Using a Web Security Camera for Video Surveillance

If your budget doesn't allow you to purchase and install a professional security system, you can always setup a small surveillance system based on standard web-cams. Web security cameras are great for monitoring your home or your small business.

But keep in mind that there are quite many limitations you will face:

* Web security cameras need a computer running at all times. The computer should have specialized software for motion detection, recording and alerts. This software may cost additional money, but you can always use a free system like Zoneminder.

* Web-cams are connected to the computer with a standard USB cable. This doesn't allow great autonomy, so the web security camera should be located near the computer

* Web-cams usually have low image quality and don't perform well in poor light

* If you use a web-cam in order to protect your goods against thieves, a standard security camera may scare them away before they do any damages. Note that you can purchase "fake" security cameras for a very low price. They look real, move real, but are fakes.

Don't let this scare you. You can still get a lot of value from a $10 camera:

* You can setup everything in a couple of minutes. You don't need to be a computer expert or a security consultant to get the system going. Just plug it in your USB drive, install and configure the surveillance software, and everything is ready. This will be particularly easy, because surveillance programs that work with standard web security cameras were created for non-technical users, with ease of use in mind.

* The video surveillance software can be configured to alert you by email when something is going on, with images attached. You have a chance to forward the photo straight to the police.

* Standard web-cams can be easily overlooked by your targets, because every computer has one installed. So you can easily use it to check on your nanny from your office and make sure your kids are safe.

* You don't need to make an extra investment just to keep an eye on your home, you can use your already existing web-cam, you just need to install the software.

It is up to you to decide if a standard web-cam is enough for your security needs, but we advice you to look for some inexpensive IP cameras if you need to monitor a middle-sized business. Just make sure what you save on your security system is worth the risk.