Interactive displays with xLights

[twooly]

I think what rimist is saying is a open wifi is a open wifi.  Yes it doesn't connect to the internet but it connects to the network which includes your show computer.  Anyone with knowledge/time/bordem can connect to the wifi with not just a phone but a computer and start working away to see if they can get in your computer/cause issues so you show won't run.  Sure you can lockdown your computer like no other, its just another thing you have to worry about.

Me I like the website idea but like pointed out you have to get past the random people on the internet

[jnealand]

I just cannot imagine doing anything like this.  I'm a model railroad guy as well as a lighting enthusiast.  At train shows, some of the displays have interactive buttons for kids or adults to push.  There is always some kid there just leaning on the button to do that one thing and it is usually something loud and annoying.  Seems to me that would happen with an interactive display and then your well thought out, sequences, and planned show never gets seen in total by anyone due to some one trying to take it over just for the sake of taking it over or pushing a button.  I like to be in control of what my display is doing.  I'm open to suggestions from viewers for changes / enhancements, but I for one like it to be my display and not someone else's.  In my case i seldom have more than one car at a time watching the show, but I do the showfor me and I do not seek out publicity although I might be changing my mind on that one for next year.

[rimist]

Twooly - exactly. Way to many people hack open networks because they are there.

-Rimist (via Tapatalk)

[rimist]

Jnealand-
I do my show for my family, however, I'd like to allow interaction some of the time, or, perhaps after the show has run a certain amount of time. Initially, I'm really just entertaining requested songs. It's still my show, just the order of the songs changes. To prevent the annoying twit from repeating the same song, all songs would be in the queue, and a request would be counted as a vote. Order the queue by played counter (asc) then by vote counter (desc). All songs would be played before starting over, but the votes determine the order. You could also Use the requestor's Mac address to prevent excessive votes, just be sure to reset that counter when their requested song plays.

-Rimist (via Tapatalk)

[einstein2883]

I think a web site would be better than an app because we wouldn’t need different apps for all the different kinds of phones.   One way to help make sure the person is in your yard would be to have some kind of digital sign/display in your yard that had a changing number.  Then the person could enter that number as some kind of password to login.  You could have the number change after every use or every hour…

[twooly]

Or somehow tap into the gps like google does going to their site on my phone

[rimist]

I think the web site would be very versatile. Actually, a single web site could be the host to multiple physical sites. The individual show computers could get an encrypted xml file containing the next thing to do. Each host computer would simply share its public key with the web server as part of the initial configuration. After that, it's a simple http request.

-Rimist (via Tapatalk)

[chrisatpsu]

well, to keep people from screwing with the rest of the show, that functionality should be locked out once a sequenced song is playing...

i did like the idea of lboucher's app.  but it went through the internet.
it checked to see if you near the show. and could tell you the closest show that it could control.

it would be a good start to have some of these features.

[chrisatpsu]

I think the web site would be very versatile. Actually, a single web site could be the host to multiple physical sites. The individual show computers could get an encrypted xml file containing the next thing to do. Each host computer would simply share its public key with the web server as part of the initial configuration. After that, it's a simple http request.

-Rimist (via Tapatalk)

each computer would still have to "announce" to the website what capabilities were available. john might have a megatree spin, but if i don't have a megatree...   etc.

[rimist]

That is true, however, the server would also share a public key with the show computer, so all of those communications would be encrypted as well

-Rimist (via Tapatalk)

[dpitts]

I personally like Mr. Browns first idea. I think it would be relatively easy to lock down the wireless access to show computer. The chances of some great hacker with the time and the motive to be on my block looking at my show with bad intentions is very slim. And I am sure I could keep out the average hacker. Just my opinion. Also the stand alone Android or Iphone app seems like a good idea. How many OS's are there. If you create the app for those two OS's you have probably 90% of the users.

[chrisatpsu]

blackberry would be the last 10%

[taybrynn]

I agree with dpitts.  I really am not overly concerned about hackers at the show ... esp. in my less crowded, rural environment.

[frankr]

so you would have an open unsecured wifi network to your show computer?

i'm not being a negative nancy, just the devils advocate   

Good point. I think this can be easily addressed by including encryption and authentication features in the protocol between the show computer and the mobile app.

Matt

Short of embedding the WPA access keys in the XLIGHTS mobile app I am not sure how you prevent someone from connecting any device to your network.  Even with that a truly determined attacker could extract the key from XLIGHTS mobile or just use their android device to look for other weaknesses in the show computer.

I think the key will really come down to the owner of the show computer being savvy enough to make sure their computer is secure.  A good software firewall on the PC should suffice to make sure that only XLIGHTS mobile can talk to the PC.  Of course now you need to make sure that the XLIGHTS is hardened against attacks...

Of course I may be more paranoid than most given my day job...

Frank

[Timon]

If I was setting this up I'd setup a single web site.

You display either that web sites address or one from your own domain that points to it.

You now register your display with the web site including your displays GPS location.

Now when the viewer goes to the web site it will ask the browser for the GPS location and display the information for your display.

Xlights would also connect to the web site and would receive commands the viewer enters on the site. If xlights was not running a message would be displayed.

This way everyone is protected and no open WiFi is used.

Thoughts?

John



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