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Persistent Home Videoconferencing Solution?
An anonymous reader writes "I'm moving very soon for work, and will be several hundred miles away from my young family for six to nine months. Obviously I'll travel back as often as possible, and there's always Skype and XBLA video, but the whole 'now it's time to talk to dad' thing seems ... a little weak. I was wondering the Slashdot community could help me come up with a more persistent solution. Ideally what I want is an always-on connection between a pc/monitor/camera/speakers in my old kitchen and my new kitchen, so if we're in the kitchens, we can see each other and interact semi-normally. (We're a kitchen-focused family.) Most solutions I can find time out pretty quick, or require some knowledge on the part of the users, and the tech-savvy people are only going to be in one kitchen, to put it politely!" (Read on for a few more details.)
"I do have a reasonable number of Windows PCs and Macs (and game consoles), but no alt. OS machines, so something for retail OSes would be better — I haven't tested the PS3 camera for long durations, but I know the conferencing quality with a PS3 is pretty good, and that could be an option too. Any camera recommendations would be good. We have sweet access at our house, but it will need to be wireless to the kitchen from the router."
Maybe something for surveillance? It's basically what you want to do, just "in a good way".
Sorry but that is creepy dude. I do the long distance thing, and trust me, I wouldn't even want what you suggest. But that being said I like to try and be helpful so my suggestion would be a Network Web-Camera which you can purchase from NewEgg (wired or wireless), which you'll be able to remote into, and then have a PC with Skype or Live Messenger running, with auto-answer enabled, that has your face / audio. Then get a router with Dynamic DNS support, you then visit the Dynamic DNS address on a particular port that you have forwarded to your network web-camera, and dial the Skype/Live Messenger account - which will auto answer. They can then speak to you by approaching the computer and talking into the desk microphone, and you can see everyone from the web-portal/Java Applet provided by your network web-cam.
very IE dependent, but we had a setup with a microphone (internal to the device) and external speakers,
my wifes family from overseas could manage it without a problem
the remote viewer had 'click to talk' functionality- we'd be in the office and suddenly the speakers would crackle 'szia' and they could see the grandchildren and we could talk clearly...
setup was technical, using it was not...
video was one sided only..
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
Create a dedicated Skype account which is set to auto start video and accept calls from it's contact list, add your skype to that contact list and you're all set. All you have to do is click call whenever you're in your kitchen and there will be a video uplink. Runs on windows or mac with any old x86 box and webcam, pretty close to $0. Just make sure the PC doesn't go to sleep (more than $0).
quit your job, or move your family with you.
I live overseas, and a couple of times I tried to "sit in" on family gatherings (Thanksgiving & Christmas) by virtually "being there" via a webcam and wireless laptop. I literally had a seat in the living room with a laptop sitting there. It didn't work as well as I would have liked. Why? Well for one I couldn't move the webcam about, so as to look at people. Eye contact is very important, I discovered. It gets tiring staring at the same scene directly across from the laptop, and people can't be bothered to move you about. Sort of like being a head in a jar on Futurama - they all have Kabuki-style dedicated assistants to carry them (or robotic bodies). Second, as you're remotely in and your voice is tinny by being on a laptop speaker, it's kind of distracting for everyone else. It always seemed to sidetrack the discussion whenever I said anything. Maybe this was due to novelty, I'm not sure if your family would get used to it after time. Third, even though I was eating the closest thing I could get to a nice dinner (the fanciest bento box they had at the department store, like fifteen bucks which I would have never bought ordinarily), it still wasn't the same as having dinner with the family. Fourth, the time zones although if you go north-south this isn't an issue. I gave up after a few times and just telephoned in and the family handed the phone around until I had had a chat with everyone. Maybe if they fastened the laptop onto a Roomba or something that would have helped.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I'm not seeing the most obvious answer. Put two laptops in the kitchen. Use wireless internet. Use laptops with built in video cameras. Run any of the IM programs that have video capability. Just leave the laptops turned on. Someone walks in, looks over, and says "Hi!"
