Turn Your PC into Your Own 24/7 Security Guard!
You may think that expensive home security systems, with numerous surveillance cameras and monitoring facilities, are the preserve of the super-rich. However, with a little know-how, your desktop Windows PC can be turned into an inexpensive controller to run multiple security cameras and associated security devices. Using the ideas and free software introduced here, you can turn your PC into a domestic security system. You will find out all about hardware (wireless cameras and home automation devices) that you can use with your PC. Most excitingly of all, you will learn how to use your webcam with free software. This will detect movement and email you if your home is broken into.
Dr Steve North:
“Your PC spends a great deal of time inactive, waiting for you to put it to use. Why not get your computer to earn its keep? With some free software and an inexpensive webcam, you will have a basic home surveillance system.”
With the information in this article you can:
• Discover how your PC can take care of your home
• Get started with your own integrated home control system • View your house with a robotically controlled camera
•
How a Windows-based PC can keep burglars out
...
of your home... S 11/2
•
Automatically controlling your home security devices... S 11/3
•
Setting up a wireless surveillance camera in
your home... S 11/4
•
Webcam Freeware! A no-cost method of security
Your PC can become the central controller for a home security system. A home computer can provide domestic protection in four different ways: automated deterrence, surveillance, alarms and access control.
How a Windows-based PC Can Keep
Burglars Out of Your Home
The great thing about the computer in your home is that its possible uses are only limited by the imagination of programmers. Rather than being a machine with a single function, your PC can do anything that its software tells it to. Plug in some extra hardware and you can completely change its function. This makes it an ideal basis for a home security system.
Most traditional home alarm systems have a central controller and sensors distributed around your home. Your PC can become the central controller. With the addition of modern remote networking (via the Internet or mobile phone system) you have a very sophisticated guardian to protect your house.
The primary ways in which a computer can provide security are:
• Automated deterrence – intelligently controlling an
empty house to make it appear occupied. Turning lights on and off, etc.
• Surveillance – controlling one or more cameras.
• Alarms – this includes sirens in the home and also
remote messages to your family, or the relevant authorities.
• Access - to your data (passwords, encryption,
finger-print log-in, etc), premises (biometric or computer-controlled front door locks, etc) and secure containers for possessions (safes and secure areas with biometrics). The first three of these categories will provide the focus for this article.
Automatically Controlling Your Home
Security Devices
Imagine a system that could provide an integrated home control and security system. Lights and appliances could be automatically turned on or off at random times, to provide an illusion of occupancy. Motorised curtains could open and close. Door/window and motion sensors could trigger alarms and pre-programmed behaviours in household appliances. For example, if a movement is detected in a certain external location, all of the lights and a radio would be turned on. This could all be managed from either a central control unit or your PC.
Such a system fits within the categories ‘automated deterrence’ and ‘alarms’, as introduced on page S 11/2. For most people considering installing a system of this type, the worrying aspect is the large number of new cables required to interconnect the multiple devices. Luckily, there is a solution to the problem: X10.
X10 is an agreed standard for interfacing domestic equipment. It works by carrying control signals over the domestic mains power wiring. As the cabling in most houses originates from a common point (the consumer unit), the sockets and light fittings are all connected to each other. This is true even when devices are on separate ring mains or lighting circuits.
The X10 protocol also provides for the controlling computer to determine the status (on or off) of an appliance module. Embedded in each X10 message is a house code and a unit code. Each appliance or lamp is set only to respond to a single house code/unit code combination. The house code is to avoid interference between X10 systems in neighbouring properties.
A search on the Internet for ‘X10’ should reveal both hardware devices that support this standard (light switches, pendant lamp holders, mains outlets, etc) and freeware for
X10 provides an integrated home control and security system, without the need for new cabling.
Signals are sent via the mains wires.
The controlling PC can tell whether appliances are turned on or off.
The camera can be anywhere within range of a wireless router.
With Pan Tilt and Zoom, you can remotely control your camera. The WVC200 has PTZ and audio.
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your PC. The latter will provide you with the necessary tools to automate and protect your home.
