Update on Stuff -World's Cheapest Tablets Hanging in there.

Kind of surprisingly both tablets are hanging in there remarkably well.  Michele is much better at destructive testing than I am so she has managed to break the dedicated charger.  Now she is forced to use the usb port and her cell phone charger except when she steals my charger.  

In other news, the little SriCam happens to be more durable than expected.  It is located on the porch and we lost the awning during a storm.  Even exposed to the elements and a lot more rain than normal it is hanging in there.  Since it isn't rated for outdoor use I have no idea how common that is, but I am impressed.  I still haven't found a good non-windows application for it, but after setting up in Windows you can access it with just about any other platform.  The biggest downside is that for quality video storage you pretty much have to use Windows or a pay for online service.  Don't forget that security camera uploading eats up a lot of bandwidth.

On the EZCast front I am sorry to report that it is too complicated for Michele.  I still like it for running videos off my hard drive but isn't all that great for streaming Netflix.  Just to compare things I bought a Chromecast at Radio Shack for the going price and found the display quality much better.  Even with Chromecast there are annoying delays when the router/internet gets slowed down.  If you have close to perfect internet access it should be great but we have quite a few things trying to access at the same time which is likely the problem.  That said we hit 250 gig of usage with Netflix being the main load.  

EZ Cast?

The EZcast Dongle is one of a bunch "smarter" TV WiFi devices that let you stream video and music from any of your computers, tablets, smart phones whatever, whether it is stored on the device or you are streaming the media.  Google has their Chromecast and Amazon has their Fire TV stick, there is a RUKU, Miracasts and probably each television brand has something that does the same stuff.  I picked EZcast mainly because it isn't aligned with any of the giants.  I am not a big fan of streaming media as a primary entertainment source since it is bandwidth intensive.  EZcast streaming is not something I can't live without, but I thought it would be fun to play with since things may go that way.

Installing the Dongle is easy enough if you have a USB port and a HDMI port on your TV.  If you have a smart TV already you don't need an EZcast, but it could come in handy for bringing an older set or monitor online for the big game or whatever.   With onsite media it works like a champ just following the instructions.  There is an EZchannel that is pretty cheesy in my opinion, but some may like it.

Once installed, you have a wireless display adapter for sure and a smarter TV maybe.  Since the WCT runs Android 4.4, it supports a Wireless Display.  Just go to Settings, Display, Cast Screen, enable wireless display with the drop down at the right top, then pick the EZcast wireless display which should be available.  Once you have EZcast installed, that is all you need for wireless display.  No need to load the EZcast app and all that, some times, I will get into that more later.  Wireless display though is limited to your device's display resolution.  The WCT has a pretty good resolution for a 7" tablet 800x480, but that makes for so so resolution on a larger screen TV.  As long as you can enable the wireless display you have a mirror or mirror cast going on.  Wireless Display Adapter is pretty boring so mirror casting, casting etc. are the preferred buzz words.  As long as your device supports use of a wireless display, EZcast is golden, provided you can live with whatever screen resolution your device, PC, Tablet or phone has.

Windows 7 doesn't support a wireless display.  This is where the EZcast app for windows comes in.  The app becomes your display driver and you get to play with casting.  Windows 7 and DRM protected media do not play well with EZcast.  Your videos, pictures, song etc. on your computer will work fine with EZcast, but don't get your hopes up about streaming the latest and greatest from Netflix to your big screen from your obsolete laptop.  So far I can get an almost tolerable picture, but since the laptop never was much of a media dream machine, I don't expect much improvement.  Windows 8.1 does support wireless displays so you can get so so resolution with that version but to get true HDTV you need the media provider to play well with EZcast.  That appears to be a major problem right now for EZcast owners.  Chromecast, Amazon's Fire Stick and RUKU along with a few smart TV brands can get true HD, but they aren't really geared for your other media you have collected over the ages. Chromecast has improved in that respect from what I hear, but EZcast is just a touch ahead I believe.

EZcast is fairly well documented and has a good deal of online help groups including a Facebook page.  Basic troubleshooting is everything else, USB power, WiFi overload, try reading the instructions before you get into any detail.  WiFi solutions can be as simple as moving your device closer to the EZcast and further from other WiFi sources.  Most USB service ports on TVs have more than enough power but you might need to use a USB power adapter.  Now that I have more USB powered devices I am looking to upgrade my old surge suppressors and power strips to get rid of all the clutter of transformers.  There is always internet sluggishness during peak use hours to contend with as well.  I only had problems trying to get HD resolution with streaming media and that looks like it will be an ongoing issue and the "some times" wireless display availability.