Agile Artisans
you have your kids turn on chatroulette, and you do the same. if you don't see each other, and you're kids are still not mentally scarred, you bogosort until you find each other
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Nice idea. Such software may already support the feature that video is only sent when there is movement/change. So, you're not wasting bandwidth.
Perhaps this Mac software suits your needs http://www.bensoftware.com/ss/
Bert
What if you or your wife want to bang someone on the kitchen table?
Since there have been useful direct suggestions already, some of which have pointed out the liability of not actually feeling "there" by virtue of separation by screen, I have an alternative that can actually help you feel together, as if you are both in the same place (although not useful for kids).
"Second Life"
Lots of people in long distance relationships use it to actually feel as if they are together sharing space. Businesses have found the same thing, instead of feeling the "distance" video conferencing confers, everyone feels as if they are in the same room.
You can present yourself how you desire and decorate how you all desire including have pics of kids on the nightstand. You can have shared experiences like going to live music events, dancing together, attending Burning Life (the virtual Burning Man alternative), participating in games or treasure hunts, watching videos, sailing, amusement parks, exploring different places, etc.
You can even explore intimacy, including in ways you might not feel comfortable in your own bedroom. (I know a couple who both logged on in their apartment together, one in one room, the other in the living room, who enjoyed certain adult activities that just made them giggle were they trying them in their own bedroom together.)
The only big catch is there is a significant learning curve, many people log on and try it, to never log on again--so you might not "get it" (it seems more women and stay at home moms do).
But I can tell you that it's amazing how good a virtual hug feels when someone gives you one and you virtually experience it happening, far more than a verbal "love you" or textual "*hugs".
I know there are many here who ridicule Second Life, but this is an area in which it excels, and I know of no other similar substitute--plus it's free!
I would use projectors not screens. Set up a whole wall of the room (or a large bordered portion) to act as a window.
... little things like cameras being the same height off the table are important to make it feel continuous.
...... But it'd be pretty damn cool!
The goal is to have it close enough to something that people are comfortable with allowing for some suspension of disbelief. Working towards that end have the camera in each room in a similar position to make it as close as possible to acting like a window. Stick a pointless frame/trim on the wall to encourage the illusion. Continuous lines and such when standing and looking into the 'window' from the most common position are important. Similar rooms would help as well. Or common elements
It would not be the same thing as a window of course because of the lack of 3d. One thing you could do though to partially alleviate this would be to use head tracking to determine how close you are to the camera and as you move closer have it zoom to match the right field of view that you would expect. This would help add some realism. Another thing you could do would involve 3d sound recording + reproduction which is doable. It makes the connection feel more real if they can hear you move across the room.
More expensive the better pretty much. Costly internet connection helps a lot. Good camera and microphones would be good. Good projector would be very important. Fancy business telepresence stuff probably is good and expensive too.
I'm sure a good driven programmer/engineer could set this up and get it working smoothly with under 20k and a month or so
I'll be honest; I don't know the solution to your problem. But I've been reading the replies, and between people giving you career advice (without any concept of what your job is, how much you love it, how hard it may be to change it, etc.), disregarding the flamingly, ass-poundingly obvious (normal IM won't work because you have to be close to the laptop, it times out on its own, etc.), or simply telling you that what you're asking about is creepy, I can see you have your work cut out for you.
Hang in there, man...and remember, this very thing that you are doing, this clear and persistent description and communication of a need, is what drives innovation in the IT and consumer electronics industries. Go for it, and keep it up until you get what you want!
For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
he's hot gay
Well-placed typo!
Actually Scott Hanselman has a better option using Skype and a dedicated PC he uses to talk to his family at home.
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/SkypingTheWifeFoolproofVideoConferencingWithYourFamilyWhileOnTheRoad.aspx
Doesn't take much to set up and would probably get one most of the way there.
-- What did Spock find in Kirk's toilet? The captain's log.
