AVIOSYS 9100+  Yet another product from the far East where the manufacturer doesn't even put their own name on the box, instructions or unit.

This is an interesting device, it captures baseband video from four ports and audio from one. Instead of digitising it and merely stuffing it down a PCI bus, firewire or USB connection, it acts as a stand alone video server running Linux and presents a video stream to a network under a single IP.

Let's look at what a video server of this nature replaces -

a pc with four video capture cards, one soundcard, an operating system, a NIC and all appropriate software.

This unit is about the size of a packet of fags and runs silently from a small switch mode 5v supply.

We thought the Japanese were bad at manuals but setting this up is not for the inexperienced given the haphazard nature of the CD and online support.

Firstly, as anyone who is well seasoned in networked computers will assume, junk MS and use a decent browser such as Firefox. The trouble is, the firmware of this imbedded web server uses active x and Mozilla just defaults to a cut down version of the web which it serves up. ( http://192.168.1.101/Simple/index.htm )

Reluctantly, I have to use exploder to access this device properly. Whoever wrote the code for this device ought to lined up against a wall and shot. It's appallingly shoddy, hard to use and unreliable.

All hope is not lost however as this unit's OS possibly is open source under GNU and certainly is flashable. Could this be the next WRT54G?

Image quality is really not too bad, I used a variety of inputs from DVD to Baxall colour cameras.

Two difficulties which have struck me so far ( The courier only brought it this morning )

Frame sync is lost occasionally, this happens on all inputs ( I use PAL II )

Round robin is supposed to load share between the various video streams but the supplied software seems incapable of discerning as to which input is outputted to which quadrant. Subsequently, an array of 4x4 inputs can swap around, this is not what you really need. I'd be glad to find a way of stabilizing this.     

I bought a NIB WRT54GS Version 4 for this system, flashed it with DD-WRT v23 SP1 final. Now my CCTV system is Wireless and could be made to be an internet server. It also allows (in theory) the use of the motion detect and automatic emailing facility.

I've met a few people who have a real problem with localised CCTV. I share their basic concerns but think they are getting confused and not seeing the wider picture.

CCTV has often been used as a method of reducing the actual cost of public safety and security. It results in some very bored person in a remote location scrutinising peoples movements and watching out for any suspicious or eccentric behaviour. Once an unusual pattern is recognised, a response team would be deployed to act upon this.  

This is not my aim here, this project involves having a wide open system where all members of the immediate community can log on and see what is going on around their homes. In effect, it's no more intrusive than looking out of your window.

It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Neighbourhood Watch'

Sample Screenshot

Aviosys International Inc.