How To Build your own Internet Video Monitoring System

Internet Video Monitoring Systems are becoming popular on the Internet. It is inexpensive and easy to build your own video monitoring system. Basically all you really need is your PC, a camera, an internet connection, and some low cost video monitoring software. A typical internet video monitoring system is shown below.

Low Cost Single Camera Video Monitoring System - Diagram 1

How They Work

From Diagram 1, In the HOME, Camera A takes video of room, the PC with video monitoring software detects motion, if motion is detected the video is saved to disk, a sound alarm is issued through the computer's speakers, an email alarm is sent over the internet e.g. to a cell phone. A copy of the captured video file is sent over the internet for backup or viewing. At any remote PC on the Internet the owner can look in with a live video feed to look around in real-time. To look in from a remote site no special software is required, just a web browser which comes standard on any Window's PC. What makes it low cost is leveraging the use of your already existing computer, to do a video monitoring function for you, then all you really need is a camera, and some monitoring software.

Parts Required

1. assumes you already have a computer
2. an inexpensive USB camera - e.g. Logitech QuickCam (approx. $29).
3. speakers for your computer - approx. $15
4. an internet connection - approx. $19/month.
5. video monitoring software - e.g. Video Site Monitor Software - approx. $19-$39

How to Install

1. plug the USB camera into USB port of your computer.
2. install the USB software.
3. install the video monitoring software.
4. configure the video monitoring software.
5. log on to the internet and use remotely.

That's it!

Good Features to Look For In Monitoring Software

• Uses good video compression e.g. MPEG otherwise video files can be too large
• Program can startup running and configured. If there is a power failure and your computer restarts then monitoring continues without you having to come home and reset it manually.
• A way to find your computer on the internet in order to access it remotely i.e. you can always find it's IP address from anywhere. Important for connecting to look into the site with a live video feed.
• The software is expandable e.g. if you want to add a second camera later.
• CCD cameras (Logitech QuickCam Pro)  are better than CMOS cameras (Logitech QuickCam) , since they require less light and produce a clearer image. 
• The video settings can be changed by a timer, so when it gets dark outside the camera brightness is changed.
• The monitoring system can be easily accessed remotely over the internet with a web browser so you can check alarms with a live video feed, and remotely playback the captured video to determine the cause of the alarm.
• The monitoring system can backup captured video files to a remote location e.g. by FTP in case the computer itself is taken.
• One such monitoring software with these features is Video Site Monitor - 8 WebCam Edition.

Notes

The above is a low cost single camera video monitoring system. It is great from keeping an eye on the inside of your house. Its limitation is that it uses only one camera and the USB camera cable can reach about 15 feet. The cable length can be extended another 15 ft or so with a USB Hub (approx. $15).

It is possible to easily build a multi-camera video monitoring system using the same Video Site Monitor 8WebCam Edition software. All one needs to do is get a video capture card, a small inexpensive video multiplexer, and a couple of cameras. Good video capture cards are the Hauppauge WinTV Go PCI capture card or the ViewCast Osprey-100 Video Capture Card. The advantages then become you can use a couple of cameras to watch outside and one or two cameras inside,  you can run the camera cables 100 feet or more, and video capture quality and speed increases since you are using a PCI video capture card, instead of a USB camera. Diagram 2 below shows what a multi-camera video monitoring system looks like.

Low Cost Multi-Camera Internet Video Monitoring System

(add a video capture card and a video multiplexer card)

Links To More Information

Video Monitoring Software - Video Site Monitor Software

USB Cameras - Logitech

Video Capture Card - Hauppauge

Video Capture Card - Osprey 100

A Video Monitoring Web Site - FG Engineering

Technical Questions

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