This guide describes the hardware you will receive with your ELITE Live Streaming Hardware Kit, how to mount the included fence mounting pole, and connect the included IP camera, Wi-Fi access point and Wi-Fi station to power (using Power over Ethernet from the supplied PoE injectors and portable power station), and to your laptop using the supplied ethernet cables and ethernet adapter.
This guide also includes the software settings needed in Windows and the NV Play Cricket software to see a live camera stream.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to view a video summary of the setup steps described in this guide.
What's in the kit
Your ELITE Live Streaming Hardware Kit includes:
- IP camera with pre-attached bracket
- Telescoping pole stand (used to mount the camera to a fixed fencing/screening structure)
- Three mounting brackets (bottom and middle slat clamps and a top hook, used to mount the telescoping mounting pole to the slats of a fence, and to rest on the top of a fence)
- Three PoE injectors (used to power the IP camera and the two Wi-Fi stations)
- Two 5 metre ethernet cables (colour-coded with cable tidies and plug waterproofing jackets at one end)
- Three 2 metre ethernet cables (colour-coded with cable tidies)
- Wi-Fi access point and station (to provide a Wi-Fi network in any location, labelled for use at the camera and scorer locations)
- Network adapter dongle (RJ45 to USB)
- Portable power station (battery-powered, rechargeable, capable of supplying 8-10 hours of mains power)
- Twin-gang power board
- Small tripod (used to hold the Wi-Fi access point)
- Heavy duty carry case
- Backpack and waterproof bags
- Spare parts
Unpacking and setting up
This section describes how to set up the IP camera, its extending pole mount, and the Wi-Fi access point device. Then provide power to the camera and access point and establish a Wi-Fi connection to the scorer location using a PoE-powered Wi-Fi station connected via a network adapter dongle to your laptop.
Before setting up, choose a suitable fence or screen location on which to mount the IP camera. The camera should be located as close to the pitch and as high as possible and allow a clear line-of-sight view between the camera location's Wi-Fi access point device and the scorer's Wi-Fi station device (typically located outside and mounted on the supplied tripod).
Gather the following components from your kit and take them to the camera installation location in your carry case:
- IP camera with pre-attached bracket
- Telescoping pole stand
- Three mounting brackets/clamps
- Portable power station
- Two 5 metre ethernet cables (one black, one grey)
- One 2 metre ethernet cable
- Backpack
- Two PoE injectors (and power plug)
- Twin-gang power board
- Wi-Fi station
To install the pole mount, IP camera, Wi-Fi station, power station and PoE injectors:
- Remove the bottom pole clamp from the case. This bracket will be used to hold the bottom of the telescoping pole, so should typically be positioned below waist height. Loosen the wingnut on the right of the bracket clamping the front and rear of the bracket. This will create a gap that a fence slat can slide into. Push the back of the bracket to open the gap and push sideways onto the fence slat, then tighten the wingnut to attach the bracket to the slat.
- Remove the middle pole clamp and repeat the previous installation steps. The middle clamp should be positioned approximately 1.3 metres above the bottom clamp, at a height that allows it to be attached below the pole's telescoping sections. Loosely place the pole into the clamps and check that the pole fits into both and sits vertically. Adjust the clamp positions if necessary.
- Remove the top hook bracket from the case. This hook will rest on the top of the fence when the pole is mounted, taking some of the weight of the camera and pole. Rest the top of the telescoping pole against the hard carrying case to give you better access for installation of the top hook. Unscrew the mounting wingnut on the rear of the hook bracket, open the clamp and attach to the pole. Close the clamp and tighten the wingnut. The hook's two metal forks should be facing downward.
- Remove the Wi-Fi station, two reusable cable ties, and two 5 metre ethernet cables from the case. Take care to keep the ethernet cable plugs dry. Remove the Wi-Fi station's rear cable cover and plug the black end of one 5 metre ethernet cable into the black plug on the Wi-Fi station. Reattach the rear cover (leaving the grey cable end hanging outside the station) and then attach the Wi-Fi station to the pole above the top hook bracket the using the cable ties. Once all equipment has been mounted to the pole, you may need to adjust the position of the Wi-Fi station to ensure it is pointing in the direction of the scorer, as its wireless connection is directional.
- Remove the IP camera from the case and attach the grey end of the second 5 metre ethernet cable to the camera's ethernet socket (on the thickest of the three cables attached to the camera). Unscrew and slide the top of the waterproofing cap up the cable and over the ethernet cable plug. Screw the top cap in place and push the rubber grommet firmly into position below the top cap. Screw the base of the waterproofing cap back into place to ensure no water can enter. Be careful not to twist the ethernet cable. Place the rubber balloon over the top as extra waterproofing.
