Webcams for Easy Surveillance?

What is a Webcam? It is a simple digital camera, usually quite inexpensive, ready to be connected to the Internet. The purpose is to permit continuous uploading on the Web of snapshots taken at regular intervals, for any purpose and for anyone to see.

Well, not exactly for anyone, but at least for the authorized happy few. The technology has become so inexpensive and the instructions so uncomplicated that actual implementation of a simple system should be well within the capacity of almost anybody.

And that is exactly what one would want to get from a simple Surveillance system.

Webcams are offered for almost any price range you can imagine. Of course the higher the quality the higher the price. But for a first installation intended primarily to get acquainted with a simple system and to evaluate its efficiency, the cost should not be an obstacle.

What is needed for a simple system? Besides the Webcam, a Personal Computer (PC) is used to connect the camera with the web server. Except that, for certain Webcams containing the hardware, the connection can be made directly without going through the PC.

Then Software is needed, either supplied with the Webcam or downloadable from the Internet. Most basic software packages are available at no cost. Those displaying additional functionality can be purchased at nominal cost.

Communication lines (either telephone lines or cables) should be available, as well as a subscription to an Internet Service Provider (ISP). This is not different from what one uses for browsing the Internet or for corresponding by e-mail.

Establishing the connection is generally performed following the step-by-step instructions supplied by the Wizard, a short program written exactly for helping the less expert customers. In case that fails, phone assistance from the ISP should be sufficient.

Once connected and tested, the system needs no additional attention except in case of major disturbances. Current Webcam views will be easily reachable on the Internet anywhere on earth, although this amazing fact strucks every time anew older observers hard to get accustomed to the wonders of modern technology.

Elia Levi is a retired engineer.

He built a website to assist with a step-by-step Guide to understand, design, select and set up, all by yourself the best and least expensive Surveillance System for your Home Security. Read more on the subject of this article atWeb Cameras.

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Time Warner Road Runner vs Comcast Cable Internet - Which is Best?

Back in the Stone Age, you didnt have much choice when it came to Internet access. Yeah, you could choose your provider. But every single one of them basically offered the same thing ?molasses-in-January slow connection speeds. If you had a 56k modem, you thought you were FLYING!

Well, things have changed a little bit, havent they? Today, who you choose for your Internet service directly impacts the quality and speed youre going to get. Dont get me wrong ?whichever broadband high-speed service you choose is going to be light years ahead of any dial-up connection you might have.

But over at my DigitalTVDojo blog, one of the things I like to do from time to time is to do speed runs?on the various services available (Its a geek thing.) because there ARE differences ?even if theyre tiny. (Theres a link to my blog down at the end of this story. Check it out because I also fill you in on a little secret that will save you hundreds of dollars when you order either service, so its definitely worth your time ?unless you make like a thousand dollars an hour or something.)

The other day I did one of these speed tests on Comcast Cable Internet and Road Runner High Speed Online from Time Warner just to test the claims the two companies were making about how fast their products really are. Heres what I found?/p>

It was easy to verify what Comcast was saying, because I have the service myself. I headed over to Bandwidthplace.com to see if they were full of it, and Im happy to say that theyre not. In fact, according to Bandwidthplace, my connection is smoking at 7.6 Mbps, which is even faster than Comcast officially says it is (cool!). What does this mean in the real world? I can download a typical song thats around four minutes in under one second. Pretty sweet.

Time Warner takes a different approach. While Comcast throws stats out at you, Time Warner actually shows you how fast their service is. (I have pictures of this up at my blog ?dont forget the link is below. And dont forget you can find out how to save a couple hundred bucks there, too.)

Heres how Road Runner High Speed Online shakes out. Its a bit slower than Comcast at a stated 5 Mbps. But in the real world, what difference does that make? Youre still going to be downloading huge files in seconds. And against a typical dial-up connection, the comparison is downright stupid! A typical webpage with graphics will take around 21 seconds on a dial-up connection, while it takes less than a second with Time Warner. And with videos, for example, its even crazier ?a typical video clip will take seven minutes to download with a 56k modem, and only seven SECONDS with Time Warner. That really put it in perspective for me.

So there you have it ?DigitalTVDojos review and speed-test comparison of Road Runner High Speed Online and Comcast Cable Internet. I hope it helps you make a decision.

