Webcam operations

[Wolfeboro Matt]

To all of you web cam operators, can you recommend a good software package? Ideally it would be free or share ware but if it is better to go with a commercial package, then so be it. I'd also welcome any recommendations on a camera. I have one but it is a really low end one... enough to get started but I’m sure I'll soon want to upgrade.

I installed a wireless network last weekend so looking forward to trying out a web cam of the lake.

Thanks all!

[webmaster]

Many of the cameras now available have the software built in. Just plug them into your network and you can access all the settings with a Web browser.

You can set them up to upload an image to a web site or your still image and video can be accessed directly from the Web if you open up a port on your router.

The WeirsCAM and several other cameras around the lake are Netcams made by StarDot Technologies. I have two StarDot cameras and have been very happy with them. Axis cameras are also in use on the lake but I have no personal experience with them.

If you want to run a cheaper camera connected to a computer try the WebCam32 software. It has been around for a long time and is what I used before self-contained cameras became available.

Good luck and come back here if you need more help or advice.

[Bear Islander]

Hi

I have a page on my website that has information on setting up a webcam. It includes a software recommendation.

http://www.bearcam1.com/cam_info.htm

Good Luck!

[Skip]

Originally Posted by Bear Islander

Hi

I have a page on my website that has information on setting up a webcam. It includes a software recommendation.

http://www.bearcam1.com/cam_info.htm

Good Luck!

I am in the early stages of setting up a web cam for our snomobile club next door in Ossipee. Checked your page out and found it very informative for me!

Thanks!!!

[Merrymeeting]

The Merrymeeting Cam is an Axis one. It's been online for almost 3 years with no problems. It is an "active" cam that includes software, server, and everything you need. PM me if you want details.

[mcdude]

I've always been so tempted to do this but fear my lack of technical expertise would only make it a frustrating experience. I've got the internet connection, location and desktop computer. What would you estimate my start-up costs to be to go out and pick up the equipment to get started? Thanks - McD

[Lakegeezer]

Here is a description of how to set up a Web cam. I started this post thinking it was pretty easy, but the longer the post got, the more I realized that there are some tricy parts. I'm happy to try to answer questions on this forum or answer personal messages if you have a specific questions or technical problems. Its a hobby to me - some day it may be my job.

If you get one of the networked cameras, it plugs into your Internet via an Ethernet cable. If you are on cable or DSL, you need to have a router that lets you share your connection to the Internet. Most home networks are set up this way.

I bought my StarDot Technology Netcam on Ebay for about $300, and purchased an outdoor enclosure for about $60. The camera comes with a configuration utility that is installed on your PC (not a MAC) to set it up initially. After that, you can change configurations with a Web browser. There are two ways to get your pictures, upload to a Web site or connect to the camera directly. The camera can periodically upload a picture to a file server on the Internet. Most ISPs give you a free Web page space of 2-4 megabytes, and you can use that. From there, you use your Web browser to go to the ISP and see the latest picture (or latest 10 pictures if you set it up that way). All the lakes region Web cams you see work this way. Configuration is pretty simple. You set up your Webcam to upload at the frequency and during the hours you wish - and give it the account and remote directory information of your ISP's Web site. The internet application it uses to transfer the files is called FTP - file transfer protocol.

The direct connection to the camera is handy, because you can get more frequent updates and configure the camera while you are away from it - but this approach requires a few more tricks. Your router acts as a firewall - preventing anyone on the Internet from getting into your local area network (LAN). Becaues your camera is behind your firewall, you can't access it from the Internet without configuring your router to "poke a hole in the firewall" - using its "port forwarding" feature. Here, you configure the router to translate an inbound connection to a specific network address on your LAN. For example, the default port number of a Web page (including your camera's) is 80. If your camera is running on address 192.168.2.50, you would redirect inbound port 80 to address 192.168.2.50 port 80. All routers support this feature.

There are a few obsticles that the ISPs may throw at you which require work-arounds to get a direct connection. Most ISPs have a policy that you can not have a Web server on your home connection, and to enforce it they block inbound port 80 connections. The way around this is to find an inbound port that they do not block, for example 443, and redirect that inbound port to your camera. For example, in the last example, you would redirect inbound port 443 to address 192.168.2.50 port 80. The camera port remains the same - but the port redirection is different. When you use your Web browser to connect to your camera, the address would be http://youraddress.yourisp.com:443 - the syntax for a non-default port number is to put a colon : after the name and type the port number.

Tricky part two - your ISP does not give you a regular name for your Internet site, but instead - only gives you a number. You can find your IP address by looking at the status page of your router, or use this web site http://www.ipaddressworld.com/ - your address will be in the format of nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn (for example, 56.124.32.39). If you set everything above up correctly, you would "hit" your camera from the Internet by entering http://56.124.32.39:443 - your address and the port number that forwards through your router's firewall to your camera. You aren't stuck using numbers though.

You can purchase your own domain name - about $30/year - or for less, you can share a domain and pick your own "host name". The company I recommend for either solution is Manchester, NH based Dynamic Network Services http://WWW.DYNDNS.COM Their "dynamic DNS" services lets you pick from a list of domain, like selfip.com, and pick a name, such as mycam. You configure your ip address to point to your name. In our example, you would configure mycam.selfip.com to point to 56.124.32.39. Then, hitting your Web cam would be http://mycam.selfip.com:443 (or just http://mycam.selfip.com if your ISP doesn't block port 80).

Tricky part three - with most ISP's, your address doesn't remain the same. It is called "dynamic addressing". Your address may change daily or remain the same for months - but when it changes, you have to change your inbound Web link to match it. Some routers (Netgear and SMC for example) support dynamic routing. When your ISP changes your new address, it detects that and logs into DYNDNS to automatically change the configuration there.

Bonus round: Its difficult giving others a Web address that has a unique port on it - like the 443. The DYNDNS company also offers a port redirection service called "web hop" - so you can convert one Web name into another - For example, http://mycam.webhop.net could be converted to http://mycam.selfip.com:443

[Blue Thunder]

LG,
Thanks for that detailed explanation. I completely understand now.....

I'm more confused than I was when I started

BT

[mcdude]

Thanks, LG for that thoughtful response. However, you have reinforced the idea that this would be a frustrating experience for the technically-challenged!

[RLW]

I have been thinking of doing one of these units for a couple of years now. The main reason I didn't do it was I thought it would be hard to do, but what LG is saying, it isn't. It's actually kinda simple like the guy that is writing this.

[Bear Islander]

I have devised a test that will tell someone how hard it will be for them to set up a webcam.

Review the following acronyms

ip

ftp

html

If you know what they mean and you deal with them on a regular basis then you will have no problem setting up a webcam (Except of course falling of a ladder or something like that).

If (like me) you recognize what they are and where they are used but don't have experience with them, then you will be able to do a webcam but you will have some learning to do along the way.

If you think they have something to do with scoring a baseball game then you need to find a nerd to help you with your project.

[GWC...]

Regarding FTP...

I realize some people love a freebie; but this is one that you do not want.

http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=2711

[Lakegeezer]

There is an auction active on ebay for a Stardot Netcam. The minimum price is $400 and the auction ends June 7'th. List price is $599. Go to ebay and search for "stardot netcam" to find it.