Keeping an eye on the nest when the bird is away

One of the things i tried out recently was to install an internet protocol network camera (aka IP netcam) in and around my home to keep an eye on things over a smartphone (iPhone 4S) when we are away or out of town. I started the search for cameras online and found a brand called FOSCAM from China to be very popular all over the web. So decided to give it a try.

I found the foscam FI8910W pan & tilt ip network camera for $80 on amazon.com and ordered it. Two days later....the package arrived. Inside the Foscam box, i found the camera, antenna, ac power adapter and a small cd disc (not good for my iMAC as it has a CD slot lengthwise on the side so the CD will just fall in). NO documentation at all as is the case with most chinese brand products. They can do everyone a great favor only if they included some instructions. So off I go to everyone's favorite google.com to search for installation instructions for Foscam F18910W. I found some written instructions at foscam.com US site as well as youtube videos by "AwkwardHamster".




Lack of instructions made the installation process a cumbersome one given I am not a networking savvy individual. yes even for a techie networking or debugging issues with WindowsPC is not an easy task. The camera did support what is called WPS (Wifi protected setup) but my ATT Uverse router does not, so after about 4-5 hours of messing around with detecting the camera on my wireless network and setting up a free DNS at "noip.com" (domain name server so that i don't have to remember the ip address of my camera full of numbers), I was able to see the video feed from my camera on my iMAC browser window. Phew!!
You can avoid the trouble of figuring this out by following the instructions at http://foscam.us/blog/foscamipcameras/set-up-guidetutorial-for-foscam-fi8908w/ or the youtube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xKu4uZtt3M
If you have trouble even after this, please email me and I will be glad to help.

After this came the task of downloading the free app "CamViewer" in the iTunes app store and setting it up to access my camera on the iPhone. This is where the DNS server came in handy which you need to enter on the settings of the app in order to be able to view live streaming video as well as control the camera from anywhere in the world. This is really cool as you can move the camera around up and down and sideways (pan & tilt) and see the video stream live. The camera also includes IR lights around the lens to illuminate upto 15-20 feet at night time. The picture quality is not as good at night but will work.

I also found instructions by "AwkwardHamster" on youtube to setup email or sms notification of photos to me in the event of a motion alarm. So when motion is detected (there is no motion sensor in this camera instead the camera uses change in the images in the frames of the video to detect motion), the camera snaps 5-6 still photos and sends it to your phone (data charges do apply :)).

Finally I had to order a 10 foot long power cable to extend the reach of the charger in order to be able to hang the camera on the ceiling looking down (hardware is sold separately).

So after all this, do I recommend this camera. The answer is YES as it is not bad product but lacks good setup instructions.  The FI8910W is only a standard definition video camera,  so if you get their IR filtered HD version (FI9821W) then for sure you will be very happy with the results. There are also other IP net cams  from D-link (DCS2210) and Belkin and few others that have better instructions and are easy to install but cost about $50-150 more. The choice is yours. All these cameras including the foscam i am using are all meant for indoor use. If you want to monitor the surroundings of your home or office, you should purchase the outdoor camera unit (FI9805W) which has a weatherproof enclosure and has lot more IR lights for the outdoors.

Finally if you only want totally wireless (battery operated wireless network) cameras, then there is a product called "VueZone" by Netgear that has its own router and is much easier to setup (vuezone.com). The drawback is that you want to use this one to only email photos to you when motion is detected otherwise you will drain the battery sooner than the 6 month life advertised. I will try this in the future when they have better cameras as i read the camera images are not that clear.

So that is all on how to keep an eye on your nest while you are away on vacation, or use the camera as a baby monitor or maybe even as a nanny cam to keep an eye on your sitter and the kids when you go out for the night!

Cheers
-Ram

Cutting the cord...

I find myself evangelizing over the air TV lately! We got rid of cable TV about 18 months ago. It was a cost cutting initiative at the beginning but what really closed the deal was a post I saw on Facebook; Someone posted that they suddenly had a lot more time to do other things with their kids etc. I started with just getting Hulu to replace the recording capability. It 's just another way to get network TV (like ABC, NBC, etc) on demand. I pay the $7/month for Hulu plus which gives you HD quality and less advertising. Unfortunately if you like USA network or HBO etc, you are out of luck! Stay with the $50/month for cable TV from Uverse, FiOS or satellite.

