Donnyten 0 Posted January 30, 2015 Hi. Due to the amount of burglaries over the course of the past few months me and my gf have decided its time to tap into the potential of consumer grade products. What I want to know is.... Is it possible to use an ordinary webcam to monitor the apartment while we are not at home? The way I see it is I could have a web cam or two placed on the back and front door as well as the windows. And use a website or an app for my iphone to keep track of anything suspicious. This brings me to a few questions. 1. Could I purchase a wireless webcam? would that be a better solution? what are the power requirements? I don't mind using a wired webcam, but my computer is in the second bed room and would require at least a 30 ft usb extension cable to get to the door. 2.What if someone breaks into the house, takes the computer? problem with this is this is where all the data( evidence) will be recorded to, thus losing all footage/ snapshots/ misc data of crime.. which brings me to my next question 3.Ideally, I want a camera that will only come in when it detects motions, or sees a human figure ( if possible), I want the camera to record and store data feed to a server or computer elsewhere so in the event of a theft, All I'd have to do is log on to the website/ ftp/ whatever and download/ view the data for police as evidence of crime. is there anything that could accommodate this? I don't have a webcam yet, but i'm looking for a non proprietary and inexpensive solution. If anyone oculd help, would appreciate it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Don Stephens 0 Posted January 30, 2015 How are you planning to power the camera? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Donnyten 0 Posted January 30, 2015 Not sure, first thought was to use a regular USB webcam and attach it to a 30 ft USB extension cable so it can reach the door from my second room where the computer is. Not sure how wireless/ IP cameras get their power but I would consider it if it was a rechargeable solution. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Don Stephens 0 Posted January 30, 2015 I would direct you more towards an IP surveillance/security camera rather than a something like a webcam, but that's just the nature of this forum. An IP security camera would mean dedicated software and mobile applications that you'd be able to use to get anything you want other than cloud storage. I don't advocate using cloud storage so I can't help with suggestions in the department. Your power options for most IP cameras will either be 12VDC or PoE (power over Ethernet). If you want a wireless camera, that will limit you to 12VDC. That means you'll need a 12V power supply with enough amperage to power the camera, and outlet, and enough cable to reach the camera. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Donnyten 0 Posted January 30, 2015 My budget wont allow for a dedicated Surveillance/ IP Cam unless inexpensive. Power over Ethernet unfortunately is not an option. I only considered the webcam route as it just came to mind and not to my surprise I already see people on youtube posting viable solutions. If you have an inexpensive suggestion for an IP cam do let me know.. Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flynreelow 0 Posted January 31, 2015 Maybe try DropCam Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flynreelow 0 Posted January 31, 2015 My budget wont allow for a dedicated Surveillance/ IP Cam unless inexpensive. Power over Ethernet unfortunately is not an option. I only considered the webcam route as it just came to mind and not to my surprise I already see people on youtube posting viable solutions. If you have an inexpensive suggestion for an IP cam do let me know.. Thanks power over ethernet should be an option. pick up this... and this.... http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-PA4010KIT-Powerline-Adapter-Starter/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1422665829&sr=1-1&keywords=TP-LINK+TL-PA4010KIT+AV500+Nano+Powerline http://www.amazon.com/Premiertek-Passive-Injector-100V~240V-PT-POE-4804/dp/B00BU3WB0I/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1422665806&sr=8-8&keywords=poe+adapter and then add a nice HikVision Camera.. there are a lot of inexpensive options out there... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spork947 0 Posted January 31, 2015 imo a alarm and cams compliment each other. You might have problems running usb at that distance even with a booster cable. If you browse slickdeals you can find all kinds of cheap ip cams. I have the DS-2CD2432F which is a little more money but works better than all the foscam stuff. Most of the cube type cams all have wifi as well. many choices for dvr software or you can record on cam. I've used dropcam and you won't find a easier to set up package. You don't have to worry about port forwarding or a recording computer of any sort. they charge $99 a year for their cloud recording. my problem is more with my personal footage being in the "cloud" than the fee although you are safer from hackers with a dropcam compared to a traditional ip cam. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boogieman 1 Posted January 31, 2015 Dropcam is a camera with a built in tax for those who dont want to deal with technology...99 per year is only for 7 days of storage..if you take a vacation for longer than that its worthless...the charge 300 per year for 30 days of storage..each additional camera is 150 per year...the cameras are not great and they do not offer outdoor cams...You cannot live monitor the cameras 24/7 on a monitor either unless you have no bandwidth limitations... It should not even be a consideration... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Don Stephens 0 Posted February 1, 2015 I almost recommended Dropcam myself because the OP was practically listing the features of one in the first post. While it probably meets all of his requirements from a hardware standpoint, it still doesn't meet his requirement for a more economical solution. Dropcam also continues to pull money out of your wallet for as long as you have one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spork947 0 Posted February 1, 2015 If your happy with 7 day recording and only need a basic indoor cam to see whats going on when your away from home a recording server seems like over doing it to me. I can understand why most people won't recommend dropcam on this forum. While dropcam works well for a few cams their model starts to break down the more you add. The dropcam pro can do 1080p but hasn't been enabled probably due to bandwidth. Its also a poor choice if you want to monitor mostly at home because footage is uploaded to their servers and comes back to you. At this time you also have zero option to use it with anything but their service as well. Having a company control and store my footage is what bothers me most about it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flynreelow 0 Posted February 5, 2015 Donny, What route did you choose to go.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
