Author Topic: Interactive displays with xLights  (Read 7219 times)

Offline dpitts

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #30 on: February 10, 2012, »
Since there seems to be so many ideas on how to implement the connection to Xlights. Maybe the best thing to do is create the interface for creating small sequences and and specification to communicate with Xlights and have the individual user or users create the front end. If a group of users wanted to create a web page to talk to Xlights they could use the specification to connect and send commands. If a user wanted to create an Android app to connect over WiFi they could open up WiFi communications and use the specification to connect to Xlights and send commands. Etc.

User settings could be what port to connect to.   

Offline rimist

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #31 on: February 10, 2012, »
I understand the concept, however it is key to not allow incoming requests from the internet, hence, xlights polling the web site.
Otoh, it could always be my responsibility to poll the site and push the info to xlights.
The real question here is what about the non technical users who just want it to work?
I think having the exposed interface for technical users is great, however, he needs to do as he thinks best for everyone else

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Offline taybrynn

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #32 on: February 10, 2012, »
Is there a way this could interact with the conductor down the road?  Would this eliminate or reduce the security concerns, since it would be a standalone piece of hardware and no PC ?
Scott - Castle Rock, Colorado   [ 2 homes, 100% RGB in 2016; since 2008; over 32k channels of E1.31 ]
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Offline rimist

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #33 on: February 10, 2012, »
Is the pic capable of doing a http request?

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Offline rimist

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #34 on: February 10, 2012, »
And yes, if the conductor could poll a web server, that would help security concerns, however, not sure if it would support encryption as well.
I'd look towards possibly using the raspberry pi device to do the encrypted polling and update the composer

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Offline frankr

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #35 on: February 10, 2012, »
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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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I was thinking of something along those lines.  It is a nice workaround for the location issue (remote person controlling the show) and it provides protection for your personal network.

Still pretty easy for someone to do what they want with your display by faking out the GPS coordinates but I cannot imagine why anyone would want to do that...



Offline Steve Gase

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #36 on: February 10, 2012, »
if you are not on wifi, how do you prevent people from manipulating the display the next night from across town?
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Offline rimist

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #37 on: February 10, 2012, »
The app would require knowing your location permission in order to install. When the app is loaded (or accessed after a preset delay) it would make sure you are still near the display.

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Offline Steve Gase

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #38 on: February 10, 2012, »
ahh... location awareness
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Offline rimist

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #39 on: February 10, 2012, »
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ahh... location awareness
Yep, believe it or not I was doing stuff with location awareness back in 2000. I believe it was with the palm hand devices
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Offline Timon

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #40 on: February 11, 2012, »
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ahh... location awareness

Which is my point. Even with two or more displays the location aware web site would just present you each that you were close enough to work with. You could even have a picture of your display so there was no confusion.

Offline taybrynn

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #41 on: February 11, 2012, »
couldn't the app just require that your current gps location be close to the lat lon for the show, which could be set in xlights?
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Offline Timon

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Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #42 on: February 11, 2012, »
Actually I want it to be exact so I can paint a big X on the street that they have to stand on. :)


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Offline rimist

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Re: Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #43 on: February 11, 2012, »
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Actually I want it to be exact so I can paint a big X on the street that they have to stand on. :)
I like this idea... Point a video camera at the spot, warn people they are being recorded, then add a projection of that video to your show. I doubt cracker would sit on tape to get into your computer
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Offline hodgman

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Re: Interactive displays with xLights
« Reply #44 on: February 13, 2012, »
Hello,

Being a newbie I hope I do not step on anyone's toes by saying this but I would have concerns about the willingness of people to download an app for the sole purpose of being able to change songs on someone's light show only when they're in range of the WIFI from the house... Personally, I wouldn't waste my time with downloading the app, especially if it had GPS tracking enabled... 

My recommendation is to build a Access Point(AP) which has captive portal capabilities.  The captive portal will automatically redirect their browsers (of any device connecting to the AP) to a address of your choosing. This approach is nice from a security stand point because you would be segmenting the people connecting to the open AP from your homes LAN/wirless traffic.  You can also lock down which ports on the xLights host they will have access to since the AP is now a firewall device and it would greatly reduce the risk of attacks by having an open AP. 

Being that xLights is a cross platform app, I would recommend using something that is cross platform as well to host the web pages from.  I know there is Apache(2) for windows, Linux and I think it is even installed but disabled in Mac OSX by default. 

Getting back to setting up the AP w/captive portal.  I have built dozens of APs w/captive portals for offices & restaurants and a lot of them were nothing more than discarded PCs I had laying around after building someone a new computer.  All I did was put a wireless card or USB dongle in the PC and install something like pfSense, OpenWRT or monowall on the computer then some configuration.  Here is a link to more information about captive portals and  a list of some popular AP/captive portal software: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Cheers,

Ryan