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Observer IV Wireless Internet Cam era System User’s Guide Colorado Video, Inc. Boulder, CO Revised 6/15/ 2 00 5 ...
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OBSERVER IV USER’S GUIDE Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Camera Capabilities ........................................................................................................................ 2 Communicating ...
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OBSERVER IV USER’S GUIDE Introduction The Observer IV is a digital still camera that uses the GSM cellular phone network to deliver images from remote locations to any computer on th e Internet. The camera, battery-operated and housed in a weatherproof enclosure, is capable of providing images from areas where standard monitoring techniques are n ...
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Camera Capabilities The Observer camera delivers pictures from remote areas to any computer on the Internet. It is designed to operate, unattended, for extended periods of time. The camera operates in one of two configurations. As a remote imaging device, th e camera will deliver images and notification of activity. In the other configuration the c ...
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The following table illustrates the available combin ations of image delivery and event notification options. Image Delivery Options FTP Email Notification Options Text Messaging Yes Yes E m a i l Y e s N o Email with image Yes No Operation The Observer camera will always be activated by the external trigger input. When the trigger input is momenta ...
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while in the continuous mode the camera can br oadcast many megabytes every hour. The user should be aware of the usage charges from the service provider that can result. Most service providers offer unlimited data plans that are ideal for this type of operation. Power mode options The power switch on the back panel determines in which one of two p ...
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Communicating with the Camera To configure the Observer camera, communication mu st first be established with a desktop PC. A pass thru serial cable is used to connect the 9-pin D connector on the cam era to a similar connector associated with a serial COM port on the computer. Once communications is established, any web brow ser (Internet Explorer ...
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Browsing the Camera’s Web Pages Once communications with the camera has been estab lished, the user can navigate a seri es of web pages, setting parameters and operational modes. Each page presented by the camera is described in this section. _____________ ____________ _______________ ____________ ____________ _______________ _______ OBSERVER IV ...
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_____________ ____________ _______________ ____________ ____________ _______________ _______ This page sets characteristics of the image delivered by the camera. Exposure - Automatic exposure levels can be made darker or lighter by selecting the Exposure setting. Medium exposure works best in most situations. Quality - This will determine the amoun ...
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________________________________________________ OBSERVER IV System Settings Enter the current tim e, date and day of week if diffe rent than those shown. Use the same format. Hours are based on a 24-hour clock. Dates are in month-date-year format. Time 1:00 Date 1- 1- 04 Day Mo n Enter the file name for the pictures se nt to the server. If Constan ...
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APN – Access Point Name is a name provided by the cellular service that allows the camera to gain access to the Internet via their network. C ontact your cellular service provider for the correct value to enter here. PIN – Some SIM cards require a 4-8 digit ‘persona l identification num ber’. The cellular service provider will supply this n ...
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Activation – The camera will always deliver a picture wh en the external trigger line is brought to ground. Additionally, the camera can be scheduled to deliver a picture based on the day of the week and the time. Check the Enable Sche dule box and set the scheduled times on the Schedule page to enable this function. Notification – The camera c ...
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_____________ ____________ _______________ ____________ ____________ _______________ _______ OBSERVER IV Network Settings Information about the FTP and em ail servers is entered here. If either FTP or email functions are no t utilized, th e co rresponding fields may be left blank. If text message notification is enabled enter the receiving cell pho ...
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Only those fields corresponding to the configured functions need to be filled out. If email image delivery or notification is not required then tho se fields may be left blank. If text message notification is not selected on the operating page then the cell phone num ber may be left blank. _______________ _________________________ _________________ ...
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Using the FTPJPG Application The FTPJPG application installs on a Windows PC a nd automatically retrieves Observer images from an FTP server. These images are displayed and stored on the computer. In this manner the images captured by the Observer IV camera are collected, presented to the user, and archived for latter retrieval. Installation The FT ...
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Images from up to four different cameras can be retrieved. The images do not need to reside on the same FTP server. This window will allow the selection of images residing on a single server for retrieval. The selection process must be repeated for other servers that may contain images from other cameras. Enter the FTP server Internet address to wh ...
