webcamXP

Professional monitoring equipment is quite expensive, but you can't leave important goods unsupervised. With a webcam and a computer, as well as a specialized application, you can improvise your own security system. webcamXP can monitor several live feeds, from standard webcams, network or IP cameras and other sources. It can take snapshots and record automatically, broadcast the live feeds, upload them and much more.

The application is available in free, Personal and Pro versions, which come with different capabilities and different price tags. All versions work on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, as well as the 2003 and 2008 Server editions. Regardless of which webcamXP edition you choose, you can install the software in less than a minute.

webcamXP's features are organized in different sections of a user friendly interface and each section consists of several tabs. The Monitor section is where you may connect one or more webcams. The application will detect all your webcams and virtual webcams automatically. You can also add IP and network cameras, network streams and other sources.

You can add several camera feeds in separate slots, on the right side of the interface and preview them on the left side. It is also possible to start recording or take snapshots manually. Alternatively, you can set the program to take snapshots automatically, in the same Monitor section, where you may also create a monitoring schedule. The application allows you to overlay text, images and other items over individual camera feeds. Furthermore, you can switch to full screen mode and see all feeds in a grid.

Additionally, the software provides options for broadcasting the camera feeds and uploading data to a FTP or HTTP server. These features can be configured on different tabs, in the Web/Broadcast section, where you can also create a live chat room. If you purchase webcamXP's Pro version, you will be able to configure a motion detection feature. If something is moving in one of the camera feeds, the application will perform various actions automatically, like recording, sending emails, playing sounds and more.