Set Up Meraki Camera

This chapter provides information about the configurations required in Cisco Spaces for Meraki Camera.

Prerequisites

To set up your Meraki Camera , you must connect Meraki Video Cameras to Cisco Spaces so Cisco Spaces can receive Meraki video analytics data.

You can use the Cisco Meraki configuration to support visitor count and camera-driven analytics use cases within Cisco Spaces applications.

When the camera widget is not already available, you must first enable the camera experience from the Setup > Camera before continuing with the Cisco Meraki connection flow.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

  • Access to Cisco Spaces

  • A valid Meraki API key

  • Meraki cameras with MV Sense licenses

  • Permission to connect or manage Meraki synchronization

  • Camera networks already configured in Meraki Dashboard

Before starting the camera configuration workflow, make sure the Cisco Meraki camera environment is ready for integration.

  1. The camera is enabled in Meraki.

  2. The required Meraki MV Sense license is available.

  3. The camera and related network are ready for Cisco Spaces onboarding.

The Camera setup workflow has four high-level steps:

  1. Connect your Meraki

  2. Configure MQTT Server

  3. Import Meraki Camera Networks into Location Hierarchy

  4. Draw Trip Wires for Entry/Exit Cameras

Figure 1. Prerequisites

Set up Cisco Spaces to Work with Cisco Meraki Camera

Cisco Spaces enables you to determine the number of visitors visiting your locations using a Cisco Meraki Camera. To avail this feature you must have a Meraki login and must have installed Cisco Meraki Cameras in your locations. Meraki Camera can be connected to the existing Cisco AireOS or Cisco Catalyst 9800 wireless controller-based network as long as the camera can reach the Meraki cloud server. Also, you must have valid Meraki MV Sense licenses.

You can capture these details using the Camera feature:

  • The total number of visits entering a location.

  • The total number of visits leaving a location.

  • The total number of visitors currently present at a location.


Note

If a visitor exits the tripwire line and enters the tripwire line again, the new entry is counted as a separate visit.

You can view the visitor count using the Camera Metrics and Live Occupancy apps available in the Cisco Spaces dashboard.

Configure a Meraki Camera

Procedure

Step 1

In the Cisco Meraki dashboard, configure the cameras on the required Meraki network. For more information about configuring the cameras on the Meraki network, see Configuring Cameras.

Step 2

In the Cisco Spaces dashboard, click the Menu icon () and choose Setup > Camera.

The Connect your Camera window is displayed.

Step 3

Click Get Started.

Note

 

If connected to the Cisco Meraki earlier, the widget corresponding to the connection method used is displayed automatically in the Connect your Camera window. In such cases, Get Started is not displayed. To connect to Cisco Meraki using the same connection method (Login, API Key) for configuring the Meraki camera, skip Step 4 to Step 6. However, to connect through the alternate connection method, add the corresponding widget using Add New. If widgets are added for both connection methods (through login and API key), Add New is disabled.

Step 4

Click Select to indicate the method that you wish to connect Cisco Meraki to Cisco Spaces.

The window displays the prerequisites for the selected method. For more information about the methods, see Setting Up Cisco Spaces to Work with Various Wireless Networks.

Step 5

Click Continue Setup.

In the Connect your wireless network window, a widget that allows connecting the camera is displayed.

The widget that is displayed depends on the method selected in Step 6. For the Connect Via Meraki Login method, the widget displayed is Meraki Camera for analytics via Meraki Login. For the Connect via API Key method, the widget displayed is Meraki Camera for analytics via Meraki API Key.

Step 6

In the expanded widget, click Connect displayed at Step 1.

If already connected to the Cisco Meraki network using the same connection method, the instruction for Step 1 is replaced with the message indicating that you are connected, and the Connect link is displayed. In such cases, skip this step.

  1. For the Meraki Camera for analytics via Meraki Login widget, a window displays with fields to enter e-mail and password for login. Enter the login credentials, and click Submit. After connecting successfully, the content in Step 1 is replaced with the following message: Connected as [e-mail using which you have connected].

  2. For the Meraki Camera for analytics via Meraki API Key widget, a window is displayed with an API Key field. Enter the API Key, and click Submit. After connecting successfully, the content in Step 1 gets replaced with the message "Connected with [ masked API key]".

Step 7

Click Import Networks displayed in Step 2 in the Connect your Meraki Camera window.

If the camera network is already imported to the Location Hierarchy section, then skip Step 9 to Step 13.

Step 8

In the Import Networks window, select the Meraki Organization (in which the Meraki Camera Networks are configured) that you want to import.

