Using a Laptop for Video Surveillance

[wwswimming]

i would like to set up a video surveillance system using a laptop and a Logitech QuickCam (or 2).

the background is ... i have a neighbor who likes to have really smokey barBQ's. when i say really smokey, i mean, the mother of all smokey barBQ's. actually, it was her brother or boyfriend or some male acquaintance that smoked us out this last Saturday.

i lived through the Oakland hills fire, and worked in Rancho Bernardo in East San Diego when they had the fires there in 2003. my experience then was, you have this feeling like
someone tied you to a chair and made you smoke 2 packs of Camel Filter 100's, like a human chimney. then it goes away after a day or 2, no big deal.

well, "it" - the feeling in my throat & lungs - is not going away, after breathing my neighbor's bar-BQ smoke on Saturday. i was still feeling like a human chimney 2, 4, and 6 days later. i waited till some moment when they weren't drunk & partying to ask them to transition to a more smokeless barBQing technique.

this made the smokey barBQ guy VERY angry.

well, since then, i have asked my landlord to get involved. now my neighbor has a new rule to live with - no barBQing, period.

i'm not sure exactly how angry smokey barBQ guy is now, but, i have feeling that Anger (smokey barBQ guy after being told to stop barBQ'ing ) > Anger (smokey barBQ guy before being told to stop barBQ'ing )

or

Anger (smokey barBQ guy after being told to stop barBQ'ing ) >> Anger (smokey barBQ guy before being told to stop barBQ'ing )

either way, i sense a need to protect my truck, which normally would be parked right next to ... smokey barBQ guy's truck.

i have some experience with digital video. in 2003 i did some tests capturing 640 x 480 x 30 frames per second, and that created video at the rate of 13 GB per hour, using Pinnacle Studio 8. Windows 2000, 512 MB RAM.

what i would like to do is set up a laptop with 16 hours worth of battery, configured to support one or 2 channels of video capture.

then, if the guy is going to vandalize my truck, let him.

so, 4 questions for now -
1/ does anybody have any suggestions for "extended play"
COTS laptop batteries ?

for example,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16834993032
6 amp hours, 15 volts, 90 watt hours.
well, the laptop + USB powered camera consumes about
50 watts, so this $125 battery will get me 2 hours. not good
enough.

2/ does anybody have any suggestions for power adapters
that run off of a car's cigarette lighter or by running a line
from the 12 volt battery, with the purpose of powering a laptop ?

that means a possible DC-DC conversion to provide the voltage
for the laptop's power adapter, or else a DC-to-115-VAC adapter,
into which i plug the laptop power supply.

i need a battery with about .9 kW-hour worth of juice, which is, approximately, a motorcycle battery.

3/ can a charged up truck battery for a 98 Ford full-size truck provide .9 kW-hour worth of energy, and still have enough to start the truck ?

4/ has anybody run 2 channels of video capture for a video surveillance system off a dual core machine ? if so, using what software ?

i have a lot of experience soldering; 10 years ago, it would have been no problem to beg or buy some IC's from Linear Tech, and McGyver together the requisite power supply.

however, i'm running on fewer than 8 cylinders because of my vision & not being able to find all my soldering stuff. and i have some smokey-sh*t feeling in my lungs slowing me down.

i didn't know whether to post this in lap-top's or off-topic or general hardware or health & fitness.

an alternative would be wireless video surveillance, where the host computer(s) are in my apartment, which is about 30 yards from the parking area.

installing a motion-detector alarm would be one other option. however, i think it's possible to vandalize a truck without setting off a motion alarm. i would much rather catch the guy in action, if he decides to do something nasty.

 

[corkyg]

Wow! That is certainly what can be termed a domestic mess.

"an alternative would be wireless video surveillance, where the host computer(s) are in my apartment, which is about 30 yards from the parking area."

That would be my choice.

The bigger question is - how long do you intend to live like this?

 

[wwswimming]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Wow! That is certainly what can be termed a domestic mess.

"an alternative would be wireless video surveillance, where the host computer(s) are in my apartment, which is about 30 yards from the parking area."

That would be my choice.

