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  3. Camera as a sensor

Camera as a sensor

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  • hekH Offline
    hekH Offline
    hek
    Admin
    wrote on last edited by
    #2

    I'm not sure the images can be processed on the node itself (using the low-end ATMegas). But you could probably take a picture and store it on a SSD when movement is detected by a motion sensor.

    The cameras was added mostly for fun wishing someone would play with them and come up with something useful ;)

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    • Moshe LivneM Offline
      Moshe LivneM Offline
      Moshe Livne
      Hero Member
      wrote on last edited by
      #3

      assuming an rpi will act as the sensor backend, would it be possible to send it on the rf module and the current mysensors protocol? this would definitely bring the price and power consumption up but can still be an interesting idea IMHO.

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      • hekH Offline
        hekH Offline
        hek
        Admin
        wrote on last edited by
        #4

        Definitely possible (we're transmitting firmware updates today) but it would require some programming to chop up the images and send them pice by pice. There is no functionality in the library that does this automatically.

        We're using the command type STREAM for firmware data today. Would probably be good to use that for images as well.

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        • Moshe LivneM Moshe Livne

          Hi all,

          Another question that might have been answered elsewhere but I couldn;t find the answer. There are 3 cameras in the shop but no project that uses them. question is, is it even possible to use a sensor as a security camera? Again, I know next to nothing about realtime programming. can the mysensor protocol support that? nothing fancy like a streaming video - just a photo every now and then triggered by motion sensors

          axillentA Offline
          axillentA Offline
          axillent
          Mod
          wrote on last edited by axillent
          #5

          @Moshe-Livne what you want to trigger on mysensors side? motion event or sending picture?

          most of IP cameras are able to send pictures by themselves, you do not need mysensors for this
          but you can integrate camera with my sensors to trigger motion event like PIR sensor can do

          motion event is definitely supported by mysensors
          you need to look at camera integration possibilities to see how you can integrate
          the possible scenarios:

          • camera is configured to upload pictures to FTP at motion event, do setup of FTP server on RPI or even arduino to initiate mysensors event on any upload. Or you can connect many cameras and can differentiate by their IP
          • camera is configured to send email using SMTP - do similar as for FTP
          • camera has a special API to report motion events. Integrate it according to API
          • camera has a wired output of a motion event. connect regular mysensors sensor to it

          sense and drive

          Moshe LivneM 1 Reply Last reply
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          • axillentA axillent

            @Moshe-Livne what you want to trigger on mysensors side? motion event or sending picture?

            most of IP cameras are able to send pictures by themselves, you do not need mysensors for this
            but you can integrate camera with my sensors to trigger motion event like PIR sensor can do

            motion event is definitely supported by mysensors
            you need to look at camera integration possibilities to see how you can integrate
            the possible scenarios:

            • camera is configured to upload pictures to FTP at motion event, do setup of FTP server on RPI or even arduino to initiate mysensors event on any upload. Or you can connect many cameras and can differentiate by their IP
            • camera is configured to send email using SMTP - do similar as for FTP
            • camera has a special API to report motion events. Integrate it according to API
            • camera has a wired output of a motion event. connect regular mysensors sensor to it
            Moshe LivneM Offline
            Moshe LivneM Offline
            Moshe Livne
            Hero Member
            wrote on last edited by
            #6

            @axillent I was asking about the tiny camera modules that appear in the mysensors store. good and reliable IP cameras are not cheap and they are (sometimes) very awkward to set up and integrate with your wifi (and I actually don't like it so much that my WLAN password reside on a device outside my house). My dream sensor would be a cheap motion event with a photo as a doorbell, for example using the VGA camera you would end up (if rpi is not needed) with a 15$ device.. I am million miles from doing anything like that, was hoping that someone else already done that....

            axillentA 1 Reply Last reply
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            • Moshe LivneM Moshe Livne

              @axillent I was asking about the tiny camera modules that appear in the mysensors store. good and reliable IP cameras are not cheap and they are (sometimes) very awkward to set up and integrate with your wifi (and I actually don't like it so much that my WLAN password reside on a device outside my house). My dream sensor would be a cheap motion event with a photo as a doorbell, for example using the VGA camera you would end up (if rpi is not needed) with a 15$ device.. I am million miles from doing anything like that, was hoping that someone else already done that....

              axillentA Offline
              axillentA Offline
              axillent
              Mod
              wrote on last edited by axillent
              #7

              @Moshe-Livne IP cameras are starting from $50. they have a processor able to process images at a good speed for you to trigger a motion event in a second after real motion starts. Using camera module you will have to do the same - processing images one by one to detect changes and this will trigger event. You will need at least a RAM to store a series of images at your camera resolution. RPI should be sufficient for this, but the cost of RPI + wifi + camear module + power supply is becoming higher comparing to IP camera.