Have you looked into Google video chat? I haven't used it as a regular consumer (I'm an employee) but it seems to work pretty well. It's probably at least worth checking out. http://www.google.com/talk/
Video conferencing is for two parties to voice chat, video chat, and share data, etc for a set period of time. I think what you really should think about is a webcam streaming service. There are many sites out there that allow you to embed a live feed from a webcam in a webpage for a small fee. A lot of them will provide the page and give you direct URL and provide the local client software to stream the feed to the web page. You get one for your computer, your wife gets one for the home PC. You watch their page and they watch yours. All of this is designed to run full time as long as the PC is on, can be set to start at boot up, will save your settings and logon info etc. That way you have an always on solution. I don't remember the service I used to use. A quick look at google got me to ustream.com
How exactly would you write that law? What about people who go to work on research stations in Antarctica, who go to sea on merchant ships, who are loggers in the backwoods? There are lots (or at least a certain number) of jobs in places where you might not want or be able to raise a family. That's just how the world works; you can create policies favorable to families, but you can't change these realities.
.sig withheld by request
1. Tandberg or Polycom. I would guess this is out of the question due to price, but it needs to be mentioned since these folks install systems like this all the time and is used in mission critical operations.
They'll support remote pan&tilt of the cameras, microphones placed throughout your kitchen and lots of nice options. Be prepared to refinance your mortgage, though.
2. Surveillance cameras + PC on both ends, with a web browser w/ full screen camera view bookmarked. Expensive, and the picture quality will be nowhere near the #1 option, but still very reliable. I have good experience with Panasonic cameras, and they have wireless options available.
3. Macs with iChat + MobileMe. I'm pretty sure this will Just Work, although I haven't tested how timeouts / reconnects work. Still, with MobileMe or by opening some router ports, you'll be able to log into the computer on the far end and do whatever needs to be done to get it up and running.
4. If you want something a bit more portable, the iPhone 4 with FaceTime might be an option.
There are a lot of other options, like using SIP softphones like Eyebeam and setting up a software PBX, but this is probably too much work unless you happen to be very interested in IP telephony :)
As for webcams, the built-in iSight cameras are good, as are some of the high end Logitech and Microsoft cameras (Microsoft just released a quite cheap + high quality one). Keep in mind, however, that these are built for sitting close to the computer, so it won't be as good for people sitting far away. Option #1 or #2 is better for this, since they're optimized for viewing an entire room.
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You'd need to do some port-forwarding in each router (UDP 5060 + the RTP ports) and 'dial' the other site by IP address - it's not hard on the GXV phones and it saves setting up proxys/sip servers/asterisk, etc. If you set each phone to auto-answer then it's not hard to re-establish the link if it fails for whatever reason.
Failing that, if you want to be PC/Laptop based - look for Ekiga...
I use a combination of GXV3000 video phones, Ekiga and my Nokia N900 to make/take video calls from my family and in-laws, although I use an Asterisk server to co-ordinate everything and we don't stream 24/7!
I have been on the road for 3 weeks using iPhone 4 daily for over an hour after work talking and interacting with my family. My 4 year old calls me and says "Daddy we're almost home so we can FaceTime." He knows WiFi is required and we only have that at home. Whatever hotel I'm in I make sure I have wifi and if not I bring my AirPort Express to set up the wifi. I do have to reboot the iPhone sometimes before the video works but here's the real reason to use a mobile solution: My family was working on the backyard and they could show me what they were doing. It was awesome. Also my little ones would show me what they are playing with and I would show them the hotel room I was currently in and it was just so much more like being there and not having to be stuck with a 6-8 pound laptop on my chest. It kept me sane and I highly recommend it for anyone with a family in an extended work situation away from home. The little ones forget so easy what you look like / and they are SO much more engaged with conversation when they are stimulated with their eyes and ears. My conversations before with just voice were like (literally): Hi Dad. Hi love you how are you. Good. What's new. Nothing. Bye Dad. It really sucked and there was no bonding. This way the bond was kept and interestingly enough made stronger cause when I got back on Friday my little one said, Dad I wish you go back again. I said why. He said so you can bring me more presents and we can do FaceTime. It was priceless.