Setting up a Wireless Surveillance Camera
in Your Home
A wireless network camera uses WiFi to connect to your home wireless network. It can be positioned anywhere that is within range of your wireless router. You can then view real-time video images from another PC on the local network, or via the Internet. These cameras are completely self-contained. As long as your wireless router is switched on, it is not necessary to have a PC running on the network. Included in the device is a simple web-server, allowing you to host captured still images and video clips. If you purchase a wireless network camera with remote PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom), you will be able to pan (move horizontally), tilt (move vertically) or zoom the lens of the camera from any PC, a multifunction mobile telephone or a PDA. It is possible to password-protect the device, so that only you can view or control the camera. Most cameras will include motion detection software that will alert you if anything moves within range of the camera.
Possible uses for a wireless network camera include:
• Monitoring your home - the motion sensor detects any
movement in your empty house and emails/texts an image to you at work (or elsewhere).
• Watching your pets
• Monitoring your children’s bedroom while they sleep
The Linksys WVC200: an example wireless network
camera
As with all computer-based hardware, new wireless network cameras become available to the market every week. This subsection of the article is intended to provide an example of what is available at the time of writing. The Linksys
WVC200 features PTZ (see page S 11/4) and audio. It currently retails for approximately £175.00.
The Linksys WVC200 wireless network camera
The WVC200 also includes an IR (infrared) filter. When used in conjunction with an IR lamp, this would allow you to see images in low or no light environments. Snapshots from the camera can be scheduled and sent to an FTP server anywhere on the Internet. Multiple (10) simultaneous users can have access to the camera. The package includes software for multiple camera monitoring and recording images and video to your hard drive.
The tools provided make it very easy to search cached video and images for specific times and dates. Recording can be started by detected motion, manually or scheduled. The WVC200 can also send an email with a short video attachment, whenever motion is detected. This can go to three different email addresses.
In the next section, you will learn how even the most basic webcam may be used for home security.
Webcam Freeware! A No-cost Method of
Security Surveillance
If you have a webcam (or a digital camera capable of working as a webcam), then you have the basis of your own home surveillance system.
With an infrared lamp, this model will even work in low light.
Multiple users can access the camera over the Internet.
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All three tools are compatible with Windows XP/2000/ Me/98SE.
On the CD accompanying this update, you will find the three pieces of software discussed. The above table provides a basic comparison of the key features that these tools provide. All of the applications will work with Windows XP/2000/Me/98SE. They provide a range of complexity, from very basic (Surveillance Scan II) to much more advanced. Two of these applications are capable of automatically generating a web page, with the latest images from your living room.
This is not necessarily something that you would want openly published on the Internet. Where possible, you should
Webcam freeware Home Watcher Lite Surveillance Scan II WheresJames Webcam Publisher 2.0
Still images Yes Yes Yes
Video Yes No Yes
Motion detection
Yes Yes Yes
Timed files Yes No Yes
Emailed files Yes (this feature is only available in
the full version)
No Yes File Transfer to server Yes No Yes Rapid to install and use No Yes No Snapshot when serial port changes Yes No No Run another program on motion Yes No No
use a password to limit access to this web page, so that only selected users can gain access. The freeware in this section uses your webcam to capture images, utilising motion detection technology. It examines any differences between subsequent frames and only takes a snapshot when there is a difference.
The following subsections will introduce each freeware tool in more detail.
HomeWatcher Lite
HomeWatcher is an extremely well-featured package. It creates web pages and video clips and can even be configured for automated Internet connection (to upload snapshots, video clips and web pages to a server). You can also choose to store the snapshots, video clips and web pages on your own PC.
It is readily customisable. For example, the following can be modified: the sensitivity of the motion detection, the design of the generated web pages, the minimum and maximum number of uploads per hour, etc.
HomeWatcher is also able to trigger an audio file, when any motion is detected. The sound played might be a siren, or you can even record your own message (‘Intruder detected! The police have been informed!’, for example).
HomeWatcher Lite
Password-protect any generated web pages, if you do not want them publicly available.
HomeWatcher can play a sound when it detects motion.
This grid of lines is used to detect motion.
