[Lab Bench Online]
EiED Online>> Building A Multimedia Home Control Center, Part 1
William Wong
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ED Online ID #13330 |
August 21, 2006
The Ubox interface (see Figure 20) is password protected and it supports multiple Uboxes and multiple PCs. There is even an option to auto connect/disconnect printers when print jobs become available. This makes printer sharing a snap. I was able connect a printer and scanner with no trouble. To the application, the device appeared local.
The last step in this production was the attachment of the Smarthome surveillance cameras. The Smarthome Day/Night Wireless Camera and Receiver (see Figure 21) are a matched pair. The transmission frequency is jumper selected and the camera’s receiver plugs into a composite video input like the one found on the ATI adapters. The quality was excellent and the camera has a ring of infrared LEDs that act as a invisible floodlight when the camera is operating in darkness. The image is essentially monochrome but the clarity is amazing even without moonlight.
The major limitation of this approach is the number of cameras that can be attached. It is possible to get a multimedia switch to handle multiple cameras. Another approach is to connect each camera to a power source through an Insteon (or X-10) controller. It is then simply a matter of turning on the desired camera. In this case, all the camera frequencies are the same. Problems occur if two cameras are turned on at the same time but it will not harm the camera or transceiver.
Attaching multiple Smarthome Vidi Security Cameras (see Figure 22) is an easy task since each connects to the network. I tried one of the wired version but there is a wireless version as well. These cameras have the advantage when it comes to installation but the image quality is lower than the other camera. On the other hand, the Vidi has a pair of computer controlled servos to position the camera. A camera can be mounted on the ceiling or in the corner of a room and pan around to see the entire room under user control.
The only disappointing things about the Vidi is the control application. It is a relatively simple Java applet. This is actually a big benefit since you can view and control the camera from any PC connected to the network using a web browser. Punch a hole through your firewall or setup a VPN and you can check the camera from the Internet. Of course, this is one reason I tend to aim the cameras outside. A programming interface is provided but I suspect that most people will only use the Java applet. It is too bad because this system would be ideal for a remote monitoring system that periodically panned the camera.
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