CacheCam.com image grabber for Webcam Caches

[RogerAndWilco]

With all due respect to El Achimo and his excellent Webcam Service, we thought we'd finally get around to announcing our own webcam image auto-grabber. It's been functioning since 2005, and works really well. So here's the blatant plug, but a friendly one!

 

Check out CacheCam at www.cachecam.com. We put this system together to enable us to grab the image ourselves using our cellphone via SMS/Text Messaging. No more need to call someone to get the pic from their computer!

 

CacheCam has a few advantages over El Achimo's system.

1. For registered users, it supports up to 10 pre-sets instead of just one.
   
2. It can also be used 'on-the-fly' by anyone, registered or not, without having to pre-set the image's URL. Instead, the URL can be sent in the SMS message itself, so non-registered guest users are definitely welcome.
   
3. The CacheCam website 'archives' each image it grabs, in case you lose the image that is sent in the reply email, you can come get another copy.
   
4. You just can use the URL of the page the contains the image; you don't have to drill down to the actual image's URL, though that works fine, too.
   

In addition to cell phone SMS/Text Messaging, CacheCam can be instructed to grab images using normal Internet email -- if you prefer that method in you handheld -- or, it can be commanded via a form on our website.

 

So for those of us that still enjoy a webcam geocache, we invite everyone in the geocaching (and Waymarking) community to use CacheCam to auto-grab your next webcam geocache image.

 

- R & W

[Mr.Yuck]

I'm glad to see there is at least one webcam enthusiast out there. I'm an owner of one of the less than 300 webcam caches available in America (according to a bookmark list on my cache page). I'm confused though. My webcam is a pretty basic "right click on the picture" type, but I've seen several where you need a web browser with java to "control" the camera. Does your website work for these?

 

You give an example on your website of a webcam in Times Square in NYC. I was just there about a month ago, but heck if I knew about it, I'm sure I would have tried it if I did. Is this a Waymark only?

Edited August 4, 2008 by TheWhiteUrkel

[RogerAndWilco]

My webcam is a pretty basic "right click on the picture" type, but I've seen several where you need a web browser with java to "control" the camera. Does your website work for these?

 

No, we can't manage those kind. CacheCam wants to work with the 'simple' kind. See the FAQ for more.

 

You give an example on your website of a webcam in Times Square in NYC. I was just there about a month ago, but heck if I knew about it, I'm sure I would have tried it if I did. Is this a Waymark only?

 

Hey, it's just an example! Actually, there used to be (c. 2005) a Times Square cache, but it's gone, not even archived. The camera is still live, though, last I checked. I haven't looked to see if there's a waymark for this one.

[Mr.Yuck]

My webcam is a pretty basic "right click on the picture" type, but I've seen several where you need a web browser with java to "control" the camera. Does your website work for these?

 

No, we can't manage those kind. CacheCam wants to work with the 'simple' kind. See the FAQ for more.

 

You give an example on your website of a webcam in Times Square in NYC. I was just there about a month ago, but heck if I knew about it, I'm sure I would have tried it if I did. Is this a Waymark only?

 

Hey, it's just an example! Actually, there used to be (c. 2005) a Times Square cache, but it's gone, not even archived. The camera is still live, though, last I checked. I haven't looked to see if there's a waymark for this one.

 

Thanks for the reply! I have unlimited text messaging (hey, a 13 yr. old daughter makes that a no-brainer), so perhaps I will try it. Of course I don't have a pop-out QWERTY keyboard like she does. Sounds like you put a lot of work into it.

[+Ambrosia]

The Times Square Webcam cache

 

The Times Square waymark

 

Times Square was our first webcam, in 2002. It was a fun experience.

[+geodug]

With all due respect to El Achimo and his excellent Webcam Service, we thought we'd finally get around to announcing our own webcam image auto-grabber. It's been functioning since 2005, and works really well. So here's the blatant plug, but a friendly one!

 

Check out CacheCam at www.cachecam.com. We put this system together to enable us to grab the image ourselves using our cellphone via SMS/Text Messaging. No more need to call someone to get the pic from their computer!

