Senior citizen-friendly video telephony system with a Raspberry Pi
Conclusions
The term "plug and play" seems a bit like overkill for this video telephony system, but once network access is configured, the Jitsi meeting has been given a name in the code, and the email account is set up, all you really need to do is plug the Raspberry Pi into a suitable CEC-enabled TV.
To make a call, the user then just presses a button and waits for the other party to join the Jitsi session. The first time you do this, you should go through the steps with the mouse and keyboard connected to disable one-off notifications, check the CEC response, and enable the microphone and camera. After that, grandma and grandpa should be able to manage the system.
The original source for the project from Instructables [9] is a few years old and ultimately only provided some inspiration and a starting point. The video telephony system described here configures the audio devices, controls the TV set, and automates everything with a single button.
If I had found a solution to purchase, then this project would never have taken off. But for a newcomer, the potential learning effect is massive, especially if you do not simply copy the code, but also look up what it actually does. Most importantly, it produces results that have a tremendous utility value.
Infos
- Jitsi: https://jitsi.org
- WebRTC: https://webrtc.org
- Jitsi Meet: https://meet.jit.si
- msmtp: https://marlam.de/msmtp
- CEC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Control
- "Raspberry Pi Raspbian Power on/off GPIO button": http://www.barryhubbard.com/raspberry-pi/howto-raspberry-pi-raspbian-power-on-off-gpio-button/
- WebRTC test page: https://test.webrtc.org
- Audio and video test for WebRTC: https://webrtc.github.io/test-pages/src/audio-and-video
- "Video Calling on Raspberry Pi 3": https://www.instructables.com/id/Video-Calling-on-Raspberry-Pi-3
« Previous 1 2 3 4
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Direct Download
Read full article as PDF:
Price $2.95
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
-
Armbian 23.05 is Now Available
Based on Debian 12, the latest version of the ARM/RISC-V distribution is now available to download and install.
-
Linux Mint Finally Receiving Support for Gestures
If you use the Linux Mint Cinnamon desktop, you'll be thrilled to know that 21.2 is getting support for gestures on touchscreen devices and touchpads.
-
An All-Snap Version of Ubuntu is In The Works
Along with the standard deb version of the open-source operating system, Canonical will release an-all snap version.
-
Mageia 9 Beta 2 Ready for Testing
The latest beta of the popular Mageia distribution now includes the latest kernel and plenty of updated applications.
-
KDE Plasma 6 Looks to Bring Basic HDR Support
The KWin piece of KDE Plasma now has HDR support and color management geared for the 6.0 release.
-
Bodhi Linux 7.0 Beta Ready for Testing
The latest iteration of the Bohdi Linux distribution is now available for those who want to experience what's in store and for testing purposes.
-
Changes Coming to Ubuntu PPA Usage
The way you manage Personal Package Archives will be changing with the release of Ubuntu 23.10.
-
AlmaLinux 9.2 Now Available for Download
AlmaLinux has been released and provides a free alternative to upstream Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
-
An Immutable Version of Fedora Is Under Consideration
For anyone who's a fan of using immutable versions of Linux, the Fedora team is currently considering adding a new spin called Fedora Onyx.
-
New Release of Br OS Includes ChatGPT Integration
Br OS 23.04 is now available and is geared specifically toward web content creation.