What to do with your old PC Part 1

Transcription

1 What to do with your old PC Part 1 By Hubert Huynh, July Introduction 2- PC-Based Home Security System and/or Home Monitoring System 3- Open Source Software 4- Basic Setup 5- More Advanced and Practical Setup 1 Introduction This summer, I decided to make use of some of my old PC lying in the garage. So I set out to find possible ways to use old PC. Since I have a couple of Webcam, one idea came up was to create a home monitoring system, using an old PC, webcams, and open-source software. For people who want to know a little bit more about open-source software, there is a page that is pretty good about this topic: By the way, if you do not have a computer-related hobby, this article may be boring for you. Otherwise, read on. Another idea came to me was to build a home automation system using an old PC as a central server. But I decided to do a simple home monitoring system first. 2- PC-Based Home Security System and/or Home Monitoring System There are electronic security kits that we can buy from stores like Costco, Best Buy, Fry s and so on. These kits are priced from 200 bucks to 1000 bucks or more. One or more security cameras are part of the kit and there is even a TV monitor which you can monitor the cameras. These systems can be built for a home or a small business, like a store or a restaurant. But what I have in mind was a system that uses the TCP/IP home network that I already have at home. I do not want a system that required another wiring to my house, (right now, I have a telephone wiring system and a computer wiring system, I hope that soon we will eliminate the telephone wiring in the very near future) Since I already have an Internet cable connection to my home, I want to be able to connect to my house from work and look at the security camera of my house. The figure below shows a possible system using PC and TCP/IP home network. Internet connection can also provide addition convenience for a home owner.

2 An old PC, Pentium III with 256k RAM, can be used as the home security server for the security system See item #1 in the figure. One or more wired cameras are used as in item #2. Some wired cameras can be cheap USB based cameras. Better wired cameras are IP cameras that can be connected to the home network. Any computer of the home network can be used to access the home security server and view all cameras, see item #3. Wireless cameras, which are more expensive, can be part of the system as well. Wireless IP based cameras are more convenient to setup than non-ip based camera, see item #4. If you have a DSL Internet connection or a cable modem connection, like item #5, you can also setup the security system so that you can monitor your home security camera when you are away. 3- Open Source Software I got on the Internet and search about open source software related to home security system. After a few searches, I found a free software called ZoneMinder which is very popular. ZoneMinder runs on Linux computers but do not be panic because you do not really have to be an expert in Linux. If you are a novice in Linux, you can create a live CD and let this live CD turn you computer into a Linux computer. This is exactly what I did at first. I went on ZoneMinder.com, access the download page and downloaded an image of the live CD. Then burn this image to a CD. Then I booted my old PC with this CD, (this old PC can be booted with a CD). ZoneMinder is already installed with this live CD, so all I have to click ZoneMinder to run it. The main screen of the software is the ZoneMinder console.

3 Click on a link name Montage, see red arrow, to view all cameras. Then you will see a graphic screen like one below You can see more examples at and

4 The forum of zoneminder.con is very informative. If you invest a couple of hours reading various messages, you will be able to learn how to configure Zoneminder and select and configure camera. Another open source software is useful if you plan to use low cost USB webcams. It is dorgem, Most of these cameras will need to connected to a PC and dorgem should be installed to this PC. Dorgem will stream the video images os the USB webcam to the ZoneMinder server. Below is a screenshot of Dorgem. 4- Basic Setup First, I tried a basic system to understand the technology. Then, I plan to spend a couple of hundred bucks to improve it to a better system. My basic system included 3 old PC and 2 USB webcam. One of my old computers has a Duron 2.0 GHz and 256 MB of RAM. The hard drive is small, 5GB. After I test the live CD, I installed this Linux to the hard-drive of this PC, because I plan to pickup some knowledge of Linux as well. This live CD is so user-friendly; it has a button on the desktop that one can install the Linux distribution to the hard drive of a PC. The 2 webcam are a Icontact webcam by Ezonics and a NX4000 by Creative Labs. Since they are USB webcam, I have to use 2 old laptops, (Celeron CPU laptops). I have to install dorgem to both of these laptops so that the camera images can be stream to the ZoneMinder server. Incidentally, if you have a young child, less than 2 year old, and you need to put 1 single webcam in his/her room. Dorgem and an USB webcam will be good enough. You do not have to use ZoneMinder, because Dorgem can serve 1 single webcam without a problem. Here are a picture of the 2 webcams and one of the used laptop.

5 After spending 2 hours reading the forum of ZoneMinder and configuring monitors of the 2 webcams, I have a home security with 2 webcams. Below is a picture of the monitor of my server, console screen and montage screen. The important field is the IP address, and you need to specify the correct IP address as you setup the monitor of each camera. ZoneMinder.com has very useful document section: 5- More Advanced and Practical System Setup The 2 USB webcam are not quite practical because they have to be connected to 2 laptops, which use a lot of power. So I plan to order 2 IP based cameras to replace these USB webcam. IP cameras will not use much power like laptops, and many of these cameras have infrared night vision capability, which is cool. One IP camera recommended by various people in the forum is Axis 206, but its price may not be affordable. So more economic cameras are Gadspot GS 1000, but its quality is not as good as Axis 206. Not all wireless IP cameras work well with ZoneMinder, so you should read messages about camera on ZoneMinder.com before you purchase a camera. Another action item that I plan to check out is logging the video information in the hard drive. I have not done this but many have done this with ZoneMinder, according to the forum. Please look out for my next report, Part II, when I make more progress.