Re: Internet Microphone?

["Josepi" <J.R.M.@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

What came to mind was the people with homes in the states that get freezing
weather.

Sitting around the pool in Mexico one explained it to me. A simple
thermostat with a resistor hooked across the phone line. Thermostat set
about 50F degrees. Every few days they call home and the phone rings and
nobody answers. The thermostat contact is still open. No callcost. If the
line is busy the thermostat is chatting and they know to call a neighbour to
investigate. Contact closed... jouse below 50F.

It's simple and the concept should be able to work, somehow for your
situation. Possibly a 120vac relay with a N.C. contact and resistor on the
phone line. No ISP charges required. You dial it from time to time (possible
computer modem auto?) and if the phone rings you have AC power, no long
distance fees.

This doesn't give the the sound but you know there is power and much cheaper
than a dial up or constant IP address charge for ISP Internet charges into
your generator all year long. Not to mention the IP webcam costs.




"Anthony R. Gold" <not-for-mail@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:sks036l0ole2vtalbrbef1q1kgtsog5inh@xxxxxxxxxx
Thanks for the comments but, just to be clearer, this is a real seasonal
home
served by dual WAN IP service (DSL and Cable) and I have no need for
anything
to dial out.  I just want to be able listen-in at the time of the
generator's
automatic weekly 12 minute "exercise" (from around 1:55pm until 2:07pm EDT
each Friday) to be reassured that the device is in good order and so will be
able to kick itself into service if and when the utility power fails.  If I
found that the generator did not run on its schedule then I would be able to
call the local service technician to visit the site and investigate.

My likely monitoring place is around 4,000 miles away, as the bytes fly.

Tony

On Sun, 4 Jul 2010 07:34:19 -0400, "Josepi" <J.R.M.@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> If you are going to supply a permanent phone line out there anyway there
> are
> probably more ideas to accomplish this. You will need a clean area for the
> camera and modem.
>
>
> Need some circuitry to cause a phone to dial you up each time the testing
> starts. Perhaps a cell phone woul work and no copperlines would be needed.
> Either way you will be paying a monthly bill for the communications.
>
> I have attempted something like this years ago and it' not the same
> listening to devices over an audio communications device. The subtlities
> cannot be heard without the full range of frequencies.
>
> How far away is your monitoring place?
>
>
>
> "Anthony R. Gold" <not-for-mail@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:p4p036ln4ulhd1fv3pknp2lvetfgjbv5gr@xxxxxxxxxx
> Just to be clear, the machine is a 4 liter/litre LPG/Propane engine
> coupled
> to a 40kW generator in a shed-size cabinet on concrete pad out in the
> yard.
> The property is in a hurricane-prone region with unreliable utility
> supplied
> electric service.  The router etc. all run on UPS to bridge the 20 seconds
> it
> takes for the generator to kick in after the utility power has gone down.
>
> http://www.generac.com/residential/quietsource/quietsource_series/
>
> I'm sure I could stuff an IP webcam somewhere in there, especially if
> running
> via PoE, but I don't think a PC would fit nor be happy out there.  No, an
> IP
> webcam does not need a PC to run any software - one just needs to open up
> a
> TCP/IP port in the router to allow for external access.
>
> Okay, if a webcam is the only known canned solution then a webcam it must
> be.
>
> I don't suppose anyone has a broken one that went blind?
>
> Thanks to all,
>
> Tony
>
> On Sat, 3 Jul 2010 22:58:32 -0400, "Josepi" <J.R.M.@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> He would need to run it off a PC. Everybody has an old PC around. It
>> would
>> take one to run the software anyway.
>>
>> I doubt he would want to pay for a fixed IP address just to listen to his
>> machine occasionally even if you could find an IP smart (webserver)
>> microphone.
>>
>> The webcams usually come with instructions for access and space on their
>> supporting websites for small fees to observe them remotely.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Cameo" <cameo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:i0orao$stu$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Where do you get $29 webcam with a built-in web server, so he does not
>> need to run it off a PC?
>>
>>
>> "Josepi" <J.R.M.@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:bRQXn.7933$3%3.93@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> Can't think of anything cheaper than a $29 webcam with microphone and
>>> software to do the whole thing. The video could show some gauges too.
>>
>>
>