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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en-us">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<link href="motion.png" rel="icon" type="image/png">
<title>Motion</title>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="motion_stylesheet.css" media="screen">
<script>
function fnc_topnav() {
var x = document.getElementById("id_topnav");
if (x.className === "topnav") {
x.className += " responsive";
} else {
x.className = "topnav";
}
}
function fnc_subnav() {
var x = document.getElementById("id_subnav");
if (x.className === "subnav") {
x.className += " responsive";
} else {
x.className = "subnav";
}
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<div class="topnav" id="id_topnav">
<img class="logoimg" src="motion.gif">
<a class="topnav-d" href="https://motion-project.github.io/motion_support.html">Support</a>
<a class="topnav-d" href="https://motion-project.github.io/motion_news.html" >News</a>
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<a class="topnav-d" href="https://motion-project.github.io/index.html">Home</a>
<a class="topnav-m" href="https://motion-project.github.io/index.html">Home</a>
<a class="topnav-m" href="https://motion-project.github.io/motion_download.html">Download</a>
<a class="topnav-m" href="https://motion-project.github.io/motion_guide.html" >Documentation</a>
<a class="topnav-m" href="https://motion-project.github.io/motion_news.html" >News</a>
<a class="topnav-m" href="https://motion-project.github.io/motion_support.html">Support</a>
<a href="javascript:void(0);" class="icon" onclick="fnc_topnav()">☰</a>
</div>
<section class="page-header">
<h1>
Configuration
</h1>
</section>
<div class="subnav" id="id_subnav">
<div class="dropdown">
<button class="dropbtn">Basic Setup</button>
<div class="dropdown-content">
<a href="#top">General</a>
<a href="#basic_setup_v4l2">V4L2 Devices</a>
<a href="#basic_setup_network">Network Cameras</a>
<a href="#basic_setup_picam">Pi Camera</a>
<a href="#basic_setup_composite">Composite Cards</a>
<a href="#basic_setup_static">Static Files</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="dropdown">
<button class="dropbtn">Commands/Files</button>
<div class="dropdown-content">
<a href="#commandlineoptions">Command Line</a>
<a href="#configfiles">Configuration Files </a>
<a href="#Signals_Sent">Signals</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="dropdown">
<button class="dropbtn">Options-List</button>
<div class="dropdown-content">
<a href="#Configuration_OptionsAlpha" >Sorted alphabetically</a>
<a href="#Configuration_OptionsTopic" >Sorted by topic</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="dropdown">
<button class="dropbtn">General/Cameras</button>
<div class="dropdown-content">
<a href="#OptTopic_System_Processing">System Processing</a>
<a href="#conversion_specifiers">Conversion Specifiers</a>
<a href="#OptTopic_Video4Linux_Devices">Video4Linux Devices</a>
<a href="#OptTopic_Network_Cameras">Network Cameras</a>
<a href="#OptTopic_Raspi_Cameras">Pi Cameras</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="dropdown">
<button class="dropbtn">Processing/Output</button>
<div class="dropdown-content">
<a href="#OptTopic_Image_Processing">Image Processing</a>
<a href="#OptTopic_Motion_Detection">Motion Detection</a>
<a href="#OptTopic_Scripts">Script Execution</a>
<a href="#OptTopic_Pictures">Pictures</a>
<a href="#OptTopic_Movies">Movies</a>
<a href="#OptTopic_Pipe">Pipe Output</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="dropdown">
<button class="dropbtn">Webcontrol/Streams</button>
<div class="dropdown-content">
<a href="#OptTopic_Webcontrol">Webcontrol</a>
<a href="#OptTopic_Stream">Live Stream</a>
<a href="#OptTopic_Database">Database Options</a>
<a href="#OptTopic_Tracking">Tracking Options</a>
</div>
</div>
<a href="javascript:void(0);" class="icon" onclick="fnc_subnav()">menu⇓   </a>
</div>
<section class="main-content">
<h2><a name="Basic_Setup"></a> Basic Setup </h2>
<ul>
<p></p>
Motion is able to process images from many different types of cameras. The following is brief overview
of the process to set up the Motion software.
