December 2004
Beginner
336 pages
14h 32m
English
Content preview from Home Hacking Projects for Geeks
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73
Chapter 3, Remotely Monitor a Pet
Extensions
One of the nice things about using a script for a project like this is that
it’s easy to modify and extend. Some of the things you might want to do
include:
• Save both a JPEG snapshot and a few seconds of video. You could even
capture video until you receive the “off” signal from the motion detec-
tor indicating that movement is no longer being detected.
• Have the script send an email to your pager if no motion is detected
around feeding time.
• Archive pictures older than a week by shrinking them to 320
×240 and
increasing the JPEG compression.
• Organize the pictures for constant use by creating separate folders for
months and years.
If you check this book’s web site at http://www.homehacking.com, you’ll
probably discover that I’ve updated the script with some of these improve-
ments.
Exhibit A: Bill of Materials
Most parts are available from home automation web sites such as http://
www.smarthome.com. X10 wireless cameras are available only from http://
www.x10.com.
Item Quantity Approximate cost Part number
Serial Powerlinc computer
interface
1 $35 and up CM11A
X10 motion detector 3 $20 and up MS14A-C or
MS13A
X10 wireless cameras 3 $170 for all of
these items
XCam2
X10 wireless transceiver 1 4005X or 400s
Wireless video receiver 1 VR36A
Composite video input card 1 About $40 WinTV-GO-FM,
00191
X1
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I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.Addison B.
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I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.