 

CacheCam has a few advantages over El Achimo's system.

1. For registered users, it supports up to 10 pre-sets instead of just one.
   
2. It can also be used 'on-the-fly' by anyone, registered or not, without having to pre-set the image's URL. Instead, the URL can be sent in the SMS message itself, so non-registered guest users are definitely welcome.
   
3. The CacheCam website 'archives' each image it grabs, in case you lose the image that is sent in the reply email, you can come get another copy.
   
4. You just can use the URL of the page the contains the image; you don't have to drill down to the actual image's URL, though that works fine, too.
   

In addition to cell phone SMS/Text Messaging, CacheCam can be instructed to grab images using normal Internet email -- if you prefer that method in you handheld -- or, it can be commanded via a form on our website.

 

So for those of us that still enjoy a webcam geocache, we invite everyone in the geocaching (and Waymarking) community to use CacheCam to auto-grab your next webcam geocache image.

 

- R & W

 

This is a great idea for a product. What about those webcams that have a time delay of several minutes. More than once I have waited on the phone for my friend to say "Not yet, not yet" and then finally after several minutes "Are you wearing a green shirt and blue jeans?"

 

If your product would record multiple images over "x" minutes and send them along that might solve that problem.

 

Thanks

[Mr.Yuck]

The Times Square Webcam cache

 

The Times Square waymark

 

Times Square was our first webcam, in 2002. It was a fun experience.

 

Sounds like it was the 2nd webcam cache in the world? I was definitely at that intersection, I remember TGI Fridays. The owner (who is an active particpant in these forums) choose to move it to Waymarking, even though it would be grandfathered. Oh well, next time. That, and the 1 star regular in Central Park with 800 finds that somehow didn't end up in my GPS. Pocket Queries are my friend.

Edited August 5, 2008 by TheWhiteUrkel

[RogerAndWilco]

Thanks for the reply! I have unlimited text messaging (hey, a 13 yr. old daughter makes that a no-brainer), so perhaps I will try it. Of course I don't have a pop-out QWERTY keyboard like she does. Sounds like you put a lot of work into it.

 

Our purpose in having users create profile presets is to simplify the SMS/Texting. You can have a preset named with just a single letter, say 'A', and when you send that as your message to CacheCam, everything else is automatically looked up in your profile. Minimizes the typing and makes it really easy.

 

You might also want to create ahead of time a 'template' SMS message on your phone with the grab request message, then all you have to do for each webcam grab is simply add your waypoint name (such as 'A') and send.

 

Please do try it out!

[RogerAndWilco]

This is a great idea for a product. What about those webcams that have a time delay of several minutes. More than once I have waited on the phone for my friend to say "Not yet, not yet" and then finally after several minutes "Are you wearing a green shirt and blue jeans?"

 

If your product would record multiple images over "x" minutes and send them along that might solve that problem.

 

Thanks for the compliment!

 

We designed CacheCam to handle just this sort of thing. The way it works is when you are in position, you signal the system with your SMS/Text message. Within seconds, we snag a copy of the current image (it may or may not have you in it yet, depending on the webcam's refresh rate), and then we watch for the image to change. Once it does (this time with you in it, for sure), we signal you with an alert/reply message that says we got it. You're done! No need for multiple images since you're guaranteed to be in the one we grab for you.

 

CacheCam has a 6-minute max grab time. If the image doesn't change in that long, it will alert/reply to you that it timed out, so you don't stand there all day. But ordinarily, depending on the webcam's refresh rate, the grab generally takes less than a minute[1]. Please see the website's FAQ and About sections for more.

 

R & W

 

[1] Statistically, the average time for the grab to complete is just half of the webcam's refresh rate, e.g., if the webcam's refresh is once every minute, CacheCam will, on average, complete the grab for you in 30 seconds.

[+cameltrekor]

Tried it yesterday on a dry run and it works great.

Just what I need for those webcams, been trying for awhile to get the one close to me.

THANKS.

[+DrgnTrappr]

How would this system work on a live feed video camera ? I have been planning to place a cache with both a log and the video feed so it will gaullify as an unknown or puzzle cache.

[RogerAndWilco]

How would this system work on a live feed video camera ? I have been planning to place a cache with both a log and the video feed so it will gaullify as an unknown or puzzle cache.

 

That's a great question! CacheCam is presently configured to only get JPEG/JPG files[1]. We'd guess that your live video feed will be some flavor of a(n) MPEG stream. In that case, CacheCam won't be able to grab a frame from the video stream. On the other hand, we have encountered video cams where the owner has thoughtfully provided an alternate URL to a once-a-minute JPEG /JPG snapshot of the video. That might be the way to go when you set yours up.

 

R & W

 

[1] For a while we also were able to snag GIF and PNG image files, but we found that some of the inevitable spam we were getting included links to websites which included a different GIF on every reload. So CacheCam was sometimes mistaking a picture of a Rolex replica or Viagra tablet as a true webcam image. Needless to say, we only grab JPEG/JPG files now and it seems to be filtering all that 'junk' out. We believe grabs of only JPEG/JPGs is okay since snapshot-style webcam images are invariably in that format.

[+FunLovingGeocacher]

I'm off to London tomorrow to bag some virtual and webcam caches. I not been able to get El Achimo previously excellent Webcam Service to work the last 2 days, so I searched the forums and found this posting.

 

Having a rubbish pay as you go phone which can't send emails, I would have liked a simple send a text option and get an image back to an email account.

 

I have now tested your email grab with success (unlike the other service at this moment in time)

I have super slow 2nd generation WAP internet on my mobile and if I don't die of boredom waiting, should be able to get this to work on my rubbish phone and claim a few finds thanks to your help.

[+mrcanoehead224]

I was searching for something like this for my Orlando trip this week. El Achimo does not seem to be working at the moment although it was a couple of weeks ago last time I checked.

 

I'll definitely have to give this a test run.

[+Ecylram]

Talk about resurrecting an old thread.

 

I'm finding that many phones can now grab screenshots of webcams. Test before you go, of course, but the answer might be in your own pocket.

[+northernpenguin]

I was searching for something like this for my Orlando trip this week. El Achimo does not seem to be working at the moment although it was a couple of weeks ago last time I checked.

 

I'll definitely have to give this a test run.

 

If you have an iPhone, call up the camera in Safari and use the iPhone screen capture trick (press power and home at the same time). That's what a lot of my geocaching buddies are doing lately.

[+Lil Devil]

On Android, typically a long-press on the image will bring up a dialog where you can save that image.

[+bflentje]

I wrote a Webcam Capture software program a couple of years back that I keep on my mobile laptop and also run it on my home PC when I know I'll be in vicinity of a webcam. The web implementation sounds like a nice idea but I like the security of my desktop version.

 

If anyone is interested in using my software, feel free to send me a PM.

 

[+mrcanoehead224]

Talk about resurrecting an old thread.

 

I'm finding that many phones can now grab screenshots of webcams. Test before you go, of course, but the answer might be in your own pocket.

hehe, forgot to add the <<bump>> to my message.

right now, I've got Telus pay & talk so only works in BC & AB. I'm looking at picking up a disposable phone while I'm down there but not sure about how good the 'data plan' will be.

 

Haven't made the jump to iPhone yet but it's just a matter of time I think. I do have iPod Touch and the touch-hold (long press) on a photo or power/home combo works the same as iPhone.

[+TerraViators]

I'm glad to see there is at least one webcam enthusiast out there. I'm an owner of one of the less than 300 webcam caches available in America (according to a bookmark list on my cache page). I'm confused though. My webcam is a pretty basic "right click on the picture" type, but I've seen several where you need a web browser with java to "control" the camera. Does your website work for these?

 

You give an example on your website of a webcam in Times Square in NYC. I was just there about a month ago, but heck if I knew about it, I'm sure I would have tried it if I did. Is this a Waymark only?

I don't see the bookmark for webcams.