Develop Bugs

[Q] ???Remote Screen/Display Solution???

Hey Guys,
I need your help. I currently have a carputer running Windows XP in my car now with an 8" touchscreen interface. It works and does what I want it to but I'm thinking I want a cleaner solution. At first, I was thinking about loading Android onto it but then I was thinking I could probably go one step further. My EVO does everything I currently have in the car (nav, music, video, etc) and it'd be awesome to use my EVO as the CPU if I could get it working with a bigger screen. Is there some kind of device on the market that acts as a remote display/screen that allows seamless touchscreen functionality? I'm talking about mirroring the display of the EVO. Like via bluetooth or HDMI out with USB interface for the touchscreen function?? That would work so much better because all I would have to do is mount the screen and run power to it. I could completely remove all of the computer hardware saving space and points of failure. It'd be best via bluetooth that way I wouldn't even have to take it out of my pocket. If there was a way to get it to work with the HDMI port for the video/audio feed and the micro-USB port for the touchscreen interface, I could just run a dock in the car and work it that way. If anybody knows of a device or a solution that would accomplish this, PLEASE let me know! If you think you have an easier/better idea, please feel free to share that as well! Thanks!
-Greg

I know there are several developers on the brink of completely unlocking the HMDI port functionality so I know it can be accomplished...but getting the touchscreen to be seamless I think would be the most challenging part...

Ok, so after changing some search terms, I was able to find something similar: Mimo USB Monitor. The entire monitor (power, video feed, and touchscreen interface) is though one USB connection. I came across this XDA thread that pretty much explains how it could possibly work: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=898418 Has anybody done any research on this or know anybody that has or is currently working on something like this??

Any ideas??

That wont work. The usb port does NOT do video out. Your only option for video out is the hdmi port, which as of right now, will only output video and pictures. As said above, there are dev's working on full hdmi output, but who knows when it will be available.

sitlet said:
That wont work. The usb port does NOT do video out. Your only option for video out is the hdmi port, which as of right now, will only output video and pictures. As said above, there are dev's working on full hdmi output, but who knows when it will be available.
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That monitor is a standard USB DisplayLink device. No special video out needs to be on the port, you just need a device capable of operating as a USB host with the correct drivers loaded (which are open source on normal Linux and thus should be portable to Android if someone was so inclined). Thus, any phone which could be used with a USB keyboard, mouse, thumbdrive, etc. can support that monitor.
That said, I've looked a few times and do not believe the Evo has USB-OTG support and it certainly does not have a standard host port, so we may be SOL there. N1 users can do it for sure, I'm pretty sure I've seen it used with an Ubuntu install, creating a kind of hacker's version of the Altrix around a year earlier.

Alternatively, it's not the fasted method, but there are a couple of software solutions that basically let you VNC to your EVO from the PC. androidscreencast is one (google that phrase, can't post links yet) but it seems as though it's stalled out. I think that Droid Commander (or something like that) also has a screen casting option. This way you don't have to worry about touch screen drivers etc.

greg.dassing said:
Ok, so after changing some search terms, I was able to find something similar: Mimo USB Monitor. The entire monitor (power, video feed, and touchscreen interface) is though one USB connection. I came across this XDA thread that pretty much explains how it could possibly work: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=898418 Has anybody done any research on this or know anybody that has or is currently working on something like this??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder how a cheap chinese tablet with a usb host would work.
I've considered just installed a cheapo tablet in my car then go out to rca's or a bluetooth transmitter. My line of thought on is most headunits/music is only stereo(2 channel), so you wouldn't lose anything there. The two big problems I forsee would be a reduction in the the output quality using 3.5 to rca and finding one with a fm radio thats worth a damn.

Well if you really wanted to go a tablet route. there is the smartq v5 you can pickup for around 250. it has full hdmi out usb host bluetooth and hardware video decoding (1080i hdmi video looks soo nice on a tv form it). You can download the android 2.2 firmware and run rocketplayer for allmost any video.