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Attach the IP camera to the top of the telescoping pole using the camera's attached bracket. The IP camera should be positioned so it hangs below the bracket, not above it, and facing the same direction as the top hook bracket. Loosen the bracket clamp by undoing the wingnut. Open the clamp, then place the clamp around the pole. Close the clamp and retighten the wingnut. The IP camera bracket includes a backup safety cable that should also be attached to the pole with the included jubilee clip (worm-driver hose clamp). This backup cable prevents the camera falling if the primary clamp fails. Slide the jubilee clip below the main camera bracket on the pole and firmly tighten by turning the blue plastic worm screw.
The IP camera and bracket are heavy. Once attached to the pole the combination will become unwieldy and top-heavy. Exercise caution to prevent damaging the camera or injury.
- Check that the camera, top hook and the extension clips on the pole are all facing outward toward you, and that the Wi-Fi station is pointing in the direction of the scorer, laptop and Wi-Fi access point (once the pole has been mounted and the camera and hook have been rotated 90 degrees to its final position).
- Attach the pole and camera to the two brackets (lower and middle) on the fence. Make sure that the bottom and middle brackets are unscrewed and fully open, then lift the pole and camera. Be careful while lifting as the weight of the assembly will be at the end of the pole. Walk toward the clamps, making sure that the top hook bracket and camera are facing away from the fence (that is, toward you, to prevent damage to the fence) and the pole extension clips are facing toward you for easy access. Place the pole into the bottom and middle brackets and then close and loosely tighten them around the pole (loosely tightened to allow the pole to move up and down freely). Firmly grip the pole until both brackets are tightened.
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Extend the pole by releasing the middle extension clip and pulling up on the top of the pole. Extend the pole using the three extension clips until the top hook sits just above the top of the fence, then rotate the pole until the hook faces the fence and then lower the pole until the top hook rests on top of the fence. Make sure you don't overextend the pole sections, leaving at least 5-10 cm of extension remaining within the pole. Firmly close the extension clips when the desired height has been reached.
The pole length should be based on the height of the fence and the weather conditions. The camera should be as high as possible, but if the weather is windy make sure the pole length allows the camera to sit just above the top of the fence to avoid the camera being moved by the wind. If the weather is calm, the pole can be extended to near its maximum extension allowing the camera to sit well above the top of the fence.
- Fully tighten the bottom and middle pole clamps. Check that the pole is straight and firmly secured.
- Remove the backpack, the twin-gang power board, and the power station from the case. Plug the power board into the AC power outlet on the power station and turn on the power station using the button beside the outlet. A green light will illuminate once on.
- Place the power station into the backpack.
- Remove the black PoE injector from the case, together with its mains power cable. Plug the power cable's three-pin plug into one of the twin-gang plugs being powered by the power station and the other end of the power cable (the kettle lead) into the injector.
- Plug the black ethernet cable hanging from the pole into the black plug on the PoE injector, leaving the grey plug free.
- Remove the green 2 metre ethernet cable from the case and plug one (green) end into the green-stickered socket on the PoE injector, leaving the other green end free.
- Remove the white camera PoE injector from the case, together with its mains power cable. Plug the power cable's three-pin plug into the single available plug (in the backpack) being powered by the power station and the other end of the power cable (the kettle lead) into the injector.
- Connect the grey ethernet cable hanging from the pole to the grey-stickered socket on the white PoE injector, and the free end of the green ethernet cable into the green-stickered socket on the white PoE injector (connecting the two PoE injectors together). Check that both PoE injectors are powered on (LED lights illuminated) and then tuck both injectors and cables into the backpack. Zip up the backpack if you are expecting rain or leave unzipped if the weather is fine to keep the power station cool, then hang the backpack onto the middle pole bracket to keep it off the ground. You can also wrap the supplied weatherproof plastic bag covers over the backpack to protect it from heavy rain. Nothing should be left touching the ground. If there is excess ethernet cable hanging down, tuck this into the backpack.
- Step back and look up at the camera. 45 to 60 seconds after the PoE connections have been made, the camera should activate and start spinning as part of its start-up process.
To establish a Wi-Fi connection to the IP camera at the scorer location:
- Return to the scorer location.
- Remove the small tripod, the Wi-Fi access point, the blue and red 2 metre ethernet cables, and two reusable cable ties from the kit.
- Loosen and spread the tripod legs and raise the height of the tripod head.
- Confirm that you have the Wi-Fi access point designated for the laptop end (look at the sticker on the back of the device). Remove the Wi-Fi access point's waterproof back cover and plug one end of the blue 2 metre ethernet cable into the Wi-Fi access point's blue-stickered socket. Reattach the back cover.
- Attach the access point to the tripod head using the reusable cable ties. Place the tripod outside and point the access point toward the Wi-Fi station mounted on the camera pole, making sure the line-of-sight view between the two devices is not obstructed by spectators or objects (including glass) to prevent video dropouts. Take care not to allow the ethernet cable plug to get wet.
