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 #2129629


Keejane
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 Does anyone...

Know how to hook up a webcam to a server of some sort and have the cam in the viv so i can spy on Simon when im not around????

Kee
03/04/10  05:12am

 #2129652


Rose of Jericho
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   Message To: Keejane   In reference to Message Id: 2129629


 Does anyone...

You mean like I do? There are dozens of solutions, but the exact approach depends on lots of things, including things only you can know:

- your level of technical comprehension
- time you have to do it
- money you have to spend on software/hardware

Also, level and type of use:

- just you (private)?
- publicly accessible?
- with or without passwords?
- recording capability?
- running constantly or occasionally?

Hardware:

- is your webcam up to the heat requirements needed for being inside the terrarium all day?
- if no to the above, do you have a window or viewport in the right place to put the camera at?
- does it have good enough resolution/wide enough field of vision to see enough of the enclosure?

I can give you a variety of solutions if you can give me a slightly more clear idea of what you’re after. Personally, I use a dedicated server which has proper webcam feeds running as a system service, utilising its own HTTP server to allow public access. I have comprehensive userlists set up for varieties of access (based on time-of-day, admin rights, and so on). For HTTP access, you’ll also need a domain name or a static IP address. You will also have to forward the appropriate ports in any firewall or SPI router you use. I can advise you further on all of these points if this is the route you’re wanting to go down.

The simplest (and most user-friendly) method for a lightweight, private, free, and on-demand version is probably to skip the idea of a traditional server altogether and have your home machine run a second copy of Skype, with the settings locked down to "answer all video calls automatically" and "only allow calls from those on my contact list". That way, you can put your main Skype ID into your contact list, and log into Skype from elsewhere - you’re the only one that has access. I’ve done this in the past for non-essential things (Skype has its flaws, and the network isn’t perfect either) and it’s an okay enough method.
03/04/10  07:33am

 #2129727


Chunney
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   Message To: Rose of Jericho   In reference to Message Id: 2129652


 Does anyone...

You can use a cheap $5 webcam and a program called webcamxp. You can view your video feed from anywhere with a web connection, or you can setup a username/pass so that only certain people can view it. I have a cam on my uro with this software and it even allows you to DVR the video feed directly to your hard drive while streaming. I check on him anywhere on my blackberry, it’s pretty neat. With their free version you can run 1 cam and pretty much have unlimited access. Anything over 1 cam costs.
03/04/10  12:35pm

 #2129790


Rose of Jericho
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   Message To: Chunney   In reference to Message Id: 2129727


 Does anyone...

Yep, webcamxp is pretty decent and can run as a background service too. Its user/password interface can be a bit flakey though, but that’s a minor problem. If you’re going to use something like that, you’ll need to know how to forward ports in your router (so that incoming connections can get past your firewall and access the camera), and I would recommend getting a throwaway domain name - for example, DynDNS. It seems complex at first but really isn’t, and a small app on your computer can keep it up to date if your internet provider gives you a dynamic IP address.

That last bit again in plain language: your internet provider gives you an IP address (in the format 111.222.333.444) which is how people locate your computer from the outside. Sometimes this changes every time you connect to the internet (dynamic), sometimes it’s always the same (static) - but either way, people don’t like remembering long strings of numbers. A dynamic domain name (ddns) is something which looks like a proper web address, but actually points to your computer. You could have http://keejane.dyndns.com/ for example, or one of many others. This would be easier for your guests (and yourself!) to remember. As I said, it seems complex the first time round but it’s really quite easy to set up. Once it’s done the first time, you can basically forget about it.

I might advise against the "cheap $5 webcam" - I used a cheap camera once, and I think the high temperatures affected it. Also, a cheap camera would mean your computer would have to be physically quite close to the enclosure (by whatever length its USB cable is, usually about five feet at most), which is something else to consider, since I don’t know how your house is set up. Any more questions, feel free to ask here or PM me.
03/04/10  04:10pm

 #2129880


Chunney
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   Message To: Rose of Jericho   In reference to Message Id: 2129790


 Does anyone...

I’m running a very old logitech "quickcam for notebooks" with a 10ft usb extension cable. It looks black and white because I had to change the settings dramatically to get it so you can see ANYTHING because of how bright the basking area is. The field of view is a little messed up but once I get a longer USB extension it’ll be better. If you’re looking for better video quality than this, don’t get a cheap-o camera.

http://173.24.142.27:8080/
03/04/10  06:58pm

 #2129912


Boabab95
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   Message To: Chunney   In reference to Message Id: 2129880


 Does anyone...

awww!!! she’s basking... or sleeping...?
03/04/10  08:11pm

 #2129919


Chunney
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   Message To: Boabab95   In reference to Message Id: 2129912


 Does anyone...

Sleeping... he’ll go under his rock in about an hour. Around 2pm-4pm he’s super active.
03/04/10  08:21pm

 #2130024


Rose of Jericho
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   Message To: Chunney   In reference to Message Id: 2129919


 Does anyone...

If you want good resolution, buy one that offers at least 640x480 resolution (the cheapest give 320x240) and buy a desktop model, not a laptop model. For true independence, there are various wired/wireless network cameras which you can find quite cheaply, for example on eBay. Then you need no computer, just the camera itself and a network connection.
03/05/10  03:00am

 #2130031


Keejane
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   Message To: Rose of Jericho   In reference to Message Id: 2130024


 Does anyone...