Nothing much I can do about the HD resolution issue.  Since Movies are a big deal with the significant other, I tried movies from Google Play, Amazon and Netflix.  Netflix tolerates the wireless adapter so no real problem there other than so so resolution.  Unfortunately Netflix doesn't recognize EZcast, so direct streaming to the Dongle for HD viewing is a no go so far. Google Play doesn't even like the Wireless Display so there is no joy in Google Town.  Amazon though is a bit different.  If you buy a title and have it downloaded to your device, you can use the video feature and get higher quality.  All your personal library will play just fine as long as the DRM protection method gets along with EZcast.  So you may or may not be able to play any of the newer titles.  Netflix doesn't allow downloading so you are stuck with mediocre resolution until they or someone else builds an app specifically for EZcast.  I doubt that will happen since there are newer and better devices out and on the way.  Snail mail DVD and such will play fine but then you don't really need EZcast for that do ya?

If by some miracle, the EZcast crew can get friendly with Netflix, then an app should let you enjoy real streaming high quality media.  With local media you can also use display options in VLC or any of a number of media players where with Netflix and the streamers you are stuck with Silverlight or whatever player they support.  Since movie trailers aren't protected I played around with a few options and got excellent sound and video quality.  So for $22 bucks you get a pretty good quality wireless display adapter isn't all that bad and could be great with some big media distributor love and a little stream lining.

Now for the "sometimes" issue.  I have to say I am pleasantly surprised at how well the WCT and EZcast get along other than the "sometimes" where it is hard to tell who is causing the issue.  Inconsistent or intermittent problems can be a real bear.  As long as EZcast is on air the WCT recognizes it as a wireless display.  There isn't any real good reason why you shouldn't be able to direct connect without going through all the EZcast set up which is just connecting to a wireless display.  This fairly involved setting up is a "feature" that should fade into the background after you have used it once or twice.  Sometimes the EZcast dongle allows direct connection without loading the EZcast app, sometimes not.  What is really a pain is that to use the wireless display or Mirror, the app sticks you in a mirror only loop which requires you to go through the settings loop if you want use any of the other features.   That is pretty cludgy.  The app should have easier navigation and should drop a few "features" that they recommend not using anyway like Mirro + AP.  The more stuff EZcast does in the background the better in my opinion.  A simple drop down menu would make it much more user friendly.

Since I installed the EZcast and started writing this they have a new firmware upgrade.  That is nice to know.  At least for the near future you can expect support and with still developing protocols that could mean most of my gripes will be resolved to some extent.

Now that I have an idea of what EZcast and the WCT can do together, I have an old LCD monitor that I can use for a spare display.  That is going to require a HDMI to VGA adapter since the monitor is pretty old, but it might be fun to play around with for the security camera or putting out on the patio where I don't want to risk something more expensive.  Since VGA monitors are dinosaurs, tailor made display adapters are a bit pricy.  Thanks to Ebay you can get an HDMI to VGA adapter with audio for less than ten bucks which is about all I am willing to invest in the old monitor.

A quick note on battery performance.  If there is anywhere that corners will be cut on the World's Cheapest Android Tablet it is the battery.  The specs indicate that my WCT came with a 2100mah battery which is on the low side for a 7" tablet.   Since there are a lot of folks competing for the World's Cheapest Android Tablet, check the battery capacity before you buy.  Bigger is definitely better with anything over 3000mah being a bit rare for cheap tablets.  The display is the largest battery draw normally and it looks like WiFi is running a close second.  A full length movie runs close to two hours and can drain the battery with both streaming in and broadcasting out with the display on during the process.  Since the EZcast seems to work best as a wireless display, you have to keep your tablet display active to see the movie adding to battery drain.   If you want to extend your battery life you will need to keep the tablet plugged in to prevent too many draw downs.

EZcast would be a much better buy if did the smart TV thing better.  Then it would be doing all the online work and the WCT would just be a smart remote.  As it is, for straight streaming you are better off getting a tablet with an HDMI port and building your own EZier caster.  Any TV with a quad core processor and 64 GB of memory should qualify as a smart TV and all the media vendors support KitKat.  Hardwired the display is "secure" or at least should be so even Google Play should work.

Upgrading the battery in the WCT kind of defeats the purpose, but is an option.  A replacement battery runs from $10 for a cheap low capacity to about $20 for an upgrade, so somewhere between a quarter and half the cost of the WCT.   Replacing the battery is a bit of a PITA since it is soldered in and you have to pry the case apart pretty carefully to get to it.  I don't mind having the tablet plugged in, but part of the fun of the tablet can be passing it around to pick the next video or slideshow.  Since you can also play games, you may be passing it around or having a couple of tablets working at the same time.  There are a few battery minder apps I have noticed so battery life appears to be a common concern.

