Ah, the days of summer are upon us. For most of us that means it's time to pack up and make a well-deserved getaway. However, before setting sail or flying the friendly skies, you may want to look into having your home equipped with a camera monitoring system for that added little piece of mind. The good news is things aren't as hard as they used to be. The even better news is we're here to help you make the right choice.
Setting up a home surveillance system used to require hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in equipment and some major professional installation skills. Luckily things have gotten much easier with the advent of wi-fi, mobile technology, and built-in cameras.
iCam
In fact, you probably already have 2-3 webcams in your home that you can utilize for the sake of home monitoring or security. If you'd like to avoid packing all those camera-toting devices with you while on vacation — then home monitoring is just an app away. One of the most feature-laden and well-reviewed apps is iCam.
This app works in conjunction with your laptop or desktop to basically do it all — stream multiple cameras (up to 16 on an iPad) with audio feeds, send motion detection alerts to your smartphone, and record motion events. iCam is also very accessible with offerings for Windows and Mac computers as well as Android and iPhone users — even users without a smartphone can view the video streams through a web browser with iCamWeb.
If this sounds like the ticket for you, simply download the server app to a home-network connected computer that you plan to leave at home. Once the software is configured with your network-connected cameras, you're free to view your streams through the $4.99 smartphone app or your web browser. Cheap and simple.
VueZone
Don't have any extra webcams? Or planning on packing that laptop or computer with you? Then perhaps you want to look into the easy to setup, and quite versatile VueZone camera system. The Vuezone is an expandable solution that lets you easily add standard or motion-detection cameras that you can setup discretely around your home.
This is actually the way yours truly monitors thing while away from the home. As my friends will point out, I shamefully use it more-or-less as a fancy kitten cam - but hey, those cat-sitter fees can add up! The system works by connecting the base station directly to your router or cable modem. You then, quite literally, peel and stick the included mounts to the location of choice. The camera(s) snap onto the mounts with the power of magnetism - no wires, no cords, just done.
Like the iCam, you can view multiple feeds, set motion-alerts, and even record motion events once things are configured. Check on things at home with the convenience of a smartphone app (available on Android and iPhone) or through the web. The standard system which includes the base station and 1 motion-detection camera will set you back $199.99, with additional cameras running from $79.99 (standard) or $99.99 (motion-detection). It's not a bad investment for home monitoring that is this seamless and easy to setup. Especially if suspect that your kids or pets might try to sneak in some riff-raff while you're away.
Have you tried any of these web-connected monitoring solutions?
(Images: 1.,5. Chris Perez, 2. iCam, 3.,4. VueZone)
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i've used foscams with great success. alot cheaper too. has plenty of features. depending on your router, installation can be a breeze or take a bit of work. less than $100 for each camera.
What a great idea! I'm not too concerned about security, but I've always wondered what my cats do while I'm away.
Another good way to do it, that I like is you set up a seperate skype or yahoo IM account you keep on - and have your webcam on. And then you use your normal account to connect, and you grant it permisssions to always automatically accept calls from your normal user account. You can dial in from any computer with skype and maybe even from skype apps on mobile devices.
I used a Foscam for about 4 months - until the wireless decided to crap out. Not surprising, they are pretty cheap, but disappointing that it didn't last longer.
These are another great DIY option: http://www.lifeshield.com/equipment/security-camera
I've used iCam to monitor my apartment, and it works pretty well but if you did have a break-in and the thief steals the computer you've lost all the evidence. The way around this is to set up a dropbox account and make sure you backup the iCam folder there.
DropCam is another option - it's a completely independent WiFi camera that offers live monitoring, with remote archiving available for an extra fee. It's a little pricey at $150, but it's also HD and has two-way audio, email alerts, motion detection etc. And the design is pretty sleek, unlike some of those other cameras that look like they were made for monitoring prisons.
Great tips, but it's 'peace of mind' not 'piece of mind'. Thought I'd give you a piece of my mind. ;)
I've had Foscams for a year now. They still work great! Some people have said they had a heck of a time setting them up. It took me a couple hours each time (and I'm technically inclined). I've bought them on two separate occastions and I now have 4 cameras to monitor my cats while I'm away on business. It's nice to see them and talk to them.
The cameras can transmit sound both ways and pan and tilt. I use IP Cam Viewer for android, and it's an amazing app for most IP Cams or DVR systems connected to the internet.