<ul>
<li>Determine the type of camera
<ul>
<li> <a href="#basic_setup_v4l2" >v4l2 devices</a> which are most webcams</li>
<li> <a href="#basic_setup_composite" >Composite capture cards</a> </li>
<li> <a href="#basic_setup_network" >Network or IP cameras</a> </li>
<li> <a href="#basic_setup_picam" >The PI camera</a> </li>
<li> <a href="#basic_setup_static" >Static movie files</a>.
</ul>
<li>Specify the camera in the <a href="#configfiles" >configuration files</a>.</li>
<li>Start Motion from a terminal via the <a href="#commandlineoptions" >command line</a></li>
<li>Review the messages to ensure camera was found and press cntrl-c to exit</li>
<li>Specify a <a href="#target_dir" >target_dir</a> in the configuration file.</li>
<li>Enable the <a href="#OptDetail_Stream" >web stream</a> in the configuration file </li>
<ul>
<li> Specify a <a href="#stream_port" >stream_port</a></li>
<li> Optionally turn off <a href="#stream_localhost" >stream_localhost</a> if you want to view
the stream from a different computer</li>
</ul>
<li>Enable the <a href="#OptDetail_Webcontrol" >web control</a> in the configuration file </li>
<ul>
<li> Specify a <a href="#webcontrol_port" >webcontrol_port</a></li>
<li> Optionally turn off <a href="#webcontrol_localhost" >webcontrol_localhost</a> if you want to view
the webcontrol from a different computer</li>
<li> Specify which parameters to show on the webcontrol via <a href="#webcontrol_parms" >webcontrol_parms</a></li>
<li> Optionally specify a <a href="#stream_preview_method" >stream_preview_method</a></li>
</ul>
</ul>
The above should allow users to get Motion running and being able to view images via the stream. The
next steps refine and finish a basic setup.
<ul>
<li> Refine how the image is captured with the <a href="#OptTopic_Image_Processing" >image processing</a> parameters</li>
<li> Specify the <a href="#OptTopic_Motion_Detection" >motion detection</a> parameters</li>
<li>
<a href="#OptTopic_Scripts" >Execute scripts</a>, Save
<a href="#OptTopic_Pictures" >pictures</a> or
<a href="#OptTopic_Movies" >movies</a>.
</li>
</ul>
The most difficult step in the above process will be the motion detection settings and specifying them
to minimize the false positives. To assist this process, Motion provides the
<a href="#stream_preview_method" >stream_preview_method</a> option 3 which allows users to see side
by side images of where the motion is occurring next to the regular image.
<ul>
<li> Specify <a href="#stream_preview_method" >stream_preview_method 3</a></li>
<li> Specify <a href="#webcontrol_parms" >webcontrol_parms 2</a> </li>
<li> Start Motion and in a web browser navigate to the webcontrol port</li>
<li> Try adjusting the
<a href="#threshold" >threshold</a>,
<a href="#noise_level" >noise_level</a>,
<a href="#despeckle_filter" >despeckle_filter</a> and
<a href="#smart_mask_speed" >smart_mask_speed</a>
</li>
<li> Make sure to write configuration to file in order to save any changes.</li>
</ul>
Motion also includes a <a href="#setup_mode" >setup_mode</a> which provides more values reported
on the motion images and in the log to assist the setup.
<p></p>
The following are some additional topics which may be of interest during the initial setup.
<ul>
<li>Run automatically at start (Run as <a href="#basic_setup_service" >service</a>)</li>
<li>Remove depreciated parameters warnings (<a href="#config_depreciated" >Remove Depreciated</a>)</li>
<li>List/include all possible configuration parameters (<a href="#config_listall" >All parameters</a>)</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<a name="basic_setup_v4l2"></a>
<strong>Video4linux devices</strong> must be installed per the requirements of the camera. It is
out of the scope of this document to tell you how to do this and it depends on which type of camera. Once
the camera is installed it will have the device name(s) of /dev/video0, /dev/video1, /dev/video2...
<p></p>
FreeBSD has a different naming scheme for pci devices that use the bktr subsystem. The bktr subsystem will report
devices using a naming scheme of /dev/bktr0, /dev/bktr1, etc. These device may also need to use the other
special device for the tuner. The tuner will need to be specified with the tunerdevice option as /dev/tuner0.