The bigger question is - how long do you intend to live like this?

overall i just like the part about getting back to breathing & living.

it's a decent apartment, and i like the other neighbors. i don't plan on moving. i figure i have to make something resembling an un-easy peace with the drunk barBQ smoke neighbors. negotiation has failed for this week; once i brought in my landlord, the die was cast.

besides, i was his age once. i can imagine the things that might be going through his mind.

this reminds me of that song, "fight for the right to party". the problem is, in 3 months, i can't close the windows, because of the heat. in the process of requesting that, i have interfered with their right to party, something like that.

we had a shooting at a liquor store in town recently. i've noticed a few more merchants adding video surveillance to their store.

in 2 years, i think we'll be able to get a quad core laptop that can capture 4 video streams simultaneously. with lower power consumption numbers. it certainly is an interesting technology. i remember paying $1300 for a Radius Video Vision in 1997.

as far as the actual use of the surveillance system, i would have a 200 GB *.avi file at the end of every overnight period, on a laptop in the car. if my car is running OK and i have a feeling that the BarBQ Smoke guy is in control of his anger, the capture software loops.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16830106132

/\ wireless camera

\/ looks like a radio, has an antenna

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...ive+73VF018000000+Live!+Wireless+WebCam

"Motion detection with email alerts" does not sound like something i need !

mabye i'll talk to a car alarm company and see what's easy & thorough.

giving him a six pack of his favorite beer might help.

 

[IlllI]

where can i find a laptop that can run for 16hrs?

 

[wwswimming]

Originally posted by: clandren
where can i find a laptop that can run for 16hrs?

the year 2010, or, a 1000 A-Hr. battery with an
DC to AC converter, to power the laptop.

in that scenario, the laptop weighs about 5 pounds, the
battery is about 45 pounds, the inverter is about 8 pounds.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...1&name=%24500+-+%24750

/\ Toshiba laptops in the $500 to $1000 range. for this application,
you would need 200 GB hard drive & 2 GB RAM.

\/ 640 x 480 x 15 frames per second camera

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16830108125

a 1-channel video surveillance system is not much coverage.
i'm wondering if a dual core with 2 GB RAM & a 200 GB hard
drive would be enough horsepower for 2 surveillance cameras.

if it's using a less resource intensive OS. like XP instead of
Vista.

and how the software would work, like if you would just have
2 sessions of Pinnacle video capture, or it would work better
to use Pinnacle for 1 camera and Vegas Studio or Windows Movie
maker for the other camera.

 

[IlllI]

lol can you hook up a car battery to one? thats the first thing that came to mind

 

[Canai]

Originally posted by: clandren
lol can you hook up a car battery to one? thats the first thing that came to mind

Yeah just run it off of the +12v dash power. I'm sure you can get a cigarette lighter converter for the lappy.

 

[corkyg]

And where would the camera be? It seems to me that surveillance of a car from so close can see a very limited area. That is why I would have the camera on the building away from the car so it can at least "see" the front and two sides.

I think the better long range solution would be to have a party - and invite the neighbors. If you live in a state of perpetual conflict, it becomes a losing proposition.

A further consideration is, like a dog chasing a car - what happens when he catches it?

 

[zig3695]

jesus christ dude, youve gone way too far. you dont want to have enemies for neighbors!

How about this- you tell your landlord you dont care if your neighbor has a bbq twice a month or something. how can you feel good about taking away someone's rights? its just a damn bbq man, let the guy enjoy his home once an awhile. and as for you, if your lungs hurt because of bbq smoke, then move to the country where the air pollution wont hurt a fly.

i dont mean to be mean, but cmon you seem like you would be an awful neighbor to have.

 

[CrookBloke]

Was that sarcasm? Right to party / bbq? That takes precedence over someone's ability to breathe comfortably in his own home? You have a right to feel that way, but the law tends to side with the idea of letting everybody do what he wants to do -- until his actions are causing harm to someone else. In this case I really think that one man's rights end at another man's lungs.

In point of fact, if you ask any pulmonologist about this sort of thing you're likely to get an earful about it being a good idea to make all vehicles and combustion-powered devices low or zero emissions systems, stop all open fires, and eliminate things like "fragrances" from the supermarket / drug store / boutique shelves. A significant percentage of the population is affected adversely by all of the particulates in the air. That percentage grows each year and costs the society many millions of dollars in medical expenses. I'm beginning to see signs in businesses, especially medical establishments, requesting that people who enter the premises refrain from the use of cologne / after shave / perfume /etc.

When I was a kid I actually liked the smell of diesel trucks and the smell of gasoline. Now that I'm elderly, have been shot through the right lung, and have inhaled burning vapor from napalm, getting anywhere near a diesel truck or one of those horrific school buses that spews more gas out the tailpipe than it actually burns almost incapacitates me. It's even worse for the severely asthmatic child of a neighbor of mine. I've driven her to the E.R. three times in the past year.

We had a bbq guy neighbor who managed to break through a locked door to get on to the roof of the condo buidling and construct his own bbq "pit" up there. Yeah, on a tar roof. He was indignant when we asked him to stop. (The community agreement he signed when he bought in said no grilling on the property. He figured since he couldn't do it on his balcony without being caught, he'd do it on the roof.) So the owners' association got involved, and they called the cops. He got belligerent with the cops and punched one of them. They arrested him and charged him with reckless endangerment and assault and battery. I guess we interfered with his right to bbq (probably not only the food but all of his neighbors), too.

