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Part I: Home Automation
I chose IDS for this project because it’s easy to set up and doesn’t require any
configuration. However, if you want to do it, it is very configurable; just point
your browser at http://localhost:tcp_port/cgi-bin/ids/admin/index.cgi. For more
detailed control over the configuration, read the IDS documentation. At the very
least, you should password-protect the admin pages.
Figure 3-17. The pet monitor works!
Spend a few minutes customizing
IDS’s interface by visiting the admin
pages at http://127.0.0.1/cgi-bin/ids/
admin/index.cgi, and you can set up
a pretty slick frontend. Figure 3-17
shows the current setup of my pet
monitor interface. IDS is very con-
figurable, so if you’re not happy with
some aspect of it, you can probably
change it. Refer to the documenta-
tion for more information.
Wrapping Up
In addition to allowing you to
enjoy your vacation without worry-
ing about your pet, this project has
accomplished several other useful
things:
• Implemented intelligent, wire-
less video monitoring through-
out your home.
• Connected your home (and your
pet) to the Internet.
• Enabled remote monitoring of your home.
• Enabled your computer to respond to movement throughout your
house.
If you’ve positioned the motion detectors and cameras well, you can safely
leave the script running even when you’