The Perfect Remote?? (iPAQ PDA + WiFi + HTPC + Girder)??

[mihooper]

I would like to use my iPAQ PDA with Symbol WiFi card to act as a remote for my Home Theater (via my WiFi access point which is connected to my home LAN, which is connected to my HTPC). Is there a way to establish a connection from the PDA to Girder without having to re-write the Internet Event Client to run on a PDA? I'm currently running TVRemote on my PDA as the user interface application. It is very flexible and can use .ccf files designed for the Phillips Pronto. This allows me to customize the screen for my specific home theater configuration (highly desirable). However, it outputs it's commands to the IR port of the PDA. I'd like to intercept this and send it to the WiFi driver so that Girder IES can process it.

Any ideas? This would be a GREAT product with very high WAF (wife acceptance factor.....critical to continued expenditures on the home theater) :wink:

[Mark F]

If this device has a web browser, there is always the HTTPd plugin. This is a very rudimentary web page server. You would need to develop the web pages and links for navigation and control.

Just an idea. :)

[mihooper]

The PDA DOES have a web browser, but the really attractive path would be to use the THOUSANDS of existing .ccf files/icons that people have developed for the Phillips Pronto (the defacto standard these days).

I guess I could construct my own web pages with the appropriate buttons but I would much prefer to use what's already been done by many others. I'll take a look at the HTTPd .....

thx

[mihooper]

Mark,

Have been banging my head for hours trying to get HTTPd working... :x

I have loaded the plug-in, set port 80, loaded sample web pages in target directory (program files/girder32/httpd), set this path in plug-in settings. loaded Logger, opened sample web page, clicked on link......nothing! Logger does not see incoming event from web page.

I may be mis-interpreting what is supposed to happen, but, isn't the webserver supposed to see the page accesses to any page in the target directory? I am using the expample pages from psg's post of 10/13 (http://www.girder.nl/phpBB2/download.php?id=51). Logger does not log any events...

Any ideas what I am doing wrong?

[Francois]

If you haven't looked at NetRemote already, I suggest you do. I believe NetRemote does exactly what you are looking for...

http://www.webwingnut.org/NetRemote/

There is a lot of additional information on Netremote in the HTPC section of www.AVSforum.com

Happy browsing

[mihooper]

Francois.....MERCI BOCOUP!!!

You are right....this is EXACTLY what I have been looking for.

Thanks!!

[djmp]

Mike H:

How are you accessing the pages? If you click on them directly in a folder, the browser will fetch them locally and bypass the http server (check for file:// urls when you navigate the pages). Try using:
http://127.0.0.1/index.html. This assumes that you've got the httpd plugin directory set to where the HTML files reside.

--martin

[mihooper]

Martin,

Thanks for the input. I finally got the HTTPd server to work by using http://216.47.89.39:80 from a remote device on the LAN. I'm not an expert and therefore do not fully understand the IP/port addressing syntax.

However, based on input from Francois, I have moved on to NetRemote. It's exactly what I had been looking for (PDA remote control of home theater using Pronto .ccf screen files).

thx

[Mastiff]

You're not alone there. Between Girder and NetRemote and my coming UIRT (which my brother has been working on for some time now, he's a busy man) I will be able to control my complete home theater. Right now I can control everything except for he Laserdisk player and the receiver. The projector and the lighting is connected to a server that gets signals from NetRemote via Girder, and everything else I use is on the HTPC. The perfect solution! I use a Fujitsu-Siemens PocketLoox with a Trend Wlan card, and I have no problems since Ben upgraded NetRemote to version .94 (its now up to .95) and RonB helped me with a problem in the Internet Event Server. 8)

[mihooper]

NetRemote is awesome! It IS the perfect remote.

Have you looked at the "PC to IR Link" from Smarthome (1623PC PC TO IR LINC)? Is this similar to the unit you are working on?

[Mastiff]

No, that one was new for me. I don't believe we have dealers who sell that kind of stuff here, so I'd have to order one from the US. And I'm afraid that would have been faster than waiting for my brother! 8)