Webcam with minimal hardware

  • Thread starter Thread starter Walter Cohen
  • Start date Start date
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Walter Cohen

I tried asking this in the webcam group but there's hardly any traffic
there...

My ailing grandma lives in another state by herself with an aid for
assistance.
She has an extremely old, unreliable computer.

I'd like to be able to set up a web cam (or similar) for her and us so
that she can see our faces when we call on the phone and we, in turn,
can see her face. Being able to see my wife and I while on the phone
with us will be so beneficial for her.

What is the bare minimum hardware I need for her to at least be able
to see me while talking on the phone? I don't want to purchase a big
computer system just to be able to use a webcam.

She has digital cable now (Adelphia is the company I believe). I
know I'd need to establish an account with them in order to have net
access.

Any thoughts and ideas are greatly appreciated. If there might be a
better, more appropriate newsgroups to ask this question please let me
know.

Thanks,
Walter
 
Walter said:
I tried asking this in the webcam group but there's hardly any traffic
there...

My ailing grandma lives in another state by herself with an aid for
assistance.
She has an extremely old, unreliable computer.

I'd like to be able to set up a web cam (or similar) for her and us so
that she can see our faces when we call on the phone and we, in turn,
can see her face. Being able to see my wife and I while on the phone
with us will be so beneficial for her.

What is the bare minimum hardware I need for her to at least be able
to see me while talking on the phone? I don't want to purchase a big
computer system just to be able to use a webcam.

She has digital cable now (Adelphia is the company I believe). I
know I'd need to establish an account with them in order to have net
access.

Any thoughts and ideas are greatly appreciated. If there might be a
better, more appropriate newsgroups to ask this question please let me
know.

Thanks,
Walter
Click to expand...

This is an example of an "old style" video phone. This one
communicates over the same phone connection as the voice signal.
Expect the video update rate to be less than stellar with this
kind of concept (i.e. a slide show, not real video). It has the
benefit of not needing a higher bandwidth (networking)
type connection.

http://www.vialta.com/beamerfx.htm

I did see a second type of product, which uses a higher speed
connection. So, with a cable modem, you could use a device like
this. This claims to drive a TV set, and perhaps an LCD device
with S-video or composite would be another option. (Read the
reviews near the bottom, because they give some clues about
configuration, such as a static IP address from the provider,
or using dynDNS. So the setup on this isn't going to be that
straight-forward.)

http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-i2Eye-...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1196820452&sr=8-1

DLink has another version, with a built-in screen. They claim
it doesn't need a PC, and it uses a DLink provided server for
resolving addresses (a negative, if true for all possible
setup methods).

http://www.dlink.ca/products/?pid=302
http://www.dlink.ca/products/resource.asp?pid=302&rid=1376&sec=0

The use of a router in the picture in the second link, is both a
benefit and a curse. The router provides some protection from
hacking, via NAT (network address translation). But the ports
that must be opened on the router, and forwarded to the IP video
phone, would still give some response to a hacker.

So there seem to be some appliance type solutions that
will interface to broadband IP.

Using a computer has the advantage of a nice display, the convenience
of USB ports for connecting a web cam, but still requires a
savvy user, to make it all work. Something closer to an
"appliance" takes some of the pain out of it, but with the
downside that you're stuck with whatever feature set the
appliance happens to have.

Based on easily finding those examples, there must be more of
them out there. Read the reviews, or search for reviews, to
find out the real truth as to how easy they are to set up.
While the "Beamerfx" at the top of the page, is not going
to have a good screen update rate, it does have the
advantage of no networking or computers in the picture.

Good luck,
Paul
 
I was originally thinking to get a thin-client pc, one that could
handle an internet connection and a usb connection for the web cam.

I'm still leaning this way, if I can find one.
If I can't find a thin client then they have bundles from BB or CC I
could get for under $500 (keyboard, unit, monitor, and sometimes
printer).

Walter
 
I was originally thinking to get a thin-client pc, one that could
handle an internet connection and a usb connection for the web cam.

I'm still leaning this way, if I can find one.
If I can't find a thin client then they have bundles from BB or CC I
could get for under $500 (keyboard, unit, monitor, and sometimes
printer).

Walter
Click to expand...

