Imagine having the ability to …

• See visitors at the front door or driving up the driveway, day or night, by simply switching channels on the television
• View your camera video from any cable outlet in the house, independent of other outlets and available via your TV remote control
• Maintain a dated, time-stamped video record of everyone entering your house, and any vehicle entering your property, day or night
• View your home, property or business from virtually anywhere in the world, over the Internet
• Integrate your video system into your security system, taking full advantage of that system's report capabilities.

The marriage of video and computers is nothing new; that happened long ago. But over the years, the cameras and associated equipment have dropped in price significantly, making video systems available to more people and more applications.

These video systems range from basic, stand-alone configurations composed of a camera, video cable and a $4 adapter for displaying the video on a dedicated television, to feature-laden systems (pan-and-tilt, zoom, focus, night-vision, etc) connected to computers or local networks and, optionally, the Internet.

Cameras connected to the Internet are referred to as 'web cams', and enjoy a wide range of applications. Among these applications past and present, are coverage of city or freeway traffic, underwater sites, wildlife observation, construction projects, horse stables, institutional security, scientific expeditions, zoo exhibits, and even, literally, watching mold grow.

However, one relatively new application growing rapidly is video coverage of one's home and personal property.

Why would someone want a video camera in his or her home or neighborhood?
Actually, there are a number of good, perhaps even compelling reasons, but all are perhaps best summed in two words: Security and Convenience.

A video camera offers a degree of security simply by being conspicuous. Its presence goes a long way toward deterring would-be burglars because having seen one camera, an individual can never be certain how many more are on duty, or where they're located. This is evident in the fact that decoy cameras, empty enclosures intended to be conspicuous, are available from numerous suppliers.

The type of security provided by a camera is identification, either complete or partial. This can be identification of one or more individuals, vehicles, or even situations to be avoided.

Even if a positive identification of an individual or vehicle is impossible because the face is obscured, or the license plates are never fully in view of the camera, valuable information may still be gleaned from the camera data. This might include an individual's approximate height, weight, and distinguishing characteristics; or make, model, and color of a vehicle, perhaps even a partial license plate. This information may be obtained in real-time by simple observation, or by computerized post-processing of the video record.

Today, even relatively inexpensive computer software makes it possible to step through a video frame-by-frame. Even a brief view of the plate, so brief as to be imperceptible to a witness, may be sufficient to recover the license plate image. And some cameras are so sensitive to light that they can 'see' and record a driver's face, or vehicle's license plate in light much too dim for the human eye. This too, can be recovered with the aid of a simple personal computer.

Many cameras designed for the home are small and easily hidden. Frequently, such cameras are employed as 'nanny-cams', and used to identify situations best avoided or events which must never be repeated, situations such as pilfering or worse.

Numerous instances of caregivers battering, or otherwise assaulting helpless individuals have been recorded by hidden cameras. These include assaults against family members (infants, for instance) or patients in institutions.

And on rare occasions, the ability to recognize a dangerous situation can be a lifesaver. There are cases on record where homeowners, upon hearing a strange noise outside at night, ran outside to see what was happening and were hospitalized or worse, as a result of confronting car thieves. In such cases, had a camera been available, these people could have identified the situation and called authorities without ever having left the bedroom.

Pets too, may benefit from the use of a properly positioned camera and monitor. In the garage, for instance, pets may be attracted by the heat of a vehicle’s radiator, and choose to lie down beside, behind or in front of a wheel. Because few drivers walk around the car as a precaution before getting in and driving off, pets lying near the vehicle are at risk of serious injury or death. With a properly positioned camera and monitor, the driver need only glance at the monitor to verify that it's safe to drive off.

The home camera protects property as well. We've all heard horror stories of crimes against animals (people shooting horses, beating animals to death, or abducting pets), property such as boats or cars vandalized, or buildings destroyed by fire. In each of these, and similar cases, one or more cameras properly placed might have prevented these crimes, or subsequently identified the criminal by examining the video record with a suitably equipped PC.

But what of convenience?
We've just seen examples of the security provided by video, but how does a video system provide convenience? It does that by saving the homeowner time and effort.

Simply providing a dated, time-stamped record of visitors to the home can be a convenience in itself. With such a record, the homeowner can determine whether a delivery was made, or how long the landscaper worked on the project.

