Remote Monitoring

[TwoHooter]

Did we discuss Hikvision the other day?

Nope. Interesting range of cameras including mobile. Spoiled for choice we are.

Siren re-financed in the last 12 months and are trying hard to grow. I haven't researched Yacht Sentinel yet. But who knows whether either of them will be around in the future. As I said above, 19 players is too many, they will not all survive. My attitude to this is the same as my attitude to email. I own my own domain names and pay a modest amount for hosting, I have total control over how my email operates, and I can move whenever I want. If I install a monitoring system that relies on control "in the cloud" it actually means I am relying on the supplier's server. If I fall out with the supplier or they raise their prices or they go bust, I am stuck. The physical kit probably won't work with any other service.

Am I being paranoid?

If I'm not being paranoid the OP's choice of Skipper's Mate makes a lot of sense because they offer an open source version, or so it seems from their website. Another option is Z-Wave.

 

[Hurricane]

Hurricane - I really like that little camera and its ilk but I had shied away from getting one because I had been told that you can't connect remotely when the camera is using the boat's router while that is using a cellular SIM card. The reason, I have been told, is that a cellular connection has a dynamic IP address, not static. And just in case I am tripping over my own jargon here what I am trying to say is that these sorts of cameras are usually designed for use with a fixed broadband connection with a static IP address. If you have that you can connect to the camera remotely and ask it to do its stuff. But with a dynamic IP address you can't do that and you can only wait for the camera to send you a message, and pictures, when it is triggered. In practical terms the restriction I have been told about means that if the boat's router is connected to stable WiFi (eg: in a marina) then you can interrogate and control the camera remotely, but if the WFi connection isn't available and the boat's router is connecting via the cellphone network you can't. Is any of that right?

Yep
As others have said, DDNS gets round the static IP problem.
I use a static IP and run a VPN (OpenVPN) through it so this device should appear to my home devices as though it is on the same LAN.
However, this little cheap device also incorporates DDNS so it should be possible to connect to it using the marina WiFi.

Im on the boat at the moment but I will be setting it up when I leave.

I'll let you know how well it works remotely.

 

[petem]

Nope. Interesting range of cameras including mobile. Spoiled for choice we are.

Siren re-financed in the last 12 months and are trying hard to grow. I haven't researched Yacht Sentinel yet. But who knows whether either of them will be around in the future. As I said above, 19 players is too many, they will not all survive. My attitude to this is the same as my attitude to email. I own my own domain names and pay a modest amount for hosting, I have total control over how my email operates, and I can move whenever I want. If I install a monitoring system that relies on control "in the cloud" it actually means I am relying on the supplier's server. If I fall out with the supplier or they raise their prices or they go bust, I am stuck. The physical kit probably won't work with any other service.

Am I being paranoid?

If I'm not being paranoid the OP's choice of Skipper's Mate makes a lot of sense because they offer an open source version, or so it seems from their website. Another option is Z-Wave.

I don't think you are being paranoid at all. I hadn't spotted that Skipper's Mate is Open Source. I'm sure we've got the skills to get it up and running, in fact I might have a play today (I've got a spare Pi and can fire up an XAMPP web server).

 

[Hurricane]

Yep - I take my hat off to you.
I monitor the power using a GSM system - see above post.
But this year, I thought I would try something else.
So, I knocked up a Raspberry Pi, added a night vision camera and set it up as a security camera.
I installed some software that uses the camera to detect motion and then alarms by sending an email.
The software worked rather well actually - even managing to send a video clip of the time that it detected motion AND 5 secs before it was triggered.
The problem I found was that the Raspberry Pi didn't seem stable enough.
The night vision camera needed its infra red lights on all the time to detect motion so the whole thing got a bit too hot.
The result was that it crashed (or at least was un- responsive) after about 4 hours.
My next plan was to add a simple PIR detector and only switch the camera on when the PIR detected motion.
But I then found this on ebay for 20 quid.

Here are a couple of Youtube clips on the device.





So, I bought one and it is really quite good.
Has all the features that I wanted in my Raspberry Pi.
But it is stable - doesn't get hot and you get a remote controlled camera thrown in.
I have a VPN (proper VPN that is) that connects the boat into my home LAN so this device should work well.
But for people who don't have a VPN, the device can use DDNS so you can use it remotely.
It could even connect to the marina WiFi.
I will be installing mine later this month when I next visit the boat so I will keep you posted on its performance.
Mine will be connecting through the 4G connection that the boat now relies on when I'm out there.
As a precaution, I will probably power it from the Energenie GSM Remote Controlled socket - just in case it does need its power cycled/rebooted!!

OK
So, I've installed it - and it works.
In fact, it works very well.
I'm using it as a security device.
If anyone breaks in, it first emails me a photo of the person breaking in - it then records a video onto my UK server.
It even records sound.
I logged into it this morning and could just hear the dredger working in the marina.