<p></p>
USB cameras take a lot of bandwidth. A USB camera connected to a USB2 port or hub consumes virtually
all the bandwidth that the port can handle. Even with a small framesize and low framerate you should not expect to have
more than one camera per USB controller. If you need more than one USB camera it is possible to add extra USB PCI cards
to your computer. It is also possible that your computer has more than one controller for different USB slots. For
example, if the computer has six USB ports, the three on the left may be on controller A versus the three on the right
may be on controller B. In this situation, connecting two cameras to ports only on the left would not work due to
excessive bandwidth. However connecting one camera to port on the right and the other to the port on the left
may work since they are on different controllers.
<p></p>
Motion permits the use of video cards that have discreet input channels. Since USB cameras do not have input channels,
the option <a href="#input" >input</a> must be set to the value -1 for USB cameras.
<p></p>
<a name="basic_setup_network"></a>
<strong>Network cameras</strong> are set up via the
<a href="#netcam_url" >netcam_url</a> parameter.
The latest versions of Motion support rtsp format which many cameras now stream. Some users have requested
a list of the network cameras that will work with Motion. Since Motion can now process RTSP streams, almost
all cameras are supported. Simply review the specifications of the camera and validate that
RTSP or RTMP is listed. The cameras that will not work are those specifically sold to be integrated into
proprietary software monitoring systems. When determining cameras, consider carefully before selecting a
wireless camera. Cameras require a solid consistent signal and use a lot of bandwidth. Inconsistencies in
the wireless signal can result in a poor user experience so the use of a hardwired camera is recommended.
<p></p>
The URL connection string to enter is specific to the camera and is
usually provided by the manufacturer. The connection string is the same as what would be used by other
video playing software such as VLC. If the camera does not stream via RTSP and instead uses a MJPEG, then Motion
can also view that format. See the option <a href="#netcam_url" >netcam_url</a> for
additional options.
<p></p>
<a name="basic_setup_picam"></a>
<strong>Raspberry Pi cameras</strong> can be set up two different ways. If Motion is installed by using the
apt packages (e.g. apt-get install motion), then the camera must be set up using the bcm2835-v4l2 module which creates
a v4l2 device for the camera. Users will need to install this module using the
command <code>sudo modprobe bcm2835-v4l2</code>. This
will set up the camera as a normal v4l2 device and it can be accessed via a standard /dev/videoX device. If Motion is
built from source or installed via the deb packages on the project release page, then an additional option is to set
up the camera using the <a href="#mmalcam_name" >mmalcam_name</a> parameter or using
the bcm2835-v4l2 module. <strong>When Motion is installed via apt, the mmalcam option is not available.</strong>
<p></p>
<a name="basic_setup_composite"></a>
<strong>Composite video cards</strong> are normally made with a chip called BT878 (older cards have a BT848). They
all use the Linux driver called 'bttv'.
<p></p>
There are cards with more then one video input but still only one BT878 chip. They have a video multiplexer which
input is selected with the config option <a href="#input" >input</a>. Input channel numbers start at 0
(which is why the value -1 and not 0 disables input selection). There are video capture cards available
with 4 or 8 inputs but only one chip. They present themselves as one single video device and
you select input using the 'input' option. If you define e.g. 4 camera config files with the
same video device name but different input numbers Motion automatically
goes into round robin mode.
<p></p>
Many TV tuner cards have the input channels: TV Tuner = 0, Standard composite video = 1, S-VHS = 3.
Others have TV=0, composite video 1= 1, composite video = 2, S-VHS = 3.
For video capture cards input 1 is normally the composite video input.
<p></p>
Some capture cards are specially made for surveillance with for example 4 inputs.
Others have a TV tuner, a composite input and perhaps also a S-Video input.
For all these cards the inputs are numbered. The numbering varies from card to card so the easiest
is to experiment with a program such as VLC that can show the video stream.
<p></p>
If you use the TV tuner input you also need to set the frequency of the TV channel using the
option <a href="#frequency" >frequency</a>. Otherwise
set <a href="#frequency" >frequency</a> to 0.
<p></p>
Finally you need to set the TV <a href="#norm" >norm</a>.
Values: 0 (PAL), 1 (NTSC), 2 (SECAM), 3 (PAL NC no colour). Default is 0 (PAL).
If your camera is a PAL black and white you may get a better result with norm=3 (PAL no colour).
<p></p>
<a name="basic_setup_static"></a>
<strong>Static files</strong> can also be processed by Motion in one of two ways. The first method
is by using the <a href="#netcam_url" >netcam_url</a> option and using a prefix of file:\\. With
this method, Motion will process the file at the speed specified by
<a href="#framerate" >framerate</a>. This allows the user to either speed up or slow down the video
processing to suit the particular need.
