ZoneMinder Forums

I would to create a security system not only with zoneminder and camera based on motion detect, but i would to start the record for a single camera
through an external sensor (temperature, motion, ecc) to have more
reliability, so my question is: what kind of hardware for sensors i have to use? how can i connect sensors to this hardware and than to pc? How can i control zoneminder after an external event?

id be interested in this too! I have looked at various methods and the most widly used is to modify the parralel port but i would rather find a device that is ip or usb. So if you have any luick id like to know

I have a 4 cam system, but one of them is activated by PIR.

Under normal conditions the camera is turned off, so all you see in zoneminder is a blue screen, but if movement is detected by the pir power is connected to the camera (and a floodlight). This in turn triggers motion detection.

Only downside is that when the pir turns off power to the camera, you get another trigger for motion detection.

But this works reliably.

This can be good with only one sensor, but if you have more than one and for example you want to do some operation on single sensor information this is not so good. I'm trying to find some hardware to connect to pc with usb.

Never used it myself, but this sounds like a good use for X10 (already has things like temp sensors/pir/beams etc). ZM is built to work with that.