If you want the best deals on either Road Runner High Speed Online or Comcast Cable Internet, you have to check out my Time Warner Road Runner speed test story, my Comcast Cable Internet review, and this Time Warner Road Runner vs Comcast Cable Internet entry at my site. Youll be glad you did!

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Broadband Gets the Whip

In light of new guidelines due to be brought into force early in 2008, broadband providers could face legal action if they do not give accurate information to customers when they sign up. This welcome ruling was put into motion by Ofcom, the technology watchdog.

The rule mainly covers the question of the connection speeds, which there has been some controversy over in recent months. It was discovered that customers were paying for speeds advertised as 'up to' 8MB, 16MB or even 24MB, when in some cases were only getting perhaps a quarter of that.

Providers argued that the 'up to' wording indicated that the advertised speed were only a maximum and not a guarantee, but Ofcom's stance was that it was misleading, and there was too much difference between advertised and actual. They have called for a 'typical' speed to be shown instead - much like the typical APR on credit cards.

The new code states that broadband providers must assess a customers line and give accurate, clear data as to what speed they can expect from their line, provide information about things that can affect line speed, and also contact them two weeks after the service installation to let them know what speed they are getting. If it's significantly lower than the speed originally quoted, the customer has the option of switching free to a different package or backing out of the deal with no penalties incurred.

For most of the broadband users in the UK, this ruling could not have come too soon. When Computeractive magazine did a study back in September 2007 it found that 62% of people who used its speed-testing software were getting less than half the speed advertised by their ISP. For example, on an '8MB' connection, the actual average speed is 2.7Mbps. That's just a third of the speed the customer would be paying for.

It can sometimes make a difference if you pay a higher price. Cheap broadband packages tend to have a higher contention rate, which means you're sharing your bandwidth with more people and therefore getting a slower speed. Paying a higher tariff can sometimes get you a lower contention, but you may need to ask about this as not all providers advertise it.

If you're unhappy with your current connection speed, try and wait until this new ruling comes into force before switching ISP's. You may find you get a faster speed and better deal.

Want broadband? Find cheap broadband by comparing broadband providers online.

J Tillotson is a UK author specialising in technology and communications.

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Is Broadband the Future of the Internet?

For most of the British public, the internet began in the 1990s where it was estimated that the internet grew by 100% per year. It was in the year 2000 when the UK was first introduced to broadband, although the majority of broadband users came from large companies, due to the high cost, the situation now is very different as consumers can buy broadband for as little as 10 per month.

The difference between broadband and dialup is very small in price but broadband speeds can be significantly faster. This will gradually force dialup connections to extinction. According to BT, broadband is now available in 99.6% of households in the UK, 65% of UK households have an internet connection, and of those with internet, 55% are broadband connections.

This may all sound great, but that is far from the truth on a global scale. The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Developments (OECD) examined broadband services in 30 countries worldwide this year, concluding that the UK is in fact, in the bottom third of the list. Japan was found to have the cheapest price for broadband at 11p per megabyte, while also proving to be the fastest with speeds of 100 megabyte per second. The UKs cheapest broadband comes out at 1.81 per megabyte with speeds of up to 26 megabytes per second (but only in very limited areas).

So whats next? Well according to some, we may not need to invest highly in broadband technology after all.

To play catch up in broadband speeds by investing in infrastructure would cost the UK a lot of money. BT are investing in creating a UK-wide fibre optic network that could deliver superfast speeds of 100Mb, but is it worth it? Yes, but only if the internet stays as a World Wide Network.

Researchers in the US are looking to invest $350m not on broadband technology but towards what claims to be the successor to the internet. Similarities can be found in Europe where the EUs Future and Internet Research (F.I.R.E.) programme plan to invest money on the new internet? This has led to suggestions that the internet will be regionalised, therefore, the end of www? For someone in Europe wanting to access networks in America or Asia would have to pay more than someone wanting to browse within the EU.

The future of the internet is difficult to judge, with timescales of 10-15 years, these claims are still at the earliest of stages, till then; we just need to wait and see.

If you are interested in taking advantage of current broadband technology, then you should compare all the broadband providers available in your area.

Adair Cameron is an experienced writer based in the UK.

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