[Q] App to control home systems

Hi I know this sounds like a broad idea so ill get straight to the point.
I have a front door lock. I will lickley be getting the August lock or a Kevo. I have wireless lights and a NEST thermostat in the house also, the idea is that I want to create one app to control all my home wireless devices. I might use a rasberry pie which would act as some sort of repeater to link all my IR, RF, Wireless, devices to the Internet so I can use the app from anywhere in the world.
Is this possible? How difficult?
I found a device that can act as the controller to all the individual things in the house and links them to the internet however it uses its own app. any way to override the app with my own design?
Thanks!

Yes it is possible
We used to have a college thesis like this one back in the day. One solution that I can think of right now is you need to have the following:
1. Google App Engine to host a web app that connect your phone and a computer in your home
2. A custom mobile app that will communicate with the web app.
3. A computer / rasberry pi that will query the web app to know which switch to turn on / off. You'll need a USB relay to connect the computer with an appliance or a light bulb.
These are the three things I would start if I was to build one again. Good luck

Hey thanks for the reply.
That is reassuring. I will be communicating wirelessly to the lights however ( or the dimmable wall switch I should say).but that's the least of my concerns.
The main part is what you discussed. Any ideas how much I would need to pay someone to make the app? At there templates? I have some friend who are fantastic programmers however they have not touched apps b4.

Template
cowwalk said:
Hey thanks for the reply.
That is reassuring. I will be communicating wirelessly to the lights however ( or the dimmable wall switch I should say).but that's the least of my concerns.
The main part is what you discussed. Any ideas how much I would need to pay someone to make the app? At there templates? I have some friend who are fantastic programmers however they have not touched apps b4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea how much for the custom app but it cost me about 100 dollars (hardware and software) when I was in college to build the whole thing. Back then I only used SMS to communicate and not the internet. It would be fun building it your self.
If you want a ready made one, there are available ones in the market, and it would cost you about $50. Try searching for Belkin WeMo switch

[REVIEW] DBPOWER 720p Wireless Network IP Camera

The DBPower 720p Wireless IP Cam is the first actual IP camera that I have owned. While I have used others, I have never owned one. When looking through different products, I came across this item because of its two way audio. This was a large factor in my purchase because I have a child on the way and I figured that this would be better than a traditional baby monitor. The following is my impression of the device.
Setup:
It took me a while to setup this camera because of the convoluted setup instructions. I had to reset the device multiple times to get it to register with my network. This is probably due to my impatience. Once I let the device sit and the app do its thing, it finally registered and that was all that was needed to get it setup. Though the setup was not terrible, I don't like the actual software that is recommended for the camera. Instead, I downloaded an ONVIF application and pointed it towards the device's IP (which I found in my routers database of connected devices). The IP camera uses port 5000 for ONVIF administration.
Use:
To test out the camera, I put it in both a well lit area and a completely black area. The camera did well in both situations. I did not know that there was an infrared light on the camera but realized it when staring at myself on my phones screen in the dark. I also tested the device with an ethernet cable attached. Do note that though the ethernet adapter uses a microUSB male connector on one side, it CANNOT be used on a phone with OTG. This is because it is literally just a pin adapter, as can be seen by the pictures included in my review.
Final thoughts:
The device met all my expectations, but I dislike the application that is supposed to be used with it. After sniffing the traffic using WireShark, I determined that the real app that the camera's firmware is designed for is "2Cu" but any ONVIF application should be able to be used after the initial setup. ONVIF manager for Windows works too.
Testing Method:
To understand how the camera operates, I connected it through ethernet to to internet connected laptop and used WireShark to sniff the data to and from the device. It doesn't seem like there is an actual video stream coming from the device, but rather a bunch of pictures. The only thing that I did find was that the stream is an RTSP stream and can be viewed at rtsp://[USERNAME]:[PASSWORD]@[IP OF DEVICE]:554/onvif1 (Your username is the numerical code on the device, and the password is 123 by default but can be changed in the cameras default application.)
Pros:
Good video quality
Good viewing angle
Fast live video stream
Decent 2 way audio quality
Good Night vision
Small form factor
Mounting kit included
Plethora of apps available for use (ONVIF)
Cons:
The software that must be installed to setup the camera.
Here is a link to the camera and a 20% off coupon code for it. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014IS11NY Code: 2V74UHML

looks small and cute,is it possible to change the direction of moniter via phone/pc?

