InControl Webcam Edition

Keep a watchful eye on your property while you're away.

Take one humble webcam, one PC with an internet connection, a smattering of smart software and what do you have? A home security system on the cheap, that's what.

InControl Webcam Edition uses motion detection software to take command of your webcam. At its simplest level, a transmitter application records any activity within the camera's field of view, either continuously from the moment it's triggered or using a time-lapse technique.

True, the video footage is saved to the PC's hard disk so it's not much cop if a robber makes off with your hardware, but the program also sends you an instant alert with a freeze-frame snapshot attached by email, giving you the chance to respond to events quickly, or at least watch the action as it happens.

There are useful configurations to play with, such as instructing the software to ignore certain areas of the webcam's view to compensate for background traffic.

What really sets this product apart is being able to access the camera remotely. Just install the complementary 'receiver' application on any internet-connected computer and you can dial into your home (via Digital Cybermasters' server) to see and hear exactly what's going on in real time.

If your home PC isn't connected to the internet when you attempt to access it, as would be the norm with a dial-up connection, the server calls the modem and persuades it to come online.

Taking security a stage further, InControl offers optional 'home automation' through the X-10 modular system. It's simpler than it sounds. Essentially, you connect a control unit to your PC's serial port, plug it into a wall socket and then install further modules at strategic plug points around the home. As if by magic, you can now switch lamps and appliances on and off at will using just your computer.

The modules communicate with one another wirelessly or, rather, through your home's electrical circuit so there's no mess or complex installation.

Now, this may strike you as similar to those cheap plug-in timers that switch on the lights at regular intervals to fool joint-casers into thinking there's somebody home, and indeed you would be right. However, with InControl running the show, it's possible to get more sophisticated.

You might, for instance, configure an outside security light to blaze into life whenever the webcam detects something moving across your patio.

It's all very easily set up and, again, it's possible to control everything remotely over the internet. You might even switch on the oven as you leave the office.

The recommended system requirements are pretty steep - a Pentium III 500MHz processor with 128Mb of memory - and installation wasn't without its troubles: we had to uninstall our webcam's own application software and disable a firewall to get InControl to work.

There are also some clear drawbacks to the system, most notably that it depends on your PC not crashing, freezing or otherwise doing what computers are all too wont to do. You can't hit the reboot switch remotely.

Also, would you really be happy leaving your computer running around the clock while you take off on a fortnight's holiday?

Also, will your webcam cable stretch to a view of the front door, or will you have to move your entire system to the top of the stairs or invest in a wireless camera?

However, such quibbles and questions aside, InControl does address a wide range of security issues directly and ably.

The purchase price includes remote access for 30 days but thereafter you have to pay £5.99 per month to keep the service alive. Is it good value? It probably depends on how often you travel and whether you have the inclination to keep tabs on your property while on the move.

Even if you decline to subscribe, InControl continues to function at the local level, monitoring movement, recording the action and sending instant alerts to the email address of your choice.

We should also mention the full InControl system: a hardware hub that supports eight CCTV cameras plus alarms and sensors and takes home security into near-professional territory.

However, it costs £349 for the hub alone, with cameras ranging from £68 for a basic black and white model to twice that for a wireless colour version - not, we suspect, a cost-effective option for many home consumers.

Contact: Digital Cybermasters 01732 873402www.digital-cybermasters.co.uk

Also consider: Logitech Quickcam 3000
Like most webcams, this one comes with motion sensor software.
£80 - Excellent. Computeractive issue 84.