              regarding security. many modern routers allows to setup isolated WIFI spot with separate password

              sense and drive

              Moshe LivneM 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • axillentA Offline
                axillentA Offline
                axillent
                Mod
                wrote on last edited by
                #8

                this one could be sufficient indoor http://foscam.us/products/foscam-fi8918w-white-wireless-ip-camera-21.html
                and this outdoor http://foscam.us/outdoor-cameras/fi9803p-plug-play-1-0-megapixel-1280x720p-h-264-outdoor-wireless-ip-camera.html

                sense and drive

                Moshe LivneM 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • axillentA axillent

                  @Moshe-Livne IP cameras are starting from $50. they have a processor able to process images at a good speed for you to trigger a motion event in a second after real motion starts. Using camera module you will have to do the same - processing images one by one to detect changes and this will trigger event. You will need at least a RAM to store a series of images at your camera resolution. RPI should be sufficient for this, but the cost of RPI + wifi + camear module + power supply is becoming higher comparing to IP camera.

                  regarding security. many modern routers allows to setup isolated WIFI spot with separate password

                  Moshe LivneM Offline
                  Moshe LivneM Offline
                  Moshe Livne
                  Hero Member
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #9

                  @axillent i was thinking using PIR for detecting motion, snapping a shot and sending it. you are right about the ram - i would need sd card reader probably

                  axillentA 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • Moshe LivneM Moshe Livne

                    @axillent i was thinking using PIR for detecting motion, snapping a shot and sending it. you are right about the ram - i would need sd card reader probably

                    axillentA Offline
                    axillentA Offline
                    axillent
                    Mod
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #10

                    @Moshe-Livne said:

                    @axillent i was thinking using PIR for detecting motion, snapping a shot and sending it. you are right about the ram - i would need sd card reader probably

                    PIR? it is something different. You need a clear view on what you want. From you first post I realized that you want to detect motion by analyzing camera output etc by analyzing images. Using PIR is very different

                    sense and drive

                    Moshe LivneM 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • axillentA axillent

                      this one could be sufficient indoor http://foscam.us/products/foscam-fi8918w-white-wireless-ip-camera-21.html
                      and this outdoor http://foscam.us/outdoor-cameras/fi9803p-plug-play-1-0-megapixel-1280x720p-h-264-outdoor-wireless-ip-camera.html

                      Moshe LivneM Offline
                      Moshe LivneM Offline
                      Moshe Livne
                      Hero Member
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #11

                      @axillent I live in NZ.... 45$ shipping....

                      axillentA 1 Reply Last reply
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                      • Moshe LivneM Moshe Livne

                        @axillent I live in NZ.... 45$ shipping....

                        axillentA Offline
                        axillentA Offline
                        axillent
                        Mod
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #12

                        @Moshe-Livne said:

                        @axillent I live in NZ.... 45$ shipping....

                        there are many foscam clones shipping free from China starting at $50

                        sense and drive

                        Moshe LivneM 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • axillentA axillent

                          @Moshe-Livne said:

                          @axillent i was thinking using PIR for detecting motion, snapping a shot and sending it. you are right about the ram - i would need sd card reader probably

                          PIR? it is something different. You need a clear view on what you want. From you first post I realized that you want to detect motion by analyzing camera output etc by analyzing images. Using PIR is very different

                          Moshe LivneM Offline
                          Moshe LivneM Offline
                          Moshe Livne
                          Hero Member
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #13

                          @axillent no, no.... as I said, i want to use it as cheap entrance device. PIR is good enough to trigger the response

                          axillentA 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • axillentA axillent

                            @Moshe-Livne said:

                            @axillent I live in NZ.... 45$ shipping....

                            there are many foscam clones shipping free from China starting at $50

                            Moshe LivneM Offline
                            Moshe LivneM Offline
                            Moshe Livne
                            Hero Member
                            wrote on last edited by Moshe Livne
                            #14

                            @axillent I have one of these, skyeyes. It is not foscam replica, just looks like it. has no snapshot url so completely useless. annoying....

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                            • Moshe LivneM Moshe Livne

                              @axillent no, no.... as I said, i want to use it as cheap entrance device. PIR is good enough to trigger the response

                              axillentA Offline
                              axillentA Offline
                              axillent
                              Mod
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #15

                              @Moshe-Livne said:

                              @axillent no, no.... as I said, i want to use it as cheap entrance device. PIR is good enough to trigger the response

                              can you explain exactly what do you want?
                              PIR is triggering event and someone is taking picture at this moment?

                              sense and drive

                              Moshe LivneM 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • axillentA axillent

                                @Moshe-Livne said:

                                @axillent no, no.... as I said, i want to use it as cheap entrance device. PIR is good enough to trigger the response

                                can you explain exactly what do you want?
                                PIR is triggering event and someone is taking picture at this moment?

                                Moshe LivneM Offline
                                Moshe LivneM Offline
                                Moshe Livne
                                Hero Member
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #16

                                @axillent yes. just a door or hall sensor that will be triggered by the PIR, take a snapshot (or maybe several in 10 sec increment) and send them to the home automation system.

                                axillentA 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • Moshe LivneM Moshe Livne

                                  @axillent yes. just a door or hall sensor that will be triggered by the PIR, take a snapshot (or maybe several in 10 sec increment) and send them to the home automation system.

