Puppy tech for LOCAL communication during virus lockdown

[greengeek]

Due to the issues with coronavirus it appears that lockdowns are inevitable and also "social distancing" - where people physically space themselves away from others.

In our factory environment we are no longer allowed more than 4 people at a time in the lunchroom.

So how can we communicate with our workmates and families if we are living and/or working in non-shared spaces?

How can we stay in touch with people who are quarantined in a separate bedroom or the apartment next door?

What technologies are available within Puppy for completely LOCAL transmission of data, audio streams and video streams - all without needing EXTERNAL servers, exchanges, cellphones, or ISP's in the middle?

What can we use if our external broadband connection drops dead?

I am assuming that we all have a wifi router that can reach every room in the house, and potentially into the apartment or house next door.

What utilities exist to share conversation etc with our family members and workmates?

I can think of DLNA for music broadcast, and various network sharing technologies for file sharing - but what of tools for realtime conversation (video+audio or just audio only) across a wifi network?

Yes we can buy a baby monitor but can Puppy help us achieve this using our computers, webcams and microphones?

Any suggestions?
(If you can post a tutorial or a link to a thread for a known working solution I will link it below to make them easier to find)

SOLUTIONS:

Text solutions:


Audio solutions:

OscarTalks suggested Puppy psip phone. Works locally without any external connection or any registration with external server companies:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 65#1053365
(This is both an audio and text message capable solution)

Possibly Backseat Driver?
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 66#1053166

Possibly Jami and/or qtox?
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 71#1053171
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 16#1053216

Video solutions:


Audio/Video combo:
Wiak suggested syntax for ffmpeg stream:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 11#1053811
(Works well as long as 2 second delay is acceptable to both parties. Definitely perfect for monitoring patient/baby etc.)
.

[tallboy]

Zello, walkie-talkie app for cellphones. Also communicates through a PC, but the downside is that you need internet.

[dancytron]

This is an intercom server for android and apple phones.

It is for the Raspberry Pi, but I think it would work on a regular computer too.

https://www.electromaker.io/project/vie ... and-mumble

It's in the debian repo.

https://packages.debian.org/stretch/mumble-server

Another link that showed up on google.

https://www.linode.com/docs/application ... on-debian/

[Mike Walsh]

What's wrong with PSIP? It's existing Puppy technology, it's proven, and it works.

Anybody who's tried Smokey01's BackSeatDriver (and I'm pretty sure you have, GG, 'cos you were asking me about it, months ago) will know it's perfectly possible to chat with just the PSIP portion, without needing to run the remote desktop function.

Normally PSIP requires a SIP account & all sorts of faffing-about to get it to connect & work. The beauty of the version that's part of BackSeatDriver is that it works direct, via an encrypted VPN tunnel. To make sure you're private, just re-configure the settings to use your own unique name & password at both ends.....that way, your conversation remains private, even if scores of Puppians should suddenly be online with BSD at the same time..!

Stuart (tuxtoo) and I have tested this out several times over the last few months, and it usually works A-OK. Even when he was using a lowly, Atom-powered netbook, and I was using ye anciente P4-powered Dell lappie, it still functioned fine.

It's worth considering, if you're on an all-Puppy set-up.


Mike.

[wiak]

Interesting thread. What we need to look for, more generally, is peer-to-peer Linux software.

For example (though in alpha): https://gnunet.org

Probably also looking for audio plus video and file sharing/media streaming etc

wiak

EDIT: even badboy Microsoft Netmeeting used to have peer to peer capability. I once demonstrated that to a largish audience in a video/audio/whiteboard call via normal phone line direct link between New Zealand and Scotland in 1999.

Many ideas here
https://www.ubuntupit.com/top-20-best-l ... -software/

[wiak]

https://jami.net and https://qtox.github.io/ look very interesting.

[tallboy]

What technologies are available within Puppy for completely LOCAL transmission of data, audio streams and video streams - all without needing EXTERNAL servers, exchanges, cellphones, or ISP's in the middle?

Hmm, you would need a router, but for software, I don't know.

What can we use if our external broadband connection drops dead?

