Your home spycam
March 8th, 2012 at 7:00 am by David FarrarGot sent a copy of some software which turns your webcam into a home security camera. The designer is actually a Kiwiblog reader.
The software is Spycam-Watcher. It works with around 50 different brands of webcams, including the built in one on my Sony Vaio. It would take up a lot of space to be recording all the time, but you can use motion detection, have it send you an e-mail with a frame shot, and can even have a virtual tripwire where for example you aim your computer camera at your driveway, draw a “tripwire” line across the image on your screen, and it will alert you when any vehicle crosses the line and start recording.
It costs only US$30, but for just an additional $5 you can get a remote interface from your iPad or iPhone. Yes, you can view your home camera from anywhere in the world if the motion detector is set off. you can turn it on and off, and can view video already made. It’s simple as pie to use also.
I think it a seriously good system, Kiwi made, and really affordable. As someone who travels a lot I’ll be having it installed on one of my old laptops, so it can monitor my door.
All it really needs is the extra option of firing a taser at intruders.
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March 8th, 2012 at 7:31 am
I wonder what the security is like? One of the big issues with this type of software is the risk of someone taking control of your systems and spying on you.
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 7:50 am
Awesome!
LOL at the Islander jumping over your fence…
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 8:07 am
Forget about Tazers. My company does commercial grade remote video monitoring. We have a remote controlled machine gun module that integrates with our software. Operators can zoom the gun around, pick a target
Vote:using the camera. Then hit a button in our software and hey presto it shoots!
Never done it here though, touch illegal!
March 8th, 2012 at 8:09 am
Sounds a great idea- I don’t want to have to rely purely on my Audible Security alarm/my cellphone and the good faith of my neighbours should I ever get burgled while I’m away… (I live in Auckland so police could be half an hour away- if they attend at all)
One has to consider these things when one lives in Auckland…(Oh for the idyllic South Island where we left our keys in our cars outside the Dairy..)
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 8:25 am
Excellent idea.
RRM, that’s a pretty white looking Islander. Your assumption?
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 8:35 am
I love the machine gun option as outlined by “JustRight”. Pity about the illegality as installing these handy devices in homes & businesses regularly targeted by thieves would have far reaching positive outcomes. Insurance premiums would plummet, no new prisons would be needed & the work created by the patching of bullet holes & blood stain removal would reduce unemployment.
Plus all those who wasted their youthful years playing video games could get some live action.
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 8:39 am
Scott Chris
Might be an Islander who has been scared shitless.
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 8:55 am
you just need a set of tiny tasers to load into this thing….
Vote:http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/warfare/8a0f/
March 8th, 2012 at 9:24 am
There’s a free app for android that does all this, but it’s kind of pointless because if I’m away from home I always have my phone with me…
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 9:31 am
cool software.
hope the dude ends up selling it to microsoft or someone and retires to an island
(i think thats the entrepreneurial curse of NZ though? we get rich, sell out and live like kings…)
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 10:10 am
SO will it film the crook as he steals your computer that you’ve left lying in open view? Presumably the recording of him doing so is on the hard drive of said computer too…
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 10:28 am
From their web site:
>How SpyCam Watcher can protect and serve you:
>
> 3. Keeping your children safe.
It’s an automated “think of the chilllllllldren” device. Which is bad enough, but it is also based on the closed iOS platform.
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 10:44 am
To the cloud!
I hate myself for saying that.
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 11:11 am
keeping children safe? If you’ve left your kids at home by themselves with only an app to protect them, then crime is probably the least of their problems.
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 11:47 am
you can do this for free with Growl for windows or mac.
you can live stream it to a website, set it to take photos every time it detects motion within certain areas, or even get alerts to your iphone.
see
http://www.growlforwindows.com/gfw/help/Webcam%20Motion%20Detection%20using%20Growl%20for%20Windows.pdf
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 11:49 am
you could with either system, set it to save files to your dropbox and access from anywhere (or set it to email the files to you)
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
A great idea and congrats to the KB reader for designing an affordable app. This technology is not new and already exists but is frightfully expensive if intergrated into a home security system.
Vote:It is possible to remotely control home appliances that could act as a detergent to burglars ie a sonic horn alarm that is defeaning to intruders in a confined space or if you want to get really nasty an electric fence can be activated to give intruders an unpleasant shock.
March 8th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Thanks David for the review. Some clarifications :
1) The “islander” is not an islander. He’s my neighbour’s son-in-law and is a linesman – been working hard away from home in Christchurch a lot in the last year or two. But he looks the part
2) I’ve been making software that does this sort of thing for almost 10 years (called Netcam Watcher – http://www.netcam-watcher.com) and this is a cut-down version. We’ve never had any issues with people taking control of the software, and I’ve never heard of such problems either.
3) “For the children” .. I know some of the website text is a little corny, but it’s been designed to rate well on the search engines for the kinds of keywords we are trying to capture.
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 3:21 pm
sean : Growl / Yawcam can only do a fraction of the things that Spycam Watcher can. For instance, you can’t log in to your PC from your iPhone and view recorded video, one of the most useful features. It’s really not the same to say that you can save snaphots to a website or dropbox.
And while I’m sure Growl is worthy open source software, most people’s time is valuable enough that it’s cheaper to spend a few bucks for a solution that works right away.
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 4:32 pm
beautox>The “islander” is not an islander. He’s my neighbour’s son-in-law and is a linesman
For goodness sake Beautox… If your neigbour’s son-in-law is climbing over your fence and molesting your children then don’t just take his photo. Do something about it!
Vote:March 8th, 2012 at 6:50 pm
Remember this.
Vote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNtTX_VaEzk&feature=player_embedded
Be great if Auckland cops responded in like fashion.
March 10th, 2012 at 9:34 am
Aren’t we funny? We always seem to have better ideas than the guy who has been professionally making a living from something.
I have had a play with this software and found it very useful getting evidence of who was mangling our PCs at work overnight.
Take it from an old IT guy. Very little software is written this well these days.
Vote: