Setting
Up Your Own Webcam
What You Need
In order for you to create a simple Webcam, you need three things:
A camera of some sort connected to your computer.
A piece of software that can grab a frame from the camera periodically.
A Web server.
For some people, their home computer serves as their Web server. If that's the case, these three things are all that you need. If your Web server is hosted elsewhere (for example, because you are paying an ASP to host your Web server), you also need:
The ability to move frames from your computer to the Web server, normally byFile Transfer Protocol (FTP), although several other protocols are gaining favor as well. For most Web servers, this is no problem; but occasionally, a hosting company will have policies in place that make this difficult.
A relatively consistent connection between your computer and the Internet. Amodem connection to an ISP is fine if it is something that you keep connected most of the time. This implies that you have a dedicated phone line for your computer or something like a cable modem that is connected all the time.
As mentioned previously, several companies now offer you a free place to upload your images. By using one of these services, you avoid having to host and/or maintain your own Web site. If you are using one of these services, then you need:
- A camera of some sort connected to your computer.
- A piece of software that can grab a frame from the camera periodically.
- A relatively consistent connection between your computer and the Internet.
If your connection is not consistent, it won't hurt anything. It just means that the image cannot refresh itself all the time.