There is no need for this just to have streaming video, they
make webcams with integral *web*server so no host system is
required.

http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=521&Tpk=network+camera

Just make sure it's a server type, that it has the
networking connection instead of only a USB or firewire
connection. This will make the host computer system you are
considering, unneeded, but you'll still have to find a way
to get her dynamic IP address, and a router for NAT (network
address translation to access this from the WAN over the
internet) unless the cable modem has this feature. Either
way, having a USB webcam with a computer inbetween it and
the network won't necessarily gain you anything except more
choices in which webcam you chose.
 
This is an example of an "old style" video phone. This one
communicates over the same phone connection as the voice signal.
Expect the video update rate to be less than stellar with this
kind of concept (i.e. a slide show, not real video). It has the
benefit of not needing a higher bandwidth (networking)
type connection.

http://www.vialta.com/beamerfx.htm

I did see a second type of product, which uses a higher speed
connection. So, with a cable modem, you could use a device like
this. This claims to drive a TV set, and perhaps an LCD device
with S-video or composite would be another option. (Read the
reviews near the bottom, because they give some clues about
configuration, such as a static IP address from the provider,
or using dynDNS. So the setup on this isn't going to be that
straight-forward.)

http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-i2Eye-DVC-1000-Broadband-VideoPhone/dp/B...

DLink has another version, with a built-in screen. They claim
it doesn't need a PC, and it uses a DLink provided server for
resolving addresses (a negative, if true for all possible
setup methods).

http://www.dlink.ca/products/?pid=3.../products/resource.asp?pid=302&rid=1376&sec=0

The use of a router in the picture in the second link, is both a
benefit and a curse. The router provides some protection from
hacking, via NAT (network address translation). But the ports
that must be opened on the router, and forwarded to the IP video
phone, would still give some response to a hacker.

So there seem to be some appliance type solutions that
will interface to broadband IP.

Using a computer has the advantage of a nice display, the convenience
of USB ports for connecting a web cam, but still requires a
savvy user, to make it all work. Something closer to an
"appliance" takes some of the pain out of it, but with the
downside that you're stuck with whatever feature set the
appliance happens to have.

Based on easily finding those examples, there must be more of
them out there. Read the reviews, or search for reviews, to
find out the real truth as to how easy they are to set up.
While the "Beamerfx" at the top of the page, is not going
to have a good screen update rate, it does have the
advantage of no networking or computers in the picture.

Good luck,
Paul
Click to expand...

I found www.getvideohone.com that offers real life video phoning using
a high Speed Internet
 
Well, the D-Link solution (DVC-1000) would be fine on one end (my
grandmother's site) but I'd be forced to purchase another DVC-1000 for me
(and so would any other of our relatives that wanted to chat with her).
I need a solution that is almost plug and play on her side (i.e. like the
D-Link) and then on the other side (where ever that might be such as my home
or my relatives home or office) I would ideally just want to use a standard
web-cam while chatting on the phone.

I'll look into the server cameras and I'd want to be able to hook it up to
her broadband connection (which she doesn't have yet so I'll need to call
and chat with Adelphia Cable about it). Interesting that Trendnet is the
only game in town as far as the server cameras....I wonder why that is.
Reviews of some of the Trendnet cameras states that Trendnet support is
virtually non-existent. And yes, somehow obtaining the IP address will be
the/a problem.

Walter
 
Well, the D-Link solution (DVC-1000) would be fine on one end (my
grandmother's site) but I'd be forced to purchase another DVC-1000 for me
(and so would any other of our relatives that wanted to chat with her).
I need a solution that is almost plug and play on her side (i.e. like the
D-Link) and then on the other side (where ever that might be such as my home
or my relatives home or office) I would ideally just want to use a standard
web-cam while chatting on the phone.

I'll look into the server cameras and I'd want to be able to hook it up to
her broadband connection (which she doesn't have yet so I'll need to call
and chat with Adelphia Cable about it). Interesting that Trendnet is the
only game in town as far as the server cameras....I wonder why that is.
Reviews of some of the Trendnet cameras states that Trendnet support is
virtually non-existent. And yes, somehow obtaining the IP address will be
the/a problem.
Click to expand...


??

There were several, Trendnet is not the only make.

Follow the link and browse through the listings. Decide if
you need wifi, wireless, or if it is within a reasonable
distance to run ethernet cabling to the router or modem. If
you can run cabling, reasonably, do so, as it will be a more
consistent connection.

As for the IP issue, I don't know how they handle their IP
#, some providers claim dynamic but the IP number doesn't
change very often. There are also dynamic DNS alternatives
on the web.
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=dynamic+dns
 
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