<p></p>
The second option for processing a static file requires a bit of additional setup and uses a
v4l2loopback device. To set this up, first install the loopback software as described in the
<a href="#OptDetail_Pipe" >Output - Pipe Options</a>
section of this guide to create a /dev/videoX device and then use software such as ffmpeg to stream
the static file into the v4l2 device. e.g.
<code> ffmpeg -re -i mymovie.mp4 -f v4l2 /dev/video0 </code> Then in a separate terminal, start Motion
with it set to use the <code>/dev/video0</code> device as input. This method can can also be used to
reformat the content to a different format. The following outputs the original movie into a gray pixel format.
<code> ffmpeg -re -i mymovie.mp4 -f v4l2 -pix_fmt gray /dev/video0 </code>
This can be helpful as a interim process where ffmpeg supports a particular input but that format is not yet supported
by Motion.
<p></p>
<a name="basic_setup_service"></a>
<strong>Run as Service</strong>
<p></p>
The following instructions are only applicable to Debian and Ubuntu based systems. For other distributions, users
should consult their distribution documentation and provide pull requests to the Motion developers so that this
section can be updated with their distribution.
<p></p>
Motion can be set up to run as a service which means that it will start automatically whenever the computer
is started. When Motion is installed from apt or from a deb file, default files are installed which can be
easily modified so that Motion starts as a service. If Motion is built directly from source and installed,
then these additional files will need to be copied, modified and installed manually from the source and packaging
repositories.
<p></p>
When setting up Motion to run as a service, it should be done only after all the other configuration
has been completed. It is much easier to edit and revise the parameters when Motion is just running
in a terminal rather than as a service.
<p></p>
To set up to run as a service, first edit the file <code>/etc/default/motion</code> and revise the line
to indicate <code>start_motion_daemon=yes</code>.
Next, edit the main motion.conf file and specify <a href="#daemon" >daemon</a> as <code>on</code>
When the computer is restarted, Motion should now be running. The following commands control
the Motion service.
<ul>
<li>Start the Motion service<code>sudo service motion start</code></li>
<li>Stop the Motion service<code>sudo service motion stop</code></li>
<li>Restart the Motion service<code>sudo service motion restart</code></li>
</ul>
<p></p>
When running as a service, Motion runs as the user <code>motion</code> and this user is automatically
added to the user group of <code>video</code>. By only be included in this user group, when Motion is
run, it will only have limited permissions. It is NOT recommended that this user get added to the
<code>sudo</code> group. Instead, only add this user to groups that are specifically required.
<p></p>
On newer distributions, the above method of running a service is depreciated (but still functional) in
favor of the systemctl method. Since this is not available on all the distributions which Motion is
deployed, the above method is retained. Once systemctl is available on all the deployed versions, Motion
will transition to systemctl as the service method. For users that wish to systemctl rather than the above
method, a <code>motion.system</code> file is included in the source code.
<p></p>
For users that are building and installing from source without a deb file, the file <code>motion.init-Debian</code>
will need to be copied from the examples directory or from the source directory. It will need to be renamed and put
into <code>/etc/init.d/motion</code>. Ensure that it is also marked as executable and has root ownership. Next,
create the file <code>/etc/default/motion</code> with the entry as specified above. Finally, create the
<code>motion</code> user as needed. The scripts that create the groups and users when using
the deb packages can be used as a model. These scripts can be reviewed in the motion-packaging repo, within the
debian directory, motion.postinst (e.g. <code>motion-packaging/debian/motion.postinst</code>
<p></p>
<p></p>
</ul>
<h2><a name="commandlineoptions"></a> Command Line Options </h2>
<ul>
<p></p>
SYNOPSIS
<code>motion [ -hbnsm ] [ -c config file path ] [ -d level ] [ -k level ] [ -p pid_file ] [ -l log_file ]</code>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li>-c : Full path and filename of config file.</li>
<li>-h : Show help screen</li>
<li>-b : Run in daemon mode</li>
<li>-n : Run in non-daemon mode</li>
<li>-s : Run in setup mode. Also forces non-daemon mode.</li>
<li>-d : Run with message log level 1 - 9</li>
<li>-k : Run with message log type 1 - 9</li>
<li>-l : Full path and file name for log file</li>
<li>-p : Full path and file name for the process id file</li>
<li>-m : Start in pause mode</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<p></p>
</ul>
<h2><a name="configfiles"></a> The Configuration Files </h2>
<ul>
<p></p>
If Motion was invoked with command line option <code>-c pathname</code> Motion will expect the config file to
be as specified. When you specify the config file on the command line with -c you can call it anything.
