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Checking In at Home, Even From Afar By John R. Quain 9/8/05 |
BrickHouse Security offers a vast selection of Network Cameras. Watch your children from the office with a Wireless Network Camera, or check to see if your grass is being cut while you're overseas on vacation. Network Cameras can be plugged into a standard router just like a printer, or they can use of the same 802.11G Wireless Frequency your wireless laptop computer uses.
For some, the problem with being on the road is the anxiety that things might be amiss at home. Are the cats behaving? Is the baby sitter keeping the peace? Are interlopers helping themselves to your Scotch — and your stereo?
The
$230 Linksys WVC54G Wireless-G transmits wirelessly to a computer on its network; getting access to its images from the Internet requires a subscription.
The
Panasonic BB-HCM371A and the
D-Link DCS-6620G Wireless, provide free Web access, good image quality and other features, but the cost is four times that of the Linksys Camera.
Some relatively simple technology can ease that angst. Several
Network Video Cameras allow owners to monitor the home front remotely on the Web. The Cameras offer much better video quality than in the past, come in wireless versions that make installation simpler, and allow you to zoom in and scan a room. Some models, using motion and heat sensors, can alert you every time someone walks through a room. And there are even ways to look in by cell phone.
The buyer can install most systems, and prices range from about $100 to $1,300, depending on
Network Camera quality and system abilities. Unlike the Web Cams commonly used to do video chats online, these Cameras do not have to be connected to a computer, and they can be monitored from any device connected to the Internet. But they are far from inconspicuous and require an always-on high-speed Internet connection and a home network or access point to make the connection.
The simplest offerings are stand-alone video cameras with built-in Web servers. I experimented with three such models, the $230
Linksys WVC54G Wireless-G Internet Video Camera and two more advanced $1,000 Cameras, the
Panasonic BB-HCM371A Network Camera and the
D-Link DCS-6620G Wireless Internet Camera. The latter two are aimed more at small businesses — the Panasonic model even includes a splashguard for outdoor installations — but both are comfortable at home.
The Linksys model is typical of cameras in its price range and has a setup routine that is similar to the other models that I tried. The
Network Video Camera has a built-in Web Server, for example, that allows it to connect to the Internet without relying on a computer. To set up the Camera initially, you run a software program on your PC and connect the Camera to your home network with an Ethernet Cable.
A Windows program guides users through the process, although neophytes may struggle a bit with the more arcane settings. Most homeowners who use a Wi-Fi network will also have to set their network router to open a door in their security firewall so the Camera's video can be seen over the Internet.
After all the information is loaded into the
Network Camera, it can be disconnected from the Ethernet Cable and plugged into any power outlet within about 150 feet of the Wi-Fi network. (The actual distance depends on possible interference, like steel-reinforced walls.) I connected the camera to a power outlet in my living room. Within seconds, the Linksys Camera had made the connection to my wireless network, and I could record video to my PC or take snapshots.
Gaining access to the
IP Network Camera over the Internet from another computer, however, requires
IP Network Camera Software. For security reasons, most Internet service providers regularly change the numerical address (the so-called I.P. Address) of devices online. So, to see the video feed from a network camera over the Internet, some kind of service or software is needed to keep track of the Camera's address changes.
Online Software for the cameras offers comparable remote controls and features. The Linksys and Panasonic services gave me a password-protected Web address (for example, paranoidnewyorker.ourlinksys.com). Once that was established, I was able to log on from any computer, using the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser, and watch my daughter tossing blocks across the living-room carpet.
The
IP Network Camera Software allows you to zoom in, make picture adjustments, take snapshots and adjust security settings. For example, the motion detectors in the cameras can be set to make a recording or send you a shot by e-mail every time they are activated.
The quality of the video picture from the
Linksys Camera — as with other models — depends on connection speed. In general, the image is clear enough (up to 640 by 480 pixels) to recognize familiar faces, and the choppy audio from the built-in microphone is good enough to make out conversation. Full-motion 30-frame-per-second video is available only at lower resolutions.
The more expensive Panasonic and D-Link Cameras use more advanced sensors and finer lenses, yielding a sharper picture. The
D-Link Camera offers the clearest image, up to a resolution of 740 by 480 pixels, and includes low light sensitivity and a 10X optical zoom that let me get a closer look at objects across the room.
The basic Homesight system from Motorola has a
Camera and Security Sensors for windows or doors. Add-on accessories will turn lights on and off and monitor the basement for water.
A shortcoming of
Basic Network Cameras like the Linksys model is that you cannot follow someone who walks out of the picture. To do that, you need a
a camera that can scan and pan remotely. The Panasonic model, which has a lens that looks like that of HAL, the computer from "2001: A Space Odyssey," smoothly tilts and pans using remote-control software. The D-Link model has a rotating motor that makes a mechanical cranking sound as it pans around a room but provides a greater field of viewing.
The
Network Cameras can also be viewed from mobile devices, including cell phones and hand-helds that have a Web connection and mobile version of Internet Explorer. The slower Internet connections mean you can grab only still images, but even those can provide some peace of mind.
While the Motorola package shows what can be done with a simple wireless network, it does have some disadvantages. The temperature sensor, for example, does not disclose the actual temperature, but sends alerts only when the temperature goes above or below a range. And the only way to view the camera's image remotely is through the PC it is connected to. That means you have to keep your home computer running. Still, by installing a free version of the Logmein (logmein.com) remote control software on the home PC, I was able to get access to the camera's video from another Internet-connected computer.
And when I got home, there were no surprises.
Source: nytimes.com |
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