Remote Monitoring Made Simple With Old Cell Phone
- Lightning
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- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
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I was just hunting around for a remote web cam so I could watch my mano and temp gauges while I was out on the bread route. I stumbled upon a cheap and easy way to manage doing this with an android phone I'm not currently using. On my old phone I downloaded an app called IP webcam. Heres the YouTube video instructions
I have a wireless router at home that my old phone is sending the video stream to. Then I simply put the IP address in my browser on my computer and cell phone. Now I can see anything in the view of the old phone camera, anywhere I have internet service on a computer or cell phone. Simple, easy and cheap. It cost nothing since Im using stuff I already have.
Below is a screen shot of my current cell phone that I'm retrieving the live video feed on via the internet That's my living room.. I'll mount the old phone in the basement in front of my temp and manometer panel
Enjoy
I have a wireless router at home that my old phone is sending the video stream to. Then I simply put the IP address in my browser on my computer and cell phone. Now I can see anything in the view of the old phone camera, anywhere I have internet service on a computer or cell phone. Simple, easy and cheap. It cost nothing since Im using stuff I already have.
Below is a screen shot of my current cell phone that I'm retrieving the live video feed on via the internet That's my living room.. I'll mount the old phone in the basement in front of my temp and manometer panel
Enjoy
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- Lightning
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- Posts: 14659
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
I did run into a stumble when I got out of reach of the WiFi (local network). Turns out I had to port forward the Remote camera thru the router in order for me to access it away from home. There wasn't any real definitive instructions on doing this so I had to do some research on each part of the process and throw in my own two cents.
Took a couple hours but I managed to figure it out. If anyone needs help with any part of this set up let me know.I can even control some basic functions of the remote camera like if I want video or a full resolution picture. Below is a screen shot off my computer desk at home. I took this picture a few minutes ago 75 miles away hahaha.
Took a couple hours but I managed to figure it out. If anyone needs help with any part of this set up let me know.I can even control some basic functions of the remote camera like if I want video or a full resolution picture. Below is a screen shot off my computer desk at home. I took this picture a few minutes ago 75 miles away hahaha.
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Rube Goldberg arrives in the 21st century! Nicely done Now if ya can just get the thing to take out the ashes....
- Lightning
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- Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
Hahaha!!!! I took a picture of my wife while she was sitting there in front of the computer this morning. Then I sent the picture back to her on her phone. She thought it was a little bit creepy lol
All while I was 75 miles from home
All while I was 75 miles from home
- Lightning
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 14659
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
So,,, I rigged the cell phone IP camera in the basement yesterday.. Below is a picture of the rigging, enjoy my fish line suspension system and the bottom picture is the image I get on my cell phone away from home...
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very cool!! the fact that you got your port forwarding to work give me hope.
i have been trial and erroring with the port forwarding on my ancient dsl router to get access to the security cams I have on the property. close but still palying with it.
i have been trial and erroring with the port forwarding on my ancient dsl router to get access to the security cams I have on the property. close but still palying with it.
- Lightning
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 14659
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
If you have any questions about your set up, PM me. I'll try to helptitleist1 wrote:very cool!! the fact that you got your port forwarding to work give me hope.
i have been trial and erroring with the port forwarding on my ancient dsl router to get access to the security cams I have on the property. close but still palying with it.
- Lightning
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 14659
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
Here's piece of mind that I'm not used to. I'm 75 miles away and nobody home.
Got a hair under a -.02 draft and 252 degrees over the load door.
Got a hair under a -.02 draft and 252 degrees over the load door.
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- hotblast1357
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- Other Heating: air source heat pump, oil furnace
So I need a old phone, and WI fi?
- Lightning
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- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
No there are other ways but, You do need internet and a router. You could also get an IP camera and run it directly to the router with an Ethernet cord. I did it with an old cell phone since I had one that was not in use.hotblast1357 wrote:So I need a old phone, and WI fi?
- hotblast1357
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- Other Heating: air source heat pump, oil furnace
Well I have two I phones losing around but I do not have WI FI so I'm up a creek I guess, I have a go pro also that I'm sure would work
I've been using the IP Webcam program for quite awhile but do not understand the port forwarding,being
able to access the camera from other than your own Wi Fi. Can anyone help? I am able to get pictures and
save them.
I use this to monitor my secondary burn in my boiler that burns Bit coal with low smoke and very blue
flame and long burn times. The picture below show the progress from fill to shakedown.
able to access the camera from other than your own Wi Fi. Can anyone help? I am able to get pictures and
save them.
I use this to monitor my secondary burn in my boiler that burns Bit coal with low smoke and very blue
flame and long burn times. The picture below show the progress from fill to shakedown.
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I have 8x$60 Foscam cameras around the farm, all with port forwarding. All wired with Cat 6 cables. Make sure your Cat 6 is really Cat 6 as there is plenty of thin crap around. So here are some fun facts.
If you have a power glitch often the cameras will sometimes resign an internal IP address and your port forwarding will not work. You really need DHCP and a static MAC address. Another little gotchya is the feed is probably a dynamic IP (static IPs are expensive) and that can be reassigned and then everything remote dies. However, it rarely changes but I have been caught out a time or two. You can reach the router with a HTTPS: address with the external IP such as xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx: 8443. Note the colon and 8443 (or another address if you have created it). Now you are into the router and now you can remotely reassign the port forwarding. Watch the numbers ... I start at 201 and move forward as I have 24 things connected to the network and things clash.
Fun, fun, fun.
If you have a power glitch often the cameras will sometimes resign an internal IP address and your port forwarding will not work. You really need DHCP and a static MAC address. Another little gotchya is the feed is probably a dynamic IP (static IPs are expensive) and that can be reassigned and then everything remote dies. However, it rarely changes but I have been caught out a time or two. You can reach the router with a HTTPS: address with the external IP such as xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx: 8443. Note the colon and 8443 (or another address if you have created it). Now you are into the router and now you can remotely reassign the port forwarding. Watch the numbers ... I start at 201 and move forward as I have 24 things connected to the network and things clash.
Fun, fun, fun.
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you can setup NDVR software on a computer...
It sends it to the "company" cloud...
you view with an app/browser/software...
Lots of free cloud hosts to view live only...
If you want retention you must pay...
It sends it to the "company" cloud...
you view with an app/browser/software...
Lots of free cloud hosts to view live only...
If you want retention you must pay...
- Lightning
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 14659
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
I wish I could help with the whole port forwarding thing but I haven't done it in a few years. I upgraded my camera to a Dlink IP cam that uses a cloud server. No more issues with port forward drop outs and IP address gremlins.