Help / Suggestions

[chrispc66]

Is it an impossible dream to request the possibili of users to stream video to an area on reefuge to enable members to remotely monitor their DT?

Other users could log in and view other tanks too.

Associated hosting costs could be paid by the users?

Probably a silly question, but logging on to a personal modem to view video streaming is difficult, even with a dynamic set up....driving me crazy.....

No luck in finding a video streaming host online.....any suggestions ?

 

[The Reefuge]

Hello @chrispc66,

Actually, this was an idea we were thinking about doing some time ago. We need to find some software that will work the way we need it to, with minimal editing required. We will keep the community updated when we get to it.

Thanks for the suggestion :)

Thanks.

 

[leodb89]

i did suggest this :P mines ready to go i just need a DNS provider

 

[DavidS]

i did suggest this :p mines ready to go i just need a DNS provider

Look into no-ip.org

Pretty sure that you can still get a free subdomain on one of their more obscure domains for free, and most routers should have an option for them in the DDNS settings.

This particular scenario poses some interesting issues though in terms of data allowances. My camera isn't anything spectacular, but if I stream it, it uses nearly a gigabyte every couple of hours, and manages to saturate my entire uplink to improve the frame rate (which is 640x480 @ 15fps) - and I'm basically running an ADSL2+ with no congestion and the fastest speed possible (empty sub division with a Top Hat around the corner on brand new copper), so it's unlikely that most people will have more upstream bandwidth unless they're on the NBN (or have an Annex M connection).
If upstream data is counted towards your data allowance, this will add up.

If you run it for long periods - or other people have access to it, you can get a rude shock quickly, and find that your internet connection runs like crap because you have a saturated uplink.

Interfacing regular web cams would be a nightmare as you're going to need to interface it with an app on a PC. IP cams are certainly going to be easier, but you're still going to need to configure your router for port forwarding and get all of that working. And you're still going to have to set up some kind of DDNS service in order for this site to find the camera. Embedding the feed into a page here shouldn't be too hard. The implementation however will be problematic to you if it allows anyone access at any time (ie. bandwidth and data consumption issues).

If it's set up for people to manage to view their own camera only, then essentially all you'd really be doing is wasting bandwidth and directing traffic half way around the world and back (increased latency.. lag as it travels all the way to the reefuge's server and back) when it's not really any harder to view the cameras web interface.

Don't get me wrong, I'm actually all for having the option to view peoples cameras - I like it. The technology and pricing structures we have for Internet however have me highly skeptical of how successful it's likely to be just yet (bring on the NBN).

 

[chrispc66]

Thanks for the feedback. We have the NBN rollout here in some Perth areas, but everybody in the suburbs is stil on copper.

You wonder though, with today's technology, it should be easy to monitor things like your home, pets, tanks or anything else you wish by simply logging onto the Internet.

How could this be done by streaming to a sever in the home, and logging onto that? Windows business server setup, remote log on to it with the cam streaming to a huge hard drive that could be cleared at each log on.....

 

[DavidS]

You could just leave a PC on with an app open for the camera as easily as anything else, but it would be a lot slower than actually just mapping the web page of an IP camera and accessing that remotely which is actually quite trivial if you already understand how to do port mapping and configure DDNS.
Recording play back and remote access is a little more involved, but this is still fairly easy stuff to do - again.. port mapping and DDNS are bigger hurdles for most people, especially given that every different consumer grade router has a different implementation of how to do it!

 

[shane_h]

You can buy little wireless I.P webcams and software for Android smart phones to monitor your own tank. Also the swann DV setups are streamable and should come down a bit in price as they have new NV (Network Video). The quality on these new NV's is awsome. But there $1100 odd for a the set 4 cameras and the main unit with the hard disk and networking options. But you will need a static I.P if you dont want to go through any third party streamers. Or try to setup a Virtual Private Network (VPN options in your modem if it has it.) with the reefuge once they get setup for it? Not sure about that one.

Heaps of apps out there.

 

[DavidS]

You can buy little wireless I.P webcams and software for Android smart phones to monitor your own tank. Also the swann DV setups are streamable and should come down a bit in price as they have new NV (Network Video). The quality on these new NV's is awsome. But there $1100 odd for a the set 4 cameras and the main unit with the hard disk and networking options. But you will need a static I.P if you dont want to go through any third party streamers. Or try to setup a Virtual Private Network (VPN options in your modem if it has it.) with the reefuge once they get setup for it? Not sure about that one.

Heaps of apps out there.

You don't need a static IP - that's what DDNS is for, and most routers should have the ability to work with a DDNS service. You can get software for iPhones/iPads as well as Android for the usual Foscam clone cameras. Every one of them I've played with either comes with, or suggests some kind of mobile app. They've also all had embedded web interfaces that you can view through a browser on just about anything without need for any apps. My Kogan's web interface has it's own mobile option to use on top of the regular browser or ActiveX happy browser options. It's a horribly basic camera, but that web interface works quite well to log in and check remotely. The android app I use for it is also good, but the free version of what I'm using doesn't allow for moving the camera.

VPN is a pretty major undertaking to do properly, and just adds overheads to the traffic on top of the complexity issues that will stump the average user. A VPN's only real point is security, which is kinda pointless in this set up unless you see some logic in securing a feed from home to a server only to have it fed back unencrypted to you when you use the Reefuge.

 

[shane_h]

Woops yea I did forget about the DDNS. Wasn't sure about the average modem capabilities with either. I have old reliable clunker still ;)

 

[DavidS]

Woops yea I did forget about the DDNS. Wasn't sure about the average modem capabilities with either. I have old reliable clunker still ;)

I was always against using it as I used to always have static IPs. When I moved and my net bills are now double what they used to be, paying extra for it is hardly worth it. I paid $10 to get a full account with no-ip and started using it. It's not perfect, but it's better than paying $10 a month to get a static IP.
I have a couple of web interfaces for things running on my file server that I like to access remotely as well, so it's been handy for that. Hardest thing is remembering what port numbers everything is mapped to if I haven't used them for a while.

 

[shane_h]

Hehe yea that and username/passwords lol

 

[DavidS]

Hehe yea that and username/passwords lol

Nah, they're easy.