3G Router with Usage Allowance control

Following a recent horror story with my 3G Broadband operator, I started to look for a router with a security
feature that would warn me when I reach the data usage limit and, if possible, disconnect the modem.



NetGear introduced the "Traffic Meter" in its DGN range, but this is only for ADSL, and even if I plan to stop switch to ADSL soon, it is convenient to have both in one box.

The closest match was the 4GR from Dovado with its Traffic Limit Notification and the possibility to control the router remotely. The only thing that held me back was the absence of firewall.

So I turned to the tech. support of my current ADSL/3G router, the Billion Bipac 7402GXL to see if they had plan for such a feature. They replied with a Release Candidate of their latest firmware v.6.03 which does have exactly what I need!

A new feature called Usage Allowance now appears in the WAN Connection section of the router. It gives you the option to set a traffic limit (Up/Down separately or together) based on a given billing period. Once the limit is reached, the router sends an email alert and/or disconnect the modem.

 There are 3 limitations to keep in mind though:

- This update is not compatible with configuration backup from a previous version. So you need to factory-reset and re-configure the box manually.
- The feature is only for 3G. A similar function for ADSL would be welcome.
- According to their technical support, the traffic limit currently cannot work if the value exceeds 3GB. It's not clear what happens if you set a higher value...maybe you don't get notified at all ?

I'm soon testing this live with the new billing period coming. I've also installed a SNMP monitor that gives an instant reading of the router traffic: Online Eye

Unpublished firmware updates for Series 7 routers can be obtained by opening a ticket with Billion support. For some reason, Billion UK recommend against using firmwares from its Australian counterpart.

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Firmware updates for FI8908W and FI8918W

The download links are currently active at Foscam Download Center with distincts new Firmwares (complete with both System and WebUI) for models FI8908W and FI8918W.



What's new ?

FI8908W (the old one)

System 11.14.2.28+ WebUI 2.4.8.15
1) A button allows now to prevent the folder where the videos are saved from popping-up all the time.
2) Control for up to 8 PTZ positions.

Important: If your current firmware version is 11.14.1.xx, or 11.14.2.xx, this is the lastest and last upgrade for your hardware revision. There is a higher firmware set 11.22.2.30, but it is only for the recent hardware and would brick older cameras. This is explained in the instructions joined with the files available @ foscam.com

FI8918W (the new one)
System 11.22.2.30+ WebUI 2.4.18.15

1) Fix for the IR Light bug (some saved pictures were dark).
2) Control for up to 8 PTZ positions.

The firmwares can be downloaded directly from the Foscam download page .

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Anti-Frustration Freeware

I came across this new system optimization software aimed at reducing the boot time of a Windows computer.
It first needs to add itself to the boot sequence in order to analyse how long each application take to launch at boot.

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The program will then interact with an online database and retrieve the most common users practice for each application: pause it (don't load), delay it (load it after the boot sequence when system is idle) or keep in boot). There are safety categories to distinguish the application that can be safely removed from the more sensible ones.

The comparative count of applications in the boot process is updated along with an estimate of the updated boot time. Of course, at the beginning, the Soluto application will itself take its share of the overall boot time.

 

In its beta phase, the "PC Genome" (application usage database) still needs to be populated but it is already very promising.

See also: Troubleshoot Slow Start Ups with Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics

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Does that toy look familiar to you ?

From time to time, we see a re-edition of an electronic toy from the eighties, and this always makes me nostalgic: the Merlin (see also Yahoo! Merlin widget) , Simon , the Atari VCS ... and now it's the comeback time for BigTrak!

It is now a while ago, but the souvenir of my first programming experience with this electronic tank is still so fresh, ... and the frequency at which I had to change the cells as well! Its unforgettable design was directly inspired from Star Wars (like the other contemporary MB toy, the StarBird).




The idea of Bigtrak is to program a suite of action through its keypad, like go forward, distance 2, fire laser, turn left, 45 degrees, go forward, distance 3, activate accessory... once pressing the GO button, the tank will execute the suite of action, ending with its characteristic little music.
Bigtrak came with an accessory port but the only add-on available was a Transport trailer (see this 1979 ad below for a better idea)



So now it's back... and in 2 versions:

- The big 'n bulky classic one (around €40), using 3 x D type batteries (I think the original model needed even more), is a re-production of the 1979 toy. I'd be curious to know if the old "Transport" trailer would still work, and/or any similar accessory will be produced.

- Then a smaller one (around €35): the BigTrak Jr (4 x AA batteries).
Zeon ltd has put a particular effort to make this model more attractive:
While the big brother is typically a respectful copy of the traditional BigTrak from MB (although it now keeps the programmed path after a power off),  BigTrak Jr comes with an active port designed for new accessories planned for 2011 and presented on its dedicated website ,

If you're supposedly too old for this, do like me: pretend you bought it for the kids!

See also:
http://www.bigtrakisback.com
http://www.firebox.com/product/2734/Bigtrak
http://www.play.com/Gadgets/Gadgets/4-/14398006/Big-Trak/Product.html
http://www.firebox.com/product/2707/Bigtrak-Jr

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A neat little add-on for Firefox and IP camera users

If you're an exclusive Firefox user like me, and also happen to own an IP camera (Foscam or other brand), you may also find IP Cam PTZ 1.2 (by DRZ400S) interesting. 

It is not yet listed in the Firefox Add-ons browser, but it can be downloaded here.

Once installed, it will add some controls on the Navigation Toolbar, but before using them you'll need to go to the plug-in options to configure your IP camera url and, if needed, customize the cgi commands used for each actions. If your camera is a Foscam, there's nothing to do, but you can for instance, include your login or specify the video resolution (Syntax: videostream.cgi[?user=&pwd=&resolution=] )

If your camera is not compatible with the Foscam command set, you should first obtain a CGI reference document from the manufacturer and adapt the options accordingly.

Clicking the camera icon will open the browser's sidebar and display the video streaming from the camera.
The PTZ commands are present as well as a snapshot button which can be set to auto-refresh every given number of seconds!

By far, the easiest way to access your IP cam while browsing away...

Feel free to post your comments and suggestions on the author's page or here.

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FI8908W old and new...

In addition to the new FI8918W, Foscam is now also producing a different generation of FI8908W.
If you buy it today, it's likely to be the one you'll receive. These two lines of products follow their own separate branch for firmwares, and you cannot flash a "non-logo" camera with a branded camera.




The oem product branch has no marking on the box, to leave the option to resellers to re-brand it easely (for instance the zaapa brand sold once through the Carrefour supermarkets in Europe). It goes from firmware 11.14.1.34 to 11.14.2.17 (at the time of writing).
It is hard to distinguish from the many clones that use completely different firmware, so the best move before flashing such a camera is to check with Foscam first.
This is the camera I've got and files available on this web site are for this generation. 

The branded product branch is branded with the Foscam logo on the camera base, and the firmware version starts from 11.14.2.26 onward.












Please also note FI8908W and the newer FI8918W (firmware 11.22.2.23,and for the moment only Foscam branded) are different and don't use compatible firmwares.

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A quick look at the Foscam FI8918W

My FI8918W has arrived and I had a quick look at its most noticeable differences with the previous model...



The package transited quite quickly from China to Ireland, taking just 4 days. But once in Dublin, it's not yet in your hands...Customs sat on it for 5 days: the time for me to receive by mail a VAT notification from the Tax Office (applied on any import over €22). 
So the final cost was €90.69 (€69.99 initial price +14.7€ 21% VAT + 6€ bakshish to An Post).







Comparing the FI8918W with my old non-logo-but-Foscam-built FI8908W(yeah, things became a bit complicated over time with the FI8908W's, I'll develop in another post...):

On the left, the new FI8918W has a larger and oval base, which is its most visible difference, but also a microphone hole relocated on the base of the camera (just over the logo) instead of the sphere. The troublesome blinking LED has been relocated to the back and replaced with an extra IR LED.