<p></p>
If you do not specify -c or the filename you give Motion does not exist, Motion will search for the
configuration file called 'motion.conf' in the following order:
<p></p>
<ol>
<li> Current directory from where motion was invoked</li>
<li> Then in a directory called '.motion' in the current users home directory (shell environment
variable $HOME). E.g. /home/goofy/.motion/motion.conf</li>
<li> The directory defined by the --sysconfdir=DIR when running .configure during installation of
Motion<br />(If this option was not defined the default is /etc/motion)</li>
</ol>
If you have write access to /usr/local/etc/motion then the editor recommends having only one motion.conf file
in the default /usr/local/etc/motion directory.
<p></p>
Motion has a configuration file in the distribution package called motion-dist.conf. When you run 'make install' this
file gets copied to the /usr/local/etc/motion directory.
<p></p>
The configuration file needs to be renamed from motion-dist.conf to motion.conf. The original file is called
motion-dist.conf so that your working motion.conf file does not accidentally get overwritten when
you re-install or upgrade to a newer version of Motion.
<p></p>
If you have more than one camera you should not try and invoke Motion more times. Motion is made to work with
more than one camera at the same time. The motion.conf file establishes global parameters that apply to all
cameras and separate camera.conf files that specify the parameters that apply to
each specific camera. The camera.conf files are specified at the bottom of the motion.conf file. If you only
have one camera you only need the motion.conf file but if you have more than one camera, then you will
need to have
<strong>one camera config file per camera</strong> plus the motion.conf file.
<p></p>
If you have for example two cameras you need motion.conf
<strong>and two</strong> camera config files. So a total of <strong>three</strong> config files.
<p></p>
An option that is common to all cameras can be placed in motion.conf. (You can also put all parameters in the
camera files but that makes a lot of editing when you change a common thing).
<p></p>
An option that is unique to a camera must be specified in each camera file.
<p></p>
The first camera is defined in the first camera file called from motion.conf. The 2nd camera is defined in the
2nd camera file called from motion.conf etc.
<p></p>
Any option defined in motion.conf will be used for all cameras except for the cameras in which the same option
is defined in a camera config file.
<p></p>
To make it clear, the camera files format and syntax is the same as motion.conf. An example of what you might want
in a camera file as follows: assume you have two cameras, attached to one system. Create files camera0.conf and
camera1.conf. At the end of motion.conf, uncomment out the lines that refer to them. The full contents of the
camera files can be as simple as
<p></p>
<p></p>
camera0.conf:
<br /><code> videodevice /dev/video0</code>
<p></p>
<p></p>
camera1.conf:
<br /><code> videodevice /dev/video1</code>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
Motion reads its configuration parameters in the following sequence. If the same
parameter exists more than one place <strong>the last one read wins</strong>
<ol>
<li> Motion reads the configuration file motion.conf from the beginning of the file going down line by line.</li>
<li> If the option "camera" is defined in motion.conf, the camera configuration file(s) is/(are) read.</li>
<li> Motion continues reading the rest of the motion.conf file. Any options from here will overrule the same
option previously defines in a camera config file.</li>
<li> Motion reads the command line option again overruling any previously defined options.</li>
</ol>
So always call the camera config files in the end of the motion.conf file. If you define options in motion.conf
AFTER the camera file calls, the same options in the camera files will never be used. So always put the camera
file call at the end of motion.conf.
<p></p>
Nearly all config options can be unique for a specific camera and placed in a camera config file.
There are a few options that must be in motion.conf and cannot be in a camera config
file: webcontrol_* , daemon, and camera.
<p></p>
If motion is built without specific features such as ffmpeg, mysql etc it will ignore the options that
belong to those features.
<p></p>
<a name="config_depreciated"></a>
<p></p>
<strong>Depreciated Parameters</strong>
<p></p>
Over the years, Motion has added many new configuration parameters and changed the name
of a few of them so that there is some consistency to the parameter names. Since version
3.4.1, when a configuration parameter has a new name or additional functionality, Motion will
try to interpret the value specified for the old parameter and translate it to the new parameter.
These translations will be reported in the log as Motion is started. To eliminate these warnings,
ensure that a <a href="#webcontrol_port" >webcontrol_port</a> is specified and that the
<a href="#webcontrol_interface" >webcontrol_interface</a> is specified as 0 (or not listed). Then start
motion, open a browser and navigate to the webcontrol port. When on that page, select
<code>write configuration</code>. This will re-write the configuration files with all the current
parameters to Motion. Note that depending upon where the configuration files are located, Motion
may need to be started using <code>sudo</code>.
<p></p>
<a name="config_listall"></a>
<p></p>
<strong>Parameters in distributed configuration files</strong>
<p></p>
As of this writing, Motion includes over 150 parameters. With this volume of parameters, navigating
the configuration file with every possible has become onerous. Starting with version 4.2, the distributed
configuration files only include a limited subset of the configuration parameters. Users can add to the
files as needed the parameters that are applicable to their set up. Users that wish to have every parameter
listed and included in the configuration file can follow the process described immediately above in
the <a href="#config_depreciated" >Remove Depreciated</a> section.
i.e. Use the webcontrol interface to write out the configuration file.
<p></p>
Extended descriptions / documentation are not included in the configuration file. This guide
should be consulted for documentation of the configuration parameters.
<p></p>
<p></p>
</ul>
<h2><a name="Signals_Sent"></a> Signals (sent with e.g. kill command) </h2>
<ul>
<p></p>
A signal can be sent from the command line by typing
e.g. <code>kill -s SIGHUP pid</code>, where the last parameter is the process ID which
you get by typing <code>ps -ef ¦ grep motion</code>. The PID is the first on the
list which is the parent process for the threads.
Motion responds to the following signals:
<p></p>
<div class="tblsignal">
<table border="1" class="fixed" >
<colgroup>
<col width="30%">
<col width="30%">
<col width="30%">
</colgroup>
<thead >
<tr >
<th bgcolor="#edf4f9" word-wrap:break-word > Signal </th>
<th bgcolor="#edf4f9" word-wrap:break-word > Description </th>
<th bgcolor="#edf4f9" word-wrap:break-word > Editors comment </th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#edf4f9" word-wrap:break-word > SIGHUP </td>
<td bgcolor="#edf4f9" word-wrap:break-word > The config file will be reread. </td>
<td bgcolor="#edf4f9" word-wrap:break-word > This is a very useful signal when you experiment with settings in the config file. </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#edf4f9" word-wrap:break-word > SIGTERM </td>
<td bgcolor="#edf4f9" word-wrap:break-word > If needed motion will create an movie file of the last event and exit </td>
<td bgcolor="#edf4f9" word-wrap:break-word > </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#edf4f9" word-wrap:break-word > SIGUSR1 </td>
<td bgcolor="#edf4f9" word-wrap:break-word > Motion will create an movie file of the current event. </td>
<td bgcolor="#edf4f9" word-wrap:break-word > </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<p></p>
<p></p>
</ul>
<h2><a name="Configuration_OptionsAlpha"></a> Configuration Options-Listed Alphabetically </h2>
<ul>
<p></p>
These are the options that can be used in the config file.
<p></p>
All number values are integer numbers (no decimals allowed). Boolean options can be on or off.
<p></p>
Some configuration options are only used if Motion is built on a system that has the matching software libraries installed (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, FFMPEG, etc).
<p></p>
<p></p>
<style>
@media screen and (max-width: 48em) {
.tblalpha td:nth-of-type(1):before {content: "v3.2"; padding-right: 10px;}
.tblalpha td:nth-of-type(2):before {content: "v4.0"; padding-right: 10px;}
.tblalpha td:nth-of-type(3):before {content: "v4.1"; padding-right: 10px;}
.tblalpha td:nth-of-type(4):before {content: "Cur."; padding-right: 10px;}
}
</style>
<div class="tblalpha">
<table cellspacing="0" border="0">
<colgroup width="15%"></colgroup>
<colgroup width="25%"></colgroup>
<colgroup width="25%"></colgroup>
<colgroup width="25%"></colgroup>
<tr>
<td align="left"><b>Version 3.2</b></td>
<td align="left"><b>Version 4.0</b></td>
<td align="left"><b>Version 4.1</b></td>
<td align="left"><b>Current Version</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">area_detect</td>
<td align="left">area_detect</td>
<td align="left">area_detect</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#area_detect" >area_detect</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="17" align="left">auto_brightness</td>
<td align="left">auto_brightness</td>
<td align="left">auto_brightness</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#auto_brightness" >auto_brightness</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">thread</td>
<td align="left">camera</td>
<td align="left">camera</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#camera" >camera</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">camera_dir</td>
<td align="left">camera_dir</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#camera_dir" >camera_dir</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">camera_id</td>
<td align="left">camera_id</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#camera_id" >camera_id</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">camera_name</td>
<td align="left">camera_name</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#camera_name" >camera_name</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">daemon</td>
<td align="left">daemon</td>
<td align="left">daemon</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#daemon" >daemon</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">database_busy_timeout</td>
<td align="left">database_busy_timeout</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#database_busy_timeout" >database_busy_timeout</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">mysql_db</td>
<td align="left">database_dbname</td>
<td align="left">database_dbname</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#database_dbname" >database_dbname</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">pgsql_db</td>
<td align="left">database_dbname</td>
<td align="left">database_dbname</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#database_dbname" >database_dbname</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">mysql_host</td>
<td align="left">database_host</td>
<td align="left">database_host</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#database_host" >database_host</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">pgsql_host</td>
<td align="left">database_host</td>
<td align="left">database_host</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#database_host" >database_host</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">mysql_password</td>
<td align="left">database_password</td>
<td align="left">database_password</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#database_password" >database_password</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">pgsql_password</td>
<td align="left">database_password</td>
<td align="left">database_password</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#database_password" >database_password</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">pgsql_port</td>
<td align="left">database_port</td>
<td align="left">database_port</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#database_port" >database_port</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">database_type</td>
<td align="left">database_type</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#database_type" >database_type</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">mysql_user</td>
<td align="left">database_user</td>
<td align="left">database_user</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#database_user" >database_user</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">pgsql_user</td>
<td align="left">database_user</td>
<td align="left">database_user</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#database_user" >database_user</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">despeckle</td>
<td align="left">despeckle_filter</td>
<td align="left">despeckle_filter</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#despeckle_filter" >despeckle_filter</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">output_all</td>
<td align="left">emulate_motion</td>
<td align="left">emulate_motion</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#emulate_motion" >emulate_motion</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">gap</td>
<td align="left">event_gap</td>
<td align="left">event_gap</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#event_gap" >event_gap</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left">flip_axis</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#flip_axis" >flip_axis</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">framerate</td>
<td align="left">framerate</td>
<td align="left">framerate</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#framerate" >framerate</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">frequency</td>
<td align="left">frequency</td>
<td align="left">frequency</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#frequency" >frequency</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">height</td>
<td align="left">height</td>
<td align="left">height</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#height" >height</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">input</td>
<td align="left">input</td>
<td align="left">input</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#input" >input</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"><a href="#lightswitch_frames" >lightswitch_frames</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">lightswitch</td>
<td align="left">lightswitch</td>
<td align="left">lightswitch</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#lightswitch_percent" >lightswitch_percent</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">locate</td>
<td align="left">locate_motion_mode</td>
<td align="left">locate_motion_mode</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#locate_motion_mode" >locate_motion_mode</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">locate_motion_style</td>
<td align="left">locate_motion_style</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#locate_motion_style" >locate_motion_style</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">logfile</td>
<td align="left">logfile</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#log_file" >log_file</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">log_level</td>
<td align="left">log_level</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#log_level" >log_level</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">log_type</td>
<td align="left">log_type</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#log_type" >log_type</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">mask_file</td>
<td align="left">mask_file</td>
<td align="left">mask_file</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#mask_file" >mask_file</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left">mask_privacy</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#mask_privacy" >mask_privacy</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">minimum_frame_time</td>
<td align="left">minimum_frame_time</td>
