Camera shy

If there's one gadget I want to own now that would be a security camera. Aside from the obvious, my reasons are simple: I want to know what's going on outside my place without me stepping out, and I want to know what my pets are up to when I do step out. I'm super sensitive to noise which makes me to frequently answer the door unnecessarily just because I heard a sound. If I could just fix an unobtrusive, inconspicuous camera at the doorway, that would save me a lot of trouble checking who's at the door, if any.

I used to subscribe to Smart Communication's MobileEye service which comes with a SIM, a cute wireless camera that looks like a spaceman's headgear, and a 3G mobile phone. It was a novelty I enjoyed using for awhile. I remember I could check on my pets even while I was driving. The camera has a tiny green bulb that lights up when it connects to my phone. That and the slight noise the camera creates when it pans to different directions are enough to get my cats curious. Several times they approached and inspected the camera (oblivious to the fact that I could see them up close on my phone) and decided it's a toy that must be knocked over. While their silly cat antics at times cut the connection, those didn't have anything to do with the overall state of the service. Based on my experience, MobileEye's video streaming tend to stagger and controlling the camera remotely using a mobile phone also contributes to the delay. In addition, the video calls could drop a lot which is not good on prepaid. I stopped using it after a few months and went back looking for an alternative.

Recently, I've been exploring an open source option that will allow me to use a simple webcam that will capture only movements and store the images on my computer. It's a work in progress but I am very clear with what I need, and that would be:

- an affordable, no-frills, all-weather webcam, preferably wireless
- has clear and far-range view, preferably with night-vision feature :)
- can store captured images in details yet in small file sizes viewable online



In the photo is the BrickHouse Security 017-CAM4-USB that sells for $399.95 which got everything I want and more. All its four wireless cameras can be viewed simultaneously and remotely on any PC in four way split screen mode, or just view one in full screen mode. The cams have up to 800 feet range and can capture color surveillance video on a single USB receiver that gets recorded directly on a computer. I'm pleased to note that this baby is wireless and could do its job in three settings: motion-activated, scheduled or continuous recording. It's a bit of a stretch based on what I need but I like it, and sometimes that's reason enough to justify another geeky purchase that makes you look silly on the outside but happy inside. And with this camera, who could accuse me of being camera shy? :)