How to Build a Computer Camera Protecting System

Broadband and wireless Internet connectivity have significantly expanded the options that allow the average consumer to build a home security system using a personal computer. There are a number of freeware and shareware software packages that can be used to identify burglars and provide evidence to help you recover your computer if it is stolen.

These software packages use a webcam to detect motion in the room where the computer is located. The webcam then photographs the intruder and uploads the photographs to a remote web server. Most Internet service providers now provide home subscribers with a small amount of server space for personal web pages. That space can be used to store home-intrusion photographs. The uploaded images can then be given to the police to aid in the identification of the burglar and may be used as evidence.

The software application Dorgem is a freeware application that can be used to build a computer camera protection system.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Administrator access to your computer

1. Download and install the Dorgem application from website listed in Resources below. Once the software is installed, launch the application and choose the webcam installed on your computer.

2. Choose "Preview" to configure the webcam. Click the "Source" menu option to adjust the webcam's lighting settings. Your computer should be set up in a room that allows the webcam a full field of view of the approach to the computer by a potential burglar.

3. Left Click the "Options" menu item and select the "Motion Detection" box, which will start the software recording mechanism if motion is detected when the computer is not in use.

4. Select "Store Settings" menu option to configure the hard drive location where the images will be stored.

5. Choose a file name for the security images. Appending %g and %G to the default file name adds the date, time, and year to the saved files.

6. Set up the application to forward the security image to a location on a web server in the event the computer is stolen. Add FTP configuration to complete the option by selecting "Store Settings." Fill in the FTP server IP address, user name and password.

Resources

• Dorgem Software Application