A guest's arrival is another example of a convenience provided by the camera. With the video integrated into the home's television system or computer network, one may view a guest's arrival in one window while simultaneously watching a television program or sending email in the primary window.

It's true that a doorbell would work almost as well and cost less, but sometimes the doorbell can't be heard. And sometimes you'd prefer to greet your guests as they arrive, or perhaps open the garage door for them as they drive up the driveway. Homeowners whose homes have gates installed might find it convenient to be able to see, as well as speak with visitors at the gate.

Some homes, especially those in which small children live or visit frequently, use a camera to monitor the swimming pool. Integrated into the home's television and/or computer system, the camera conveniently enables any adult in the home to watch over the children without actually being poolside. And, of course, this capability is heightened if the camera is also equipped with a microphone.

Other conveniences include providing a means for distant family members such as students away at school, or servicemen on remote assignment, to 'visit' occasionally, even if only for a few minutes over the Internet.

Internet video also provides a means for homeowners to periodically visit their vacation home or boat, or look in on their primary home while traveling, even going so far as to view in real-time, work in progress, at or in the home.

Security and convenience are but two of the reasons homeowners should, and in increasing numbers, are, giving serious consideration to installing a video system in their home.

Configuring your system is probably best approached by first drawing up a list of requirements for the system. What capabilities should the system provide? What coverage is required? Should the system be accessible over the Internet?

Some people will have minimal needs … a camera to cover the front door will suffice. Others may want 24-hour coverage of several areas around the home, plus Internet access, but aren't interested in integrating the video system into the home television system or the computer network.

Still others, especially technophiles, will want it all. And in this case, 'all' is a lot. The industry is quite advanced. Already, there is equipment in the marketplace to do pretty much whatever is desired, and each day, more and better equipment comes to the marketplace.

The most basic system would probably be an inexpensive camera and lens, a very inexpensive power transformer, a length of video cable, and a display adapter purchased for less than $4.

With this equipment, the homeowner has everything needed to capture the video and display it on the AUX channel of virtually any television set. If the camera is to be placed outside, then the owner will also need to invest in a weatherproof housing, and some sort of camera mount. That's pretty much all there is to a basic system.

Now, to this basic system, the homeowner may wish to add one or more options, including:

• Camera (and lens) options
• Recorder (although an ordinary television VCR will suffice in many cases)
• Television integration system · Computer integration via Frame-grabber or television tuner
• Wireless links
• Internet access (and, optionally, networking integration)
• Integration into the home security alarm system

Camera (and lens) options include such items as a microphone; a zoom lens with which to survey an initially large area, then 'zoom' in on an object of interest; or a pan-and-tilt mount which frees the camera from a fixed view. The latter two, zoom lens and pan-and-tilt mount may be controlled by fixed wire or in some cases, by wireless link.

Yet another camera option is night-vision. True night-vision is probably unnecessary for most applications since, these days, virtually all cameras have excellent low-light sensitivity. With such sensitivity, all one needs for 24-hour coverage are a few small lights left on at night. No extra equipment is necessary.

However, there are some applications for which a true night-vision capability is very desirable. Night-vision, in this context, means the ability to see in the dark where the unaided eye sees nothing. That capability, provided by IR illuminators and IR-sensitive lenses, is relatively inexpensive out to a distance of 40 feet or so, but beyond that, cost rises significantly. Distances of 100 feet, or even 200+ feet are attainable, but at significant cost.

Incidentally, depending on the wavelength of the light employed, the infrared illuminators commonly used for night vision capability may appear to have a faint red glow. However, illuminators operating at a lower frequency (outside the visible spectrum) will not glow at all, even at significantly higher power levels, and the light is invisible to the human eye - intruders will never know that they've stepped into a highly illuminated area because only the camera sees the light.

This means that homeowners can create pools of invisible light around their home and property - light that only the camera sees. And the illuminators are eye-safe at distances of 4 feet or greater; visitors are not endangered.

The second option in the list, the ability to record video, is a critical element in providing security. While dedicated recorders are available and offer a number of significant features, the video may also be recorded on an ordinary VCR, or even a home computer (but be aware that video consumes huge amounts of computer disk space … the computer should be equipped with a writable CD, or even better, a writable DVD).

