras, check power supply connection.
Other problems:
Depending on your hardware it might not be the best to have the sharpening and denoise filters on, turning these off will reduce some CPU & GPU usage. You can find the camera filters in the Advanced Camera Settings Filters tab. More info on filters here: https://support.swingcatalyst.com/hc/en-us/articles/360009187999
Jumbo Frame compatibility
Not all network adapters support 9KB Jumbo Frames. It's best to use the highest jumbo frame KB size the network adapter supports, but generally it's best to use a network adapter that supports 9KB to improve performance.
Example:
-Multiple cameras connected through a switch to a NIC.
Not all network switches support 9KB jumbo frames, and if the NIC (network adapter) is set to use 9KB (or a higher packet size than what the switch can handle) it will result in packet loss. This results in dropped frames in Swing Catalyst.
Many switches support jumbo frames (as often noted in the specifications), but not all support 9KB jumbo frames, often you will find equipment supports up to 4KB.
For example if you were to connect a camera to a switch that only support 4KB jumbo frames and have your network adapter set to 9KB jumbo frames it will cause issues.
You can test the performance of the network adapter by using the command line utility, ping (as demonstrated in the screenshot):
Here we're pinging the network adapter with packet size of 9000 bytes (9KB). If the request times out it's likely it doesn't support 9KB jumbo frames.