On the right now, the rear panel of new FI8918W shows a network light (green), a power light (red) and a MIC input jack. The I/O connector is gone, so no more interfacing external alarm equipment. 

But there's one subtle difference that is worth noticing: the screw thread on the bottom is no longer standard, so it will only fit the bracket provided and not the usual camera tripods (thanks Randy for the heads up)

My FI8918W came with the Firmware version 11.22.2.23 and WebUI 2.4.18.14. This later is similar to the current WebUI on FI8908W, so I should not expect any difference browsing the interface... but there are some:


For some reason, the option "Go center on boot" is not present, but a simple workaround is to use the CGI command
http://[ipcam]/set_misc.cgi?ptz_center_onstart=0
Update: with the shipping firmware, this settings is not persistent. When powered off, the camera will rotate again. I will inform Foscam of this bug.

In the ActiveX interface, the icons that were controlling the relay in the "For Operator" area, are now used to turn off or turn on the IR LEDS, a feature often requested by FI8908W owners! Also, in the "For Visitor" section there is an option to disable the annoying pop up of an Explorer window each time a video is saved.


I had a quick look at the FTP settings, but there is still no possibility to set a unique file name or a file-naming loop to limit the quantity of pictures being stored. Foscam is aware of that request so it may come in the future.








Picture quality: Sorry, the trees are still pink!
There's no visible change in the picture quality, especially on the colour rendering. No switchable IR-cut filter.

Sound quality: Now we're talking!
Something the engineers realized early was the very poor speaker quality of their FI8908W, and they even added a Speaker output jack in the later generations. However the incoming sound quality was also strongly affected by statics, making the dual-audio function useless. 

This all has changed with the FI8918W, and it is the most remarkable improvement: the speaker output is loud and clear and no more distorted! Also, the incoming sound quality is better*, with less noise probably due to the relocation of the microphone. The connectors for auxiliary microphone and speaker are still a welcome addition but it is now thinkable to use the dual-audio function to chat  remotely with people using the embedded equipment.

In conclusion:

The FI8918W is a clever evolution of the FI8908W. It is priced in the same area. For the moment it comes exclusively branded with Foscam logo, so no bad surprise when purchasing.

++

- Network led relocated to the back
- IR LEDs can be turned off
- Remarkable improvement in audio quality IN and OUT

--

- no improvement in colour rendering
- no more relay control
- cannot be mounted any more on standard camera tripods
- some reports of weak microphone*


* Foscam came up with a procedure to boost the microphone sensitivity. Apparently the early FI8918W have this problem. This requires opening the camera (voiding the warranty...) and should be considered only if returning the camera for exchange is not an option.
I've stored the PDF document with the procedure here (Thanks Michael for providing the file!)

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Creating an Android application without a line of code

Believe it or not, not all geeks do Java Programming. When it comes to language, many are happy enough to speak some Klingon already. 

But this doesn't  help much to create your own application for Android...

Google understood this by launching the beta program of its AppInventor: A very simple set of applications to allow people with ideas but not Java programming skills to bring their contribution to the Android software base.

During the beta phase, you need to fill a request form on their web site in order to have access to the online tools. 

Once done, some time later, you will receive an email explaining how to start. Going to http://appinventor.googlelabs.com will then also open the App Inventor application in your browser.

I just received the email today and gave the tool a quick look.

The AppInventor's main page is the designer, where you select and arrange the objects that you plan to use in your application. You just drag and drop the objects you want from the left column in to the Android screen in the center. A few basic properties (default text, color, ...) can be defined for each object.

Once the screen contains some object to interact with, you need to launch the Block Editor, which is done by clicking a button on the top of the Designer interface. This will download a file called AppInventorForAndroidCodeblocks.jnlp that you should be able to execute if your have the pre-required Java Runtime Engine installed.

There you will see "your blocks" made from the objects selected earlier in the Designer. There are block for each action possible on the object. For instance, if you wan to make something happening when the Button1 is clicked, bring the block "when Button1.Click do" onto the screen. You hen can pick other blocks to define what will actually happen like set the text of the TextBox1 (set TextBox1.Text to) to text "Thanks for clicking!" and change the Background Color of the Screen (set Screen1.BackgroundColor to) to Green.

