With the web site or app, you can’t do much more than view your cameras. For smartphone use (iPhone, Blackberry and Android) you first need to download the free app. On a computer, just log into the site to view your cameras. If an emailed alert has you sufficiently concerned, you can view your cameras remotely from any Internet-connected computer or a smartphone. Alerts with snapshots can be sent to your main desktop or to an email address or smartphone. The purpose of that is to prevent alerts from triggering when people who are already in the room or area move around normally, but any new entrant will set off an alert. For the indoor camera I highlighted the doorways. For the outdoor camera I selected my driveway entrance and a door. To fine-tune the motion sensors, you can select specific areas of an image for it to monitor, or the whole image. It also set up alerts when the camera’s motion sensors detect activity. Alert Commander lets you view your camera feeds and do a few small tweaks such as adjust the contrast and brightness. Once all that’s done, you run the Alert Commander software and let it find your cameras, which it did in my house almost immediately. I connected the outdoor camera in essentially the same way, except the outdoor network adaptor is a bit more rugged to defend against water and weather. Next, I plugged an Ethernet cable to the camera and to another network adaptor, and plugged that adaptor into another outlet, in this case in another room. Then I plugged the adaptor into a nearby electric outlet, which happens to be directly behind my router. To get started, I plugged an Ethernet cable to the network adaptor and then to my router. You plug the network adaptor into your outlet, then plug the camera into the adaptor via an Ethernet cable. Making the system even easier is the fact that the cameras derive their power from the network connection (called Power over Ethernet or PoE) so you don’t need an additional power cord for each camera. Anywhere you’ve got an outlet, you’ve got network access. Logitech’s system uses HomePlug Powerline networking that takes advantage of your home’s existing electric wiring to send data signals. The supplied Ethernet cable is the flat variety, which is easy to paint to match your walls. The cameras come with an assortment of installation accessories to make mounting easy. Wired cameras are usually more for professional installers and require drilling into walls. Wireless sounds nice, but Wi-Fi tends to be buggy, and then you’ve still got an AC wire to deal with. Both of those options can be a problematic. Many DIY systems rely on Wi-Fi or require direct wiring to the network. The trick with network cameras is, of course, in the networking. Logitech also sent along a weatherproof outdoor camera (model 700e), so my system consisted of just the two cams. Additional cameras (up to six total) can be added. The base system includes one indoor network camera and a network adaptor, plus some software for managing and monitoring your camera. The Logitech Alert system I’m speaking of is a basic video surveillance package, but what makes it stand out is how easy it is to set up and network. Lately I’ve been using a DIY system that falls in the middle and largely delivers more than what you’d expect for the price. Video systems like this can be very expensive or they can be very cheap, and what you get often matches what you pay. One of the primary goals of a home surveillance system is to enable you to keep an eye, or several, on your things while you’re away. If neither dog nor house sitter works out for you, you can try a video surveillance system. Remember house sitters? Do people still do that anymore? I mean, who hires (or asks) someone to stay in their house while they’re away to make sure nothing crooked happens? That’s what dogs are for-unless your dog’s a lazy coward like mine (no, really, he’s a vicious killer).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |