Hello from sunny July! As a good tradition, it's time for MAUI UI July 2025. Thanks to Matt Goldman for the organization.
IP cameras are essential tools for surveillance, monitoring, and live streaming applications. With .NET MAUI, developers can create powerful cross-platform applications that transform mobile devices into fully functional IP cameras. This article explores two innovative approaches to implementing IP camera functionality using the .NET MAUI Community Toolkit Camera: MJPEG streaming for real-time image capture and Video recording for continuous video streaming.
🔄 Give Your Old Phone a Second Life! If you have an old smartphone lying around, don't throw it away! This IP camera implementation is perfect for repurposing older devices into dedicated security cameras or monitoring systems. Install your MAUI IP camera app and place the device wherever you need surveillance coverage.
Setting up the Project
Before implementing IP camera functionality, let's set up the basic project structure and dependencies.
1. Install Required NuGet Packages
Add the CommunityToolkit.Maui.Camera package to your .NET MAUI project:
2. Configure MauiProgram.cs
Update your MauiProgram.cs to register the camera services:
3. Platform-specific IP Address Services
To broadcast the camera stream over the network, we need to detect the device's local IP address on each platform.
ILocalIpService.cs (Shared):
Android Implementation:
Windows Implementation:
Approach 1: MJPEG Streaming
MJPEG (Motion JPEG) streaming enables real-time video by capturing sequential JPEG images at a specified frame rate. This approach is perfect for applications requiring low latency and is compatible with most web browsers.
Implementation
The MJPEG approach captures images from the camera at regular intervals and streams them to connected clients using the HTTP multipart/x-mixed-replace content type.
CameraViewModel
HTTP Server for MJPEG
The LocalHttpServer handles client connections and streams JPEG images:
Approach 2: Video Recording Stream
The second approach leverages the upcoming .NET MAUI Community Toolkit Camera video recording capabilities. This method records continuous video segments and streams them as MP4 files, providing both video and audio streaming for a complete surveillance solution.
🎵 Audio Support: Unlike MJPEG streaming which only handles images, the video recording approach captures both video and audio, making it perfect for applications requiring full audiovisual monitoring.
Implementation
Video Stream HTTP Server
The server serves video segments with an HTML5 player:
Camera Page Implementation
The camera page integrates both approaches:
XAML Layout
Key Features
Advanced Camera Features
Night Mode Detection: Automatically switches camera modes based on time of day
Resolution Selection: Support for multiple camera resolutions
Cross-platform: Works on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS
Network Streaming
MJPEG: Real-time image streaming with low latency
Video Recording: Continuous video segments for smooth playback with audio support
HTML5 Player: Built-in web player for video streams
Multiple Clients: Support for concurrent connections
Conclusion
Both approaches offer unique advantages for different use cases. The MJPEG streaming approach provides excellent real-time performance with wide browser compatibility, making it ideal for live surveillance applications. The video recording approach offers better video quality and smoother playback with full audio support, perfect for applications requiring high-quality audiovisual streaming.
The .NET MAUI Community Toolkit Camera proves to be a powerful solution for creating sophisticated IP camera applications, providing developers with the tools needed to build professional-grade surveillance and streaming applications. Whether you're repurposing an old device or building a new monitoring system, these implementations offer flexible and robust solutions for any IP camera needs.
The full code can be found on GitHub.
Happy coding!