- Remove the black PoE injector from the kit, together with its mains power cable. Plug the power cable's three-pin plug into a power socket and the other end of the power cable (the kettle lead) into the injector.
- Plug the free end of the blue 2 metre ethernet cable coming from the Wi-Fi access point into the blue-stickered socket on the injector.
- Plug one end of the red 2 metre network cable into the red-stickered ethernet socket on the injector.
- Remove the network adapter dongle from the kit and plug the free end of the red 2 metre network cable to the adapter's red-stickered ethernet socket. Note that if your laptop has a free ethernet socket, you can also bypass the adapter and plug the cable directly into your computer.
- Plug the USB end of the network adapter dongle into a USB port on your laptop. Your kit setup is now complete.
Uninstalling at the end of the match
At the end of the game:
- Open the backpack, switch off the power station and unplug the power cables. Unplug all ethernet connections going into the backpack and set the backpack aside. Take care that any loose ethernet cable plugs do not get wet.
- Unclip an extension clip on the pole and carefully lift the top hook above the top of the fence, then rotate the pole until the hook is facing away from the fence.
- Lower the extension while firmly gripping the pole to prevent slipping. Once the extension is fully retracted, close the extension clip. Repeat for each extended section until all extensions are retracted.
- When the pole is fully retracted, and all three extension clips have been closed, undo the middle and bottom pole brackets while firmly holding the pole. Lift and remove the pole and camera, being careful as the assembly is unwieldy. Lay the pole down gently, leaning it against the hard carry case.
- Detach the ethernet cable and remove the camera assembly from the pole, then detach the Wi-Fi access point ethernet cable and device, and then the top hook. Remove the fence brackets and place all components back into the kit ready for the next game.
Configuring your software
Before you can see live video from your new IP camera, you must make the following software configuration changes:
In Windows:
- In your Windows search field, search for "Network status". Click the Network status result that appears in the search results list. the Settings dialogue opens.
- Click the Change adapter options button in the Settings dialogue. The Network Connections dialogue opens.
- Right-click Ethernet 2 (the adapter type should be listed as TP-Link, with a status of "Identifying" as it is not yet configured). A menu opens.
- Select the Properties option from the menu. The adapter properties dialogue opens.
- Click on the "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" option in the list. The Properties button activates.
- Click the Properties button. The Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties dialogue opens.
- Click the Use the following IP address radio button. The three fields below the radio button activate.
- If your IP camera has an IP address that begins with "10.1.1" (for example, "10.1.1.50" or "10.1.1.100") type "10.1.1.10" into the top IP address field. Do not type in the IP address of your camera. The IP camera of your camera is included in your initial purchase and setup email from NV Play.
- Press the Tab button on your keyboard or click in the Subnet mask field to change focus to Subnet mask. Type "255.255.255.0".
- Click OK to save and close the dialogue.
In NV Play Cricket for Windows:
- Open a match and choose a scoring mode that includes the Video Display panel (or go to View > Video > Video Display).
- Go to Video > Video Configuration. The Configuration dialogue opens.
- Check that Enabled is selected in the top Video Capture section.
- Click the Add new Capture Device link in the Video Capture Devices section. The Capture Device Settings dialogue opens.
- Click the IP Camera radio button to the left of the dialogue.
- Click the Search button to the right of the Camera Address (RTSP) field. The IP Camera Search dialogue opens.
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Click the IP camera from the list and then enter the camera's username and password and then click Login. These credentials are included in your initial purchase and setup email from NV Play.
If no camera is found, manually type the camera IP into the Camera Address (RTSP) field by entering "rtsp://[IP Camera Address]:554/Streaming/Channels/1" where IP Camera Address is your actual camera's IP address. For example, for a camera with an IP address of 10.1.1.99, this address would be "rtsp://10.1.1.99:554/Streaming/Channels/1", then enter the camera username and password into the Username and Password fields and click OK.
- Select a video resolution option (480p, 720p or 1080p) and then click Add Camera. Use 1080p if you have fast and reliable broadband.
- Click OK, then OK again to save your changes and close the dialogues. The Video Display panel will show “Starting Video” for 2-3 seconds then the live camera feed will appear.
- Click the Settings cog on the Video Display panel to open a menu, and then click the Show IP Camera Controls option. The IP Camera Controls panel opens.
- Click the Connect link and then use the buttons to tilt, pan and zoom the camera.
Video Guides
All setup videos are also available as a YouTube playlist.
For UK-based Play-Cricket Scorer Pro users only:
If manually adding a camera (with an example IP address of 10.1.1.30), the RTSP string will be as follows:
rtsp://10.1.1.30:554/Streaming/Channels/1
Please ensure you adjust accordingly to reflect your IP address, not the default one (10.1.1.30) which is included in the example above. e.g. change to rtsp://10.1.1.187:554/Streaming/Channels/1 if your IP address is 10.1.1.187.