I assume when quitting the VitD application it still runs in the background and warns you (if properly configured) while working on the PC.
If you shutdown the PC or Mac, does VitD still send the e-mail notifications ?
In other words, do you need a powered-on PC or Mac for being informed thru e-mail ?
Quit application and PC shutdown
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Semper Vaporo - Posts: 331
- Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:51 am
Re: Quit application and PC shutdown
Depends on how much of the computer "system" you actually shut off when you say you "shut it down".
Whether you have an all-in-one computer or seperate components, your computer is composed of a Central Processing Unit (CPU) that does the actual "thinking", memory for holding the presently active program, mass storage (disk, etc.), communications (I/O) circuitry, a user display and user input (keyboard/mouse) and power supplies to supply power to all of those.
Usually the CPU, Memory and I/O circuitry are all in one box and are supplied power from one power supply in the box, but an All-In-One computer will have nearly all the other components in one box and they all get power from the one supply.
You can turn off the power supplies to the keyboard/mouse and the computer will continue doing what it was doing, but you won't be able to make it do something different or respond to the programs needing user input. Turn off the Display power supplies and you won't be able to see the displayed results of the programs, (but you might see the results of the program controlling other devices).
If you turn off the power to the memory then the program will dissappear and the CPU won't have access to the next instruction and would be essentially dead. Of course, since the CPU, Memory and I/O circuitry as all usually powered by the same supply, shutting it off kills the computer and nothing will happen.
If, when you say you "shutdown" the computer (PC or MAC), the question remains as to "what" you shutdown. If it is an "All-In-One" computer then you killed the CPU and Memory and the programs that were running just up and DIE; they no longer exist. Thus, if VDV were the active program, it is no longer running and cannot be receiving images and making decisions as to whether motion is occuring and cannot send an e-mail.
If you just turned off the Display, you can no longer see the displayed info, but if the CPU and Memory as still powered, then VDV would still be receiving image data, processing it and generating a picture that is being sent to a dead Display, (so the bits are gone, often said to be sent to the "bit-bucket"). But if motion occurs and VDV detects it then it will still generate an e-mail to send.
VDV is actually multiple programs that communicate with each other. The main part of the program (from the User's point of view) is the one that displays the images on the screen and the user can control the other parts. The "real" working part of the program (from the Work to be done point of view) are seperate programs, one for each camera and another one for generating e-mails (and another for something else, I can't think of right now). All those other parts are nearly identical in content, but each has control of just one part of the overall process.
You can manually kill the "main" part that displays the pictures to you and the others continue to work in the background as long as the memory and CPU still have the power to execute them and the I/O circuitry still has power to receive the images from the cameras (and the cameras still have power to send them!).
IF you can remove power from the display without removing power to the CPU (et al) then all the programs, including the main one, can continue to run, you just can't see the results on the display.
The only All-In-One computer systems that I know of that can shut off the monitor seperate from the CPU is a LapTop PC where you can configure it such that if you close the lid the display is turned off but the computer is still running... this can save battery power for when you want to keep a program active, but are not actively interacting with it.
Some "green" computers do have the ability to temporarily turn off power to unused peripherals, such as the mass storage (disk drive) to save power/heat/wear and tear, but the power to the memory and CPU have to remain powered so the programs running can continue to do so, and when a program then needs access to the device (like write to the disk), the system automatically turns power back on to it.
Whether you have an all-in-one computer or seperate components, your computer is composed of a Central Processing Unit (CPU) that does the actual "thinking", memory for holding the presently active program, mass storage (disk, etc.), communications (I/O) circuitry, a user display and user input (keyboard/mouse) and power supplies to supply power to all of those.
Usually the CPU, Memory and I/O circuitry are all in one box and are supplied power from one power supply in the box, but an All-In-One computer will have nearly all the other components in one box and they all get power from the one supply.
You can turn off the power supplies to the keyboard/mouse and the computer will continue doing what it was doing, but you won't be able to make it do something different or respond to the programs needing user input. Turn off the Display power supplies and you won't be able to see the displayed results of the programs, (but you might see the results of the program controlling other devices).
If you turn off the power to the memory then the program will dissappear and the CPU won't have access to the next instruction and would be essentially dead. Of course, since the CPU, Memory and I/O circuitry as all usually powered by the same supply, shutting it off kills the computer and nothing will happen.
If, when you say you "shutdown" the computer (PC or MAC), the question remains as to "what" you shutdown. If it is an "All-In-One" computer then you killed the CPU and Memory and the programs that were running just up and DIE; they no longer exist. Thus, if VDV were the active program, it is no longer running and cannot be receiving images and making decisions as to whether motion is occuring and cannot send an e-mail.
If you just turned off the Display, you can no longer see the displayed info, but if the CPU and Memory as still powered, then VDV would still be receiving image data, processing it and generating a picture that is being sent to a dead Display, (so the bits are gone, often said to be sent to the "bit-bucket"). But if motion occurs and VDV detects it then it will still generate an e-mail to send.
