Something fairly complicated and costly comes to mind when the talk is about home security with video surveillance capabilities. It is entirely possible however to set up a system that can provide adequate security on your own and without resorting to specialized service. All it takes is your home computer’s webcam and some phone camera apps.
There are two applications presented here and they’ve been chosen based on cost and ease of use. The first one is iCam. For only $5, you get the necessary features of motion detection, video streaming to your mobile device, and password-based access control. Besides being user-friendly, the app works fine whether you’ve got a PC and Android phone or a Mac and iPhone set.
Download and install the iCam app for your mobile device and do likewise with the complement iCamSource app for your home computer. Select the webcam to use, set the motion detection sensitivity, put in a username and password, and then leave for work with a little more piece of mind. The only limitation with this app is that it can’t record or save so you’ll have to take snapshots of the live video on your mobile.
In this regard, the WebcamXP app gets a bit more advantage as it even enables uploading videos to the web. You can set up a schedule when to record, detect motion, or upload. It also has a feature that sends out alert notifications. So it’s a more automated system where you don’t have to constantly monitor your phone.
Naturally the more robust features come at a higher $60 price. As you’ve also guessed by the app’s name, it only works for Windows. One other limitation is that you’ll have to tweak some network and router settings to watch the videos on the web. Good thing WebcamXP comes with a fairly comprehensive manual.
Via lifehacker
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