In this article we will see how to make use of our Windows Netbooks & Laptops, as a security Camera for keeping an eye. For that matter, one can make use of your Desktop PC also if a webcam is attached to it. Generally all Netbooks, laptops available today, do come with built-in webcams.

Your Netbook will take pictures in a set interval or whenever there’s motion using motion detection option and save the snapshots locally to your PC or upload to a ftp server and you can view this from some other location; for example, if you want to keep an eye on your pet at home while you are away.

There are many software available for this but we will check up with few free ones. The idea of this article is to make you aware of using your Netbooks, laptops as a security camera, though you can’t compare this with the regular professional Security, surveillance cams. So instead of going into software details or their many options, I have just provided an idea so that you can play around with various options and set them accordingly.

1. First is the Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP and Webcam Timershot is one of the PowerToys provided.

[attachment=2:mukilpu7]timershot1_thumb.jpg[/attachment:mukilpu7]

But this doesn’t have motion detection option. And it works only with Windows XP.

For users of Windows Vista and Windows 7, there are many such free software, we will check a couple of them:

2. One of them is Yawcam – Yawcam is short for Yet Another WebCAM software.

[attachment=1:mukilpu7]yaw_thumb.jpg[/attachment:mukilpu7]

https://www.yawcam.com/

It has many features including Motion detection support.

* Video streaming
* Image snapshots
* Built-in webserver
* Motion detection
* Ftp-upload and many more.

For more detailed option please check the site.

So you can set your Netbooks with Motion detection so, as soon it senses some motion, it will capture the image. As a result, it will take fewer pictures whenever required as against timed shots which will keep on taking pictures at set interval.

3. Another such free app is Avacam which also has lots of options including motion detection. For normal use the Free edition is enough, though a paid ver is also there of Avacam.

[attachment=0:mukilpu7]avacam_thumb.jpg[/attachment:mukilpu7]

https://users.belgacom.net/rgs/

Also remember to Set your Monitors off whenever you want , and set hard disk, System to Never off from or set them accordingly from your Power Options in control panel. Also check your Sleep/hibernate options and disable them.

So now its upto you to put this into imaginative use! How you position your netbook, whether you use it to catch some intruder or want to keep an eye on your pet, etc.