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Image display The selected images will be displayed and updated. They may be moved and resized as desired. When an image is updated, a small camera icon will appear in the upper left hand corner and the audio annunciation will sound, if enabled. Clicking the right mouse button while positioned over an image will bring up a menu option titled “Sho ...
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The Camera Case and Controls Do not rem ove side screws. Weatherproof case Front window GSM antenna External power connector Bottom plate screws (4) Moun t 16 ...
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Removing the antenna The antenna may be removed when handling or sh ipping the camera. Grab the thick, middle part of the mast and unscrew. When replacing, screw down finger tight, do not ove r-tighten. 17 ...
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Removing the end caps Loosen the bottom screws at the back end one-half turn. Remove the screws holding the clear end cap. Use a small screwdriver or fingernail at the bottom edge to lift out the clear end cap. 18 ...
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Replacing the batteries Remove the four screws holding the bottom plate. Remove the bottom plate Insert batteries with the correct polarity. 19 ...
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The power selection switch Set the internal power selector switch depending on the use of batteries or an external AC adapter. Push the switch up towards the red dot when using internal batteries. Push the switch down away from the red dot when using the external AC adapter. 20 ...
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The back panel Serial comm unications port Configuration switches Status LEDs Power switch Subscriber Identity Module slot Serial communications port – This port is used to connect th e Observer to a desktop PC for configuration and testing. Configuration Switches – These switches are used for configuring and testing the Observer camera. Switch ...
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When the power switch is in the AUTO (right) po sition the camera is normally un-powered. It will turn on in response to an external tri gger signal or to a previously scheduled tim e. Subscriber Identity Module slot – This slot accepts the SIM card supplied by the GSM service provider when a GPRS data account is obtained. Insert the card with th ...
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Power connections An external DC power supply may be connected to pins 1 and 2 of the external connector. Make sure the power supply meets the requirements outlined in Appendix B. When the external power connections are used, the internal power selector sw itch must be set properly. Do not reverse power supply leads; the camera will be damaged. Ext ...
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external illuminator must provide its own power supply. The m inus side of this power supply is connected to the ‘return’ signal on the camera. Battery IR Illuminator Obs er ve r Ca me ra - -+ + Externa l Illuminato r Return The external illuminator signal can be used to directly switch on an external infrared illumination source for nighttime ...
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Conclusion The Observer IV is a digital still camera that utilizes the GSM/GPRS cellular phone network to deliver images to any computer on the Internet. The Observer IV can be utilized in a variety of applications; as a wireless solution to unique secu rity problems, as a monitoring system for remote areas, or as a simple way to promote special ev ...
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Appendix A - Rules, Regulations and Safety Concerns FCC rules require that during operation of this t ype of equipment a minimum separation of 20 cm (8 inches) must be maintained between the an tenna and persons. This regulation should be adhered to whenever the camera may be powered on, either in its final installation or during configuration and ...
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Only the two acrylic end caps and the bottom plat e are designed to be removed by the user. Do not attempt to disassemble the camera; there are no user serviceable parts inside All networks, wireless as well as wired, contai n some inherent unreliability. The successful delivery of images or notifications at all times ca nnot be guaranteed. Do not ...
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Appendix B - Specifications Enclosure: Weatherproof aluminum case 4.0 x 2.63 x 8.63 inches (WxHxL) ¼ x 20 threaded mount Operating conditions: Te mperature -10 to +50 degrees Celsi su (14-122 F) Hu midity up to 95% non-con d ensing Power requirements: 5 – AA cells internal or 4-15 DC volts external Standby current: 130 ma rms at 5 volts Transmit ...
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Appendix C - Power Supply Considerations and Power Switch Settings The camera can be powered externally with an AC adapter or internally via 5 AA batteries. Internal batteries Remove the four machine screws holding the botto m plate to access this area. When internal batteries are used, the switch on the battery tray must be in the upward (towards ...
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Power mode (switch position) ON (left) AUTO (right) Generally powered from External connection Internal batteries Internal power selector Away from red dot Towards red dot Normal powered state Always on Mostly off Trigger and schedule modes? Yes Yes Notification available? Yes Yes Continuous mode available? Yes No Will respond to cell phone command ...