That is the real problem, because all the above mentioned solutions need internet.

There is of course the old fashioned alternative technique, named talk...

[wiak]

No, global internet is not required for peer to peer direct IP address communications. You don't even need a router, but a switch is useful for group communications.

wiak

[greengeek]

Thanks for the ideas - i will respond to each as i try them.

In the meantime I am experimenting with using ffmpeg to stream video to the network but i could do with some pointers. I looked at the following link:
https://unix.stackexchange.com/question ... ith-ffmpeg
...and found the following syntax:

Code: Select all

 ffmpeg -f video4linux2 -s 640x480 -r 15 -i /dev/video0 -codec copy -an http://localhost:8099/feed1.ffm

It looked as if it almost worked as the blue webcam LED came on momentarily - but looks as if I need to open a port or something. Here is the error message:

Code: Select all

Input #0, video4linux2,v4l2, from '/dev/video0':
  Duration: N/A, start: 1959.876134, bitrate: 73728 kb/s
    Stream #0:0: Video: rawvideo (YUY2 / 0x32595559), yuyv422, 640x480, 73728 kb/s, 15 fps, 15 tbr, 1000k tbn, 1000k tbc
[tcp @ 0x807fd60] Connection to tcp://localhost:8099 failed: Connection refused
http://localhost:8099/feed1.ffm: Input/output error

Does anyone have any suggestion what did the "refusing" and how can I force it to "allow" ??

I figure that ffmpeg in this usage acts as a server of some type - maybe I need to open a hole through the firewall?
(Tried turning the firewall off temporarily but no change to the error)

[greengeek]

Link for me to review:
https://www.moreno.marzolla.name/softwa ... am-server/

[Mike Walsh]

I've got Jami up-and-running in Xenialpup64.

Download the 64-bit .deb for Ubuntu 16.04 from here:-

https://jami.net/download-jami-linux/

You'll need the Qt5-5.5.1.sfs loaded. Get it from here:-

http://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/pe ... _amd64.sfs

I know these are huge packages, but I've found that, unlike Qt4 where you can just load the relevant modules, Qt5 insists on having the full infrastructure to draw on; without it, it just won't function.

You'll also need the following from the PPM:-

libclutter
libclutter-gtk
libnm
libwebkit2gtk
libqrencode
libcanberra-gtk3

This is the Jami interface:-





.....after setting up a 'local' account. As wiak says, this appears to permit accounts across a LAN, without needing internet access.

I've got it 'working'.....but don't ask me how the hell you actually use it. This, you will need to discover for yourselves.....

GG:- There are 32-bit packages available, but I suspect you'll have an uphill struggle getting this running under 560. You are going to have a massive 'lib-chase', and I don't have a clue what minimum version of the glibc these were compiled to use. It may not even work for you at all. I can no longer help any further with this, despite 560 being one of my real 'favourites'; my new hardware simply will not run the older Puppies, 'cos they're all looking for something at boot-time which this PC just doesn't have.

(*shrug*)

Just doing what I can to help here.


Mike.

[Moose On The Loose]

I have a very related question.

Microsoft has a thing called "teams".
Sadly my company has opted (yet again) to standardize on a bad idea.
Has anyone managed to make "teams" work in a Linux environment.

I tried the web version in Chrome on a 32 bit Precise but it made a horrid mess on the page and then locked up. Things were over top things and all manner of not readable.

If no option, I will have to set up a new computer on my network and put a virus magnet on it. This I would like to avoid.

I hope all are well.

[OscarTalks]

Firewalls will need to be disabled or configured to allow incoming SIP connections, but I think you will find that PSIP (or other SIP softphones) can easily make calls from LAN IP to LAN IP without needing to connect out to WAN at all.

Here I have PSIP in my Stretch Pup on LAN IP 192.168.0.10 receiving a call from another room and another computer which has LAN IP address 192.168.0.3

If you know the LAN IP address, simply open the Calls window and enter (in this example) sip:192.168.0.10 and click the Make Call button

[greengeek]

Hi OscarTalks, thanks for the tips. I struggled with this for a while as i missed the importance of your comment about the ip address being written with a "sip:" prefix - even though a sip server is not in use.

