Webcams used for Security

How to use your Webcam as a Security Camera

OK so you have got your webcam and you have been using it for all sorts of things like video conferencing, snapshots and general
viewing. You may even have used Amcap to make a few recordings to your hard drive. But now you want to use it as a security camera.

The best way to do this is to use a Webcam program that has the required features such as hard disk recording, motion detection, email
alerts, FTP upload on motion and maybe even live streaming. Motion detection is a highly desirable feature because you can use it to
trigger many events. You can make the webcam software Email you a picture of the cause of the movement, FTP an image of the same
and make it store a sequence of events to hard drive. With some really good software such as Active Webcam you can even have the
recorded files uploaded to a website so you can view them later. Recording on movement also drastically cuts down storage space
required, as if a single event occurs say over night then only that event will be recorded saving hours of storage space and a lot of hard
work looking for the event afterward.

There are a lot of great webcam programs around which have all these features and the choice is up to you. We love Active Webcam
because its a superb piece of software, has every conceivable feature you could imagine and updates are free. Have a look at our
Software section where you can try out Active Webcam and many other packages before you buy them.

Setting Up Your Security Webcam

Depending on your situation you may be setting up a standard webcam to keep an eye on things in the home or office or you may want to use one of our excellent
Weatherproof Webcams to monitor your garden or the outside of another premises. Either way you will need to decide what you want to happen when movement is detected.
If you were using Active Webcam you can use all of the features at the same time.

First set up the software so you can see your image. Then set up the motion detection settings. Depending on the software used you can usually define the areas where
movement will be detected. Avoid areas likely to produce false alarms such as sunny windows or if the camera is outside, avoid roads and areas with animals in etc.

Next set up the recording to the hard drive, you can usually state what format the recording will be in e.g. AVI, WMV, MPEG etc. You also need to set up the recording path,
possibly the maximum file storage size and with Active Webcam you may want to upload the archives to a website or somewhere for remote viewing later on.

Now set up the actions, for example if you want to have the program email you an image every time movement is detected you will need to set up your email information in
the software. You may also want the image FTP uploaded to your website so every time movement is detected the image is updated on your site.

With Active Webcam you can also set up schedules so the software automatically starts protecting your premises at a certain time then de-activates itself later when you are
back.

Finally if the software has a stealth mode you can select this. This makes the software run in the background so only you know its running.

Once you have done this....thats it. Anytime anyone comes near your PC, enters your office, Gets too close to your car or any other item that your webcam is viewing you
will be alerted by email, update your secret website page and even know that the whole thing is recorded on your PC.

If the software you choose also has a live streaming mode then you may choose to log on and view your video stream live once you have received a motion alert email. All
good webcam software has comprehensive instructions on how to adjust the settings to your personal preferences.

So, all you need to set up your webcam as a sophisticated surveillance device is some good software and a PC to run it on.