RE: Re: Motorola Homesight Wireless Easy Start Kit

["Ian Lowe" <ianlowe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Steve Edwards

> There is a project on sourceforge for a web interface, it looks like
it may be quite simple to interface with it, or at least access the
events.

http://homesightremote.sourceforge.net/
<http://homesightremote.sourceforge.net/>


Yeah, I saw that - I actually tried that software as a way to get it to
perhaps play along -
expect that Motorola seem to have kiboshed this: the app didn't work after
the Motorola software updated itself. I had a rummage around and the
password had changed - using the new one makes it "kinda" work -
only some
events work, no images etc.

It *might* have been integrateable, problem is I'm actually changing my
mind
on it's value - it's going back to PC World in the morning.

I tried running the software through it's paces with a view to doing some
stuff with it "standalone", and it's seriously buggy.

It can't use a codec, so the videos recorded by the cam are *huge* and
therefore can't be emailed - so you are limited to single frame captures,
and the smallest gap between pictures is 5 seconds. What I actually got
when
I danced around in front of the camera was 1 picture, then four or five
"video is already in use" errors, then another single picture, 30
seconds
later. Hardly impressive.

The door sensor is pretty clunky in use as well - I fixed it in place with
some lo-tack tape (to keep it pristine), and opened and closed the door a
few times. To keep it as "real" as possible, I just loaded some
stuff in the
boot of the car. It managed to miss the door being opened and closed - I
opened the door, lifted my keys from the table, closed the door again -
nothing. Checking the diagnostic event log, it actually did record these
openings, but the event that was supposed to happen didn't fire.

They keypad also seems to have it's own little issues - it goes blind for
30-40 seconds after a button is pressed. I had hoped to put an ibutton on
our keyrings, to help with occupancy detection - the problem being that
when
one person hits the button, it won't accept the next one for thirty
seconds:
a surefire guarantee that it won't be used when people are in a hurry to
get
out the door!

The test PC for this, incidentally, is a 2.8Ghz P4 with 1Gb of ram - no
slouch.

Basically, it looks like a great litle bit of kit - I raved about it all
the
way home and as I was setting it up. In practice, it's pretty poor, and the
lack of any real integration is just the final nail in the coffin.

I.