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Appendix D - Establishing Communicati ons with Different Operating Systems A utility is available which will automatically c onfigure a desktop computer to communicate with the Observer IV camera. This “InstallObserver” utility operates on computers using the Windows 2000 or Windows XP operating system. This utilit y is described in Appendix G ...
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5) Select I want to set up my Internet con nection manually or I want to connect through a local area network (LAN) and press Next . 6) Select I connect through a phone line and a modem and press Next . 7) Select the Standard 57600 modem just installed. (This step will be skipped, if this is the only modem currently installed on this c omputer.) 8) ...
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14) From Control Panel, click Network Connections , then click Create a new connection . Press Next . 15) Select Connect to the Internet and press Next . 16) Select Set up my connection manually and press Next . 17) Select Connect using a dial-up modem and press Next . 18) Select the modem created above (Standard 57600 bps Modem…). Click Next . 1 ...
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22) Make sure that Use default gateway on remote network is the only other optio n selected and press OK . 23) You have now successfully created the connection for the Observer Camera. 24) Right click the newly created icon on the Dial-Up Networking page and select Create Shortcut. Answer Yes to the question Do you want the shortcut placed on the D ...
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Appendix E - Test and Troubleshoot A series of tests are available to insure proper camera operation. First establish communications with the camera via a desktop PC and a web browser. Configure the camera as desired. Next select the Test and Troubleshoot link on the home page to displa y the available tests. Execute the tests and inspect the displ ...
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FILE TRANSFER TEST PASSED BACK Starting image...image acquired Registering modem...**..modem attached. Establishing GPRS connection.....GPRS connection establish ed.....FTP server reached. 220 LinusJr FTP server (V ersion wu-2.6.2-5) ready. USER anonymous 331 Guest login ok, send your complete e-mail address as password. PASS embedded@earthlink.net ...
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SMTP: Read: 250 sender "mypictures@attws.net" OK SMTP: Wrote RCPT TO: "embeddedsys@earthlink.net" SMTP: Read: 250 recipient "embeddedsys@earthlink.net" OK SMTP: Wrote DATA SMTP: Read: 354 Enter mail, end with "." on a line by itself SMTP: Wrote From: "mypictures@attws.net" To: "embeddedsys@eart ...
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SMTP: Wrote MAIL FROM: "m ypictures@attws.net" SMTP: Read: 250 sender "mypictures@attws.net" OK SMTP: Wrote RCPT TO: "embeddedsys@earthlink.net" SMTP: Read: 250 recipient "embeddedsys@earthlink.net" OK SMTP: Wrote DATA SMTP: Read: 354 Enter mail, end with "." on a line by itself SMTP: Wrote From: &q ...
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Appendix F - Network Services and Cell Phone Access Email servers Computers on the Internet that handle email are called SMTP servers (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). To send email, the Observer camera needs access to an SMTP server. Usually SMTP servers provided to the customers of common Inte rnet Service Providers (ISP's) such as AOL, MSN, ...
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Cell Phone Access The Observer camera can interact with a cell phone via text me ssaging. Notification of external trigger events will be sent to a cell phone, when en abled. The destination cell phone num ber for notification is defined on the Network Settings page within the Observer. Selecting text messaging as the notification type on the Opera ...
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Appendix G - Using the InstallObserver Utility This utility will configure a desktop computer to make a connection with its serial port to th e Observer Camera. This utility only sets the para meters for the connection, it does not actually establish the link with the camera. First, select an unused serial port on the back of the computer (also ref ...
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11) This will bring you back to the original “Phone and M odem Options” window. It should now display only the 56000 bps m odem installed on the selected COM port. If not, return to step 2 and remove all modem drivers installed on the selected COM port, and continue from that step. If only the 56000 bps m odem is shown on the selected port, cli ...
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Appendix H - GSM, SIM, PIN and the Observer Camera The GSM cellular network (Global System for Mobile communications) is the most prevalent cellular network in the world. In order to access this network with the Observer camera a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card is required. This small plastic card is the same as used in cellular phones. It co ...
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It’s worth noting here that the Modem Configura tion/Cellular Service test will also display the phone number associated with the SIM card. E ach SIM account has an associated phone number, even if it is a ‘data only’ SIM. This number is the one to use to send text messages to the camera if the ‘continuous mode’ of operation is to be used ...
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