Make Your Own Mac Video Surveillance System on the Cheap
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We believe in the long term value of Apple hardware. You should be able to use your Apple gear as long as it helps you remain productive and meets your needs, upgrading only as necessary. We want to help maximize the life of your Apple gear.
This
week it's Mac security time. But I'm not talking about network
security; I'm talking about physical security.
What good is it to have the most secure OS and best firewalls if
anyone can simply come in and steal your Mac.
That's why it's good to lock all your doors and windows, but
sometimes even that isn't good enough. Don't worry, the solution to
this problem lies right there in front of you - your Mac.
I'm
going to teach you how to setup a home surveillance system using
your modern or older Mac.
Before I start I will show you my current Mac Video Surveillance
System (MVSS). From top to bottom:
Once you have everything you need, it's time to start.
First you need to get a copy of EvoCam. If your not running Mac
OS X, you'll need to get version 3.4. EvoCam is shareware, and
I recommend you pay the $25, because it's stable and the best for
our application, which runs 24/7.
Go ahead and connect you camera(s). In my case, I got a cheap
home surveillance cam from Walmart for $25 and connected it using
my Mac's built-in A/V ports. Next start up EvoCam and adjust it to
you needs.
Once you get all the bugs out, you can set motion detection
spots on the image. This is for automatic recording when motion is
detected.
I also added the VCR to both record and transmit the image
to a closed-circuit television. How? I just put a splitter on the
composite video connection (RCA) coming in from the camera and fed
it to the VCR - and then connected a TV using the coax video out
from the VCR.
You can upload images to your website, run a web server, email
pictures, and even record with a VCR so you will have your evidence
when crooks break in. My system is in a closet to protect it. Like
the old military saying, "Out of sight, out of mind"
This is a simple setup, but it's efficient. You can add more
cameras, better machines, or a color monitor.
It will run a lot better with the latest version of EvoCam on
Mac OS X, but I like mine low-end style.
We believe in the long term value of Apple hardware. You should be able to use your Apple gear as long as it helps you remain productive and meets your needs, upgrading only as necessary. We want to help maximize the life of your Apple gear.
We believe in the long term value of Apple hardware. You should be able to use your Apple gear as long as it helps you remain productive and meets your needs, upgrading only as necessary. We want to help maximize the life of your Apple gear.
I'm
going to teach you how to setup a home surveillance system using
your modern or older Mac.
I also added the VCR to both record and transmit the image
to a closed-circuit television. How? I just put a splitter on the
composite video connection (RCA) coming in from the camera and fed
it to the VCR - and then connected a TV using the coax video out
from the VCR.