.
Our web cam is a Toshiba,
IK-WB16A
It is a mega pixel camera, 1600x1200
resolution and operated stand-alone without the need of a computer.
It links to the internet via a Netgear Router and DSL connection.
It is an indoor camera that is installed in a window.
I have used
a number of webcams and I like this one the best! It has lots of
flexibility in uploading photos, Email, FTP, timer schedules and motion
detection. It is also auto focus and pan-tilt operation. Other cameras I have used
require focus adjustment. The only negative is the sensitivity.
It only works durning the day but . . . when it is light it takes
beautiful high resolution photos!
I have used webcams to post to our web page for a
number of years. My main motivation is monitor the weather conditions at the
cabin. They can also detect motion and send email alerts, etc. For me,
it is mostly about the current weather and pretty pictures of the trees.
I update the photos to our web site about every 10 minutes. I have multiple cameras at the cabin
but my favorite is the one I normaly use for the web site that looks out at the apple
and walnut trees.
This winter season,
2010-2011, has been a real challenge! We have had three storms with
multi-day power outages that, of course, take down the webcam! The
most recent being Sunday March 20th to Friday March 25th!
Five days without power. After power is restored I have been pretty
lucky with the system restoring on its own.
A number of people have
written and asked about my setup and how they might be able to do something
similar. The setup requires only three parts; a network camera of the
type that has a built-in web server, a router, and an internet connection
(in my case AT&T DSL in Twain Harte).
No
computers required! Access
it anywhere!
Sending photos from the camera is simple. The photos are sent via
FTP (File transfer Protocol) to the web site and I have photos emailed
to me based on time or motion detection. Since our place is a
cabin, we are not there all the time. I can remotely access the
cameras although there is some setup in the router required to allow
access. (See support information for your router to learn how to set
that up). You can use a service from the camera manfacturer to
access your camera on the internet if you do not want to bother with
your own website.
I have owned 5 different webcams over the
years. The technology has continued to improve and most of the
specific models I have purchased are no longer on the market. I
have used D-Link, Airlink, Pixcord and the webcam I currently use to
post to the website, the Toshiba listed below:
