Currently testing tinyCam Monitor Pro on the “next to cheapest” Android “TV Box” (note: not real Android TV OS), found on Amazon.
Specs: S905W chipset, 2gb RAM, H264HW decoding supported. I chose the particular model because it has an Ethernet port. Plenty of stability risks going on without adding WiFi issues to the mix.
Approximately $35. Why go so cheap? Well… It doesn’t make sense to get a $100 to $300 server for a $20 camera, does it? This is a proof-of-concept for ActionTiles Customers. We want to know what the lowest priced feasible solution is. I think the next meaningful step up is an S912 (?) box in the $90 range: But at that price, using an “old” phone, tablet, or hacking a Fire Stick might be a better option.
Starting simple:
- Not rooting, but avoiding extra bloat too.
- Using alpha vnc lite (because box is running “headless” - no TV monitor), which does not require root.
- Both tinyCam and vnc are set to start upon boot.
Results so far?
- Testing with 2 Wyze Cams
- Tested for a while on WiFi and seemed rather stable.
- The “Auto Start Web server” on boot option frequently toggles off. Why?
- Even after boot and manually starting tinyCam, the Web server often does not remain toggled on.
- Using “Power safe mode” seems to substantially increase stability, but frame rate is 0.3 Hz (one frame per 2 to 4 seconds; not 3 to 10 frames per second). That’s acceptable to me, I’d like at least 1 Hz.
Next Steps?
- Rooting and removing the built-in Apps from the Box to ensure maximum resources are available.
- Might try an alternative ROM. There seem to be some good ones.
- I want to test this with some LAN RTSP camera(s) too. And try at least 3 concurrent Wyze.
- Goal is to see if I can reliably serve 4 cameras, even if the frame rate is approx 1 frame per 5 seconds.