VDV is actually multiple programs that communicate with each other. The main part of the program (from the User's point of view) is the one that displays the images on the screen and the user can control the other parts. The "real" working part of the program (from the Work to be done point of view) are seperate programs, one for each camera and another one for generating e-mails (and another for something else, I can't think of right now). All those other parts are nearly identical in content, but each has control of just one part of the overall process.
You can manually kill the "main" part that displays the pictures to you and the others continue to work in the background as long as the memory and CPU still have the power to execute them and the I/O circuitry still has power to receive the images from the cameras (and the cameras still have power to send them!).
IF you can remove power from the display without removing power to the CPU (et al) then all the programs, including the main one, can continue to run, you just can't see the results on the display.
The only All-In-One computer systems that I know of that can shut off the monitor seperate from the CPU is a LapTop PC where you can configure it such that if you close the lid the display is turned off but the computer is still running... this can save battery power for when you want to keep a program active, but are not actively interacting with it.
Some "green" computers do have the ability to temporarily turn off power to unused peripherals, such as the mass storage (disk drive) to save power/heat/wear and tear, but the power to the memory and CPU have to remain powered so the programs running can continue to do so, and when a program then needs access to the device (like write to the disk), the system automatically turns power back on to it.
Semper Vaporo,
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OO_MPE - Posts: 10
- Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2013 3:00 pm
Re: Quit application and PC shutdown
Hi Semper,
Thanks for the reaction.
After reading your reply, it is clear that I need an "appliance" so that my IP cam can communicate to it cfr sending e-mail or detecting motion in the area user defines.
I tested various MAC package (e.g. Xeoma, SuperSpy, EvoCam, vitaminD) and all of them need indeed almost a partial/complete all-in-one laptop/desktop.
What I am looking for is a peace of SW (for MAC) which allows me to configure the FOSCAM IP Cam ( e.g. motion detected, sending e-mail and registering a small video of the event) and once done, the IP CAM should take care without having a laptop or PC constantly in the loop. Of course, a laptop/desktop or mobile device should have a way to consult the e-mails, viewing the video (actual + registered streams) and control the cam remotely.
Note : The FOSCAM SW for FI9820 does do above job, but for MAC users there are limitations e.g. defining motion area from a remote connected MAC.
Thanks for the reaction.
After reading your reply, it is clear that I need an "appliance" so that my IP cam can communicate to it cfr sending e-mail or detecting motion in the area user defines.
I tested various MAC package (e.g. Xeoma, SuperSpy, EvoCam, vitaminD) and all of them need indeed almost a partial/complete all-in-one laptop/desktop.
What I am looking for is a peace of SW (for MAC) which allows me to configure the FOSCAM IP Cam ( e.g. motion detected, sending e-mail and registering a small video of the event) and once done, the IP CAM should take care without having a laptop or PC constantly in the loop. Of course, a laptop/desktop or mobile device should have a way to consult the e-mails, viewing the video (actual + registered streams) and control the cam remotely.
Note : The FOSCAM SW for FI9820 does do above job, but for MAC users there are limitations e.g. defining motion area from a remote connected MAC.
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OO_MPE - Posts: 10
- Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2013 3:00 pm
Re: Quit application and PC shutdown
Just re-read Semper's reply : someone who knows if you can close the lid of a MacBook Air so the display is turned off but the computer is still running...
Hope this is possible with a MB-Air...don't see otherwise why I should select VitaminD as non-permanent surveillance package ....Sorry
Hope this is possible with a MB-Air...don't see otherwise why I should select VitaminD as non-permanent surveillance package ....Sorry
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Semper Vaporo - Posts: 331
- Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:51 am
Re: Quit application and PC shutdown
My area of expertise is in the PC/Windows arena so I don't know if the MAC devices have the same features, but with a Windows Laptop/notebook PC there are settings in the Windows Control Panel "Power" applet where the user can determine what happens when the lid/display of the computer is closed... it can either shut the computer off like the power switch was pressed, or it can cause the computer to "Hibernate" (Shuts down/power off, but first saves the state of all software in a file such that when the power is reapplied the computer starts up right where it left off, but, of course, is totally ignorant of what occured while it was off) or it can just turn off the display to save power with the computer still running and doing work as if the dislay were on (the user must open the display periodically to see if the programs that were running are still working or have finished their work, or died, or whatever). I have always assummed that a MAC device has similar features.
IP cams often have some similar capabilities to what VDV does. Many can be configured to detect motion in user defined areas and to send an e-mail with attached still photos or short video clips of the motion event. The user can then log in and view what is in the scene at the time they are logged in, but I know of no IP cam that can store much video for later review, so all the user has is what was sent in the e-mail, which might not be much info as to what "was" going on at that time. If the user does not get the e-mail for a long time (away from their computer overnight or out to lunch, or away on vacation) then when they do look in realtime, there is nothing to see that is related to the event that caused the alert to be e-mailed. You can get an e-mail for each person that comes into an area, but you may never know what they did while there.
What VDV does over and above the capabilities of the IP cams is:
VDV generally has better motion detection functions, with the ability to detect the difference between a human and other objects, it has many ways to define the area to watch for motion and whether the object is moving in only one direction (crossing a line), is "on" or "in" the area to be monitored (there IS a difference!), plus a couple of other unique ways to define what constitues a motion event.
VDV stores many hours/days/months of video for later review.
Plus VDV is a single repository for video from multiple cams and it can use both IP Cams and (cheaper) USB WEB Cams. It just requires that you have a computer turned on and running to perform the functions, and with mass storage to keep the videos for as long as possible.
If you have a video surveillance recorder system with one or more cameras you may have video for the last 24 hours (or week/month/whatever will fit on the recording media), but to review it later, you have to watch it all in fast forward for the whole 24 hours (or week/month/whatever!); this may take just a few minutes or hours and hours! But you have to watch carefully to see what happened and may miss a quick event (someone running through the scene) if you fast forward too fast, or blink, or your eyes glaze over from boredom. Coordinating video from several cameras may be difficult to capture multiple views of the same event.
With VDV, you get a list of all events so you can pick and choose what event to view without watching hours of nothing happening. You can define new rules later to narrow down huge lists of events (busy scene) to help reduce the time spent watching non-important events.
I went on a 2 week vacation once and when I came back I reviewed the whole two weeks of video from 5 cameras (2 of which are very busy residential street scenes) in about an hour and I discovered:
the mailman didn't get my notice to hold my mail for 2 days after I left, but my neighbor saw the mail collecting and got it to keep for me and so I knew to go get it from them (they had forgotten about it when I saw and spoke to them as I was unpacking the car!),
a friend came to my door and I was able to contact him to find out what he wanted,
all 3 utility meter readers had been by,
someone parked in my driveway for about 20 minutes but didn't get out of their car (!! ??),
2 people carrying large book carriers came to my door and knocked (dunno who they were)
and some children came to the door while their parents stood on the sidewalk (looked like they were selling cookies or something).
But nothing else happened of interest or worry, and that is what to expect... but I also know that no package delivery service made a delivery and no one absconded with a package (which is one reason I set the system up). I have the satisfaction of knowing that nothing happened, if there is any value in that.
And just for fun, I knew the exact time I left and the exact time I got back!
IP cams often have some similar capabilities to what VDV does. Many can be configured to detect motion in user defined areas and to send an e-mail with attached still photos or short video clips of the motion event. The user can then log in and view what is in the scene at the time they are logged in, but I know of no IP cam that can store much video for later review, so all the user has is what was sent in the e-mail, which might not be much info as to what "was" going on at that time. If the user does not get the e-mail for a long time (away from their computer overnight or out to lunch, or away on vacation) then when they do look in realtime, there is nothing to see that is related to the event that caused the alert to be e-mailed. You can get an e-mail for each person that comes into an area, but you may never know what they did while there.
What VDV does over and above the capabilities of the IP cams is:
VDV generally has better motion detection functions, with the ability to detect the difference between a human and other objects, it has many ways to define the area to watch for motion and whether the object is moving in only one direction (crossing a line), is "on" or "in" the area to be monitored (there IS a difference!), plus a couple of other unique ways to define what constitues a motion event.
VDV stores many hours/days/months of video for later review.
Plus VDV is a single repository for video from multiple cams and it can use both IP Cams and (cheaper) USB WEB Cams. It just requires that you have a computer turned on and running to perform the functions, and with mass storage to keep the videos for as long as possible.
If you have a video surveillance recorder system with one or more cameras you may have video for the last 24 hours (or week/month/whatever will fit on the recording media), but to review it later, you have to watch it all in fast forward for the whole 24 hours (or week/month/whatever!); this may take just a few minutes or hours and hours! But you have to watch carefully to see what happened and may miss a quick event (someone running through the scene) if you fast forward too fast, or blink, or your eyes glaze over from boredom. Coordinating video from several cameras may be difficult to capture multiple views of the same event.
With VDV, you get a list of all events so you can pick and choose what event to view without watching hours of nothing happening. You can define new rules later to narrow down huge lists of events (busy scene) to help reduce the time spent watching non-important events.
I went on a 2 week vacation once and when I came back I reviewed the whole two weeks of video from 5 cameras (2 of which are very busy residential street scenes) in about an hour and I discovered:
the mailman didn't get my notice to hold my mail for 2 days after I left, but my neighbor saw the mail collecting and got it to keep for me and so I knew to go get it from them (they had forgotten about it when I saw and spoke to them as I was unpacking the car!),
a friend came to my door and I was able to contact him to find out what he wanted,
all 3 utility meter readers had been by,
someone parked in my driveway for about 20 minutes but didn't get out of their car (!! ??),
2 people carrying large book carriers came to my door and knocked (dunno who they were)
and some children came to the door while their parents stood on the sidewalk (looked like they were selling cookies or something).
But nothing else happened of interest or worry, and that is what to expect... but I also know that no package delivery service made a delivery and no one absconded with a package (which is one reason I set the system up). I have the satisfaction of knowing that nothing happened, if there is any value in that.
And just for fun, I knew the exact time I left and the exact time I got back!
Semper Vaporo,