Elma199415 said:
looks small and cute,is it possible to change the direction of moniter via phone/pc?
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I don't believe you can, but there are other models by the same company that allow you to move the camera inside the app. This one must be manually turned.

Somebody knows how to add tihs camera on zoneminder?

how to add tihs camera on zoneminder
Ilsasta said:
Somebody knows how to add tihs camera on zoneminder?
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i think it's imossible to add this cam on zoneminder...This cam supports CMS and some kind of dbpower pro,i don't know

Anyone Else Use Chromecast Audio In Their Car?

I know it's ridiculous for some folks and maybe I do it just for the sake of doing it, but ah well. It's the future so I enjoy these things.
I have my hotspot from my LG V10, did the same with my Nexus 6 until a few weeks ago, and a Nexus 7 with a usb hub w/ 3 x 128GB tiny flash drives in it connected to that network. I do the cast screen function and use PowerAmp and shuffle like 300whatever gigs of music to the Chromecast Audio which is plugged into my Scion xB.
Might move from the Nexus 7 to a Huawei P8max in january with tax returns coming since it has 64gb and I'll put a 200gb card in it and that'll be close enough to the amount of music I'm using now.
I'm more concerned with convenience than quality outside of the fact that I avoid bluetooth audio, this is wifi and full quality. Otherwise I'd fiddle with an external DAC as well. Who knows what the future holds though.

That's actually so stupid that it's cool,have to try this myself also Always interested thinking outside the box, thanks for the idea!
Lähetetty minun D5503 laitteesta Tapatalkilla

ok

unfortunately one big disadvantage is that it still requires internet to initiate the casting connection, especially if you are not covered with network it stops working
thats why for car-usage it seems that bluetooth is far superior (especially if using apt-x)
Id like to see a way to circumvent the need for internet connection though. Any idea?
Update: Ive made an interesting discovery!!
While connected to the Setup-Wifi (when the Test-Tone can be played!) of the Chromecast Audio it is possible to enable Screen Mirroring / Casting via the Chromecast App then you can listen to anything the Phone plays. If this is stable and usable this would be really awesome. I will keep testing

Ridiculous

therourke said:
Ridiculous
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Have you tried this? It works quite well actually. Not so ridiculous.

Quote from ktwo
Update: Ive made an interesting discovery!!
While connected to the Setup-Wifi (when the Test-Tone can be played!) of the Chromecast Audio it is possible to enable Screen Mirroring / Casting via the Chromecast App then you can listen to anything the Phone plays. If this is stable and usable this would be really awesome. I will keep testing
END Quote
Nice find. I have been waiting for root or some solution like this before i purchase a CCA. My scenario is - bluetooth handsfree profile to car bluetooth, headset jack to car audio input. This works great for streaming music from tidal. The problem is the 2007 audio input jack sometimes makes loud pops. Yeah i could probably clean the jack, but i want fully wireless!
Last time i checked, Tidal was not supported on CCA.
I am on Metro PCS, who provides UNLIMITED tidal music streaming, so simply hotspotting the phone will not work for me(no tidal app for CCA)(data plan would be consumed).
I think my car has an optical input, and getting this setup working would be awesome- not ridiculous.
So does this quoted workaround work?
And if so, what steps are required every time you get in the car?
Thanks.
Frolob

Razor bumps
I got one for Xmas and it's been sitting around in a box looking for a purpose. That internet connection bs needs to go. If you want superimpose ads or whatever but let it function offline. For the same price I got a Hootoo portable htm05 router/nas/ battery and it works offline with dlna and bubble upnp. Too bad because the chromecast is smaller and more efficient. If anyone finds a practical workaround hit us up.

