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Automated Wireless File Transfers?

Posted by Cliff on from the making-complicated-tasks-easy dept.

Maskirovka asks: "I'm in the process of designing a helicopter mounted compact flash reader/transmitter package to upload photos to a fileserver upon landing, probably using 802.11g. It needs to be idiot proof (ie, plug a flashcard into it, and it'll upload automatically as soon as it gets in range of the basestation), and should weigh less than 5 pounds so as not to affect the aircraft weight and balance. It could probably be built around a Via EPIA board using a PCI WiFi card and riser, but that almost seems overkill for the one specific task. Is there a more efficient way to do this with off the shelf hardware?"

6 of 39 comments (clear)

  1. scripting & openbrick by DA-MAN · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here's a quick suggestion

    1) Get OpenBrick (www.openbrick.org)
    2) Install Linux w/ ftp server
    3) Use heartbeat to monitor your box on board
    4) when available, copy data from OpenBrick with either ftpcopy or mirroring software of your choice
    5) ???
    6) Profit

    --
    Can I get an eye poke?
    Dog House Forum
    1. Re:scripting & openbrick by stonebeat.org · · Score: 3, Informative

      heartbeat and openbrick is a very good idea. However I will suggest RSYNC instead of ftp.
      RSYNC will help you re-start the transmission from where you left if the connection breaks.

      --


      Consensus is good, but informed dictatorship is better
  2. Terapan Mine by HughsOnFirst · · Score: 3, Informative

    I was going to do almost exactly this except without the airplane part.

    My plan was to use a Terapan
    Mine tethered to a digital SLR with the Terapan set up as the USB master
    and the SLR as the slave.

    Then I would stick a wifi card in the mine and program it to continuously
    download the files from the DSLR and ftp them to my server when it could.

  3. like this? by sethgecko · · Score: 3, Informative

    #!/usr/local/bin/ksh
    while true
    do
    if [[ -x /CFmountpoint/imagedir ]];then
    server=$(nslookup <serverName>)
    if [[ $server = *<serverIP>* ]];then
    rsync -e ssh -az /CFmountpoint/imagedir/ <server>:imagedir/
    fi
    fi
    sleep 60
    done

    anything else?

    --
    Be ot or bot ne ot, taht is the nestquoi.
  4. That's kinda cool... by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    ... it could be uploading photos the moment a radio signal is established, as opposed to waiting for a grunt to hook up a cable.

    Pretty slick!

    Kinda curious if you've considered using a PocketPC for that. Just plug the CF card into the PocketPc that already has 802.11 going, then write a simple little app that handles the transfer bit. That'll get you into the 5lb mark, and there's no moving parts to break. The downside is that may be a little pricier than you have in mind. The plus side is that it turns on instantly and has its own display etc.

  5. ipaq by Hadlock · · Score: 4, Informative

    iPaq + linux + CF reader + 802.11g card + 20 minutes persuading the compsci major to write you an app + cron job for this = success!

    i'm sure you could have equal luck with a palm pilot of sorts if you worked at it hard enough.

    --
    moox. for a new generation.