Step 9

From the Choose Networks area, select the check boxes for the Meraki networks that you want to import.

Step 10

Click Import.

The total number of Meraki networks and cameras that are imported are displayed.

Step 11

Click Finish.

The Meraki Camera configurations in Cisco Meraki will get automatically synchronized with Cisco Spaces. Typically, it gets auto-configured in 48 hours. If there is a delay, manually configure the MQTT server details in Cisco Meraki as explained in the following step.

Step 12

If want to manually configure the MQTT Server details in Cisco Meraki, perform the following:

The host and port of the MQTT server are account-specific and are displayed in Step 3 within the Cisco Spaces Connect your Meraki Camera window. You must configure these MQTT server details in Cisco Meraki.

  1. Log in to the Cisco Meraki dashboard.

  2. From the menu in the left pane of the dashboard, choose Cameras > Cameras.

  3. In the Name field, click the link for the camera for which you want to configure the MQTT server.

    The details of the selected camera are displayed. The Video tab for the camera is displayed by default.

  4. Click the Settings tab, and click Sense.

  5. To the right of Sense API, click Enabled.

  6. Click the Add or Edit MQTT Brokers link.

  7. In the Edit MQTT Brokers window, click New MQTT Broker.

  8. In the Edit MQTT Broker window that is displayed, enter the following MQTT server details:

    • Host: Enter the following host details:

      • For users hosted in the U.S. region: mqtt.dnaspaces.io

      • For users hosted in European region: mqtt.dnaspaces.eu

      • For users hosted in Singapore region: mqtt.ciscospaces.sg

    • Port: Enter port as 1883. You must ensure that traffic from Cisco Meraki is allowed through the port 1883.

  9. Click Save.

Step 13

To configure the entry or exit line for the camera, click Draw Trip Wire in Step 4 in the Connect your Meraki Camera window.

Note

 

The camera metrics are calculated only at the location level. Ensure that there is a camera at every entrance to a location where metrics are desired and that the tripwire is drawn for each of those cameras. To ensure accuracy, cameras should be placed in close proximity to an entrance with a clear view of the entire entry or exit point. Tripwire should be drawn several feet off the floor at the point of entry or exit. Do not draw a tripwire for any cameras at a location that is not located at a location-level entry or exit point.

Step 14

In the Draw Trip-Wire window that is displayed, click Select Locations, choose the location in which the camera is configured, and click Done.

Step 15

In Select a camera you wish to draw the trip-wire area, select the radio button for the camera for which you want to set the trip wire, and click Next.

Step 16

Create the trip-wire by drawing a line on the camera preview image using +.

By default, the entry and exit arrows display in the middle of the tripwire. The green arrow represents the entry and the red arrow represents the exit. Ensure that the entry and exit arrows are pointing in the direction shown in the following image. If the arrows are not positioned properly, then click and hold the blue outlined dot at the end of the tripwire line and drag the mouse to rotate the line and arrow.

Note

 

The tripwire functions only if the Cisco Meraki Service account is configured.

Step 17

Click both the endpoints of the line to configure the XY coordinates. After clicking the endpoints of the line, the XY coordinates for the entry and exit arrows are displayed automatically in the Trip-wire status area, and the status gets changed to Set. By default, the status will be Not Set.

Note

 

The status will be changed to Set only if you click both endpoints of the line.

Step 18

Click Finish.

The camera is configured to use in Cisco Spaces.

What to do next

Cisco Spaces Right Now app also reports zone-level presence data, if you have configured camera zones in Cisco Meraki. To define zones for each camera, refer to Cisco Meraki documentation.

Edit the Trip Wire for a Camera

To edit the XY coordinates of the trip wire for a camera, perform the following steps:

Procedure

Step 1

In the Cisco Spaces dashboard, click the Menu icon () and choose Settings > Camera.

The Connect your Meraki Camera window is displayed.

Step 2

Click View Cameras displayed in Step 4 in the Connect your Meraki Camera window.

The Cameras imported into Cisco Spaces are displayed. You can filter to view the cameras for a particular location.

Step 3

Click the Edit icon that is displayed far-right of the camera for which you want to edit the tripwire.

Step 4

In the Edit Trip Wire window that is displayed, edit the tripwire details and click Done.

Manage Camera Configuration

After setup is complete, manage the configured camera workflow from the Setup > Camera by performing these actions:

  • Disconnect or remove an existing API key.

  • Review the synchronization state using Sync Status.

  • Reopen Draw Trip-Wire to update camera trip wires.

  • Import additional camera networks as needed.