Now that I have sonos integrated I want to get a few IP cameras integrated into HouseBot. I know some of you out there have done this already. I purchased a D-Link DC-900 to play with for inside monitoring. Any ideas or suggestions on how to go about this would be great. I had designed the HBBrowser to be used just for this scenario....but I am all ears as to the best way to go about this.
Osler
IP Camera Integration
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Richard Naninck
- HouseBot Guru Extraordinaire
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- Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2004 7:49 am
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I am also very interested in this. I am still looking for a good camera integration solution into HB and still didn't come up with one.
I was thinking about a separate harddisk recorder which can be controlled using a serial port and shares the drive on the network. However i can't find any device that has a serial control port. So I guess it has to be done using the network port. Fine, but still HB cannot display video in a remote unless using some transparant hole in the background or an internet browser, but that restricts it to a local machine so it cannot be used on remote swremotes. I guess an IP cam would be a good solution as well. You can add as many as you like in the network. If such a cam can create snapshots on a command and store them on a harddirve in the network, that would be a good start. HB can display static (non moving) images so this would take care of the doorbell ring pictures. Streaming video would have to be displayed using some tricks in the theme. If an IP cam can be told to make snapshots and moving video upon command, I guess my solution would be halfway there. I will look into the cam you bought and see if it fits my needs as well. At some point in time I need to come up with a solution, so it might as well be now. First I will wait to see what others have to say.
I was thinking about a separate harddisk recorder which can be controlled using a serial port and shares the drive on the network. However i can't find any device that has a serial control port. So I guess it has to be done using the network port. Fine, but still HB cannot display video in a remote unless using some transparant hole in the background or an internet browser, but that restricts it to a local machine so it cannot be used on remote swremotes. I guess an IP cam would be a good solution as well. You can add as many as you like in the network. If such a cam can create snapshots on a command and store them on a harddirve in the network, that would be a good start. HB can display static (non moving) images so this would take care of the doorbell ring pictures. Streaming video would have to be displayed using some tricks in the theme. If an IP cam can be told to make snapshots and moving video upon command, I guess my solution would be halfway there. I will look into the cam you bought and see if it fits my needs as well. At some point in time I need to come up with a solution, so it might as well be now. First I will wait to see what others have to say.
Well, after some playing with this I think it is not going to be terribly difficult. The camera comes with some very nice software that can act as the needed DVR portion for security purposes (manual recording, alarm recording, etc.).
Using my HBBrowser presents a problem for streaming video directly from the camera as the user would have to manually select java or activex before any streaming video is displayed. However, the video stream IS displayed as a constantly changing image file located at http://<camera IP address>/IMAGE.JPG. A simple script to download the image using XMLDOM and save it as a binary using ADO stream every 500 ms or so and you can display it as a dynamic image on a software remote for viewing. I'll probably let the stock software handling archiving and eventing of the cameras external to HB.
Osler
Using my HBBrowser presents a problem for streaming video directly from the camera as the user would have to manually select java or activex before any streaming video is displayed. However, the video stream IS displayed as a constantly changing image file located at http://<camera IP address>/IMAGE.JPG. A simple script to download the image using XMLDOM and save it as a binary using ADO stream every 500 ms or so and you can display it as a dynamic image on a software remote for viewing. I'll probably let the stock software handling archiving and eventing of the cameras external to HB.
Osler
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Richard Naninck
- HouseBot Guru Extraordinaire
- Posts: 1121
- Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2004 7:49 am
- Location: The Netherlands
So is the cam able to create snap shot images or just able to create streaming video?
Displaying snap shots every 500ms in a dynamic image will produce problems when the images are too large. I built a photo viewing theme panel and when it displays images bigger than 500KB, the swremote is really struggeling to get it to display quickly. It would also fill the image cache directory of the running swremote very quickly with images that are actually only viewed once.
Atleast we are talking about this and usually that brings up ideas and nice workarounds.
Isn't it possible to automate the active x or java choice for the browser?
Displaying snap shots every 500ms in a dynamic image will produce problems when the images are too large. I built a photo viewing theme panel and when it displays images bigger than 500KB, the swremote is really struggeling to get it to display quickly. It would also fill the image cache directory of the running swremote very quickly with images that are actually only viewed once.
Atleast we are talking about this and usually that brings up ideas and nice workarounds.
Isn't it possible to automate the active x or java choice for the browser?
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Steve Horn
- HouseBot Guru
- Posts: 755
- Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2003 8:10 pm
- Location: Pelham AL
For the price, I am pleased with the color rendition. The info explicitly states that if color settings are too high, the image will appear pixelated...which I do see. However, for simple monitoring (kids, front door, etc.) I think it is just fine. Low light situations suck. However, I haven't tried it with an IR illuminator yet. I wouldn't use this one for outdoor or situations where low-light is anticipated. I bought it mainly to see what d-link has to offer and if it is doable with their products ($99.99 (US) plus -$20 mail in rebate at Fry's....I was actually shopping for some more CAT 5e so I could add some Proliphix thermostats....which is another thread altogether).
The camera offers both AcitiveX and Java mediated viewing. ActiveX requires a download of the component from the camera (i.e., message box situation) while Java does not. Both can be accessed via explicit address (i.e., http://<camera IP address>/AView.htm for ActiveX and http://<camera IP address>/JView.htm for Java). This means that my HBBrowser app could be used for this on an X86 platform.
I will continue to work on this, but my wife spyed the camera in the batcave and started asking some questions. I have been instructed that I must install speakers for all of the audio zones, since I now have Sonos integrated, before any other HA stuff can be purchased. So this is on the back burner to some degree. It's amazing how the attitude changes once you have something working....(I write this as she uses one of the 4 new Nokia 770s to watch Desperate Housewives that also caused something of an uproar..."4....why do you need 4?")
Osler
The camera offers both AcitiveX and Java mediated viewing. ActiveX requires a download of the component from the camera (i.e., message box situation) while Java does not. Both can be accessed via explicit address (i.e., http://<camera IP address>/AView.htm for ActiveX and http://<camera IP address>/JView.htm for Java). This means that my HBBrowser app could be used for this on an X86 platform.
I will continue to work on this, but my wife spyed the camera in the batcave and started asking some questions. I have been instructed that I must install speakers for all of the audio zones, since I now have Sonos integrated, before any other HA stuff can be purchased. So this is on the back burner to some degree. It's amazing how the attitude changes once you have something working....(I write this as she uses one of the 4 new Nokia 770s to watch Desperate Housewives that also caused something of an uproar..."4....why do you need 4?")
Osler