High-Tech Camping

[LONE-STAR]

My Tech is truck, trailer, cart, and beer. For camping thats all I need.

 

[Shan-man]

Okay, I see that I made two mistakes here... first, I should have called the thread "High-tech Motorhoming" or something since some people are offended by the idea of watching tv or using ac while camping. But I have seen pictures of tents (even tee-pee's) with laptops in them and I didn't want anyone to feel excluded from the thread. Second, I shouldn't have suggested that an aircard is a suitable replacement for wired-broadband options. It's only just passable, though it works for me... I guess I'm just patient

That said, anybody got some innovative tech they are using in a camping situation. Personally, I never travel without my laptop. I run Microsoft Streets & Trips and use a GPS receiver to provide navigation guidance. I put my MacBook right on the doghouse of the motorhome and have a huge map compared to the little on-dash GPS-jobbers (old eyes).

My motorhome came without a backup camera, so when I saw a $99 wireless unit at Target I jumped. It's a little, dash mounted color screen (about the size of a dash-GPS) that plugs into the cig lighter. And the camera is designed to mount on the license plate and tap power from your back-up lights (so it activates only when backing). I mounted mine high center and angled it down and tapped a constant 12v line so it is always on since I cannot see out the back of my motorhome. It's a great little unit, with a clear picture and plenty of adjustability for various lighting conditions. And it allows me to back into narrow sites without assistance and put my bumper RIGHT where I want it. Pretty cool for $99.

 

[ntsammy5]

No offense taken,I rarely camp where there is electric - and occasionally camp where the only thing I take with me is on my back, hence wine sometimes, not beer! And no laptop.

 

[Shan-man]

No offense taken,I rarely camp where there is electric - and occasionally camp where the only thing I take with me is on my back, hence wine sometimes, not beer! And no laptop.

Oh, I agree, there is a world of difference between roughing it and motorhoming, and it is a mistake to lump them both into the term "camping". I agree with the purist who looks at a 45' triple slide with a sneer and says, "that's not camping". It's not, it's vacationing in an RV. I used to tent camp on Yonah Mt in N GA and spend the day rock climbing and rappelling and that was great fun... for a few days at a shot. I imagine tent camping at FW, in the right weather, is a blast too. But I have yet to see anyone setting up a tent camp there for 3,4, even 6 months like I do the motorhoming crowd. And that's what I was hoping to address, mostly, by starting this thread... what tech can you use when RV vacationing that makes it more enjoyable, easier, cheaper, et al. But, again, tech is not just for the RV crowd... I have seen someone in a state park at a hike in site, no electric, who had a car battery, power inverter, and laptop!

 

[stky6]

All I need is a tent and a sleeping bag. The technology stays at home. I need a vacation from all that too !!

I'm a systems administrator...I whole heartedly agree

 

[F4disneyfan]

I'm a systems administrator...I whole heartedly agree

A little OT but what kind of fish do you keep? We have a small 75 gal saltwater tank with Dory and Nemo and Jaque and a few others from the tank gang.

 

[Shan-man]

One of the things that got me looking into the Slingbox in the first place is the fact that I am addicted to using a PVR. Before I got mine I knew it would be cool, but I never would have thought I would abandon watching live tv altogether. If something is on now that I want to watch, I am more likely to record it and watch something else already recorded for 20 minutes than I am to watch it live. In 20 minutes I can get through a 30 minute show and have built up enough spool that I can watch an hour long show commercial free.

All that to say, PVRs are not good traveling companions. The hard drive spins whenever there is power to the unit and is susceptible to damage from just going down the road. So in-motion satellite with PVR is a very dicey proposition. You can unplug the receiver and just get a standard satellite dome, but then you miss recording any shows that are on while you are not setup at camp.

A Slingbox (working as advertised, again, I don't have one yet) solves both problems. Your PVR remains safely at home away from shocks and can record whether you are at camp or not. Add the fact that a $200 box replaces a $2000+ satellite dome and a second receiver subscription and the idea becomes pretty compelling. One other thing it affords is a way to manage your PVR while away. If you are not watching and deleting shows a PVR fills up pretty quick (or at least mine does). With the Slingbox you can monitor your recorded shows and delete the ones you don't need so new shows don't overwrite things you'd like to keep.

I was thinking too, that if you were to use security cameras around the house, it would be cool to hook a cheap radio into the audio side of camera signals you don't need sound for (i.e. anything other than door or baby monitors) and then when you need background music you could just tune to that channel and get the music and monitor your property. And, when on vacation you'd have access (via Slingbox) to your favorite radio station at home.

