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  3. Camera as a sensor

Camera as a sensor

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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
    0
    • 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
      0
      • 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
            0
            • 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
                0
                • 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....

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • 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.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • 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
                                    0
                                    • Moshe LivneM Moshe Livne

                                      @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 Offline
                                      axillentA Offline
                                      axillent
                                      Mod
                                      wrote on last edited by axillent
                                      #22

                                      @Moshe-Livne said:

                                      @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

                                      do not stick to it's original application
                                      the idea is that open-wrt can run on this small things. Open-wrt is a linux type system, you can program it very similar to RPI
                                      it is very cool if any camera working example exists for open-wrt

                                      sense and drive

                                      Moshe LivneM 1 Reply 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.

                                        axillentA Offline
                                        axillentA Offline
                                        axillent
                                        Mod
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #23

                                        @bjornhallberg very nice setup! my congratulations!
                                        for DIY you did it pretty well
                                        but cost vise I do not see how this can be more efficient comparing to foscam

                                        sense and drive

                                        bjornhallbergB 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • axillentA axillent

                                          @Moshe-Livne said:

                                          @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

                                          do not stick to it's original application
                                          the idea is that open-wrt can run on this small things. Open-wrt is a linux type system, you can program it very similar to RPI
                                          it is very cool if any camera working example exists for open-wrt

                                          Moshe LivneM Offline
                                          Moshe LivneM Offline
                                          Moshe Livne
                                          Hero Member
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #24

                                          @axillent Oh, still not used to thinking this way. This is beyond the (very limited) limits of my knowledge.... can be great.... total setup fee of ~15$

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