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Title: April 2009: Wireless Webcams for Security Post by: admin on May 27, 2009, 03:39:10 PM Wireless Webcams for Security
Background As the economy falters, bank robberies, burglaries and other crimes are on the rise. You may already protect your home and/or business with deadbolts and an alarm system, but these days it pays to stand out as someone with a little more protection. Video surveillance is one way to add extra protection, but most video surveillance systems cost thousands even before you add the installation fees to pay for people crawling through your attic to set them up. Let's see what can be done with relatively inexpensive webcams that can be set up by your average home or business owner.
Choosing the right webcam When it comes to webcams, there are so many choices that you could go crazy before you decide on one. Let's assume you want to keep it simple and effective. There are webcams that you can clip to your laptop, cheap ones you can place on your desk, wired webcams, wireless webcams, and so on. Unless you fancy crawling around in your attic running wires, let's assume you want a wireless webcam. Let's also assume that you have wireless internet in the form of high speed internet (DSL, cable, FIOS, etc.) and you have a wireless 802.11 router. These are reasonable assumptions in this day and age, as most of us have high speed internet and a wireless router so we can user our computers and laptops online without running an Ethernet cable to them. What we are looking for are wireless 802.11 webcams. Often called " wireless IP cameras" or "wireless network cameras", these wireless webcams have their own built in web "server". These cameras will connect to your wireless network and will operate whether your computer is on or off and they require no additional recording devices as they are self contained and only need power and a healthy wireless internet connection to operate. They sit and watch an area and most can be set to send an email with attached photos/videos when motion is detected. These photos and videos can be sent to cell phones or PDA's that are internet capable and many even allow you to log on to the camera and view a live feed right from your cell phone or PDA! The purpose here is obviously to use the camera as a sort of watch dog that reports to you whenever it sees motion. You can then refer to the photo/video of that motion to decide whether it is something that requires a response. Even limiting yourself to IP cameras leaves you with a plethora of webcams to choose from such as webcams that can pan/tilt versus ones that do not, webcams that can see in total darkness (night vision webcams), webcams with built in microphones to pick up sound, and other features. Let's take a look at a couple webcams that consistently get good reviews when used for security or surveillance.
How many? If you are going for added security or peace of mind, how many webcams do you need? Of course, that depends on how many entry points are available to would-be intruders, how many of those are likely to be used, lighting, budget and other considerations. Of course, try to place your webcam(s) to minimize the number needed. For example, if you can mount one camera to cover both the front entrance and one side entrance, you can kill two birds with one stone. The fact that a webcam can pan/tilt doesn't necessarily mean you'll need fewer of that camera, because the pan/tilt functionality is generally only useful for live viewing: the camera will only pick up motion in the direction it is pointed and it cannot pan/tilt to "look" for motion in different areas. At $300 a piece, good security webcams are not cheap, but even buying four of them to cover all sides of a building is often cheaper (and unarguably easier to set up) than dedicated video surveillance systems.
Other considerations As with any measure, security cameras are only a deterrent. If the cameras cannot be seen and you don't use "video surveillance" stickers, the webcams will primarily serve to warn you when something is already in progress. You need to decide whether or not to "announce" that you have video surveillance or not. As with most things, it's a double edged sword. If you tell people you have video surveillance, you are warning experienced thieves that the cameras need to be disabled (and everything can be disabled/defeated). On the other hand, if you don't announce that the cameras are there by making them obvious or using appropriate signage, the cameras are less of a deterrent and more of a "counter measure" to catch someone in the act. Unfortunately, by the time anything can be done, the crime may already have been committed! Dedicated video surveillance systems often use 4 or more wired cameras to send data to what amounts to a hard drive video recorder (DVR) inside. Webcams are more easily defeated than dedicated systems so don't be lulled into a false sense of security and get complacent about setting your alarm, using your deadbolts, and keeping your eyes open. While webcams are rather easily defeated if you know how, they do send data off site (like to your cell phone) so that you have a record. Dedicated systems that record to a DVR are prone to theft themselves as the thieves can break in and steal the evidence! Suffice it to say that there are pros and cons to any type of video surveillance system, but the webcam solution is something that your average consumer can find at Best Buy and set up in an afternoon. There's a lot to be said for the do-it-yourself solutions because they allow you to set them up for your own needs and tweak them whenever necessary.
Summary Looking for a way to add entry level video surveillance to your home or business? Readily available webcams can do the job and are cheaper than most dedicated video surveillance systems. With the information in this article, I hope to have given you enough information to buy the right product that you can set up yourself. The applicability of webcams that can send motion alerts via email is quite broad. You need not use them only to thwart thieves, but also to assist with many other tasks such as keeping an eye on your pets while you are away, pointing the camera at your car parked on the street to catch those vandals, and much more. For anyone with wireless network/internet capability, the wireless webcam can easily be used for all types of surveillance. While wireless webcams are generally user friendly and can be used by the average consumer, some knowledge about your own equipment such as your network, router, and your wireless security is a must. Be prepared to spend some time configuring your webcams in addition to mounting and pointing the cameras.
Mike Chaney Title: Re: April 2009: Wireless Webcams for Security Post by: Cramiez on October 05, 2009, 05:16:22 AM i use at home webcams for security same with biometric to open my doors, light sensor too.
_________________ Home security systems (http://www.protectyourhome.com) Title: Re: April 2009: Wireless Webcams for Security Post by: Seth on October 05, 2009, 09:21:04 PM My cable company has a UPS on the internet input. I have a UPS on the NAS and router. Using IR capable cameras with motion sensors makes the whole thing work. Since they send data by e-mail the trap is set.
Of course, if I am home they have to face my CSSW brand security system. ;) ;D ;D ::) Title: Re: April 2009: Wireless Webcams for Security Post by: mykah093 on October 26, 2010, 07:56:06 AM I just want to say thank you for sharing with us your knowledge by posting such information. With the information in that article, you have given us enough information to buy the right product especially the security camera that we can set up ourselves. In today's generation, we really need to have or installed our own security camera.
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