An IP camera is an excellent, yet inexpensive camera for your home surveillance system. It can be installed in anywhere in your house for home monitoring and intruder protection. Set up one in your bedroom, living room, garage, or doorstep, and you will get the status of your home in video.



All IP cameras come with a built in web server, so you don't have to worry about special hardware or software. You just set up the camera and you're ready to access real time images anytime and anywhere there is Internet connection.

Setting Up You IP Camera

Installing the camera doesn't require special knowledge about computers. It is practically designed for homeowners, not techies. All you have to do is plug in the Ethernet cable to the IP camera, connect it to your existing network, assign an IP address, and follow the user's manual to set up your PC.

The Works

Most IP cameras support password protection, so that access to the camera is strictly confined to the defined user who has a user name and user password. You need not worry about hackers logging into your system and getting videos of your home, given that you don't give out your user name and password to anyone.

The IP camera comes with a motion detector so that when it senses movement from anywhere within its range, it will automatically take a video clip of that movement and alert you by sending the video clip to your email or your security personnel. Other IP cameras may be set up so that it alerts two or three other individuals aside from your. This is useful so that when you're away from your computer during a break in or something, someone else is informed. You can also program it so that the alarm beep will be sent out from your computer and scare off the intruders.

Hard Disk, Hard Evidence

When you use an IP camera, the recorded video can be stored into the hard disk of any computer. This way you can be sure that you have evidence you can use when you need it.

The video will be stored into your hard drives or uploaded to your FTP server. This makes it easy for you to find the video records you need - you don't have to constantly change video tapes, as you would when using VCR or other types of surveillance systems.

The camera can go on recording surveillance videos 24/7. Just make sure you have enough free space on your computer. To do this, you must constantly check the recordings and delete those that are of no use. Or, you can program it so that it follows schedule.

There a lot of different IP cameras out in the market offering different features. If you want to get the most for your dollar, make sure you choose one that has all the above-mentioned features. It's your best bet for home protection without worrying too much about you bank account. But when you can afford to, it won't hurt to get one that offers more.