Dual-Stream Switching

Directions on how to install and troubleshoot stream switching packages

Background

Due to limitations of bitrate with radios at distance, we were looking into optimizations to reduce the amount of data being transferred, and allow for higher quality videos. To support two streams at limited environments at higher quality, we implemented a solution where the payload stream pipes into the VOXL2 and only the VOXL2 stream is decoded from the GS-One. The RTSP stream switch button simply toggles the source of the stream. These optimizations make it so that you can have near-seamless stream switching while also only needing to decode one stream at a time

Installation

Step 1: Download packages

1. Download this folder to your Downloads folder and unzip it.

92KB

IFT-dual-stream-package.zip

archive

Open

Step 2: Open WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

1. Press the Windows key and type "WSL"

2. Click on "WSL" or "Ubuntu" when it appears

3. A black terminal window will open. Navigate to the correct folder using the command below as a template. Replace <YourWindowsUsername> with your Windows username and modify the path if your folder is not in Downloads.

cd /mnt/c/Users/<YourWindowsUsername>/Downloads/IFT-dual-stream-package

Step 3: Deploy to VOXL2

./deploy_to_voxl.sh ssh 192.168.144.59

Note: Replace the ip address with your drone ip address if different.

Usage

You will need to run a version of IGC which supports this feature. Since this is a new feature that's in the testing phase, you will need to have to install IGC v1.4.46 to have this feature enabled.

After installing IGC v1.4.46, the feature should be enabled by default, but you can also toggle it in IGC Settings by entering admin mode.

Check Installation and Troubleshooting

After installation, you can verify everything is working properly by connecting to your VOXL2 and checking the service status.

Connect to Your VOXL2

ssh root@192.168.144.59

Replace the ip address if different. Password is oelinxu123.

Check Config File

cat /etc/modalai/voxl-streamer.conf

You should see the following output:

{
	"input-pipe":	"hires_small_color",
	"bitrate":	2000000,
	"rotation":	0,
	"decimator":	1,
	"encoder":	"h264",
	"port":	8900
}

Make sure the input pipe is set to hires_small_color and the encoder is set to "h264". If it is something different, edit the file with:

vim /etc/modalai/voxl-streamer.conf

Now check the ift-rtsp-pipe config file:

cat /etc/modalai/ift-rtsp-pipe.conf

You should see the following output:

{
    "rtsp_urls": [
        "rtsp://192.168.144.52:8554/vio",
        "rtsp://192.168.144.56:8554/stream",
        "rtsp://192.168.144.141:8554/video"
    ]
}

What Happens After Installation

• It runs in the background continuously

• It will restart automatically if your VOXL2 reboots

If Something Goes Wrong

Common Issues and Solutions

Problem: "Permission denied" error Solution: Make sure you ran the chmod +x deploy_to_voxl.sh command

Problem: "sshpass: command not found" Solution: Run sudo apt install sshpass then try again

Problem: "No such file or directory" Solution: Make sure you're in the right folder. Type pwd to see where you are

Problem: Can't connect to VOXL2 Solution:

• Check that your VOXL2 is powered on

• Verify you're using the correct IP address

• Make sure your computer and VOXL2 are on the same network