The Logitech QuickCam Pro can help you see everything clearly—even if you don’t want to.

We all dream of a world without worry. A place where you never have to lock your door, where your keys can dangle from the ignition in full view, and where being ripped off is just a silly nightmare. Wouldn’t that be grand? But the reality is, trust doesn’t come easy and it must be earned.
So how do you deal with people you’re asked to trust right away? You check up on them, and, using today’s technology, all it takes is a little more than $100, an Internet connection and some time.
Recently, almost on a whim, I started to wonder what goes on after hours when my staff goes home and the cleaning people show up. So I decided to set up a “Webcam” in my office so I could see firsthand from the comfort of my own home.

Crash Course Camera For the uninitiated, a Webcam is a hip little camera that connects to your computer and takes snapshots. The software on your computer then uploads these photos to the Internet. This way, you can see your Webcam’s view from any computer on the planet, as long as it has Internet access. You also can set the Webcam to go into “stealth monitoring mode” and secretly save the video images on your computer’s hard drive for later viewing.
My little exercise at the office revealed something interesting—specifically, that it takes between 5 and 9 minutes to empty a trash can. At least that’s how long it takes when the person doing the emptying takes time to rummage through each scrap of paper looking for interesting details. Granted, there was nothing especially sensitive in the trash, but I felt violated nonetheless. Needless to say, my paper shredder is now putting in some overtime.
As a result of this exercise, I brought up my Webcam experience in conversations and the results are telling. A friend of mine revealed that he has one set up in his home office so his clients can tell whether he’s out or just ignoring the telephone. I can’t say that I understand the logic but it works for him. Another couple uses one to record what the baby sitter does with their kids.
An auto shop owner I know keeps an eye on his garage—even when he’s miles away. Friends who have a vacation home at Lake Tahoe use their Webcam to watch the property during the week when they’re stuck in town. Another buddy set up a Webcam and recorded his teenage son throwing a keg party while he was out of town on business. Maybe our childhood wasn’t so bad, huh?

View With Your Choice It’s clear that there are many practical uses for Webcams, but the first step is figuring out exactly what type of camera you need.
The standard “eyeball-style” desktop camera is probably the easiest to set up. When you go shopping, you’ll find some that plug into your nine-pin serial port, and others that plug into an open USB port. Generally speaking, I find that my computers have more open USB ports than nine-pin serial ports, and thus I recommend the USB option.
One camera that I especially like is the QuickCam Pro from Logitech (www.logitech.com). At about $130, it’s not the cheapest cam you’ll find, but it packs a lot of great features. For starters, the resolution is a full 640 x 480. That may not seem like a big deal if you already own a regular digital camera, but in the world of desktop cams, that’s pretty impressive. You also get all the software you need to get your Web show on the road. This includes a program called Digital Radar II that can detect motion via the QuickCam and snap a picture of anything that’s moving. Another included program can automatically upload the snapshots to your Web site. In other words, this is a complete Webcam and surveillance solution.

X10’s XRay Vision bundle lets you play your video on your TV or VCR.

The one drawback to a camera like the QuickCam Pro is the cable. What happens if your computer is in the office, but you need to keep an eye on the supply room? Not a problem. You just buy a different camera.
One choice for this situation is the XRay Vision package from X10 (www.x10.com). This bundle starts with X10’s XCam2. The XCam2 is a mini camera designed to wirelessly transmit a video feed to any TV or VCR in your home or office. At about $80, the XCam2 on its own makes for a pretty good surveillance device. For another $50 or so, the XRay Vision package adds a receiver that plugs into your computer’s USB port. That way, you can use your XCam2 to do the Webcam thing. The XRay Vision software is very cool. Not only can the software upload snapshots to your Web site, you also can control the software via the Internet from any remote site. Alternatively, you can set the software to recognize an incoming call to your computer’s modem. This signals the software to log onto the Internet and upload an image. Like the QuickCam Pro software, XRay Vision also includes motion detection. However, motion does more than trigger a snapshot. You can program the software to automatically e-mail that snapshot to any e-mail account you want. For example, you can have the snapshots e-mailed to your free Hotmail account so you can get at them from any computer with a Web connection.

You won’t need a computer to spy with the FoneCam. Just plug it directly into your phone line.

Vision Without Computer Now suppose you want to monitor a location that doesn’t even have a computer. As long as you can run a phone line to that location, you still have one option remaining. It’s called the FoneCam (www.fonecam.com) by FoneCam Inc. Unlike traditional cams, the FoneCam does not plug directly into your computer. Instead, it has a built-in 14.4Kbps modem and plugs only into a phone line. You just position the FoneCam wherever you need it, plug in the power and plug in the phone line. Then, using software that comes with the FoneCam, you dial the number of the line to which the FoneCam is attached. The FoneCam “answers” the phone, recognizes the software at the other end, snaps a picture and sends it back to your computer. Simple.
There are a couple of drawbacks to the FoneCam, most notably the price. This baby sells for about $400. Think about that for a second. If you can even find a 14.4Kbps modem, you’ll probably be able to pick it up for about $10. You can find a decent desktop cam for about $50. But put the two together and you’re suddenly up to $400. That doesn’t seem right. Some enterprising engineering student probably could rig up a similar device for a lot less.
The most common complaint about the FoneCam is the image quality, which is pretty shabby at 320 x 240 pixels, much poorer than the other products shown. However, it is the only product we could find of its kind. That means if you absolutely must have a cam where only a phone line can go, you’ll have to make do with the high cost and low image quality. Certainly, there are many more ways to keep watch on more than one place at a time. If you have a gut feeling that something isn’t right, it probably isn’t. Now, using the right technology, the proof you need is just a mouse click away.