From there, you just need to press the Connection icon to send and run the application to your phone.
Here is how it appears on my Samsung Spica GT-I5700:

It's just as simple as that. So unless you were planning a high end 3D racing game, this should give you a great way to make your débuts as an "embedded system developer".

This video will give you a quick overview of the interface. :





See also: http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/learn/tutorials/quizme/quizme.html
                more help and sample apps
Update: this concept has evolved and made its way outside the Google Lab
http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/
http://scratch.mit.edu/
http://studio.code.org/hoc/1

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Synology NAS just got even better ... DSM 3.0

One of my best purchase in 2010, the Synology DS109 (and family) is getting even better with the release of Disk Station Manager 3.0.

The huge quantity of features added over time during the DSM evolution resulted in a revamped and multi-tasking user interface to make the server configuration even more intuitive than before.

Difficult to tell which AJAX web interface from QNAP V or Synology is the best, but it's clear that the fierce competition between the two leading brands is an excellent thing for us!

Read more at www.synology.com.

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A point regarding the Foscam recovery files

I published my post, Bring your paperweight back to life, in December 2009 with recovery files received from Foscam at that time.

This worked fine for all users of FI8908W (and FI8904W) until some hardware revision that occurred in Foscam's produced during 2010. The initial files didn't work any more for these newer cameras.

I have updated my post with files (+ mirror) that Foscam confirmed to be compatible with all the generations of FI8908W and FI8904W.
I therefore removed the old files from the post to avoid any confusion.

If you went to that page before, please note that the instructions have been updated as the system file is now must be uploaded to 0x7f0e0000 instead of 0x7f0d0000.


I've received a new set of instructions and recovery files for FI8918W (and latest hardware revision of FI8908W)

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Foscam FI8918W out soon

This September month should see some new things out from Foscam. The most obvious is the FI8918W, a natural evolution of the good old FI8908W.

hands-on review here

The picture and description from foscam.com don't give much clue about the changes but, thanks to the information from foscam.us on their pre-order page, it looks like Foscam has been listening to users suggestions:

The enhanced features of the FI8918W over the FI8908W include:

The IR lights can be turned off manually from the software
Great idea, so many users requested this !


Audio quality is improved, there will be no noise when speaking into the camera
You will also find many complains about this in my blog.


WPA2 Encryption Supported
Nothing new really, let's just hope it now work with the router in non-broadcast mode!


Added an audio input jack which can be used with an external microphone
The dual audio function is not a workable feature on the FI8908W because of the poor sound quality. So with the ability to connect an external microphone and an external speaker, this is maybe going to change.

By the way, the green I/O connector (RS485) is gone to make space for these connectors. So, no more interfacing with alarm systems or automation modules.

Relocated the network light to the back of the camera. Add a power indicator lamp
Seems like a good idea but I predict that the next most popular question will soon be "how to turn off the power indicator?". Well as both LEDs will be located at the back, beside the RJ45 connector, this shouldn't be a big issue anyway.

The price tag is believed to remain in the same area as for its predecessor.
It's still a CMOS sensor, so there shouldn't be a dramatic improvement of the picture quality and the colour rendering, but the only way to find out will be to buy one ;-)




Another long awaited new camera (by me at least), the FI8906W (higher range, much higher budget) is announced for November according to the latest information from Foscam, but it's been delayed for a year already so we'll see...

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About the Download Section on Foscam web site

If you have visited the Foscam Download Page lately, you may have noticed that the firmwares files are now composed of a WebUI firmware, an explanation.txt and another notice.txt file, but no system firmware!



The explanation.txt says:

Dear customer:
there may be lose of data when you download the file because of the network, and if there is data lose of system fimware, it will cause a serious consequence.
so we decide not to offer the system firmware download, thank you.

The notice.txt says:

If you use this firmware,the must notice that:
 1 the system firmware version is:11.14.2.17
 2 and the compressed file size is: 788,655 bytes
if the two conditions cannot be met,you can not use
the APP firmware to upgrade.

So we're back to the old time where we could only get new firmwares by contacting Foscam directly.

I don't see why the precaution they take by providing the file size of the WebUI would not be good enough for the system firmware as well.

It's regrettable because, along with their responsive tech. support, firmware availability was an distinctive advantage over the other ip camera brands of this class.

On the other hand, there is a suspicion that recent productions of the models FI8908W and FI8904W may have been subject to some subtle hardware changes inside requiring different system firmware for the new batches. The reason I'm suspecting this is that my old recovery files that worked with my FI8908W (produced in July 2009) have now stopped working with recent FI8908W which require newer files (I've got now the 2 set of recovery files available in the recovery page). I'll try to find out more about this.

I suggest that you email them to request the system firmwares files back online and provide the compressed file size for it as they already do for the WebUI firmware, or an MD5 checksum ....

Maybe, with enough feedbacks they will come back to some reason.

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Rovio with a Chinese twist

Well, the comparison is presumptuous and a bit insulting to Rovio, but reading about its numerous criticisms , this might well be one of the alternative left (aside Spykee). Too bad Woowee abandoned the Spyball project !

An early version of Roomba vacuum cleaner with a Pan and Tilt wireless IP Camera mounted on it.

The CVOA-G182 from Chinavasion.com (€382.92) should make everybody happy: housewife and geeky husband alike.

It can be important to consider that only the pan-and-tilt camera can be remote-controlled here. The robot base it just a Roomba and, as such, will bang its way around the room while -kind of- cleaning according to its programmed routine and front bumper.

There's no owners feedback on it yet, but I wonder if it is smart enough to stop in front of the sofa when the camera is mounted or if it will try to force its way under. The camera dome can be unplugged easily though.

iRobot, the maker of Roomba, made a variant called ConnectR, which is presented as a virtual visiting robot. This one is not equipped with a brush but can be driven from an internet connection, comes with VoIP speakers and an integrated IP cam as well. Much like a Rovio, with a less appealing design.

It seems to be "on the market" since 2007, but judging by the selling price (around $500), and the confidential presentation on iRobot web site, it probably never really took off.

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Foscam Firmware: 11.14.2.17 once again!

There is a newer firmware on Foscam web site.
It will still show versions 11.14.2.17 and 2.4.8.14 but the time stamps of these files are from June and July 2010! (The last 11.14.2.17 was from May)


The main change is in the Web-UI that now includes PTZ settings for controling the patrol speed..

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Big fingers friendly app

I recently got totally converted to Swype for Android. This is by far the best Android keyboard alternative and obviously will be found standard on many upcoming phone models.

By default the Android keyboard is just a bit too small for fat fingers, and the alternatives I tried, although nicer-looking, did not help much.


So I was prepared to install, test, and un-install this one within a few minutes just like the ones before. Instead, I decided to keep it event though it occupies 10 Mb of my Spica's small memory.

While you can still use it as a standard keyboard -and the keys are larger as well which is great - you're actually supposed to swipe your finger from one letter to the other until the word is complete. Almost instantaneously, Swype will suggest a word on screen with a high success rate. You do not even need to be very accurate, which is a plus when texting in a transport.

There are easy and well though methods for producing punctuation, adding a word in the dictionary, forming a double letter,... which you can all learn from the integrated interactive tutorial.

There's also a shortcut key to swap quickly from one input language to another.
In brief nothing seems to be missing and  you'll be amazed to see how faster you can type with this little revolution.

The beta phase for Android is over but you may find some leaked versions here and there, just beware that you need the one matching your screen resolution (HVGA, WVGA, ...)

In conclusion this is the app to buy if you ever buy one on the Market!

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Eclair: Update finally available for Irish Spica owners!

After a long wait that drove most O2 GT-I5700 owners mad, there's at last an official update to Android  2.1 "éclair" available through NPS.

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