In my version (1.3pre) it is necessary to use the following steps:

1) "Add" a friend as shown in the first pic below

NOTE 1: you must prefix the ip address with sip:
eg: sip:192.168.1.5
NOTE 2: you must choose a category of "p2p" (peer to peer)

2) After creating a friend the category "p2p" will appear in the main window and it will have a green "online" dot alongside it if your computer can see the active IP address of the friend you have created (see pic 2 below).

However - if you select the p2p line and try to communicate a message to it you will not see any progress. What you have to do is:

3) Click on the little triangle next to "p2p" and another line will appear showing the friend you created. (see pic 3 below). Select this friend then click "message" and start communicating.


******************************************
Troubleshooting tip:

To establish the ip address of the target "friend" computer open a terminal window on that computer and enter the command:

ifconfig

Before sending a message to the friend (or if the friend does not seem to be online) try accessing it by pinging it from a system terminal as follows:

ping 192.168.1.5

(note that the sip: prefix is not required for the system terminal ping uitility)
You should see several responses from the friend's IP address. If so then you can proceed to send messages, but if not you may have a firewall blocking problem.

[greengeek]

...also confirming that the "call" function works too. (thanks OT!)

Only problem is that the receiver has to see the incoming call and accept it. If possible I would like something similar to the functionality of an intercom where the caller can broadcast their voice (and/or image) to the receiver without needing acknowledgment from a person at the remote end. (ie a two way "squawkbox" type of thing).

[greengeek]

This is an intercom server for android and apple phones.

It is for the Raspberry Pi, but I think it would work on a regular computer too.

https://www.electromaker.io/project/vie ... and-mumble

As far as I can tell this requires the internet and/or cellphone connectivity unfortunately. (Unless I misunderstood...)
I was hoping for local connectivity if possible. Just minimal tech.

[greengeek]

What's wrong with PSIP? It's existing Puppy technology, it's proven, and it works.

Anybody who's tried Smokey01's BackSeatDriver (and I'm pretty sure you have, GG, 'cos you were asking me about it, months ago) will know it's perfectly possible to chat with just the PSIP portion, without needing to run the remote desktop function.

Can't remember why I stalled on the back seat driver tests. Didnt realise psip can communicate locally without a sip account so that's good news.

Normally PSIP requires a SIP account & all sorts of faffing-about to get it to connect & work. The beauty of the version that's part of BackSeatDriver is that it works direct, via an encrypted VPN tunnel

Is that a VPN on a local LAN or via internet? Can it run totally without WAN?

[greengeek]

That is the real problem, because all the above mentioned solutions need internet.
There is of course the old fashioned alternative technique, named talk...

Ahh yes - but what if I am quarantined downstairs and my wife can't hear my repeated requests for more lemon and honey drink???

[greengeek]

I've got Jami up-and-running in Xenialpup64.

Download the 64-bit .deb for Ubuntu 16.04 from here:-

https://jami.net/download-jami-linux/

You'll need the Qt5-5.5.1.sfs loaded. Get it from here:-

http://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/pe ... _amd64.sfs

I know these are huge packages, but I've found that, unlike Qt4 where you can just load the relevant modules, Qt5 insists on having the full infrastructure to draw on; without it, it just won't function.

You'll also need the following from the PPM:-

libclutter
libclutter-gtk
libnm
libwebkit2gtk
libqrencode
libcanberra-gtk3

This is the Jami interface:-





.....after setting up a 'local' account. As wiak says, this appears to permit accounts across a LAN, without needing internet access.

I've got it 'working'.....but don't ask me how the hell you actually use it. This, you will need to discover for yourselves..... :

Thanks Mike - worth a look. If it absolutely needs 64bit then so be it. Whatever works is good.
cheers!

[Mike Walsh]

@ GG:-

Let us know how you get on with this, because you're more concerned with purely 'local' communication, aren't you? Most of the other suggestions are designed to work across the WAN, as opposed to LAN.....

I'll be interested to hear the outcome, mate.


Mike.