Is it possible with this module to send a relatively low resolution video steam to a smartphone and at the same time receive simple strings from that phone? Will I get lag or image breakups?
cdonate:
Is it possible with this module to send a relatively low resolution video steam to a smartphone and at the same time receive simple strings from that phone? Will I get lag or image breakups?
If you mean very low resolution that's captured and compresses outside the arduino and sent via serial to the droid to some code there that will render it sure. Sending simple strings sure to your hearts desires. Not sure on that bluetooth module but others have more possessing power than an arduino so it may well become the limiting factor. Bluetooth overall is not a great way to send video.
relatively low resolution
Define "low resolution". 4x4 pixels should be OK, 100x100@15fps are far beyond what's reasonable. Generally an arduino is not well suited for any video handling. Go for some embedded Linux if you wanna do such stuff.
Thanks for the reply guys.
I'm still unsure if I'm going to use arduino. I'm thinking about using the mbed prototyping platform instead of arduino.
Mbed uses a Cortex M3 32 bit IC runing at 96 Mhz. I think it will be much more suited to the job. My big concern is the BT speed, if it is fast enough.
The mbed has a dedicated USB port, and using the BT module in HCI mode maybe better, since it has a much faster connection.
I have little to none experience with bluetooth protocol, with this configuration the task would be possible or I'm talking nonsense?
Mbed + BT in HCI mode streaming video in VGA resolution.
Bluetooth is not fast enough to reliably send video (by VGA I assume you mean 640x480) in real time.
Any suggestions on how should I approach this task? Using a Wi-Fi module?
With a wi-fi module can I connect directly to the Android phone or do I need a wi-fi router in between?
To be able to connect directly to a phone, that phone must be able to do ad-hoc WiFi mode. Some of them do, others don't (one list of supported devices is here http://www.arenddeboer.com/wifi-ad-hoc-enabler-for-android/).
You get more flexibility and much more power on an embedded linux platform as that one:
Products OLinuXino
The Maxi is about 40€ has 450MHz ARM 9 processor and runs Linux, so you have the whole bandwidth of cameras (webcams for 20€ probably do the job). With a USB adapter like the D-Link dwa160 you can even directly make a WiFi access point, so you're compatible with all Android devices.