How to setup a security camera

How to Setup a Security Camera is useful information on how you can use an inexpensive web camera to monitor your home or business while you are away. This example uses the Logitech Wilife Web camera for the purpose of demonstrating the usefulness of a web cam and how it can be used to monitor your home, family or business.

Web cameras can be used as nanny cams, to watch children from a remote location, used in assisted living for elderly, monitor property and many other uses.

I have recently installed 9 weatherproof cameras around the outside of my home and 1 hidden camera inside my front door. At first it seemed a bit intrusive and my wife did not like it, but after a few months she said that she can't live without them. She can see what is happening all around the yard, front door, drive way at a glance and keep an eye on the kids from any computer in the house or on the internet if she is away from home.

Last weekend I took my wife and four kids to Orlando to visit my brother to do some fishing on his lake. I paid a neighborhood kid to come by over the weekend to feed my two dogs. I told him to come at noon Saturday and Sunday. While I was in Orlando, I was keeping an eye on my house and watching my neighbor feed the dogs at noon each day. We used to have problems with kids in the neighborhood using our pool while we were away, but now they all know the cameras are there and the un-invited pool visits have stopped completely.

The installation cost me about $3,000. I am a contractor in the State of Florida and I install cameras professionally, so I got wholesale pricing on the surveillance equipment and had my employees do the installation which saved me about $2,500. I think I went a little over board, but, the good news is there is an inexpensive way (Logitech Wilife Camera) for you to keep an eye on things when you are away from home.

April 13: TODAY’s Matt Lauer talks to Jeanne Thomas about watching her house being burglarized on a live Internet video feed using the Logitec WiLife Web Camera. This video shows how an inexpensive security web camera security system can help you to monitor your valuables when you are not around.

Here is the video of Jeanne Thomas watching her house being burglarized:

The Web Camera used in this video is the Logitech web cam. It is inexpensive and can be set up in a matter of minutes. This is not a professional security camera but it can be use for that purpose. Here are the step for setting up this camera.

1. You will need a computer with the following hardware and software requirements:

System Requirements

• Recommended CPU speed (GHz):
  1.4 (1 camera)
• Recommended PC memory (MB):
  384 (1 camera)
• PC Video card memory (MB):
  32 (1-2 cameras)
  Recommended DirectX 9 compatible
• Display resolution: 1024 x 768 pixels or higher, 32-bit color
• Hard drive (MB): 100 MB for program and a minimum of 500+ MB for video storage
• Operating system: Microsoft® Windows Vista®, Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition, XP Professional or XP Media Center Edition
• Internet access required

2. Here is the steps for installing the Logitech WiLife Web Camera.

3. Download the monitoring software.

4. See links above to see the Logitech Wilife Video System. After you buy the master you can add on more cameras for indoor or outdoor surveillance.

If you have any question about more advanced security cameras, please leave a comment or post a question here and I will do my best to answer you or find the information that you are looking for.

I also put 6 weatherproof security cameras at the boat marina where my office is located on beautiful Miami Beach.

Click here if you would like to see the cameras located in my office. Contact me through email and I will send you the password to view the Boat Marina located at the GrandView Palace where my office is located.