                                  axillentA Offline
                                  axillentA Offline
                                  axillent
                                  Mod
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #17

                                  @Moshe-Livne said:

                                  @axillent yes. just a door or hall sensor that will be triggered by the PIR, take a snapshot (or maybe several in 10 sec increment) and send them to the home automation system.

                                  OK, I see. Do you want both PIR and camera module been connected to the same device? If yes this could have not much todo with mysensors. It can be regular arduino or rpi sketch sending pictures by FTP or email.
                                  If you want to have PIR on other device you can use mysensor to sens PIR and trigger other device to take pictures using mysensors radio

                                  sense and drive

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • bjornhallbergB Offline
                                    bjornhallbergB Offline
                                    bjornhallberg
                                    Hero Member
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #18

                                    I have one (soon two) RPi with camera modules that take pictures and store / send to Pushbullet when a certain MySensors PIR is triggered. Has worked pretty well for the past year. and a Pi + Camera is still reasonably cheap plus it's a "real" computer so it can do anything with the camera and images. And the Pi camera is still pretty good, unless you happen to get a real bad clone from Ebay or something. Hardly worth it. I don't know how good these cameras in the store are, but I doubt they come anywhere near the simplicity and guaranteed quality of the Pi camera module.

                                    IMG_20140618_194231.jpg

                                    If you like, you can also use the "motion" package on the Pi, but that will be a real hassle with false triggers and all. The cheap PIR motion sensors have worked surprisingly well. It's more a question of positioning them right so you don't have problems with sunlight, fireworks, curious magpies etc.

                                    I have my RPi inside camera housings I got from AliExpress. There are a couple there that are pretty good. I think finding a bracket can be more of a challenge. I have J-brackets that fit under the eaves.

                                    I have the raspimjpeg script running on the Pi btw. You could just use raspistill I suppose but it's nice to be able to manually view the camera feed from the browser and have remote control at your fingertips. Hell, you could even get one of those motorized RPi things that are able to turn the camera.

                                    I have a sort of Power Over Ethernet going for my cameras btw.

                                    Moshe LivneM axillentA 2 Replies Last reply
                                    0
                                    • bjornhallbergB bjornhallberg

                                      I have one (soon two) RPi with camera modules that take pictures and store / send to Pushbullet when a certain MySensors PIR is triggered. Has worked pretty well for the past year. and a Pi + Camera is still reasonably cheap plus it's a "real" computer so it can do anything with the camera and images. And the Pi camera is still pretty good, unless you happen to get a real bad clone from Ebay or something. Hardly worth it. I don't know how good these cameras in the store are, but I doubt they come anywhere near the simplicity and guaranteed quality of the Pi camera module.

                                      IMG_20140618_194231.jpg

                                      If you like, you can also use the "motion" package on the Pi, but that will be a real hassle with false triggers and all. The cheap PIR motion sensors have worked surprisingly well. It's more a question of positioning them right so you don't have problems with sunlight, fireworks, curious magpies etc.

                                      I have my RPi inside camera housings I got from AliExpress. There are a couple there that are pretty good. I think finding a bracket can be more of a challenge. I have J-brackets that fit under the eaves.

                                      I have the raspimjpeg script running on the Pi btw. You could just use raspistill I suppose but it's nice to be able to manually view the camera feed from the browser and have remote control at your fingertips. Hell, you could even get one of those motorized RPi things that are able to turn the camera.

                                      I have a sort of Power Over Ethernet going for my cameras btw.

                                      Moshe LivneM Offline
                                      Moshe LivneM Offline
                                      Moshe Livne
                                      Hero Member
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #19

                                      @bjornhallberg That is a very cool setup although i suspect its not very economical. the pi+camera would cost ~80$ i think. plus casing and bracket would get you very close to foscam if not higher. I was aiming at cheapest possible solution. maybe even one that can run on battery.

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                                      • M Offline
                                        M Offline
                                        Mickey
                                        wrote on last edited by Mickey
                                        #20

                                        http://www.aliexpress.com/item/LYNEW-Portable-Mini-Wireless-wifi-Router-3G-4G-Hotspot-Wifi-Hotspot-support-3G-USB-modems/32257312139.html
                                        Today there are openwrt enable modules on aliexpress that start from below 8$ that can be attached to mjpg usb camera and can take pictures and streams with less than 10$ price tag.

                                        Moshe LivneM 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • M Mickey

                                          http://www.aliexpress.com/item/LYNEW-Portable-Mini-Wireless-wifi-Router-3G-4G-Hotspot-Wifi-Hotspot-support-3G-USB-modems/32257312139.html
                                          Today there are openwrt enable modules on aliexpress that start from below 8$ that can be attached to mjpg usb camera and can take pictures and streams with less than 10$ price tag.

                                          Moshe LivneM Offline
                                          Moshe LivneM Offline
                                          Moshe Livne
                                          Hero Member
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #21

                                          @Mickey this device is a gsm hotspot generator. it connects to a USB GSM dongle and allows you to connect to it either wired or wirelessly. I have never seen devices like the ones you mention. they could be a good solution

                                          axillentA 1 Reply Last reply
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