Live cameras for electric vehicle charging stations

For the driver and the operator

Before setting off, a driver can judge the visible queue, whether the approach is clear and whether there is snow or an obstruction on the site. This kind of view complements the status in the app and is especially useful at remote or busy locations.

The operator can see a non-electric car parked in a charging bay, the state of the approach, the actual situation after a complaint and several locations in one interface. Video does not replace station telemetry or a visit from an engineer.

Two sources of information

The player answers the question “what can be seen on site”, while the charging management system answers “is the equipment working and can a session be started”. On a website these should sit side by side, without blurring what each one means.

Existing cameras

If a parking lot or security IP camera delivers an RTSP stream, it can be connected to rtsp.me. For public viewing, choose a wide shot that shows the bays and the approach but keeps number plates and faces unreadable.

No separate media server is needed on site. The camera, its power and the internet connection do need to be reliable, though, and night-time glare, rain and the angle all affect how useful the picture is.

What rtsp.me gives you

• Cameras in placeConnecting the site's existing IP cameras
• On the moveViewing in the browser on a smartphone and a computer
• Charging networkSeveral stations and parking lots in one account
• AccessPassword and a player limited by domain
• ArchiveA cloud recording of the site for the period you choose
• MonitoringNotifications when a camera loses signal
• Map and websiteAn HTML player for the page of a specific location
• CodecsH.264 and H.265 with compatible settings

How to connect a site

1. Choose a wide shot of the bays and the approach, with no readable number plates and no neighboring private property.
2. Check the RTSP stream, the codec, the night-time picture, the power supply and the outbound internet connection.
3. Add the camera to your account at rtsp.me and wait for the check.
4. Set up public or private access, the archive and notifications about a lost stream.
5. Embed the player next to the station status, and leave the charging operations to the operator's system.

Label the stream as a visual overview and say where the user can get the official connector status, the tariff and support.

Areas and use cases

• a wide view of the charging bays;
• the entrance, the barrier and the state of the approach;
• the queue at a rapid charging station;
• chargers in a shopping center parking lot;
• a site by a hotel or a business center;
• stations on an intercity route;
• a private charging area for a fleet;
• several locations across a network, for a dispatcher.

A camera helps you spot a bay taken by another vehicle, but it does not detect the breach automatically and it does not call anyone out. Acting on it needs a separate process on the operator's side.

Live stream from a charging station — example

A live wide shot shows whether a connector is free and whether there is a queue on site.

LIVE

Charging posts

How busy the posts and the approach area are right now.

Archive, monitoring and privacy

The archive gives context to a complaint: was the site full, was the approach blocked, was a car standing at the post. A recording does not prove that a charging session started or what its parameters were; the technical logs are used for that.

Monitoring reports the loss of a video signal, which helps you check the camera's internet connection and power. It does not oversee the electrical installation, the emergency cut-off, the billing or the charging communication protocol.

Show a wide shot, keep number plates and faces hard to read, put up the required notices and set a retention period you can justify. Do not point cameras at windows, yards or neighboring private property.

Frequently asked questions