I honestly need a webcam

E

Eric the Red

Team HuskerBoard
And before the porno or sex cam jokes come out, my mother, who lives in Jersey, was here over the weekend and since I have a "little red" on the way, she wants be able to watch stuff.

Can you guys recommend a quality web cam that can be set up and what is needed from my computer and hers to function?

 
Logitech makes great Webcams - just about any model will do.

To set it up is a bit more difficult. First, do you have your own web site? I'm assuming you want this to be as easy as possible for your mother, which would mean her just opening a web page. If so, you need the following:

1. Either a hosted web site, like this board, or your own server. If you do your own server, you will need either a static IP address or else you will have to use a dynamic DNS system, such as TZO.com.

2. Hook up the web cam so that it is plugged into your router or directly to your computer.

3. Create a web page that has the output of the web cam coded in using HTML. Very similar to posting a picture on this site.

4. You'll probably want the image to refresh (steaming becomes very complicated). For that, there are a number of Java applets you can add to the page, along with the code to keep the page from being cached (if you don't do that, the person viewing the page would have to continually hit their Refresh button or clear their cache manually each time they want to see a new picture).

Here's the easist way - buy a web cam and hook it up. Let us know, and one of us can create a basic web page on this site and have the web cam output to that page.

Of course, this works only so long as the web cam is on and the computer to which it is connected is on.

If you simply want to connect between two web cams, then it actually can become easier - but both parties will need either static IPs (or dynamic DNS systems) or use a hosting service such as Yahoo or AOL. It depends on how you want to use it - as a web page she can visit, or as an interactive means of "I see you, you see me" kind of thing.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Some times it's easy to get locked into one mode of thought - that's what happened to me on this. I helped someone install a series of web cams in his house that connected to a video server that streamed video to a web server to which he connected. There is an easier way.

Most of the instant messaging clients, such as Windows Messenger Live and Yahoo! messenger, have the ability to create a connection between computers and web cams. To use it, you and your mother would have to have the same IM client. For example, if you both have the Windows Live Messenger (which I've found to be more stable than Yahoo!), you can enable web cams in sessions.

The upside is that it's simple. Connect the web cam to the computer running the IM client. Then, simply connect to your mother's computer. Click Options - Send Video, and select the web cam as the source. The web cam should come with all the hardware - it's just one cable. The software is bundled with it, and installing it using the defaults will work just fine in most cases.

The downside is that both of you have to be at the computer and "on-line" on the IM client at the same time. Not a problem if you set a schedule or just call to be sure. The other downside, though, is that you have to take the baby to the web cam, rather than installing the web cam near the baby (although you can do the latter - you would just need a cable long enough to run from the crib, say, to the computer). The other downside is that since you are running it to a web page, the only way someone can see it is if they, too, have the same IM client, etc. And, of course, your mother has to be able to install and operate the IM client.

Anyway, that's a much simpler way of doing it, but it is more limited in application.

 
bluetooth ???? webcam????? wireless router ?????? just a novice $.02

OK now

There once was a man from Nantucket whose webcam was so big...........

 
AR Husker Fan said:
Some times it's easy to get locked into one mode of thought - that's what happened to me on this. I helped someone install a series of web cams in his house that connected to a video server that streamed video to a web server to which he connected. There is an easier way.

Most of the instant messaging clients, such as Windows Messenger Live and Yahoo! messenger, have the ability to create a connection between computers and web cams. To use it, you and your mother would have to have the same IM client. For example, if you both have the Windows Live Messenger (which I've found to be more stable than Yahoo!), you can enable web cams in sessions.

The upside is that it's simple. Connect the web cam to the computer running the IM client. Then, simply connect to your mother's computer. Click Options - Send Video, and select the web cam as the source. The web cam should come with all the hardware - it's just one cable. The software is bundled with it, and installing it using the defaults will work just fine in most cases.

The downside is that both of you have to be at the computer and "on-line" on the IM client at the same time. Not a problem if you set a schedule or just call to be sure. The other downside, though, is that you have to take the baby to the web cam, rather than installing the web cam near the baby (although you can do the latter - you would just need a cable long enough to run from the crib, say, to the computer). The other downside is that since you are running it to a web page, the only way someone can see it is if they, too, have the same IM client, etc. And, of course, your mother has to be able to install and operate the IM client.

Anyway, that's a much simpler way of doing it, but it is more limited in application.
Click to expand...

Now your talking!! Just spoke with Joe earlier today. This is much easier

 
Yeah, sorry 'bout that first post. Like I said, you can kind of get locked into a certain mode of thought sometimes, and I always look to server solutions first.

 
Back
Top