Re: OK to leave a laptop permanently running?

Fubar Bundy wrote:
Fubar Bundy <dldldl@xxxxxxx> wrote in
news:9ggej8Fjr0U1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:

Fubar Bundy <dldldl@xxxxxxx> wrote in
news:9gfo2cFg2uU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:

(a) They are easier to conceal and tuck away in a hidden place.
(b) It could be be run off a car battery that is under constant
charge, which is my plan for safeguarding against power cuts.
(c) And, yes, I assumed the power consumption would be significantly
less than a PC.
PS.... Having looked into the SFF PC's they do look like a good option
- so thank you for that suggestion.

DD


PPS.. apart from the issue about running it via a car battery, which was quite important. Perhaps I could use an inverter or something.

DD
You still haven't said much about what you're trying to accomplish.
Depending on how many cameras and the interface, usb? ethernet? wireless? RS-170/NTSC/PAL?
You may or may not have a LOT of digitizing going on.
And saving of frames?
And image comparison/motion detection?
And what are you displaying? Unless you write your own
software from scratch, it might be that the first place
you can get the images is off the disk and re-rendering the
compressed data. Gets intense real fast.

For the typical laptop, I think your only viable interface is ethernet.
USB cable length max will bite you.
Probably can't digitize multiple raw analog video streams.

Your laptop disk drive won't spin down.
You might end up running the cpu near max.

Car battery is a problem. If you want to use most of the capacity,
the laptop has to be happy running from about 15V down to 10-11V.
Many laptops won't do that. You end up with an inverter anyway.

As for desktops, my current favorite is the Dell GX-270.
Comes in small, medium and normal desktop sizes.
SFF has two PCI slots, but they're short and narrow.
If you use a digitizer card, or camera interface, it may not fit.
Nice thing about the GX-270 is that it has gigabit ethernet, onboard
video. And US and State governments are surplussing them by the boatload.
Dealers try to get $150 for 'em, but I've bought 'em on on craigslist
and at swapmeets and garage sales for $3 to $10. But I've also bought
laptops for a buck.

I'm here, I might as well rant on security systems.
Why do you need all these cameras?
And why run on batteries?

Most power outages are under a second or so. UPS can easily fill in that. Ditto for laptop battery.
If the power is out for longer than that, it probably ain't coming back
before your battery runs down. Do the power math on the computer, monitor,
cameras, camera lighting... You may need a LOT of batteries.

Any help you might get from the cops will be slow in coming. They're
busy during an outage.

If you're worried about someone cutting YOUR power before they break in,
I'd consider a BIG dog and some armed guards. You're far too visible
in your neighborhood. I'm far more worried about
a roving band of street thugs setting the place on fire before (or after) they
break out the MAC-10's
than I am an organized criminal cutting the power and mounting
a strategic/clandestine break in.

And what are you gonna do with the images? Watch the "crimewatch"
segment of the local news. They're always putting up some fuzzy picture
of a perp asking for help identifying the blob. And these are serious
security cameras with full lighting protecting serious money in banks.

I'm not saying you can't come up with a scenario where a set of cameras
would solve the crime. I'm saying that it's not likely. I worry
more about not getting dead than taking pictures of my demise.

What's the objective of a security system?
If you want to CATCH criminals, you need lots of high resolution
cameras covering every square inch and be totally invisible.

If you want to DETER criminals, you need highly visible cameras.
Whether they work is secondary.

For my money, all I need to do is to help the perp decide to rob
my neighbor's home. A "Protected by Brinks" sign in the front yard
is a big step in that direction.

As always, your situation may be different.
Think it ALL through before you start shelling out the big bux.
Starting small/cheap and replacing what don't work is costly.

YMMV!!
.

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