The full version of HomeWatcher offers enhanced capabilities.
HomeWatcher Lite has a setup wizard.
Tick automatic upload.
Unlike HomeWatcher Lite, the full (commercial) version does not watermark the images taken with the website address of the company. It also provides additional features, such as automatic emailing of snapshots and the ability to control up to 16 separate cameras, via a hardware-based video switcher.
To get started with HomeWatcher Lite, proceed as follows: 1. Install HomeWatcher Lite.
2. Connect your webcam to your PC.
3. Start HomeWatcher Lite. The first time that you run it, a setup wizard will start.
4. Click Start searching video devices to automatically detect and configure your webcam.
5. When the message Choose a device and press... appears in the status bar, select your webcam (which should now be listed) and click Select. You should now be able to see the image from your webcam in the HomeWatcher window.
6. Click Preferences > Schedule. This section controls the taking of automatic images and video, according to the time of day.
7. Untick each of the four boxes in front of the word
From. For this example, you will only be using
motion detection to trigger image capture. For your own use, you may want to enable timed images. 8. Make sure that Use automatic upload is still ticked
then click OK.
9. To adjust the webcam picture quality (if required), click Preferences > Device > Details > Source. The screen that opens now will be specific to your
webcam, but you should be able to adjust brightness, contrast and other parameters.
10. When you have adjusted your webcam settings, click
11. Click Preferences > Upload.
12. Under Mode, tick Local. You will only be saving images and video to your own PC. In the future, you may decide to configure this to upload images to a web server.
13. Click OK.
14. On the toolbar, click the Go button. You should now be capturing images.
15. HomeWatcher Lite automatically creates a web page from your webcam. Click on the larger image from the webcam (not the small preview image in the top-left) to open the main web page in your default browser. You will now see the most recent images and video clips. Click your browser’s refresh button after several minutes to see any changes. You may also view the images and video in the folder: C:\Program Files\HomeWatcher\Www\Pub
16. If you want to stop the capture process, click the
Stop button on the toolbar.
Surveillance Scan II
This is a wonderfully simple webcam program, with the added benefit of motion capture. It is easy to get going with Surveillance Scan II and the interface is largely self-explanatory. Surveillance Scan II Surveillance Scan II is easy to use. Click here to get going.
You will find that snapshots taken by Surveillance Scan II are located in its installation folder.
Your webcam may be listed as: Microsoft WDM Image Capture (Win32). WheresJames Webcam Publisher has many impressive features. There is support for a wide-range of image and video formats.
This software does not require installation. You can start it from wherever it is located on your computer. Please remember that all generated images will be stored in the same folder as the executable program. You can find Surveillance Scan II on the CD accompanying this update. To get started:
1. Find the .EXE file for Surveillance Scan II and double-click on it.
2. From the drop-down menu at the bottom-left of the Surveillance Scan II window, select your webcam. Note: it might be listed as something like: Microsoft
WDM Image Capture (Win32). You should now see
the image from the camera on the screen.
3. Click Start. If you move in front of the webcam, you should now see images being created and listed under Surveillance results.
4. Click View to see the images.
5. Click Stop to terminate image capture.
WheresJames Webcam Publisher
WheresJasmes Webcam Publisher is a wonderful program with a dizzy array of features and possibilities. Here are just a few of the things that it is capable of:
• Uploading to multiple servers or locations. • Working with several cameras.
• Creating AVI video clips.
• Producing time-lapse video clips.
• Automatically generating and uploading web pages. • Publishing snapshots and video clips using its own
integrated personal web server.
• Supporting most popular image formats including:
WheresJames Webcam Publisher
It should be noted that WheresJames Webcam Publisher has a unique conceptual approach to the term ‘image’. Whereas one might assume that an ‘image’ is a single frame captured and stored from the webcam, WheresJames Webcam Publisher uses the term slightly differently. In this context, an image is a combination of a feed from a webcam and the way in which it is presented and published.
Publishing might entail uploading to a web server, emailing, or simply storing it on your PC. The important distinction is that (when using Webcam Publisher) an image might be more than one frame. For example, it might be a file that is overwritten many times as it is updated, or it might be a series of time stamped images, published to a specified location.