Many homes today are cabled for television, with outlets in various rooms throughout the home. Integrating the camera video into this cable system is accomplished easily and inexpensively. The integration is achieved with the aid of three types of components: a video engine, one or more modulators, and one or more cable drivers.

An enclosure is placed in a wall in the basement or garage, into which the components are installed and wired. The video engine is the heart of the system. It accepts as inputs, both the standard television video from the antenna, television cable, or satellite system, as well as the camera video from the modulator.

The video engine combines these inputs (standard television video plus modulated camera video), and provides it to the cable drivers feeding the cables running throughout the home.

Thus, at any cable outlet, one need only tune the television set to the appropriate channel to view any of the cameras connected to the system (and hear the associated audio if the camera is equipped with a microphone). The home camera becomes just another television channel!

There are at least two ways to introduce the camera video into the home computer. If the homeowner has integrated the video into the home television system, a computer equipped with a television tuner can acquire the TV signal from a nearby television cable outlet and tune to the appropriate channel, just as if the computer was a television set.

The camera video (or broadcast video, for that matter) then appears in a window, which may be expanded to cover the entire screen, reduced in size and re-positioned, or minimized. It is after all, just another window and may be treated as such.

In addition, the software driving the window usually offers provisions to record the video as discrete (JPEG) images, or as video at specified intervals.

A second, similar option for introducing the camera video into the computer would be to employ a 'frame-grabber'. This device processes un-modulated video, so the camera is connected directly to the frame-grabber (or alternatively, the frame-grabber may be connected to an output from a VCR monitoring the television system).

Frame-grabbers, like tuners, generally display the video in dedicated, re-sizeable windows, and come bundled with software offering various storage, display, and processing options.

This, and similar software available at any computer store enables the homeowner to edit the video frame-by-frame to recover individual frames and save them as images, or even to create home videos, complete with labeling, special effects, background audio and narration, etc. Such videos would be ideal for mailing to distant family members, or posting on the family website.

Wireless links can be a very attractive, but regrettably expensive option. They may be used whenever laying physical control and/or video cables would be difficult or impossible. Typically, this would be a result of distance or obstruction.

One example of an application for a wireless link is the case where an owner wants to bring a boat camera into the system, but the boat is docked a mile or more away, or on the distant side of the lake. Yet another example would be an owner that wanted to keep track of several horses in distant fields. Both of these applications might consider employing a wireless link in lieu of physical cabling.

Wireless links are good for distances from several city blocks to five miles or more, depending on terrain, number and type of obstructions, and antenna type, among other considerations. Distance is generally less of a problem than are obstructions. Ideally, the two antennas will have an unobstructed transmission path between them (they are generally thought of as line-of-sight devices).

Wireless technology may serve the homeowner in a second capacity as well. For those homes not cabled internally, or where the homeowner wishes to avoid laying additional video cable throughout the home, relatively inexpensive wireless links may be used to extend the Ethernet network.

Extending this network permits the router, webserver, and cable/DSL modem to be located in close proximity to the broadband access, and video cables.

Restated, that means that in many cases, the video cables need not be brought to the computer equipment; the need to lay additional cable throughout the home has been avoided. 

And finally we come to Internet access. Frequently, the device that provides this capability, a video server, provides a number of other capabilities as well.

In a typical home application, the video server is an Ethernet network device, connected to a cable/DSL modem, and at least one 'local' (networked) computer, through a router or switch. It also connects directly to an array of 1 to 16 cameras. The local computer, through its web browser, both defines the server's operation, and functions as a video display.

However, it is important to note that the local computer does not control the server. The server has its own chip and software, and operates autonomously, albeit in accord with the parameters set by the computer.

And of course, the ultimate purpose of the video server is to provide the camera video upon demand. The demand may come from a locally networked viewer (someone in the home, say) or from virtually anywhere on the Internet.

That is, when a browser somewhere "out there" on the Internet or on the local network addresses the video server and provides the appropriate username and password, the server responds by making the selected video available to the viewer.

When more than one camera is connected, video servers enable the viewer to select the camera to be viewed, or alternatively, to select the cameras and the sequence by which to rotate through the selected cameras. And some systems (regrettably, the more expensive systems) permit the viewer to change the camera's position via pan-and-tilt commands, and/or zoom in or out.

Most video servers also provide an FTP client/server function, enabling the user to post individual images to a specified website (in the specified subdirectory / filename) at a specified periodicity.