As said earlier on this thread, it also has a DDNS facility so it should be possible to set it up using a marina WiFi.
My system is more complicated.
I use a 4G connection on the boat.
I then have two DD-WRT routers - one on the boat and one here in Devon.
The two routers connect to each other creating a VPN (using OpenVPN so it is pretty secure).
This means that all my devices on the boat and here in Devon "think" they are on the same network.
So, when I'm sitting at my desk at home, all I need to do is browse to the IP address of the camera and my browser displays the boat camera's output.
This little camera allows panning and there are setup menus to set things like security, brightness, WiFi connection etc.
Really terrific value for £20.

 

[TwoHooter]

I use a 4G connection on the boat. I then have two DD-WRT routers - one on the boat and one here in Devon.
The two routers connect to each other creating a VPN (using OpenVPN so it is pretty secure). This means that all my devices on the boat and here in Devon "think" they are on the same network. So, when I'm sitting at my desk at home, all I need to do is browse to the IP address of the camera and my browser displays the boat camera's output.

How does that work when you are not at home? Can you create a tunnel remotely to your house from a mobile device?
It would be really helpful to get an idea of how much 4G data this consumes, on average, once it settles down. When our boat has been within view of a marina webcam we have found it addictive. On one occasion my wife noticed our flybridge cover was loose and was in danger of blowing away so she phoned the marina and they put it back on (thanks again Mylor). But watching our boat on a marina webcam is free of charge because we have unlimited broadband at home. I wonder what it will cost when we have our own camera on the boat using 4G to connect.

Really terrific value for £20.

Amazing really. All the money in the world couldn't have bought that camera when I was a lad.

 

[TonyR123]

have to say this forum is great for ideas. had been thinking about remote monitoring and cameras. quite enjoy messing around with gadgets.

 

[TwoHooter]

have to say this forum is great for ideas. had been thinking about remote monitoring and cameras. quite enjoy messing around with gadgets.

There's a lot on the Practical Boat Owner forum as well. Skippers Mate was developed by a PBO forumite who first invented it for his own boat and was pestered into making it a product.

 

[vodzurk]

I don't mean to derail the Skippers Mate app, but am looking into similar thing...

I want charted temperature and activated tube-heater in my engine bay.

I'm thinking IFTTT (If This Then That)...

https://ifttt.com/search/categories/Environment%20control%20&%20monitoring

Idea being that both the temperature sensor and heater plug are available to IFTTT.

IF
THIS(sensor below 0 degrees)
THEN
THAT(turn on plug)

IF
THIS(sensor above 2 degrees)
THEN
THAT(turn off plug)


But I also want the chart... so I know if the whole system is broken.

 

[TwoHooter]

And there's Z-Wave...

 

[petem]

I tried to download the Skippers Mate open source code but the link is broken. Emailed them a few days ago but no response.

 

[Hurricane]

How does that work when you are not at home? Can you create a tunnel remotely to your house from a mobile device?

The VPN is through two routers.
The master router (home) stays active all the time and uses a static IP provided by my internet ISP.
When the boat is on (as of yesterday that is also all the time) the boat router creates a secure tunnel to the home router.
The tunnel uses OpenVPN - I use the TAP software device over UDP which has the effect of "bridging" the two networks.
This means that they are all on the same subnet.
I've set my subnet 256 wide with some dynamic allocated IP addresses and some static.
For example, my servers have static addresses but my mobile devices and desktops are dynamically allocated
It sounds complicated but really it isn't that bad.
The point is that with everything on the same subnet, they can all see each other and by using a "bridge" computers like Windows can see broadcast messages thus allowing browsing across the whole LAN.
As you will probably remember, I am an Android enthusiast. There is an excellent app in the play store - this one
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.colucciweb.free.openvpn&hl=en
This enables me to connect my mobile devices into the same LAN anywhere where there is an internet connection.
The most difficult bit if you were thinking of doing something similar is creating the SSL certificates and keys.
Usually SSL certificates are part of a certificate chain but in this instance, you have to create your own Certificate Authority and generate your own certs and keys.
There is lots of help out there but PM me if you would like to know more.

It would be really helpful to get an idea of how much 4G data this consumes, on average, once it settles down.

I'm fairly sure that this camera will only use the internet data when it's alarm is triggered.
So, the only data overhead should be the data that OpenVPN requires (should be very minimal).
I will be finding out over the next few months though.


An offshoot of keeping the LAN open is that I will be writing an application on one of my Devon servers to "ping" the boat's router.
If it doesn't "ping" the shore power will probably have failed.
I am thinking that my application would then send me an email to announce that the boat has lost power.
Just a little thought for the winter months ahead.

 

[vas]

An offshoot of keeping the LAN open is that I will be writing an application on one of my Devon servers to "ping" the boat's router.
If it doesn't "ping" the shore power will probably have failed.
I am thinking that my application would then send me an email to announce that the boat has lost power.
Just a little thought for the winter months ahead.

Mike,

with 600W of solar and you away (so I guess just a few things on), do you REALLY need the shore power?
OK, IIRC it's free in SCR, but I'm pretty sure you'll be fine without it, no?

cheers

V.

