PnP/easy to set up security measures - please help me

[b4rney]

Glad you got it working!
 

Regarding restarts you can always do:

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sudo /etc/init.d/motion restart
Motion buffers recordings so if motion is detected it has the ability to store the recordings from the moments before the movement was detected. It doesn't store recordings 24/7, just when movement happens. I don't think you can selectively turn motion off the way you want to.

How are you intending to monitor/record the foscam without motion?

If you don't want motion you should look at the alternative I wrote into the wiki. This basically means to create a new template (based on the panasonic scripts) which grabs the snapshot images. You won't need the movement scripts as the camera isn't pan and tilt. So just use the command 84 Get Video Frame.

This script will use the user/password data entered into the device data screen and create the querystring required to grab the snapshot.

I don't usually recommend this method simply because there is no monitoring or recording.
Regards
Barney

[purps]

It would not have been possible without your help, thank you.

I wonder, could we add "sleep 30 && /etc/init.d/motion restart" or something similar to any part of the system so that this is automatically executed when a quick reload is performed? Where would be the best place to put it?

It's not a bad thing that motion is active 24/7. I'd like to think that it wouldn't be needed whilst the house is occupied, but you never know. Do you happen to know how to increase the 5 day limit on motion recordings? I'm looking at the motion parameters, but it's not obvious.

So yes, I definitely do want motion or something similar, but only for recordings, not interested in using cameras as a motion sensors (there are animals running around my house so that just wouldn't work . The reason I said I didn't want to use motion initially was because I didn't realise the motion sensor aspect could be disabled.

I've been experimenting with ZoneMinder as well (in lieu of motion), but had been going off that idea because I didn't want to be enabling/disabling it all the time when I leave/return to the house... but now that I know that motion doesn't switch on/off when you arm/disarm the alarm either (and as I said I don't think 24/7 recordings are a bad thing), ZoneMinder is very much back on the table again.

[b4rney]

Hi Matt,

I've never changed the default 5 day storage. If it isn't possible I guess you could run a script to copy files every 4 or 5 days to an alternate directory or NAS. I recently discovered that using...

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cp -u... will only copy over newer files (update) to the destination folder.

I don't use motion as a trigger/sensor either (two cats and a dog) but I do just let it do its thing and record all motion events. I've had 3 foscam cameras monitored under motion for ages with few problems. I bought a z-wave motion detector for use as a lmce trigger (not yet implemented).

For the amount of work that zoneminder integration requires I'd be tempted to try motion first and see if it serves your purpose. Either that or run zoneminder from a different PC (in case your lmce box dies).
Regards,
Barney

[purps]

What a clever idea. I probably would have done it with rsync, but cp -u makes more sense.

I have got zoneminder installed on the core, and I like that I can access the web interface at work or wherever I happen to be, but using motion inside LMCE would be my preference (at this moment in time!).

What do you think about adding...

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sleep 30 && /etc/init.d/motion restart...in somewhere? A few people have mentioned the need to restart cameras.

[purps]

PS Might be unrelated but .... I've had some problems getting DHCP working reliably with the LMCE DHCP and the wired Foscam camera. I thought it was just me. I have added my foscam to the external network and added the external ip address in web admin which has solved my problem. You could try this if it isn't given a DHCP address by LMCE.

Think I might be getting stung by this. After a while, my Foscams stop working. Looking in DHCP leases doesn't really give me any clues - all seems fine, I can see the device, IP address is assigned, status = static. Typing the IP of the camera into a browser doesn't show the camera's admin page. The cameras require a hard restart before they work again. My Panasonics don't seem to be suffering from these problems.

How do you assign an external IP to the camera? Are there any security/privacy issues with this approach?

Cheers,
Matt.

EDIT: I see the discussion has already started here! http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=11093.0

[b4rney]

Hi Matt,

The external network is simply my wireless home router which is fire-walled anyway.

I can either attach the camera wirelessly in the foscam web utility or using a cable into the adsl router. Then change the path and ip address in the web admin for the camera in lmce.

Barney

[purps]

Ah I see. I currently have my cable modem going straight into the core, with my wireless router connected to the internal network.

Is your wireless router your only wireless access point? Do your mobile orbiters etc connect to it?

I wonder, I have a spare switch, could I use that to connect up the modem, external NIC of the core and the Foscams? Or do switches not work like that...

[b4rney]

I have the adsl router mentioned above. This serves the external network.

I have attached an old adsl router to my internal network via its 5 port switch. It is acting as an access point for the internal network.

You could add the static arp record discussed in the other thread to see if that fixes your problem.
http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=10134.msg76465#msg76465

Barney