Camera shows no frame

Test source first; USB passthrough and the wrong video node; ffmpeg missing; credentials; motionEye ports; lights-on only.

Do this first: press Test source (first section below). It worked when Test source shows a frame. If not, go to the section for your kind of camera.

Settings › Devices › Cameras › the camera › Test source. The error it returns is the diagnosis.

• No devices listed: the webcam is not passed through to the brain container. On the Pi, ls /dev/video*; set DSC_CAMERA_DEVICE=/dev/video0 in /opt/dsc-hub/.env and recreate the container (docker compose up -d brain). A stop/start is not enough; a recreate is.
• Two nodes: video0 is capture, video1 is metadata. Pick the one whose Test returns a frame. video10 and up are the Pi's own codec nodes.
• Dark or blurry frames: auto exposure and focus have not converged on frame 1. Raise warm-up frames in the camera's controls.
• Controls disabled with a reason: the matching auto gate is on (auto exposure disables exposure time). Switch to manual first.

• 401 / 403: credentials. Basic or Digest for HTTP; embedded in the URL for RTSP.
• Timeout: wrong host or port, or the camera limits concurrent streams.
• ffmpeg missing (the card says so): RTSP and framing need it. It ships in the brain image from 8.1.0; a container that predates it needs the image update.

Streaming on, port 8080 + camera number (8081 for camera 1), streaming auth matching what you entered. If you changed the port, put it in Stream port.

Expected: lights-on only is the default. Turn it off per camera if you want dark frames.

The kit has no light reading for the 4×8's plug-switched lamp (a bound lamp plug shows power at the socket, not light); a black frame may be exposure, not a dark tent.

Guide contents  ·  Troubleshooting  ·  Where to start  ·  Digital Stealth Care

DSC-Brain user guide · Camera shows no frame · this page is edited on the site; the Notion original was retired after the mirror