JaXanim wrote:
I'm so dumb on this, I don't even know if the question makes sense!
Anyway, I'd like to extend my USB1.1 webcam so it will run outside the house (telescope) and receive video on my PeeCee (Win98SE/PII400) about 20+ metres away.
I understand that USB will not operate properly beyond six or seven metres. Mine runs OK with a 5m extension, but not more. I've read that 'repeater' cables are a waste of time.
I read that an ethernet system can be set up to transfer the signals from the USB webcam. So, in the simplest possible terms, what do I need?
Cheers,
JaX
A second PC (old laptop, mini-ITX, etc?), the
VideoLan package, fast ethernet cards, waterproofing goop for the project boxes and connections (don't use silicone caulk on electrical connections themselves, it's corrosive... automotive windshield gasket material - black putty goop that stays malleable for life, comes in a huge roll - is the same as what Radio Shack used to sell in little rolls as connector weather sealant), some electrical knowledge to get appropriate power to the outside PC, and a lot of futzing time.
If you're using Windows on both ends, the webcam software itself may be good enough; Logitech used to ship their cams with a terrible little app that took advantage of Win98's "Personal Web Server," meaning you'd get something like a snap-per-second over HTTP with a few clicks. Cleaning up any worms that sneak into a box that resides on your roof probably isn't very fun, though, so Windows or not, now's a good time to look into the zaniness of "netbooting" (meaning the OS image resides on a fileserver somewhere inside the house).
If this makes you insane, ethernet (and wireless ethernet) cameras with some streaming ability are now pretty darn cheap, and you might want to give up and go with one of those. Even Thendic were marketing one, remember?
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As to extending USB itself, in
theory, a 1.x device should work to something like 25 meters out, with a good quality cable, and a single powered hub... probably best placed at the
device end, so the device gets full voltage and current without losses. Kiwis have been putting USB 802.11b dongles on roof-mounted masts with good luck, (mirror), so you might want to read their experiences and/or ask them about your cam troubles.
(I sort of lied there, as I can't find the right link. There's *another* Kiwi who directly mast-mounted a USB adapter like that, for omnidirectional coverage, and with a wonderfully psychotic JPEG of a diagram explaining how the wiring runs... but I have no idea where it is. Since only three people live in New Zealand, those guys surely must have record of the other page.)