 

[2goofycampers]

Again Shan-man

 

[Shan-man]

Ok, one more tech thing I'd like to find a way to employ. I'd like to design a system to use my laptop and aircard (or wi-fi) to monitor the situation in the motorhome while we are away. We leave our dogs often as we are touring, and there is alway the nagging fear that the generator/camp power might fail, or the AC might ice over/break down and the dogs would be left in sweltering heat. Or even just a way to know if they are being loud the whole time, bothering neighbors who are to kind to complain. It would be great to devise a system that could post criteria like voltage and temperature to a website, which I can monitor via my PPC. Or, for those without an internet-enabled PDA, just send a text message every so often... or even just when certain thresholds are met. How about tying in the fire alarm, or door alarms (break-ins). How about a pressure sensitive mat at your door that activates a web cam so you can see who left that nasty note on your door about the blasted dogs!!! Ok, I'm getting punchy.

 

[VACAMPER]

I know Denise, it all confuses me to. Maybe he can draw us a picture.

 

[Shan-man]

I know Denise, it all confuses me to. Maybe he can draw us a picture.

I guess I better stick to graphic design and give up ideas of becoming a technology columnist!

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Ok, one more tech thing I'd like to find a way to employ. I'd like to design a system to use my laptop and aircard (or wi-fi) to monitor the situation in the motorhome while we are away. We leave our dogs often as we are touring, and there is alway the nagging fear that the generator/camp power might fail, or the AC might ice over/break down and the dogs would be left in sweltering heat. Or even just a way to know if they are being loud the whole time, bothering neighbors who are to kind to complain. It would be great to devise a system that could post criteria like voltage and temperature to a website, which I can monitor via my PPC. Or, for those without an internet-enabled PDA, just send a text message every so often... or even just when certain thresholds are met. How about tying in the fire alarm, or door alarms (break-ins). How about a pressure sensitive mat at your door that activates a web cam so you can see who left that nasty note on your door about the blasted dogs!!! Ok, I'm getting punchy.

Some one once told me there was something manufactured where you could set it and if your RV hit a certain temperature it would call your cell phone. It was called something like pet monitor, IIRC.

 

[2goofycampers]

Some one once told me there was something manufactured where you could set it and if your RV hit a certain temperature it would call your cell phone. It was called something like pet monitor, IIRC.

OOPS. that was me, forgot Frank logged in.

 

[chilipyro]

Well, I share your enthusiasm for similar technologies, though I think you won't have nearly the bandwidth to do most of what you are saying you want to do.

I've tried to think of ways to place-shift my Tivo, and have access to it while camping. One way, if you have satellite and a portable service, is to bring your PVR with you. As you point out, it would not be a good solution while driving, but it should work OK while parked. Even without a portable satellite service, you could bring your PVR with you and just configure the program guide for the cable service you get at the campground. Finally, if you have a bunch of stuff stored on your PVR, you can always bring it along and watch what you have recorded.

In order to place-shift the entertainment on your PVR from home (e.g., with a sling box), you will need to have a high bandwidth connection both at home and at camp. An AirCard isn't going to cut it - nor would the best WiFi signal you can get. You need cable or DSL on both ends (ideally cable). I understand that you can get cable internet access at FW, so there are possibilities with that.

Since most campgrounds seem to provide only WiFi (and with limited signal strength), I've pretty much given up on the idea of place shifting my digital entertainment at home. I bring a laptop, and use the web. Music comes with us on an Archos media player and movies come with us on disk. About the only internet solution for movie playing that I have considered for camping is Roku's Netflix Player. I'm thinking of getting one for home, and am curious how it would perform with a WiFi connection - probably not well, but worth a try.

As for the RV monitoring - you should take a look at SmartHome.com. They have a lot of gadgets that might work for you along those lines.

 

[jrandtysmom]

Ok, one more tech thing I'd like to find a way to employ. I'd like to design a system to use my laptop and aircard (or wi-fi) to monitor the situation in the motorhome while we are away. We leave our dogs often as we are touring, and there is alway the nagging fear that the generator/camp power might fail, or the AC might ice over/break down and the dogs would be left in sweltering heat. Or even just a way to know if they are being loud the whole time, bothering neighbors who are to kind to complain. It would be great to devise a system that could post criteria like voltage and temperature to a website, which I can monitor via my PPC. Or, for those without an internet-enabled PDA, just send a text message every so often... or even just when certain thresholds are met. How about tying in the fire alarm, or door alarms (break-ins). How about a pressure sensitive mat at your door that activates a web cam so you can see who left that nasty note on your door about the blasted dogs!!! Ok, I'm getting punchy.

Wow. I thought camping was supposed to be relaxing. You have me stressed out and I'm not even camping with you.

 

[Shan-man]

Well, I share your enthusiasm for similar technologies...

Oh, thank goodness! I was beginning to think I was the only geek around

I've tried to think of ways to place-shift my Tivo, and have access to it while camping. One way, if you have satellite and a portable service, is to bring your PVR with you.

