Security cam blog posts on Tumblr
Room with a View
When the Perlmeister is on the road, he likes to know what's going on at home. Armed with just two scripts, he draws on the Tumblr API to store snapshots cyclically from his home security camera.
When I'm traveling, knowing that my home is threatened neither by fire nor by an invading band of thieves contributes greatly to my sense of well-being. To avoid phoning my neighbors to satisfy my security cravings, I installed a panning camera to keep a watchful eye on the skyline of San Francisco through my living room window (Figure 1). The Foscam FI 8910W [1], which costs about US$ 60 and includes a WiFi connection, supports remote control via the Internet and lets me stream the video to my mobile phone – no matter where I happen to be.
Figure 1: The panning Foscam camera in the Perlmeister's living room watches over downtown San Francisco.
Quirky Camera
Before you indulge in impulse purchases, be warned: The cheap Foscam camera has some annoying quirks. For example, when it's dark, the camera always turns its infrared LED ring on after rebooting, which happens every now and then for some unknown reason. This feature sounds useful at first, but if the camera is set up directly in front of a reflecting window, the whole thing turns into a fiasco, with the camera dazzling itself until someone notices and switches off the infrared ring by hand.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Kali Linux Waxes Nostalgic with BackTrack Mode
For those who've used Kali Linux since its inception, the changes with the new release are sure to put a smile on your face.
-
Gnome 50 Smooths Out NVIDIA GPU Issues
Gamers rejoice, your favorite pastime just got better with Gnome 50 and NVIDIA GPUs.
-
System76 Retools Thelio Desktop
The new Thelio Mira has landed with improved performance, repairability, and front-facing ports alongside a high-quality tempered glass facade.
-
Some Linux Distros Skirt Age Verification Laws
After California introduced an age verification law recently, open source operating system developers have had to get creative with how they deal with it.
-
UN Creates Open Source Portal
In a quest to strengthen open source collaboration, the United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology has created a new portal.
-
Latest Linux Kernel RC Contains Changes Galore
Linux kernel 7.0-rc3 includes more changes than have been made in a single release in recent history.
-
Nitrux 6.0 Now Ready to Rock Your World
The latest iteration of the Debian-based distribution includes all kinds of newness.
-
Linux Foundation Reports that Open Source Delivers Better ROI
In a report that may surprise no one in the Linux community, the Linux Foundation found that businesses are finding a 5X return on investment with open source software.
-
Keep Android Open
Google has announced that, soon, anyone looking to develop Android apps will have to first register centrally with Google.
-
Kernel 7.0 Now in Testing
Linus Torvalds has announced the first Release Candidate (RC) for the 7.x kernel is available for those who want to test it.