Video Surveillance software and Web cam kits

[Colin]

The house of a girl I know was damaged by her ex boyfriend. She set up some surveillance cameras with a digital video recorder (DVR) and caught him in the act. Her son-in-law put the crime on a DVD to the tune of “Bad Boys, Bad Boys, whatcha gonna do when they come for you!” It was a big hit at the police station and she easily secured a restraining order.

Many people already have cheap Web cams and old PCs. If you simply want to point the Web cam out the window (no need for weatherproof external use), is there free or cheap software to control the DVR, such storage rate (frames per second) and drive use (days or space)?

I have long thought something like this would be wonderful at daycare centers, so parents could watch their kids at play over the Internet while they are at work. My brother was thinking of setting this up because his daughter was worried about sorority pranks.

PC Magazine liked Xanboo Internet Home Management System ($49 and $10 yearly) and wireless Web cams. Anybody know anything about Honest Technology Video Patrol v5.0 (Mini Box) for $25?

Anybody use anything like this?

[david.reed21]

I have installed web cam/ survailance systems for business customers so that they can check on employees at work over the internet, it is called VPN tunneling. I have also seen the same application for daycares whereby parents can check on their children over the internet simply by logging into their respective accounts, and clicking the check on my child icons. Pretty cool, but really expensive as one would have to purchace the equipment, then the static IP address on a wide area network (WAN), from a service provider, then pay someone to set up a vpn, and the software to run the operation, but it is cool once you have it in place.

[Macho Nacho]

They are very cool, I have set some up in some public rest... uuhhhhh... Never used them.