ZoneMinder Forums

Hi guys!

I just wanted to ask if anyone has an idea, working scenario, or whatever to have sort of an 'on-off function' for Zoneminder.

I installed ZM over half a year ago now, and I _looooove_ it!! I use it as a 'guard' for my front door (inside watchguard of who's coming in thruogh the door)
but I have just a small prob:
It seems I'm about the only one entering... and going in-out-in-out takes a lot of harddisc space, and a lot of removing/deleting video shots.
I was wondering if anyone had found a way of turning on and off in an easy and safe way, just like you do with a regular alarm system. Some input signal monitored or so, like a switch contact.
That way, a simple keycode pad with a relay or an optocoupler can make or break contact when going in or out.
Even a cardreader or a rfid-thing could do the job. that way, whenever it's me going in, the video camera will not process and record...

I was thinking of a script of some kind that starts or stops the service, but I'm not sure that's secure enough...

Maybe this function is already built-in, but as I'm not a programmer or so, I'm not able to connect services and scripts to do what I want to do.

If you have any idea, let me know by email, and we'll work it out.

Thanks in advance!

You have a few options.

1) You can write something to interface with some kind of serial signal and which will call zmpkg.pl to start and stop ZM

2) You can do something similar with triggers, but to enable or disable monitors rather than ZM as a whole.

3) Probably easiest, you can use X.10 to enable or disable monitors. If you have an X.10 RF interface then you can do this with a keyfob.

There are probably a few other ways to do the same also.

if I use the 'triggers' option, enabling or disabling monitors will stop 'recording' when something/someone passes the camera???

The X.10 stuff works in what way?

I have noooo real experience in this matter... Just gave it a try, and ZM does the job perfectly. Now, after running standard features, I'm trying to expand it...

Thanks for the quick responses!

Bram

you can use triggers to activate a cam, you can also use a trigger to chnage run states (ie chnage from modect to monitor) which can in effect disarm zm. To be honest i record everything all the time and only use mocord mode, Yes you need hard disks but they aint that expensive these days.

Then use purge when full to keep it all running nicely

do you have an example script of these triggers? or where can I configure what trigger is to be used when...
I've been looking around in the help pages, and been searching the forum, but I'm not able to reproduce what you explained

I'm just a newbie in scripting etc...

Sorry

but most of all: Thanks!