<td align="left">minimum_frame_time</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#minimum_frame_time" >minimum_frame_time</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">minimum_motion_frames</td>
<td align="left">minimum_motion_frames</td>
<td align="left">minimum_motion_frames</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#minimum_motion_frames" >minimum_motion_frames</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">mmalcam_control_params</td>
<td align="left">mmalcam_control_params</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#mmalcam_control_params" >mmalcam_control_params</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">mmalcam_name</td>
<td align="left">mmalcam_name</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#mmalcam_name" >mmalcam_name</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_bps</td>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_bps</td>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_bps</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#movie_bps" >movie_bps</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_video_codec</td>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_video_codec</td>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_video_codec</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#movie_codec" >movie_codec</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_duplicate_frames</td>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_duplicate_frames</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#movie_duplicate_frames" >movie_duplicate_frames</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">extpipe</td>
<td align="left">extpipe</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#movie_extpipe" >movie_extpipe</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">use_extpipe</td>
<td align="left">use_extpipe</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#movie_extpipe_use" >movie_extpipe_use</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">movie_filename</td>
<td align="left">movie_filename</td>
<td align="left">movie_filename</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#movie_filename" >movie_filename</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">max_mpeg_time</td>
<td align="left">max_movie_time</td>
<td align="left">max_movie_time</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#movie_max_time" >movie_max_time</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_cap_new</td>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_output_movies</td>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_output_movies</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#movie_output" >movie_output</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_cap_motion</td>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_output_debug_movies</td>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_output_debug_movies</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#movie_output_motion" >movie_output_motion</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"><a href="#movie_passthrough" >movie_passthrough</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_variable_bitrate</td>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_variable_bitrate</td>
<td align="left">ffmpeg_variable_bitrate</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#movie_quality" >movie_quality</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"><a href="#native_language" >native_language</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left">netcam_highres</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#netcam_highres" >netcam_highres</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">netcam_keepalive</td>
<td align="left">netcam_keepalive</td>
<td align="left">netcam_keepalive</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#netcam_keepalive" >netcam_keepalive</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">netcam_proxy</td>
<td align="left">netcam_proxy</td>
<td align="left">netcam_proxy</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#netcam_proxy" >netcam_proxy</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">netcam_tolerant_check</td>
<td align="left">netcam_tolerant_check</td>
<td align="left">netcam_tolerant_check</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#netcam_tolerant_check" >netcam_tolerant_check</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">netcam_url</td>
<td align="left">netcam_url</td>
<td align="left">netcam_url</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#netcam_url" >netcam_url</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">rtsp_uses_tcp</td>
<td align="left">rtsp_uses_tcp</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#netcam_use_tcp" >netcam_use_tcp</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">netcam_userpass</td>
<td align="left">netcam_userpass</td>
<td align="left">netcam_userpass</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#netcam_userpass" >netcam_userpass</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">noise_level</td>
<td align="left">noise_level</td>
<td align="left">noise_level</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#noise_level" >noise_level</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">noise_tune</td>
<td align="left">noise_tune</td>
<td align="left">noise_tune</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#noise_tune" >noise_tune</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">norm</td>
<td align="left">norm</td>
<td align="left">norm</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#norm" >norm</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">on_area_detected</td>
<td align="left">on_area_detected</td>
<td align="left">on_area_detected</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#on_area_detected" >on_area_detected</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="left">on_camera_found</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#on_camera_found" >on_camera_found</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">on_camera_lost</td>
<td align="left">on_camera_lost</td>
<td align="left">on_camera_lost</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#on_camera_lost" >on_camera_lost</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">on_event_end</td>
<td align="left">on_event_end</td>
<td align="left">on_event_end</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#on_event_end" >on_event_end</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">on_event_start</td>
<td align="left">on_event_start</td>
<td align="left">on_event_start</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#on_event_start" >on_event_start</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">on_motion_detected</td>
<td align="left">on_motion_detected</td>
<td align="left">on_motion_detected</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#on_motion_detected" >on_motion_detected</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">on_movie_end</td>
<td align="left">on_movie_end</td>
<td align="left">on_movie_end</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#on_movie_end" >on_movie_end</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">on_movie_start</td>
<td align="left">on_movie_start</td>
<td align="left">on_movie_start</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#on_movie_start" >on_movie_start</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">on_picture_save</td>
<td align="left">on_picture_save</td>
<td align="left">on_picture_save</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#on_picture_save" >on_picture_save</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><br /></td>
<td align="left">exif_text</td>
<td align="left">exif_text</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#picture_exif" >picture_exif</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left">output_normal</td>
<td align="left">output_pictures</td>
<td align="left">output_pictures</td>
<td align="left"><a href="#picture_output" >picture_output</a></td>