On another note, there are apps that claim to allow you to adjust your screen resolution.  I looked at a couple and they require complete access to everything and have lots of nasty looking adware.  If you want to play with your WCT resolution to improve the EZcast mirror quality I recommend extreme caution.

I am pretty happy with the EZcast/WCT combo, but if I was a diehard streaming video devotee I would have gone another route.  Plus if you are a wanna be gamer a bluetooth keyboard/game controller with the HDMI port would make you smile at least for a while.
 

SriCam and the World's Cheapest Tablet

This is how I ended up with the World's Cheapest Android Tablet.  It is a bottom of the line wireless security camera.  SriCCTV provides the OEM support for the cheap Power Tilt and Zoom wireless Intranet Protocol Camera (PTZ IPCam) I bought on Ebay.   SriCams are basically generic knock offs of a variety of more well known models.  Since most of the "well known" models are manufactured in China, the main components in the SriCams are likely from the same vendors.  So while there may be some quality differences the biggest difference appears to be the documentation and support.

The documentation for the Sricam model I bought is surprisingly complete.  Surprising complete isn't complete complete so there are a few functions you have to dig a bit to figure out.  As long as you have a Windows or a Mac machine and a router for the initial set up, you can get all the main features working pretty painlessly.  Since the camera uses ActiveX in the windows version, you do have the ActiveX related security issues.  It is always good advice to have your computer backed up with a restore point just in case something happens.  As far as backup goes, a cheap 32 Giga byte USB flash drive is a great time saver and you can even dedicate a portion of its memory to improve the performance of your machine.

This backup and restore advice doesn't really have anything to do with the Sricam as much as with addons you might be tempted to download.  Most of the free applications sites have adware and often malware links on the site as advertisement and sometimes embedded in the application With SriCam, if you stick to the provided software, you should not have any issues.  Never hurts to be safe though.

One thing you will notice once you have the camera running is that security video eats up a lot of CPU time.  Unless you have a killer computer, sticking to the lower resolution and basic features is recommended.  Freeing up my CPU was the main reason I bought the $35 World's Cheapest Android Tablet.  The camera comes with an APCAMERA app or you can download that app from the usual suspects.  The only real problem with the APCAMERA app is that you cannot access some of the file designation pages in the device configuration firmware.  One of the few warnings in the Sricam documentation is that their cameras probably will not like firmware upgrades.  Trying to keep Windows out of the process turns out to be a major PITA because of the firmware so your default file locations will end up being on your Windows or Mac Machine.  You are allowed to play with Email and FTP file transfers along with pretty much everything else from a tablet except the basic file storage.

I have jumped ahead because Email and FTP are related to most of the negative comments on the SriCam.  This seems to have nothing to do with the camera but is related to the Email and FTP providers.  I used Google mail for the camera and Google determined the camera was a spammer.  To fix that I had to get into my Google account and acknowledge that the camera was mine etc.  I didn't think that was very unusual, but to some it must have been a major PITA.

FTP is another story.  I wasn't that familiar with setting up my own FTP server and didn't want to pay $5 to $10 a month for a FTP service so I surfed for information and downloaded a number of "free" fixes prompting the backup and restore warning at the beginning of this post.  One solution I found was HTTPS/FTPS/SFTP app for Android.  This free app does include adware but the adware is pretty benign and comical.  You can get a pro version for a fair price if you like it but the free version is what you want initially to check out.  The app allows you to turn you Android or iPhone into a local server.

At the time I was only looking for File Transfer Protocol (FTP) so I could stream or send packets of video to something other than my PC.  The WCT fits the bill of something other and at $35 was cheaper than DVR already set up for security cameras.  With FTP I can store the sricam video (as a stream of jpeg images) on the WCT and transfer to my PC or anywhere else during idle times.  As jpeg images I have an adjustable time lapse so I can reduce the number to save CPU or memory assets.  I can record a real streaming video, but that has to be routed through my PC using the available software or I have to manually enter the code for the WCT.  That is more of a SriCam defect than WCT defect which appears to be due to the OEM choice of activeX.

While anonymous is an option in HTTPS/FTPS/SFTP for the sricam I found that secured, i.e. you use a password, works best with the camera.  This simple user&password handshaking makes the camera and the app happy plus you have some basic security.  Since the APCAMERA app allows you to set up email and FTP, follow the instructions for both apps and you shouldn't have any major issues.