I'd send him a card to apologize, only he got kicked out of his condo after he got out of jail, so I don't know where to find him.

And, yeah, that last bit was sarcasm.

Yes, I realize that the bbq buy mentioned in the OP probably hadn't signed an agreement not to bbq. But I think it's generally thought that one member of a society should control his own actions well enough that he isn't significantly lowering the quality of life for those around him.

On Topic: I really like the idea of placing the camera and recording mechanism in a protected position where it has a remote view of the vehicle you want to protect.

 

[zig3695]

i forgot this is nazi-america....

 

[CrookBloke]

Yeah, because not being able to cause other people to choke and suffer for your own enjoyment is some serious Nazi-like oppression. Godwin's Law for the win.

As the world gets more crowded, people, in general, have to work just a little harder to get along with each other. That means letting someone have his oxygen, among other things.

If one of these two guys needs to head for the countryside, it's the guy with the bbq habit. In close quarters, he's making a lot of people join him in his love of smoke. Some of those people may have a problem with that -- aesthetic or medical.

The guy who is just sitting in his apartment trying to breathe is not making anyone else participate in anything. Get the difference?

I'm sure that wwswimming is really sorry he bothered to try to be nice and talk with the bbq guy about this. The fellow could have, you know, tried to be reasonable and thought about finding a way to reduce the smoke or to keep it from invading wwswimming's abode. But he crapped his diapers instead. So wwswimming went to the landlord, and the landlord did what any decent landlord would do.

If wwswimmin had gone to the landlord in the first place, the self-important bbq guy wouldn't have known who had complained, and he'd just be mad at the landlord and his neighbors in general. The guy really just needs to grow up.

Anyone who thinks he's got a right to blow smoke in someone else's face needs to have another think about that.

 

[zig3695]

*looking down, fingers in eyes, shaking head in disgust*

 

[wwswimming]

Originally posted by: CrookBlokeIf one of these two guys needs to head for the countryside, it's the guy with the bbq habit. In close quarters, he's making a lot of people join him in his love of smoke. Some of those people may have a problem with that -- aesthetic or medical.

it was like when you're in San Francisco near the ocean and the fog is
rolling through the streets. for about 3 hours- conservatively.

my first instinct when i saw the smoke was, "i think i'm about to be
calling 9-11". then i realized it was a barBQ, like, "oh, it's under
control." then i realized it was not under control, and got in my
truck & ran some errands.

it's really hard to say why this guy had trouble with his barBQ.
i've had 2 disastrous barBQ's in my life, so i can sort of relate.

i don't want to try & talk to the smoky barBQ guy again until
i'm physically back on my feet. i was given an Albuterol inhaler
(like people with asthma use) and a Steroid inhaler (supposedly
for inflammation.)

between his inability to barBQ, and his explosive reaction when
i started asking him to transition to a more smokeless technique,
and a few other things, i think he might be recent ex-military
with a case of post-traumatic stress disorder.

 

[CrookBloke]

A lot of people are very wrapped up in their own thoughts and activities. An extreme sense of entitlement combined with never having been taught to consider other people can cause folks to behave this way. In most cases it's a lack of maturation and perspective, not PTSD.

breathing (even when it's someone else's breathing) >> bbq (mine)

 

[zig3695]

wtf? i never told anyone to be selfish. you all are tellin me that im selfish. what i said was to COMPROMISE. let the bbq happen a few times a summer, whats the big deal? if your lungs are that weak then... well... darwinism....

 

[CrookBloke]

You know something? The OP didn't request approbation from anyone. You stuck your nose in the thread to register disapproval of someone's actions. Your comments (and most of mine) have nothing to do with the thread topic. The OP was a request for technical help.

Your comments about the originator of the thread being an awful neighbor were unwarranted.

And no one called you selfish. I implied that self-important bbq guy was selfish. My only comments concerning you indicate that your perspective makes no sense to me.

Your "darwinism" comment is way beyond bounds. Either you know so little about pulmonary function that the information about albuterol and inhaled steroids have made no impact on you, or you're really cold enough to equate the "importance" of a bbq with the ability of a person to breathe in his own home.

Have a serious day on the Internet because, after all, the Internet is Serious Business.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

The first problem is, the OP told his sad tale whereas he just should've gotten right to the question.

Second thing is, you should deal with the problem with your neighbour instead of living always in paranoia.

