Networking and Spying

So I've got the wifi and security cam network up and running.

The Ubiquiti UniFi system is perhaps not so useful when you have just two access points, but it is still somewhat helpful. The nice thing about it, which is not accomplished by buying a bunch of routers and bridges, is centralized access point management and the decoupling of user-visible networks from the access points that serve them. Whether I'm on my property or Ron's property, and using my office AP directly or going through the wirelessly uplinked AP on Ron's, my phone still shows the network as "Tony's Network". When the controller software is running, it automatically switches users from one access point to another as they roam, without them having to notice.

There are two separate wireless networks available, one for people with passwords and another for guests. The neighbors are on the guest network. Not sure if this meager separation isolates my computers from malware coming from theirs (mine are now wired to the main router) but I have reached the limit of my tolerance of complexity for now.

Ubiquity AirVision cameras, however, have no special relationship to their wifi products, despite similar packaging, marketing, and controller software. Their camera recording software is probably a good bet if you are working with a hundred cameras, and doing LOTS of recording, but for two or three it's just a pain in the ass, and way too complicated. To start up: you must launch an app which presents you with one button, which you push to start the digital video recording software. Then you must launch another app, on which you press another button, to be launched into a web page, running on Flash, in which you can control your cameras. But they must be AirVision cameras, it doesn't give a rats ass about any other kind. Hope you didn't need night vision. Lots of things to go wrong here, and they did, and it took all day to sort it out, including several Flash version complications.

Compare this to the startup for Blue Iris, a quirky but perfectly capable camera package that costs sixty bucks and can be used with any kind of camera: Double click the icon. Hook up any camera you like. The configuration for each camera is indeed kind of quirky, and the Foscam documentation in particular is a masterpiece of Engrish ("Plug out the network cable", LOL).

As for overall UI quality, everything sucks across the board. I don't know why this is so hard for the designers to figure out. It works, and some of it is pretty reliable, but you wouldn't believe all the design facepalms - weirdly inconsistent behavior, unfortunate error conditions, and a special f__k-you mode for anyone who tries anything unconventional.

Anyway, I've got motion capture going on the road and JESUS CHRIST THIS PLACE IS BORING. I know it works, I tested it out the wazoo. So far, half an hour and no cars have come by, much less anything worthy of excitement.

Very hot out there today, and I think everyone is just staying inside. One of the cameras has night vision, so I'm hoping for lots of animals tonight.

TCP/IP is an amazing thing. Very beautiful, in its own way; data flows like water, subject to various pressures and forces, going by a thousand paths but always finding its way home. Strange to think that with these cameras going, the air is now saturated with it, bits flying constantly everywhere. It costs nothing, but I can't help but feel like I'm using up some precious resource by sending all these photons flying around. In the city, maybe I would be, but out here I have lots of electromagnetic space.

I really do have to get some paid work done soon. Glad to get this more or less wrapped up.