The one or more ‘images’ listed along the bottom of the WheresJames Webcam Publisher interface, are best thought of as ‘feeds’ or ‘publishing tasks’. Each image should change as the scene is updated, rather than new images popping up, as one might have expected. To try this out for yourself, here is how to get started:
1. If the setup wizard does not run automatically, click
Options > Setup Wizard.
WheresJames Webcam Publisher ‘images’ are displayed here. In WheresJames Webcam Publisher, an ‘image’ is a camera-feed and the location and format in which it is published.
When motion is detected, WheresJames Webcam Publisher is set to take a snap at a maximum of every five seconds.
You can customise the date format for the snapshot names.
2. Click Next.
3. In the Image Properties screen, click Next. 4. Select I want to save the images to a local file. 5. Click Next.
6. In the Save to Disk screen, click Next.
7. Click Yes to create the folder: C:\Webcam Images. 8. In the When to Publish screen, select On Motion. 9. Under Minimum Interval, set it to 0 hr 0 mins 5
secs. This means that when movement is continuous, an image will be snapped no more frequently than every five seconds.
10. Click Next.
11. On the Motion Detection screen, make sure that
Enable Motion Detection is ticked. Initially, you
should not need to adjust the sensitivity settings. 12. Click Next.
13. On the Filename screen, tick Timestamp. Note: without a timestamp in the filename, the same file will be overwritten each time a movement occurs. This is not good if you want a record of several incidents and when they happened. Therefore, a timestamp is a good idea.
14. From the drop-down menu Format, select 12.00 AM Dec 25, 2003. Hint: if you want to add seconds to the date format, edit the line below this to add .%s. You can also make the date more ‘UK appropriate’, by switching the month and day around and
removing the comma before the year. It should now read: %h.%m.%s %A %d %b %Y
15. Click Next. 16. Click Finish.
17. To adjust the webcam picture quality (if required), click Video > (Your webcam) > Source. The screen that opens now will be specific to your webcam, but you should be able to adjust brightness, contrast and other parameters.
18. When you have adjusted your webcam settings, click OK.
19. Make sure that the green button on the top left of WheresJames Webcam Publisher’s toolbar is enabled. If not, click it.
20. Right-click Start and then click Explore. 21. Go to C:\Webcam Images
22. If you now move about in front of your webcam, you should see time stamped images appearing in the folder C:\Webcam Images. If your PC is sound
enabled and the volume is up, you will hear Webcam Publisher’s siren sound, each time that you move! 23. Click the green button on WheresJames Webcam
Publisher’s toolbar to end video capture.
24. If you need to change the settings in WheresJames Webcam Publisher, click Options > Settings.
25. Click Publishing in the left menu.
26. Select your webcam feed from the Publishing Tasks list (this is likely to be called Image1).
27. Click Edit. The tabs now provide access to the relevant settings.
Wireless network cameras offer a stand-alone unit that can be installed anywhere within your home and watched securely from any PC. You can even move the camera by remote control! On the other hand, you may wish to get started now, without splashing out on new kit. The section above has introduced three examples of freeware that will work with the most basic of webcams.
You should hear the siren, each time that you move in front of the webcam.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
• WheresJames Webcam Publisher 2.0 – this is the one
to go for if you want images emailed to you.
• HomeWatcher Lite should prove ideal if you want to
use external hardware to trigger a snapshot, or you would like to run another program when motion is detected.
• Surveillance Scan II should fit the bill if you want a
program that is simple to use, and just detects motion, takes snapshots and stores them on your PC.
This article has hopefully whetted your appetite to find out more about using your computer for home security. Your PC is such a flexible device that it is capable of being programmed to undertake virtually any task. This programmability makes it an excellent controller for your home security system. This is the case whether your computer is providing automated deterrence, surveillance or alerts.
In the section concerning the X10 protocol, you were introduced to an easy way that your PC can become a ‘brain’ for the secure house of the future. This system has several advantages. It uses your existing mains cabling. You can get started with a simple X10 system and then, over time, ‘bolt on’ more advanced modules.