The skype option seems the quickest and easiest, as I really only want the cam to keep an eye on simon while I am away, he’s staying with our soon to be house mate, just want to make sure everything is ok!! I was thinking of having the cam in the colder end of the viv, to minimise the heat to it! Just gotta find a camera now! Haha!!

I am looking into getting a wireless cam, but if I can’t find a decent one that can send data as far as I need it to then it’ll have to be a standard one with a usb to usb extension lead!!

if that fails, I will probably end up getting a page linked to my website and password coded and go about it that way....

Thanks for all the help so far, will keep you posted!!
03/05/10  03:30am

 #2130039


Rose of Jericho
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   Message To: Keejane   In reference to Message Id: 2130031


 Does anyone...

Or for less than £50 (total price, incl P&P) you could buy a wireless network camera (eg, Link). All you would have to do is plug it into a power socket, connect it to your wireless network, and set up its options, then you would access it through a web browser, anywhere. These cameras are also PTZ (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) so that if your uromastyx has gone out of the camera’s field of view, you can control the camera from your web browser - just like a security system.
03/05/10  04:36am

 #2135934


Rose of Jericho
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   Message To: Rose of Jericho   In reference to Message Id: 2130039


 Does anyone...

Here’s another solution I’m currently testing. You can sign up to UStream.tv which is really simple and efficient to use, they have a five-step guide on their site. All you need is a webcam and a username! If you have *any* sort of webspace - be it hosted on your own computer, or on a free hosting provider - you can easily embed videos. I’m testing it embedded into the wiki at the moment as an alternative to my old system. Heartily recommended for the casual user, though!
03/25/10  08:59am

 #2136292


Keejane
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   Message To: Rose of Jericho   In reference to Message Id: 2135934


 Does anyone...

That looks like a good one, i am very tempted by the webcam though, as that is going to be more than enough for me! Our home pc is always on, so i may as well utilize this! =)



03/26/10  05:27pm

 #2136406


Rose of Jericho
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   Message To: Keejane   In reference to Message Id: 2136292


 Does anyone...

Well, if your home PC is always on and it sits close enough to your terrarium, then your simplest method is to hook up a cheap, £15 off-the-shelf USB webcam (make sure its minimum is 640x480 resolution though). I’ll just summarise your options again:

Ustream: www.ustream.tv
- good for large audiences
- requires no technical set-up
- can access it from anywhere via browser
- software runs in foreground (on the taskbar)

WebcamXP: www.webcamxp.com/
- good for large audiences
- requires a bit more setup (forwarding ports in your router, etc)
- can access it from anywhere via browser
- access can be restricted with passwords
- software can run in background (in system tray, or hidden)

Skype: www.skype.com/
- best for a single person’s access
- only works via Skype; no web access
- private
- doesn’t require technical setup but needs options tweaked appropriately
- software can run in background (in system tray)

IP/network webcam (as per the eBay link above):
- good for large audiences
- requires a bit more setup (forwarding ports in your router, etc)
- can access it from anywhere via browser
- access can be restricted with passwords
- serves itself to the internet; doesn’t require computer to be on or take any computing power
- is more expensive than basic USB webcam
- can be wireless, making it easy to place in or around the terrarium
- usually has pan/tilt/zoom options, allowing remote control of the view

Good luck! There are of course plenty of other options out there, I’m just highlighting some of the most popular of them, but feel free to look around. Your webcam may also come with some software on a CD, but it’s probably for recording and effects, rather than web broadcast, and may not be useful. As I said, if you want any assistance with what to buy or how to set up the software, feel free to ask!
03/27/10  03:28am

 #2136461


Keejane
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   Message To: Rose of Jericho   In reference to Message Id: 2136406


 Does anyone...

Thanks for everything Rose, been a huge help!! I should be ok for setting things up, my dad works as an I.t techie so if I got any questions he should be able to give us a hand! =) once I get things set up I will try and send you guys a link depending on how it all gets set up!

Xx
03/27/10  11:37am

 #2136468


Rose of Jericho
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   Message To: Keejane   In reference to Message Id: 2136461


 Does anyone...

If you don’t feel like spending money on a proper domain, but don’t want to use an IP address (123.456.789.012), then I’d recommend going to DynDNS.com and getting a free one. You can point it at your home computer; there are loads of guides out there, and I’m sure your dad can help you. They offer lots of free address extensions - I use blink.ath.cx for my Vestacam (I’m partial to the .ath.cx addresses) but you could have any of the others.

You’ll find their full list of domains; whatever name you choose simply goes in front of it. A good example might be if you chose "keejane" as your site name: you could have http://keejane.ath.cx, or http://keejane.hobby-site.com, or perhaps even http://keejane.dyn-o-saur.com - that last one is a pun on the ’dyn’ in ’dynamic’, but it’s quite appropriate for lizards too. There are so many to choose from! Good luck, and again, feel free to ask questions.
03/27/10  12:05pm

 #2136527


Keejane
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   Message To: Rose of Jericho   In reference to Message Id: 2136468


 Does anyone...

Nice pun, Si often gets called my little dino! =) what set up do you have set up for your cam?



03/27/10  04:56pm

 #2136531


Rose of Jericho
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   Message To: Keejane   In reference to Message Id: 2136527


 Does anyone...

I had WebcamXP, then I tried a custom solution (which wasn’t that great), so I went back to WebcamXP. Now I’m jumping between that and UStream, but I’m considering some other stuff (including dedicated hardware). Incidentally I wrote this up into an article with a bit more explanation and some better links. Good luck, can’t wait to see your little dino online!
03/27/10  05:11pm


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