Yeah, that'd be tough. I have Dish with HD, so it is a 4 LNB (huge) with a large multiplexer/amp that's mounted to the wall... it's just too much to handle. I used to do this 10 years ago with an old Sony (single LNB) that actually had an LED on the LNB arm that blinked to show signal strength when the receiver was in setup mode. It was a cinch to setup temporarily.

you could bring your PVR with you and just configure the program guide for the cable service you get at the campground.

That is a GREAT IDEA I never thought of using the antenna input for cable and prgramming the PVR for those stations! You're a genius and have just redeemed my time spent making this thread!!!!!

In order to place-shift the entertainment on your PVR from home (e.g., with a sling box), you will need to have a high bandwidth connection both at home and at camp. An AirCard isn't going to cut it - nor would the best WiFi signal you can get. You need cable or DSL on both ends (ideally cable).

That's my concern as well, but I have talked to the folks at Slingbox and they assure me that an acceptable picture is possible with as little as 256K down. And I have read from other boards that people are watching on commuter trains via aircard (Verizon 6-800K) and loving it. I'm still unsure, and couldn't do it until adding cable at home anyhow... so for now I'm just dreaming up possibilities. Heck, even if it is untenable today, it will be possible soon so why not think about what if's!

As for the RV monitoring - you should take a look at SmartHome.com.

Yeah, I've gotten their catalog for years and they provide a lot of inspiration for thinking outside the box. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Shan-man]

Some one once told me there was something manufactured where you could set it and if your RV hit a certain temperature it would call your cell phone. It was called something like pet monitor, IIRC.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to look for that.

 

[chilipyro]

Yeah, that'd be tough. I have Dish with HD, so it is a 4 LNB (huge) with a large multiplexer/amp that's mounted to the wall... it's just too much to handle. I used to do this 10 years ago with an old Sony (single LNB) that actually had an LED on the LNB arm that blinked to show signal strength when the receiver was in setup mode. It was a cinch to setup temporarily.

You may just need an updated dish, or you might tell Dish that you want a portable setup, and ask what it takes. I see RVs with satellite dishes on tripods at nearly every campground that has RVs. I have definitely seen dishes with the 'DISH' logo, so it seems like you should be able to do it with that service. You might have less of a service while camping, than at home, but still...

That's my concern as well, but I have talked to the folks at Slingbox and they assure me that an acceptable picture is possible with as little as 256K down. And I have read from other boards that people are watching on commuter trains via aircard (Verizon 6-800K) and loving it.

Bandwidth will limit the quality of a picture for a given picture size. If you are watching on a cell phone size screen, you will not be as limited as, for example, watching on a 15" (or larger) laptop or TV. I'd have to believe that your target display would have to be in the 5" range (max) to get a reasonable picture from the bandwidth you would have on AirCard.

Heck, even if it is untenable today, it will be possible soon so why not think about what if's!

I think the 'possible soon' technology is likely to be WiMAX. Keep your eye on that.

Yeah, I've gotten their catalog for years and they provide a lot of inspiration for thinking outside the box.

The device I was thinking of is a Sensaphone (search on SmartHome's web site). Unfortunately, it expects a land line to make calls to alert you to problems. You could get an interface to a cell phone (e.g., Doc-N-Talk), but that would require that you have two cell phones with different numbers - the one you left in your camper to make the calls, and the one you have with you to receive the calls. That seems like a lot of work for a fancy alarm system. I think you would be better off just connecting something loud and obnoxious to the sensors, so that anyone nearby will alert the authorities if something goes wrong (and later on, clobber you for imposing your obnoxious alarm on their peaceful campsite ).

Thanks for the suggestions!

You are welcome

 

[Us3]

That's my concern as well, but I have talked to the folks at Slingbox and they assure me that an acceptable picture is possible with as little as 256K down. And I have read from other boards that people are watching on commuter trains via aircard (Verizon 6-800K) and loving it. I'm still unsure, and couldn't do it until adding cable at home anyhow... so for now I'm just dreaming up possibilities. Heck, even if it is untenable today, it will be possible soon so why not think about what if's!

I've done some research on Slingbox...but I'm not convinced about using it with my aircard...

If you try this out, please let us know your findings!

 

[HappyCamper87]

We are one of those terrible families that have a nice TV and DVD in the TT. And, we bring one out on the patio during the day when we are camping at the store and stay. I enjoy sitting outside enjoying the sites and sounds and glancing at the TV once in a while.

But, we are not even close to tech people. In fact, I just got a router so I could go wireless with my laptop that I've owned for a year and a half. So, as you can see I will be no help to you on setting up your camera.

However, you could help me to know what I need to have an internet connection while away from home. I have an N-card and I assume I would have to have a air card away from home - Is this right?

How much do Air Cards cost? I hope I'm not too Annoying. I just wish I understood all this tech stuff....