You are right in that you shouldn't have to live with his BBQ smoke coming into your windows and choking you. But this is one of those things that comes with living in an apartment building and being within close proximity of your neighbours. And I mean unless he's made any threats to you or acted hostile, I wouldn't be too worried about it. I mean not enough to rig up video surveillance around your truck.

It comes down to one of two things. You can suck it up and NOT live like a paranoid old woman scared of the "kids." Or you can move to a place with decent neighbours. Moving doesn't seem ideal, but it's probably better then living in a constant state of fear and the stress created by dysfunctional neighbours.

 

[Magusigne]

My vote would be to participate IN the BBQ (just stand downwind) bring a case of beer, get to know the guy etc etc..

Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Get on his good side, save you alot of heck.

 

[mauiblue]

Sorry to hear your problems with the neighbors as I can relate to it. If worst comes to worst, a TRO would be in order if things came physical or heated. Getting back to the topic, I have a D-Link SECURICAM Network? DCS-5300G Internet Security Camera that might work better than using a laptop webcam. It cost about $300 and another $300 for a weatherproof metal external camera housing if you wanted to mount it outside. Here is a description off the D-Link website:

(Start)
The DCS-5300G adheres to the Universal Plug & Play (UPnP?) specification which allows computers running Windows® XP/Me to automatically recognize the DCS-5300G and add it to your network. The DCS-5300G Wireless Security Camera can be accessed and viewed from ?My Network Places? as a device on the network.

By signing up with one of the many free Dynamic DNS services available on the Web, you can assign an easy-to-remember name and domain to the camera (e.g. www.mycamera.myddns.com). This allows you to remotely access your security camera without having to remember the IP address, even if it has been changed by your Internet Service Provider.

Everything needed to get started is included with the DCS-5300G Wireless Security Camera. Simple installation procedures, along with the built-in Web-based interface offer easy integration into your network environment. Powerful surveillance software is included to enhance the monitoring and security management of the DCS-5300G. You can record high quality video to your hard drive using MPEG4 compression, playback video, monitor as many as 16 cameras on a single screen, and set up motion detection to trigger automatic recording and e-mail alerts. The DCS-5300G Wireless Security Camera is a cost-effective and versatile security solution for your home or business. (end)

Good luck and hoping you the best.

 

[wwswimming]

Originally posted by: mauiblue
Sorry to hear your problems with the neighbors as I can relate to it. If worst comes to worst, a TRO would be in order if things came physical or heated. Getting back to the topic, I have a D-Link SECURICAM Network? DCS-5300G Internet Security Camera that might work better than using a laptop webcam. It cost about $300 and another $300 for a weatherproof metal external camera housing if you wanted to mount it outside. Here is a description off the D-Link website:

(Start)
The DCS-5300G adheres to the Universal Plug & Play (UPnP?) specification which allows computers running Windows® XP/Me to automatically recognize the DCS-5300G and add it to your network. The DCS-5300G Wireless Security Camera can be accessed and viewed from ?My Network Places? as a device on the network.

yeah, that's the kind of info i need. Thanks !

i'm wondering how it gets its power.

"External Power Supply 12VDC 1.5A"

so it would need a battery, 18 watts x 16 hours / 80% power
conversion efficiency ~ 360 watt hours.

or a wire, which would be easier to conceal along most of its
length.

oh yeah, from the Egg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16830115115

 

[corkyg]

If surveillance video doesn't work - consider this:

Alternatives

Good luck and good hunting!

 

[mauiblue]

Originally posted by: wwswimming
yeah, that's the kind of info i need. Thanks !

i'm wondering how it gets its power.

"External Power Supply 12VDC 1.5A"

so it would need a battery, 18 watts x 16 hours / 80% power
conversion efficiency ~ 360 watt hours.

or a wire, which would be easier to conceal along most of its
length.

oh yeah, from the Egg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16830115115

It comes with external power supply that you plug into an outlet. I"m *finally* going to install this setup outside of my apartment with the weatherproof metal external housing this week. I had the camera setup in my home but decided to move it outside by my front entrance to see who's at the door before I answer especially late at night.

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: wwswimming
as far as the actual use of the surveillance system, i would have a 200 GB *.avi file at the end of every overnight period, on a laptop in the car. if my car is running OK and i have a feeling that the BarBQ Smoke guy is in control of his anger, the capture software loops.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16830106132

/\ wireless camera

\/ looks like a radio, has an antenna

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...ive+73VF018000000+Live!+Wireless+WebCam

Deactivated Item @ newegg

any other webcams that activate on motion sensor? (preferrable wireless that runs on batteries)

 

[BlueAcolyte]

WHY DID YOU HAVE TO REZ THIS THREAD? WHYYYYYYYYY?