There are a few mildly irritating things you will have to deal with.  The APCAMERA app has a PTZ sweep function so you finger on the tablet will send the camera off to different directions.  The left/right sweep is also reversed.  Another PITA is that depending on your wireless router, the camera IP address with be dynamic not fixed.  So if you completely lose communication with the camera just scan to see if it changed addresses.  If needed you can allow a few of the most likely IP addresses for the camera so you don't have to manually scan after a power failure or reboot.  For some reason I wasn't able to fix the IP address for the camera.  Allowing for a range of addresses seems to have worked around that issue.  I did give fixing the IP address another shot in my router that so far is holding.  So if you can fix the IP fine, if not there are options.

So far I only have the one camera and am trying to make some tweaks to get acceptable performance in terms of video quality and CPU/memory usage.  With the available motion detection set up, you tend to either get lots of false alarms or miss the action.  If you have enough memory, the lots of false alarms aren't all that bad.  The World's Cheapest Android Tablet though only has a few gigabytes built in so you may need to add a USB flash drive or tf memory card if you want to keep everything in one place or you can upload to your computer or cloud storage.  Since the camera video can burn through gigabytes of bandwidth per day even in the 320X resolution, I am thinking a 64 GB tf card should provide a week's worth of storage and allow some extra video processing opportunities.  A 64GB brand X tf card on Ebay is only about $8 and can be used in my video/digital camera, but addons to the World's Cheapest Android Table can  start adding up over time.  So far for a basic security system I have a total of $75 invested.  If that was my only goal, I could have bought a stand alone 4 channel security system for a low as $100 up to the sky is the limit.

 With that thought, you don't need a PTZ camera for basic security. Any old phone or computer camera will do and there are apps you can get for motion detect, facial recognition etc.  The PTZ camera at $35 is just kinda fun.  So if I were doing a plain Jane game camera, the WCT with a solar battery back-up would do the same thing for less than $50 plus whatever housing you want to conceal/weather proof your project.  If you want cellular phone capabilities you are better off buying a used smartphone and  no contract service.  With the WCT you can add a wireless 3G cellular dongle, but it doesn't have that capacity built in, and really doesn't look like it is worth the effort.  I may consider one in the future just for grins, but just about any smartphone can be set up as a wireless hot spot.

Just for a quick and dirty security system that is kind of fun to play with, it isn't bad.  If I want to make it more professional though, I will need to make some modifications.  As it is, I get a neat little click sound when there is motion detected and not too many false alarms with the motion detector sensitivity set to mid range.  There are plenty of more fancy motion detector apps which have their own CPU and memory demands.  One that I tried was iSpy on the PC.  That slowed the old PC down so much I was inspired to get the WCT.  If you have a newer PC it probably is a better way to go just to play around.  If you are serious about a "real" security system, I would go for one with a dedicated DVR.  The SriCam/WCT combo is fine for checking the mail and messing with the pets/kids.

World's Cheapest Android Tablet with Cheap USB Keyboard

The World's Cheapest Android Tablet as of a few days ago was is a model 7031a_q8 running Kitkat 4.4.4 with a 3.4.0+ kernel.  It is a 7" tablet with 1.3 giga hertz quad core CPU, dual cameras, front 0.5 Mp and 2.0 Mp rear, 4 GB of memory and the screen has 800 x 480 resolution.  It supports a SEM USB keyboard which you can get in a package deal or buy separately.  The keyboard doubles as a case and includes a stylus for the fat finger gang.  The keyboard is tiny so don't expect to just type away, but it is big enough for quick two finger typing.  Since it has function keys, you can set them up for quick access provided you can locate the right documentation.  Since keyboards are not in vogue, that will take some searching, but a 7" to 10" tablet is a bit large for the average pocket so I added the keyboard and case.

The reason I added the case was because I wasn't convinced that I would like the tablet.  After finding out that the tablet is pretty handy, I spent a whopping $7.89 for the keyboard/case.  That brings my total cost up to about  $42 instead of $40 which is basically the shipping cost difference.  The Keyboard is made of the finest fake leather and includes a pretty handy kick stand with a magnet to keep it in place instead of flopping around.  Very cheap but functional.

