website to laptop communication

kansaschuck

I'm looking for general guidance and ideas for developing communication and control between a webserver/website and a remote laptop.

I'd like to develop, using php, a command and control system that is ran from a webserver. From website on that webserver, using php, an internet browser, a user would enter commands or make selections that are then transmited from the website to a remote laptop with a connections to a serial (or US😎 port on that remote laptop.

Let's make is simple: you could to www. ' mywebsite '.com and click on an icon that says 'turn light off'. Via PHP code on the website, communication is established with the remote laptop and via it's serial (or US😎 port a light switch is turned off at the remote location.

I've located some php classes that can talk to a serial port but I belive it requires PHP to be installed on the laptop. In my perfect world the website would contain all code.

So I was just looking for general direction, hints, don't dos, books, example, etc of this type of configuration.

Thanks, KC

etully

I would use a different model to accomplish the same thing.

You can install X10 equipment around your house. This lets you control all of your lamps (and whatever else) from your computer. On your home computer you can write your own controller software or use software that they provide. But then build the user interface on your web site where you specify which lamps to turn on and off and what the temperature of the living room should be. Then write a piece of software for your home computer that periodically (once a minute or so) checks your web server to see if there are any events that it should do. If it sees that a lamp must be turned on, this software uses the local controller software to send the appropriate command to that X10 device in your house. (Uses the electricity wiring in your house, not a serial port).

The beauty of this solution is that you can control anything on your property without installing any cables and you don't need to install PHP at home. All of the main software is in PHP on your web site and you just have a small controller program at home that checks the web site and performs the appropriate action.

I've been wanting to do this for years but there's too many other fun projects to spend my money on these days.

kansaschuck

I like your model: but "Then write a piece of software for your home computer that periodically (once a minute or so) checks your web server". That's a brand new area for me. Any recommendations? Books, programs, languages? I did some research and saw some info on ASM language. Would prefer PHP or PHP like language to run the windows tasks. I'll need some type of windows CRON.

etully

I'm not a Windows guy so I can't help you much but I do know that (A) you can install PHP on Windows, (😎 you can use curl in PHP on your local Windows machine to connect to your remote web server, (C) there is a "cron" utility on Windows that will invoke your PHP script, and (D) you can use the system command in PHP to trigger the X10 software to turn a given lamp on or turn a given themostat down. So you're at least 3/4 of the way there.

That last one, item "D" is the part where you're going to have to do a little research. X10.com does provide some sorts of software you can use but they also provide tutorials if you want to avoid their software and write your own way to pass commands to your lamp or your thermostat. Then your cron invoked PHP script on your Windows machine could trigger your X10 script to turn the lamp off.

That's a farily robust system - you just need the script that passes the message to the lamp - and you can probably find that part in an hour.