I have absolutely no idea about Arduino and how they work. I managed to build myself a Tachometer for a Racing Game, but that was only after following instructions (just to make it clear on my knowledge about Arduinos)
Now I have got a bit of free time and I wanted to build something new with the tech, which would be a Doorbell.
My dream would be that the app sends a notification that somebody rang and that if the phoneuser would like to he could select that the arduino will call you (via normal phone) or somehow else that you can talk with whoever is outside (a different app) and that it utilizes the speaker/microphone at the door.
Our Door already has a Button to ring and besides it a Speaker and a Microphone (to talk with the people outside) but neither are hooked up to anything.
My Idea was to combine an Arduino which can run on batteries (already found a few tutorials , probaply going to just hook up a 9V Battery to it) and then continue with the Doorbell Tutorial by Kaustubh Agarwal).
My Idea was to combine an Arduino which can run on batteries (already found a few tutorials , probaply going to just hook up a 9V Battery to it) and then continue with the Doorbell Tutorial by Kaustubh Agarwal).
That there is a doorbell, microphone, and speaker implies that there is power to the box. Why not use that power?
A link to the tutorial that you propose to follow would be useful, if you are going to ask questions about it.
PaulS:
That there is a doorbell, microphone, and speaker implies that there is power to the box. Why not use that power?
A link to the tutorial that you propose to follow would be useful, if you are going to ask questions about it.
There is power at the outside of the gate, but it would have to be pulled through the gate (inside of it(the gate is made of hollow tubes)) so it would be a pain in the ass/impossible without drilling holes) and I could just use battery power and swap the batteries every year or 2
Gabriel_swe commented saying that the tutorial which I planned on using is rubbish, I found a different one which is slightly different and a bit more complicated How To - Doorbell Automation Hack | MySensors Forum
I think this would also be the way to go with speakers and the microphone
yes exactly, good to know that it doesnt work. I found a new tutorial which might be even better because it might fit better with the microphone/speaker thing I wanted to do.
I'm thinking of having the ESP8266 Thing emulate a human user on Skype or Whatsapp or Facebook using video chat. The door mic and camera connects to the ESP8266 Thing, which sends the video and audio to Skype or whatever. At the other end I use the phone just as I would, if a friend contacted me.
I think you'll have to look into that "whatever" part. It's not a PC, there is no Skype for the ESP8266. I doubt it can handle audio, let alone video. All protocols you mention are proprietary, so you'll have a hell of a time reverse engineering them (including their encryption - good luck with that!).
Now if you were talking about the ESP32 I'd say you may stand a fighting chance to encode and send audio over WiFi, maybe even low-res video, but you'll have a lot of work to do as I doubt any ready-made libraries exist.
Using a Raspberry Pi would give you a much better chance of success. Battery power is pretty much out, though. Doing ANYTHING video/audio related AND thinking you have to change batteries only once every two years is rather unrealistic. That is, I do expect you have people at your door more than once every 6-12 months, or why bother. You really need more power available for that.
Actually the easiest to implement your project is to replace your doorbell with a sign:
"Pleas call 3564 1123".
Just about anyone has a phone on them nowadays and most of those will have WhatsApp or other video chat available. Phones also have about a hundred times the clockspeed and a thousand times the memory of an ESP8266, which makes them the more capable one.
Bonus: you never have to replace the batteries of your sign.