For connectivity you have a combination of Wifi, Bluetooth, both useful and LAN which will probably never get used.  So far I have my Google account set up mainly for the Google Play store where I rented a movie just to test things out.  Watching a movie on the small screen is a big waste, but it played American Sniper without a hitch though the sound level sucked.  Sound quality wasn't bad,. I plugged it into my old surround sound system and it wasn't bad at all, just the built in speak is pretty mediocre.  I am not a fan of earbuds but the sound is okay using them but it is better with an equalizer app.  Not tons better, the EQ apps will let you cheat up the volume a touch while setting a comfortable bass. I got the free Music Volume EQ app which has some adware but not enough to be a PITA.  If you are an audiophile this isn't the tablet for you, but for the average guy or gal it does the job.

Battery life totally depends on your screen setting.  The screen can be cranked  up enough for use in fairly bright sunlight but you only have about 2 hours of battery time.  With the screen in indoor or night mode I got over 6 hours of continuous use.  In sleep mode it should last a few days pretty much like a cellphone, but it will be a while before it gets that chance.

Minuses are the WCT is a little light on memory and there is no easy way to get a mobile service.  I don't need a mobile service for what I am attempting and since the tf cards are cheap, I have a couple laying around.  I did add an $8 64 GB tf card that I can also use in my video camera.  That might be a good thing for the WCT sellers to think about offering in a bundle.

As I mentioned in the first post I mainly got the WCT for a security camera and found out it can be a fair entertain system server.  Since I have a fairly new TV, I have ordered an EZCAST which is a knock off of Chromecast so I can mirror movies and such without tying up my laptop.  Your TV needs the HDMI Port and the EZCAST needs a USB port for power.

I was a bit torn between getting a real Chromecast or a knock off.  Initially, the knock off added features just to get its foot in the door.  Chromecast responded from what I have read so there isn't much difference in price or product.  The knock off on Ebay was about $10 cheaper than the best price I could find for a new Chromecast which isn't a huge difference.  Provided the EZCAST works as advertised, I will have a pretty much current smart TV system that multi-tasks.

There are some PITA issues with downloaded DRM media.  Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a necessary evil to protect the intellectual property rights of the conglomerates that bought the property rights.  If you rent a movie you are likely going to be stuck with one device at a time and have to have an internet connection to view.  If you lose the connection you are likely screwed.   If you buy the media, you normally can have access on a few devices at the same time and be able to view off line.  That can be a bit more complicated than it is made out to be.  Since DVD/s are becoming dinosaurs, transferring your property, the purchased DVD to another device, a USB flash card or memory card is a smart thing to do.  HOWEVER, DRM complicates what should be a simple media upgrade.

There are DRM removal software tools, but they can be loaded with malware or expensive and typically don't reliable reproduce the original quality.  As an average person not a total geek it is easy to get sucked into something that sounds too good to be true.  Once the EZCast stick for the TV shows you I will get more into this.




Next up though is the SriCam adventure.

Welcome to World's Cheapest Android Table

More as a joke than anything else I bought the World' Cheapest Android Tablet.  In fact I bought two, one for my and my security camera and one for my significant other.  I really didn't expect much but so far I have been impressed.

One note though, the World's Cheapest Tablet comes with what may be the world's smallest manual.  I actually had to break out a magnifying glass to read the very simple instructions.  Main point - Plug the unit in to charge before trying it out.  Once that is out of the way start playing to your heart's content.

According the the fine print, initial charging should take up to 6 hours.  Since I got two, one took about 4 hours with the last 20 percent taking the most time and the other appears to have finished at about 5 hours. I found about the reverse on discharge.  The first 20% will disappear fast especially with the screen on maximum for outside, but you should get at least 4 hours of use on the battery.  I haven't found out that yet because I am trying to be good and train the battery by not getting it below 70% for the first half dozen charges.

 I bought my tablet as a cheap way to monitor a security camera and the second is mainly just for games.  So far they are more than adequate, so much so that I will add EZCAST TV to their duties along with home network server.  All of these uses will reduce load on my laptop.

I started this particular blog to chronicle the progress so that any others out there thinking about buy a cheap tablet can get an idea of what they are getting and what they may be getting into. Since a lot of the "free" apps have hidden costs like ads and in some cases malware, I am going to try and document the good, bad and ugly, along with the just life stuff.  Just life stuff would be add on purchases.

The  first add on purchase is a cheap USB keyboard (with case and stylus).   The case etc. is only $7 and can be part of a package deal.  that should be in the mail any day now so that should be the second post.   The second add on is the EZCAST about $22, for the TV.  Then I will get into the wireless IP security camera which costs about as much as the tablet at 35 USD.

I didn't plan on writing about this, but so far I have discovered a few things that were interesting to me so some of y'all might get a kick out of them.