Connections 101

[Rupp]

If your HS server is in a closet upstairs and you want to use the Kinect downstairs how do you connect it? I'm brand new to this but a neighbor just gave me a Kinect. Can one run a powered USB cable?

[S-F]

The Kinect can be a real PITA in this respect. It's super picky about USB stuff, like ports and so on. Some motherboards have multiple USB ports on one.... channel? I don't know the proper term..... so two Kinects won't work in those two ports. Some people have reported success with regular Monoprice active USB extension cables. Monoprice also sells specific Kinect extension cables, which is probably what I'd do. I have successfully run a Kinect over a Monoprice active USB extension. But then the PSU needs to be at the end of the cable.

[surovich]

Rupp -

The newer versions are better than previous ones at staying connected and such - I have had good luck with plain USB cables up to 35 Feet for some rooms, where a cable run is easy (so my basement has my server rack and my 1st floor Kinect's all go to a mini PC I put together for just Kinect's).

Upstairs is a different story - so I have a Windows 8 Tablet that I purchased for $59 during Christmas week (They are normally just $79) and I have a Kinect attached that for my Computer Room Kinect Controls. The bedroom Kinect is being controller by a Dell Venue 8 tablet (had it when they launched and I haven't used it much since I bought my Surface Pro 3, so it was a perfect add on to the Automation). Both tablets use nothing for power - The Venue weighs in at 4watts and the other iView $59 tablet weighs in at 2Watts - Both when the screens are on too.

All together I have 5 Kinect's in the house and have no issues with them at all.

As S-F said - Each connect needs it own USB Root Hub - So make sure the system you use has at least xx Root Hubs, a lot of system have 2, MAYBE 3 - My Kinect server has 4 (2 main for USB2 and 2 for USB3 - I'm saving the USB3 for the time when Spud adds Kinect 2 support).

Hope that helps some .... Its working great - a few things Spud can add to make it even better and I have given him my ideas - Hoping he gets some coding time now that Holidays are over

[Uncle Michael]

. . .I have a Windows 8 Tablet . . .and I have a Kinect attached that for my Computer Room Kinect Controls. The bedroom Kinect is being controller by a Dell Venue 8 tablet . . . Both tablets use nothing for power -

All together I have 5 Kinect's in the house and have no issues with them at all.

As S-F said - Each connect needs it own USB Root Hub - . . .My Kinect server has 4 (2 main for USB2 and 2 for USB3 -

Can you elaborate a bit for someone totally unfamiliar with Kinect, please? What is the role of the tablets - vs. the 'Kinect server'? Does the server run Spud's plug-in? What do the tablets do? How do the tablets communicate with the Kinect?

[Rupp]

Can you elaborate a bit for someone totally unfamiliar with Kinect, please? What is the role of the tablets - vs. the 'Kinect server'? Does the server run Spud's plug-in? What do the tablets do? How do the tablets communicate with the Kinect?

The Kinect connects to the PC (aka tablet running Windows 8). The plugin runs on the tablet which is a remote install of the Kinect plugin. Then any VR recognized is passed to the HS pc to process. It works really well as shown here:
http://board.homeseer.com/showpost.p...41&postcount=1

[Uncle Michael]

The Kinect connects to the PC (aka tablet running Windows 8). The plugin runs on the tablet which is a remote install of the Kinect plugin. Then any VR recognized is passed to the HS pc to process.

So the 'PC' connected to Kinect doesn't need to do much, just a USB port (v3 for Kinect 2)? Does VR have to occur on the HS PC or can it run on another PC?

[spud]

So the 'PC' connected to Kinect doesn't need to do much, just a USB port (v3 for Kinect 2)? Does VR have to occur on the HS PC or can it run on another PC?

The VR is done by the plugin on the Kinect "PC"
The plugin use the Microsoft kinect runtime or SDK which can be quite CPU intensive.

And yes the Kinect 2 needs windows 8 and USB3, but please note that the plugin does not support the kinect 2 yet.

[Uncle Michael]

The VR is done by the plugin on the Kinect "PC"
The plugin use the Microsoft kinect runtime or SDK which can be quite CPU intensive.

Sorry, but I'm still missing something. I assume the tablets are not performing VR, but if not, what is it that they are doing? Is there a 'map' somewhere of how multiple Kinects work with HS, including the function of each of the components? Maybe a list of minimum hardware requirements to run various aspects of the plug-in?

Are these tablets more capable than I am assuming them to be? (Can the tablets be running Windows 8 RT or is full Windows 8 needed?)

If the processing of Kinect input is performed by the 'PC' directly connected to the Kinect, what is the nature of the data exchange between the 'Kinect PC' and the HS3 PC?

[spud]

Sorry, but I'm still missing something. I assume the tablets are not performing VR, but if not, what is it that they are doing? Is there a 'map' somewhere of how multiple Kinects work with HS, including the function of each of the components? Maybe a list of minimum hardware requirements to run various aspects of the plug-in?

Are these tablets more capable than I am assuming them to be? (Can the tablets be running Windows 8 RT or is full Windows 8 needed?)

If the processing of Kinect input is performed by the 'PC' directly connected to the Kinect, what is the nature of the data exchange between the 'Kinect PC' and the HS3 PC?

I haven't tested these tablets myself, but I assume the kinect plugin is installed and running directly on them (i.e. the tablet is performing the VR) as I don't see any other way it could work.

The kinect plugin is just like any other HS3 plugin, when running remotely it talks directly to HS3. From a plugin point of view there is not much difference between running the plugin locally or remotely as HS3 communicates with it the same way wherever the plugin is running.

[JimBob]

Rupp -

Upstairs is a different story - so I have a Windows 8 Tablet that I purchased for $59 during Christmas week (They are normally just $79) and I have a Kinect attached that for my Computer Room Kinect Controls. The bedroom Kinect is being controller by a Dell Venue 8 tablet (had it when they launched and I haven't used it much since I bought my Surface Pro 3, so it was a perfect add on to the Automation). Both tablets use nothing for power - The Venue weighs in at 4watts and the other iView $59 tablet weighs in at 2Watts - Both when the screens are on too.

Hi there,
What specs is the $59 tablet that you have a Kinect connected to? I may do something similar but was wondering how powerful the CPU has to be for the Kinect.

Thanks.

[Rupp]

Hi there,
What specs is the $59 tablet that you have a Kinect connected to? I may do something similar but was wondering how powerful the CPU has to be for the Kinect.

Thanks.

I'd like to know this as well.. Spud said today that the Kinect plugin uses a lot of CPU so I'm wondering how well this inexpensive tablet is working.

[surovich]

Hey Guys - I'm going to put together a video - but on the tablet in the Computer Room, its a quad core atom Tablet, only 1GB of Ram and its quick with the VR. The Dell Venue has 2GB of ram but the same Quad Core Atom.

My "Kinect Server" for the 1st floor has 6 Root Hubs, and is Quad Core, 8GB of Ram - with (2) Kinect's running now, it runs at about 40% with all VR and Video Recognition enabled.

I'll start to make some videos tonight for some of the functions....

[S-F]

I'd like to know this as well.. Spud said today that the Kinect plugin uses a lot of CPU so I'm wondering how well this inexpensive tablet is working.

From personal experience:

If you don't enable the posture recognition functions of the plugin you will see FAR less cycles being consumed. I have one on my desktop with a Q6600 and it seems to use about 5% of the processing power. Maybe less. It's hard to tell exactly. I don't really see people here talking about posture recognition so I am assuming that's not what's on the table here. Using just SR alone I don't see why a modern tablet couldn't fulfill the role provided it wasn't really doing much more at the time.