 

[Hurricane]

Mike,

with 600W of solar and you away (so I guess just a few things on), do you REALLY need the shore power?
OK, IIRC it's free in SCR, but I'm pretty sure you'll be fine without it, no?

cheers

V.

Actually, I don't leave the DC on at all.
I like the batteries on float charge from shore supply.
And I do leave freezers and fridges on whilst away.
The solar wouldn't cope if without the shore power.

 

[vodzurk]

Remember my thread to find the cheapest plotter - here:-
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?475608-A-challenge-to-make-a-cheap-plotter-for-under-%A360

Jeeeezus Christ!

Somebody definitely works in IT and is good at their job!

"Good Job!" doesn't even come close!

 

[TwoHooter]

The VPN is through two routers. The master router (home) stays active all the time and uses a static IP provided by my internet ISP.....

As usual I fall at the first hurdle. The ISP who supplies my home broadband is Vodafone and they are refusing to let me have a static IP address, also they won't let me use my own router to connect to the Openreach copper. Obviously I can have my own router/s upstream of the ISP's router, and in fact I have two because I supply broadband to a tenant so we each have our own separate LAN. But I don't see any way of using DD-WRT to programme Vodafone's primary router. So far as I know all the consumer ISPs are the same:- they won't supply static IP addresses and they won't let you use your own router to connect. But perhaps there is someone out there who is more flexible?

 

[vodzurk]

TwoHooter: Am out of touch, but there are dynamic DNS services out there, like dyndns, where something in your home network touches it, so it knows your ISP allocated IP and gives you a static DNS (like twohooter.dyndns.org) which you can use to route in the other direction.

 

[mlines]

Vodafone can be used with your own router, google is your friend and shows that Vodafone will provide you with the passwords etc. to configure your own router on request but will not provide support if you do this

 

[Hurricane]

As usual I fall at the first hurdle. The ISP who supplies my home broadband is Vodafone and they are refusing to let me have a static IP address, also they won't let me use my own router to connect to the Openreach copper. Obviously I can have my own router/s upstream of the ISP's router, and in fact I have two because I supply broadband to a tenant so we each have our own separate LAN. But I don't see any way of using DD-WRT to programme Vodafone's primary router. So far as I know all the consumer ISPs are the same:- they won't supply static IP addresses and they won't let you use your own router to connect. But perhaps there is someone out there who is more flexible?

Vodafone not giving you a static IP is a problem.
I have used lots of different ISPs - and always made sure that they offer a static IP.
OpenVPN is complicated enough with a static IP - I would hate to try and configure it using DDNS - not even sure that it is possible.
Currently, I am using PlusNet (I fell out with them a few years ago but they seem good right now).
They charged me a "one time" fee (£5 I think) for setting up a static IP - BT Business charged me £5 per month - BT Home plans don't offer static IPs.
Strange because PlusNet is owned by BT.
Anyway, I have always had a static IP to make my VPN easier to configure.

I keep it simple by just using the ISP's router and then having my own DD-WRT router downstream.
In my case, this has the effect of creating another subnet that the ISP's router manages - in fact this is very useful - I have added an internet server in this subnet which is outside my firewall and accessible from the internet but thats another story.
So, effectively, my ISP router (which was provided free) is being used as a "kind of" modem - just providing the DD-WRT router with an internet connection.

I started using this approach about 10 years ago using the Linksys WRT54GL which is an "old faithful" in the industry.
Recently, I upgraded the system to new hardware using the Linksys WRT1200AC V2 router.
Unfortunately, the new Linksys WRT1200AC V2 router won't run with a raw 12v supply so on the boat, I have a Buffalo router.
All the routers are flashed with the appropriate version of DD-WRT.
If you are going to do something similar, I suggest that I send you a copy of my setup notes because there are so many places that you can go wrong.
It has taken me a long time to get to where I am but the system is now very robust and I can reproduce it for myself reasonably quickly using my notes.

 

[Hurricane]

TwoHooter: Am out of touch, but there are dynamic DNS services out there, like dyndns, where something in your home network touches it, so it knows your ISP allocated IP and gives you a static DNS (like twohooter.dyndns.org) which you can use to route in the other direction.

In theory, DDNS should work but with a complex VPN like OpenVPN connecting two routers, I wouldn't want to introduce the complexity of DDNS - see above.

However if someone just wants to connect one of these cameras remotely, DDNS would be quite suitable.

Having said that, I was fiddling around with mine the other day and it seems that there is are P2P and ONVIF options.
I've not looked into it but it may be possible to connect to this camera without using a static IP or DDNS.
I don't want to fiddle too much with mine as it is working well remotely at the moment!!!

 

[TwoHooter]

I tried to download the Skippers Mate open source code but the link is broken. Emailed them a few days ago but no response.

Did you get a reply?

If you are going to do something similar, I suggest that I send you a copy of my setup notes because there are so many places that you can go wrong.

There is lots of help out there but PM me if you would like to know more.

Very generous, thanks, - going to PM you about something else first!