How do you get Hulu? Well, most newer TVs have the app built-in, else you can get a DVD player (less than $60) that can do this or a Roku box ($60-$90). If you are getting a new TV, I strongly recommend a TV with wifi built-in and has the ability to get the apps (it helps to keep a cleaner TV cabinet = less wires!). Now with apps on the TV, we can also use Amazon prime and Netflix. So we are covered. There is only so much TV you can watch anyway.

Since we live in Texas, tornadoes and bad weather is something to watch out for. You probably need to get some sort of "live" TV to make sure you can be prepared. Did some research on HD over the air antenna's and found this company called Mohu (www.gomohu.com). Read a lot of reviews and decided to try it out. They work really well! It's just a letter sized paper (laminated) that mounts at the back of the TV. I have to be honest, some glitches here and there on some channels but for the most part, all the local channels works well. NBC, ABC, CBS. And since it is digital TV, there is a weather channel as part of one of the local channels. You can always mount something in the attic and re-wire the house, but I opted for the lazyman's route.

One parting note, I suggest negotiating to get the best deal on a good (more than 10 Mbps) high speed internet connection. You will need it since all the TV shows are through the internet connection now (Hulu, Netflix etc.).

I do have some pointers on setting up the wifi network, wifi routers that's worked well for me. That'l be a topic for another day.

Sorry for the international folks, this blog is probably most useful for the USA. Will accommodate the WW guests soon. If you want to get email updates, sign up at the bottom of the page so that you get the latest from Ram and Kannan in your INBOX!.

Ding Dong!

Welcome to the home of Easytakeontech!

Our lives typically revolve around three places - at home, on the road and in the office. 

So sitting at home, i was thinking what electronic products would I install at the entry to make our lives less stressful. The most popular would be the electronic bell with built in intercom. This allows a visitor to notify you of their presence and you could talk to them without opening the door to find out the purpose of the visit. This way you don't have to talk to any unwanted solicitors who come knocking at our doors everyday. My wife would feel even more secure, if she could actually see who it is before opening the door. The traditional peep hole serves this purpose, but technology makes it better with a compact wide angle camera replacing the peep-hole and a display on the inside of the door or a wireless connection to your TV or phone will show you who it is without you having to move a muscle. There are a few products like these available in the market today. Let me know if you are interested.

But the one product that gets me excited is the electronic door lock. The biggest problem I have is being locked out or fumbling for the keys at the door. If i did not have to carry a key or bunch of keys and just unlock the door by entering a pin, or placing my finger on the lock or even better waving my phone (with near field technology or NFC) would be cool. More about NFC in another article.
Biometrics, the use of one's unique biological traits like fingerprint, face or eye (iris/retina) as a form of authentication is used to secure access to nuclear plants, defense establishments and other high security facilities. I worked with a company back in 2001 that built fingerprint door locks for the home. It's a standard front door handle with a fingerprint sensor and associated electronics embedded in it. Runs on two AA batteries for about 6 months of average use. The best part of this lock is no keys to carry or pins to remember. As long as every enrolled user is present in person, they can unlock the door by just placing their index finger on the sensor. Imagine the kids coming home and walking in with the ease of placing their finger on the door. This is convenience and security all in one. Not bullet proof but it does make it very convenient.

If you are interested in getting one, Adel fingerprint locks are sold at Amazon


I will conclude this post with a disclaimer that as with all forms of technology and for that matter non-technology products, there is always a risk of failure and so you need to consider these with an open mind of risk you are willing to take versus the convenience you want in life.

Cheers and stay tuned for lots more.....
-Ram

Welcome, Vanakkam, Namaste, Selamat Datang, Howdy!

A buddy of mine (Ram) and I were talking last week on a topic that has been on our minds for a long time. We have all these ideas, or useful tips on technology that we share with family and friends frequently, but how can we reach a larger audience for the greater good :-) These are obviously our own opinions and everyone is entitled to their own, but we thought we can start a blog or website and "share" our tips for technology. We are techies ourselves and work in the electronics industry, that means nothing for these tips, but I think engineering minds think about problems or solutions differently. We will be talking, posting, reviewing technology you can take with you from the home > car > office > airport > flights!

Don't forget to bookmark the page!

Stay tuned,
Kannan