Yet another function offered by video servers is the ability to send image-bearing email to specific addressees, either at a specified periodicity, or upon 'event' (such as motion detection, loss of video, or significant temperature or humidity change, for instance). Some servers also offer the ability to send SMS messages (no images, please) to mobile phones upon event.

Video servers also offer the ability to communicate with external devices such as motion detectors, pan-and-tilt mounts, thermometers, etc. through an RS485 connection or discrete pins.

Perhaps the most important external device the typical video server can interface with is the home security alarm system, and all the reporting capability that home security system provides.

This means that, for instance, as the bad guy drives off with your Porsche 996 Turbo, the camera system can inform your home security alarm, which may then call the police or your home monitoring service.

In addition, the video server permits the homeowner to control the quality of the images (image quality and transfer-time are a continuing tradeoff), as well as parameters such as color intensity and brightness.

System security is a very important consideration, and it is this security which prevents the camera from being turned on the owner, i.e. prevents unauthorized viewing by (optionally) requiring a username and password, both at the video server, and if a router is present, at the router. Indeed, these two devices, router and web server, may provide several levels of access and password protection, one for the ordinary user barred from administrative (supervisory) activities, and a higher, more privileged level for the system administrator.

In addition to the barriers presented by the username/password requirements, if the homeowner uses a router which supports port-forwarding, the intruder might first need to know that a video server is present, because the owner may choose to hide the server at any one of nearly 65536 ports.

With a port-forwarding router, the video server need not betray its presence to any browser that comes along. The user would then need to know both that the video server exists, and where it's hidden, AND need to know the username and password.

Also, of course, even before dealing with the barriers erected by the password requirements (and port number), an intruder would need to know the correct IP address. The IP address is similar to an unlisted telephone number; an unlisted telephone number can be reached by dialing at random, but unless the owner gives out the number or otherwise identifies himself, the owner cannot easily be connected with that number.

Thus, if a homeowner erected no barriers to unwarranted intrusion, and an intruder stumbled across the IP address at random, the intruder would see the video but would be denied the most important piece of information: context. The homeowner's anonymity would be maintained.

These barriers, one or possibly two username-password combinations, port-forwarding, and IP addressing, probably will not withstand an assault by a determined hacker; after all, even major corporations and governments are occasionally victimized by hackers, but these barriers will certainly prevent the vast majority of such attempts.

So … how much will all this capability cost? The answer to that question is largely a function of the list of requirements drawn up when configuring the system.

Shopping for a camera is a lot like selecting a car … there are at least three models for every conceivable need, desire, and fantasy. Features such as auto-focus, 144x zoom, true night-vision using light invisible to the human eye (even laser-assisted night vision) can be very attractive, but of course, as with everything else, as performance rises, so does cost.

Cameras can be found for as little as $69, perhaps less, on the Internet, but the typical homeowner would probably be more likely to select a camera costing somewhere between $300 and $400, plus lens.

Integrating the video into the home television system will vary depending on the number of cable outlets and cameras, but a typical installed cost would probably run from $400 to $700. However, this equipment is relatively easily installed, and the homeowner might wish to do it personally, and enjoy significant savings.

Internet access requires both a web server and broadband access, either cable or DSL. It is very important to verify that such access is available before proceeding. Broadband access is simply not available in many areas, and these days, providers are in no hurry to expand their systems.

If access is available however, a single-camera video server capable of providing all of the functions discussed earlier: video, email, FTP, motion detection, alarms capability, scheduling, etc. will cost something on the order of $750 to $950 (a 2-camera server is only another $100 or so).

And so it would seem that video systems, from the most basic to the most lavish, have a number of features attractive to homeowners, neighborhood block watch organizations, and small businesses.

The system features so attractive to many are the ability to:

• Observe events, both in real-time and post-event
• Record events
• Communicate with other devices, such as computers, motion detectors, thermometers, alarm systems, etc
• Integrate so easily and thoroughly with computers and networks
• Communicate so ably over the Internet.

These systems are relatively inexpensive, secure, easily maintained, and very flexible in configuration and capability. They can and do safely open the home to distant family members while resisting unwarranted intrusions.

Video systems in the home provide security and convenience to the homeowner at reasonable cost … we think that's a technology whose time has come, and it seems that each day, more people agree with us.