[ale] a new linux solution for multiple problems

[Geoffrey]

As noted in an earlier posting, I have a bw weather resistent camera 
with a 60' cord.  I've used this device along with video capture card, a 
software package called 'motion' to address multiple issues.

1. I work from home and my office is in the basement.  I can neither 
hear nor see if anyone approaches my garage door.

a. My daughter arrives from school around 4:30, give or take 15 minutes. 
  I don't want to lose valuable time, sitting in the heat on the 
driveway waiting for the (unpredicable) bus.

b.  I recently have had a rash of vandalisms in the area of my backyard 
fence, which is a common 'cut through' to another neighborhood.  You 
must pass in front of the garage area on your way to the fence.


I installed the camera on the framework around my garage door.  It was 
not too difficult as I could run the cable 90% of the way in the 
basement ceiling.

Once installed, I have taken two approaches to keeping track of what 
goes on around my driveway area.

First solution is a program called motion, which works with v4l hardware 
on Linux.  It has a bunch of options, but basically captures a snap when 
it detects motion.  I run it on a standalone machine as it eats up about 
95% of the cpu.  I then have a shell script which parses through the 
files and displays the latest/greatest on my primary workstation display.

The other solution is to run xawtv remotely displaying the output on my 
primary display.  Problem with this is that ssh eats a lot of cpu, 
apparently transmitting the constant video.

Now, I see the bus pull up (we're on a corner and the stop is at this 
intersection).  I've captured video of two young men trespassing over my 
fence and have resolve this issue with their parents.

My mother-in-law can no longer 'sneak' up on me as I see her drive in 
the driveway. :)

-- 
Until later: Geoffrey		esoteric at 3times25.net

I didn't have to buy my radio from a specific company to listen
to FM, why doesn't that apply to the Internet (anymore...)?


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