I am using Chromecast audio in both of my cars for these reasons:
Lack of bluetooth audio in car.
Steeamed media is far superior from an audio quality perspective.
The DAC in the Chromecast is exceptional.
VW Monsoon and Audi B&O both sound amazing.
I find the chromecast volume level should be at around 50% else distortion may occur on some of the high volume sections.
Post your vote for official support on mobile hotspots here:
https://productforums.google.com/fo...oter#!msg/chromecast/lpHteomXkhs/UJXgaDzbBAAJ

power issue in car
I plugged the chromcast audio in my car usb charger and I overburned 2 out of 2 chromecast devices.. anyone had similar issue? is there an Ampere limit I should stick to?
Thanks
Matteo

madmat71 said:
I plugged the chromcast audio in my car usb charger and I overburned 2 out of 2 chromecast devices.. anyone had similar issue? is there an Ampere limit I should stick to?
Thanks
Matteo
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You can't "overburn" them. They probably went out for different reasons, like .. heat. Look at the factory charger the chromecast comes with and use that as your reference. I don't see why a regular 1amp charger would be an issue. The Chromecast will only pull as much as it needs, you can't feed it more.

Well car temperature was 18 celsius. Amp could have been 2.4 ...

Like the previous guy said, CCA will only pull as much power as it needs. Perhaps your power adapter is low quality and didn't supply enough power to the CCA which will cause failure.

madmat71 said:
I plugged the chromcast audio in my car usb charger and I overburned 2 out of 2 chromecast devices.. anyone had similar issue? is there an Ampere limit I should stick to?
Thanks
Matteo
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Click to collapse
What is the output voltage for your 12V adapter? The Chromecast takes 5V.

So I've made progress, and enjoyed using my chromecast audio (CCA) both to and from work today.
First, you need to decide whether you will only be playing local content on your phone, or will you want to play audio from the Internet via your phone. I'll only talk about Option 2 here for now.
To do this, you either need to have a mobile hotspot working on your phone, or you need to use a MIFI device in your car. I am using the mobile hotspot on my android phone.
In brief, you will set up the CCA to connect to the phone's hotspot when you turn on your car. Then, you will cast from your phone in guest mode (since your phone will turn off wifi when the hotspot comes on, you can't make the traditional wifi connection from your phone to the CCA via a wireless router). Once setup, your phone will notice that it is "close" to the CCA, and you can then cast to nearby CCA in guest mode.
The tricky piece is doing the initial setup. For now, you need to initialize your CCA in a different environment than your car. Choose an SSID and password that you will use in normal operation in your car. Find a wireless router that you can manage and change its SSID and password to your chosen values. (This router is only used in setup; I'll call it the "temp wifi router".) Connect your primary phone to this temp wifi router (scan for wifi, choose the appropriate SSID, and enter the right password).
Power up the chromecast nearby (in range of your temp wifi router) Now go to the Chromecast Home app. If all is running as it should, it should see the CCA and offer to set it up. Set up as you normally would, instructing the CCA to use your chosen SSID and password of the temp wifi router. Setup Guest mode on the CCA and remember the 4 digit pin. Turn off your primary phone's wifi, connecting to the Internet via the cellular network. Confirm operation by casting audio from your primary phone in guest mode to your CCA.
Now turn off the temp wifi router (or change its SSID). Turn on the mobile hotspot on your phone. Change the SSID and password of your mobile hotspot to your chosen values. Reboot the CCA and your phone. Turn on the mobile hotspot on your phone. In a 10-20 sec, your CCA will reconnect to your phone's mobile hotspot. Now use your phone to send audio to your CCA in guest mode. Done!

Accessing vehicle data (odometer etc.) over the internet w/ API ?

Hi everyone— let me preface with saying that I know this might not be the right place to ask, but it seems like the most relevant place I've come across so far !
My question: Is there any way to get vehicle data (odometer, fuel level, location, etc.) remotely using an API and without an OBD-II dongle?
I have an idea for an app which would need to access data from connected cars. The app would need to access a the user's car's odometer reading each night to check whether or not it had been driven that day (other apps with similar data needs might be car insurance which only bills you on the days you drive, or a fitness app which rewards you if you don't drive).
I know this is possible with an internet connected OBD-II dongle which plugs into a car's diagnostic port, but it is also possible without hardware ?