Any ideas on how to use a webcam as surveillance ?

[KING_MEMPHIS]

I got this webcam that I'd like to use as a surveliance camera in hidden sections.

It will have to elevate about 14 cm ( 5.6' ) and to turn about 90 degrees.

It is obviously a project including 2 motors ( one for up/down and one for left / right).   

I got a vision of something like a car jack and then something to turn it left/right.

Any good ideas on how to build such a structure ?

[Johnnny_reb]

I believe you mean 5.6 inches (14cm). Model aircraft servo's come to mind.

[Scarpia]

I would suggest either

1. buying a new webcam that moves on it's own. Why? As you're going to have to "view" the output of a web cam on a computer anyway, you might s well get one that can be controlled with  the computer as well, as opposed to a home made rig with a seperate control interface.

2. setting up multiple cheap ones. Why? As you're going to have to "view" the output of a web cam on a computer anyway, it's just as easy to have three or four windows open and not deal with controls at all.

Cheers 

(ps - heck, these are just $10 a piece!) 

[loathar]

I'm with Scarpia on using multiple cameras. I don't think a cheap USB camera would work though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16881104018
You would need an interface card like this one which comes with software for your split screen viewing and will accept up to 4 cameras. I've never seen one of these cards that have multiple USB inputs. (that doesn't mean they don't exist) Almost all surveillance cameras I've looked at used RCA plugs.

If your set on motorizing one camera, I was thinking RC servos too. You could probably buy a cheap RC car from from a store and take the guts out of it. Slow speed chain/gear drive to raise and lower it. Mount the camera on a rotating swivel plate that one of the RC servos could move.

[Johnnny_reb]

I like your thinking Loathar. The cam itself can be mounted on one end of a board with linkage to the steering to turn it and balanced so that the drive wheels raise or lower it. Kinda like a seesaw or teeter-totter.

[Scarpia]

I'm with Scarpia on using multiple cameras. I don't think a cheap USB camera would work though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16881104018
You would need an interface card like this one which comes with software for your split screen viewing and will accept up to 4 cameras. I've never seen one of these cards that have multiple USB inputs. (that doesn't mean they don't exist) Almost all surveillance cameras I've looked at used RCA plugs.

If your set on motorizing one camera, I was thinking RC servos too. You could probably buy a cheap RC car from from a store and take the guts out of it. Slow speed chain/gear drive to raise and lower it. Mount the camera on a rotating swivel plate that one of the RC servos could move.

 

You don't think if you ran multiple sessions, and used a usb hub it wouldn't work?

You're not running chat here - just a simple video window.

 

Cheers 

 

[WaxonWaxov]

You could use build some sort of rig using Lego robots stuff.

 

[MisterBeasley]

Remember that you will need a reasonable amount of light to see anything, more than if you were just looking at the scene with your eye.  Not much problem if the "hidden" space is just in another room, or behind a backdrop, but if it's hidden beneath scenery then you're going to need to light it.

[loathar]

 

You don't think if you ran multiple sessions, and used a usb hub it wouldn't work?

You're not running chat here - just a simple video window.

 

Cheers 

 

I don't know. I'm more familiar with RCA plug cameras than USB. All the software I've seen for USB versions only control one camera. And I don't know if a 4 port USB hub could programmed to act like a 4 input RCA video card where you can see all 4 pictures at once on a split screen or zoom in on just one.
I really don't know. They might exist. I've just never seen one.

[Johnnny_reb]

Remember that you will need a reasonable amount of light to see anything, more than if you were just looking at the scene with your eye.  Not much problem if the "hidden" space is just in another room, or behind a backdrop, but if it's hidden beneath scenery then you're going to need to light it.

MisterBeasley makes a very good point

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I don't know how well the 4-port USB hub would work. If the hub has it's own power source it MIGHT work but if it uses power from the USB port that it's plugged into then it'll run probably 1 USB powered device and 2 or 3 devices that have their own power sources, and as has been said earlier, I don't know of many webcam programs that will show more than one window. Those that do are usually prohibitively expensive.

[garya]

I played around with using two Hawking 310 cameras to look in a hidden area.  I have an old laptop running JMRI, so I thought I would use it for running a camera program (Camstreams).  Using a usb hub (with its own power supply), I was able to look at one camera at a time.  I was not able to open both of them up at once as tiled windows; I had to look at one camera at a time, closing each window before opening another.

The light was another problem, as Mister Beasley mentions, as they seem to need quite a bit.  The cameras do seem to pick infrared, so if I'm worried about light spillage I could try to use IR LEDs, though they might not put out enough light.

[CSXDixieLine]

You may have already tried this, but many of the big box electronics places now have an impressive selection of surveillance equipment on display. We have a Fry's Electronics here in Atlanta and they have a 4-camera setup with a black & white monitor and a splitter that gives you all four images on screen for less than $150. They also have setups that feed the video to a computer or DVR, and even once that go idle and come to life when they detect motion (a coworker uses this to check up on his kids while they are home and he is in the office). I have also seen similar setups at Brand Smart USA and Best Buy. Jamie

[BlueHillsCPR]

Remember that you will need a reasonable amount of light to see anything, more than if you were just looking at the scene with your eye.  Not much problem if the "hidden" space is just in another room, or behind a backdrop, but if it's hidden beneath scenery then you're going to need to light it.

Precisely why a webcam is a bad choice.  A surveillance cam can be purchased with Infra red nightvision that will handle low or no light.

[KING_MEMPHIS]

Thanks for all your input.

 It's kind of funny how much I've focused on the "moving" solution instead thinking of more cams to cover the area.   It's hidden under the scenery, so there will be dark.    The 2 cams I've got (so far ) is equipped with infra-red light, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I can open two or more instances of the webcam programme (AMCap), so I am able to watch both cams at the same time.  The cams are connected to a USB-hub.  

I think I'll settle for the multicam solution - though it could be fun to build a moving cam-stand

[CSXDixieLine]

Thanks for all your input.

 It's kind of funny how much I've focused on the "moving" solution instead thinking of more cams to cover the area.   It's hidden under the scenery, so there will be dark.    The 2 cams I've got (so far ) is equipped with infra-red light, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I can open two or more instances of the webcam programme (AMCap), so I am able to watch both cams at the same time.  The cams are connected to a USB-hub.  

I think I'll settle for the multicam solution - though it could be fun to build a moving cam-stand

My staging deck is above eye-level and (intentionally) out of sight. I have been thinking the opposite of you--surveillence cameras instead of web cameras. However, web cameras may work and I have two of them at home that are not being used, so I guess I can go ahead and try it out! Thanks for the idea, even though it took a while for me to realize it was staring me right in the face! Jamie

[NeO6874]

*ASSUMING* that you have a wireless network in your house (that is, you have cable/dsl and have either a wireless router or a wireless access point added on to a standard wired router) you can use the wireless "security" cameras that are available (I've used the D-Link ones before).  They're definitely not good for securing a bank vault, but watching a hidden area with some light is no problem for them.  (I think the ones I've used are good to 1 or 2 lux)

If you don't have broadband, you can still pick up a router and the cameras for about $150-200 total, depending on how many cameras you're going to get (it just won't let you surf the web from the computer connected to the router, unless of course that computer has a modem in it already to connect to your dialup provider). IIRC the router will sell for about $50-70 in a local tech store (best buy/circuit city/etc) or about $40-50 online. 

 

[loathar]

 

I can open two or more instances of the webcam programme (AMCap), so I am able to watch both cams at the same time.  The cams are connected to a USB-hub.  

OK, so that USB software DOES exist.

[gjvjr50]

Here's a web page that leds to all sorts of ideas although can buy cheaper ob E-xxx

http://www.x10.com/home2.html 

[samgolden]

KING

       Do you have a vehicle that has power mirrors?   Look at the motion of the mirrors while you are moving it. It has up and down motion, and side to side motion. Fasten your camera to the mirror and it will give you the motion you require.

        Go to an auto salvage yard and see if you can get/buy (cheeply) a power mirror that has been broken off a vehicle, that they can't sell as a good working part and you may not have to pay for it.  I have been expermenting with trying to mount the working mechanism on a HO car and using it on my layout.  Can't find one narrow enough to fit through my tunnels.

        Sam