Trying to determine which webcam is right for your computer and your personal needs can seem a bit confusing. So, are all webcams the same? Sure. At their most basic, webcams are fundamentally the same. They have a camera and a microphone.

What more do you need?

What you’ll notice, however, when you begin shopping for a webcam is that the prices will vary tremendously. You can find webcams for as little as $12 and others upwards of $100. What is the difference? It basically comes down to what you require from the webcam itself.

Basic Communications

If you are looking for a basic communication tool to chat with friends and family on Skype, Yahoo! Instant Messenger, or any number of other programs, you’ll probably be more than happy with a basic Gear Head webcam, Macally USB webcam, or even entry level webcams from Logitech and Creative Labs.

While these entry level webcams will provide a basic image for your friends or family to see you, the quality may not be ideal. You will also be limited on the options that you’ll have with regard to setup, zooming, and more.

If you are planning on using your webcam for professional use, such as telecommuting for work or building your own home-based business, then you might find these less expensive webcams not ideal. In that case, you’ll want to consider a webcam that has higher picture resolution, the ability to zoom in and out, and a better condenser microphone built in so that your audience can hear you.

Manhattan webcams, as well as Logitech and Cyber Track webcams offer more refined and effective webcams for the discerning individual.

What If You Have Never Used a Webcam Before?

Avoid making the common mistake that so many other computer users have done by purchasing the cheapest webcam because you don’t know much about them. If you are particular about quality and demand the best out of the products you use, then you’ll want to take the time and determine which will be most suitable for your needs.

Purchasing an entry level webcam will certainly allow you to connect and video chat over the Internet with people, but before long you may discover that the connection is slow, the quality is not suited for your needs, and have to invest in a higher quality webcam.

Take charge of your webcam from the beginning and determine what level of quality you want.

Using a webcam security program to watch the neighbors newspaper get stolen

This article explains how I accidentally uncovered a neighborhood newspaper thief with an old webcam and a free webcam security program. After reading about how I used a simple webcam to watch my neighbors newspaper get stolen, remember that anyone can be watching at anytime. Watching you as you’re doing something you’re not supposed to be doing. With nothing more than a basic webcam and a free webcam security program.

You probably already know that even the most basic cameras can capture images and with the help of a webcam program, those images can be combined to make a video. That’s exactly how I captured my dishonest neighbor ripping off another neighbor. Basically, I found myself in the right place at exactly the right time.

How my webcam captured my dishonest neighbor

One day last year while messing around with a new webcam security program I’d just installed earlier that day, I got lucky and accidentally captured my neighbor (65+) as she came out of her house, walked next door, and stuffed the neighbors newspaper into her robe. Twenty-seconds was all it took for her to appear out of nowhere, grab the objective, and flee the scene.

Luckily the webcam program I’d been using was already turned on and the settings were already configured. I had more than enough time to capture enough images thanks to my webcam that was already sitting in the window facing in that direction.

The owner of newspaper belonged to a pretty cool neighbor who I’d always got along with so I had no problem warning him about what I had witnessed and recorded. I was able to quickly make a clip from the webcam images and after letting him view the crude video, he sincerely thanked me while shaking his head in disbelief. He then asked me how much it would cost him for a webcam security setup that would take a picture every 10 minutes or so.

Webcam security system on a desktop PC

Setting up a webcam security system on a desktop PC can be accomplished with just a few dollars. I showed him the cheap webcam I used to uncover our dishonest neighbor. The camera was so old that it had turned from a cream white color to a dingy yellowish tan color.After showing him the software program I’d used along with the camera, he laughed at the next-to-nothing cost of the cheap setup that caught his neighbor stealing the daily paper.

Almost any webcam can be used as a security camera

Just about any webcam can be used as a security camera to some extent. Even the really old sphere shaped webcam with the heavy cords can be used. What this means is that with a simple computer webcam and a webcam security program, it’s relatively easy to setup a cheap webcam surveillance system. Spend a few minutes comparing the programs that are available to you and choose one with the right balance of features for your needs.

Present video technology allows us to see what is going on in and around our homes when we are not there. Even the most basic web cameras can give anyone the ability to monitor their home from remote locations.

This is accomplished by a technology called “motion detection”. If the webcam detects motion, certain security programs can automatically snap a picture, archive it, and sent the image to you as a SMS picture message. With the right webcam security program, some cameras can even detect motion in multiple areas simultaneously.

Setup webcam security camera software if someone is stealing your newspaper

The next time your newspaper ends up missing and the thought of swiping a neighbors newspaper comes to your mind, just remember that you could already have an unknown web camera detecting your movement, snapping pictures and relaying those images along with date and time information to the camera owner.

Even though I was lucky enough to be already recording, the process for installing and setting up a webcam security system that will watch over your newspaper while you’re not around can be even easier for you thanks to motion detection.

Simply place your webcam in a position that has a clear view of the area where your newspaper is usually delivered to and around 15 – 20 minutes before the paper delivery person shows up, have the camera capture images at regular intervals or upon detecting motion.

That’s how I captured my dishonest neighbor ripping off another neighbors newspaper using my webcam.

Since the times of Internet invention, user interfacing had undergone numerous changes. Today, the Internet is the biggest source of free information and entertainment. At the same time, it is a huge social networking, offering convenient solutions for free online communication. Modern people are fond of chatting, so it is not surprising that the number of social networking sites has significantly increased in recent years. There are many webcam websites providing streaming video conversation solutions. The invention of instant messaging (chatting) and webcams is a crucial breakthrough in the sphere of Internet and web-based technology.

The popularity of webcam services and chat rooms has grown by leaps and bounds. Today, online video chatting is the easiest and the most cost-effective way to get in touch with friends and family members scattered around the world. Many chat programs offer free services and downloadable webcam software. Though most programs are available for free, they may charge certain fee for providing webcam support.

The Internet is loaded with various webcam chat rooms. Generally, the quantity and quality of services you get depends on whether you use free or paid solutions. Thus, many free webcam chat rooms offer a limited amount of services. For example, they may limit the amount of webcams a user can access at a time, or may not offer a full-vide webcam support.

By surfing the Net, you will find lots of free chat programs providing free webcam software. When using such programs, it is necessary to remember that many of them are heavily dependent on advertising. This means, when using free webcam services you risk to infect your computer with spy-ware or ad-ware.

Chat rooms are widely used by adult entertainment websites. Such websites charge money for providing video chat featuring different models. Such services are quite expensive and will cost you about $1 per minute. Those who are fond of visiting such websites should have a high-speed Internet connection; otherwise a webcam chat will lose a great part of its content.

Free webcam chat programs can be used for business and individual purposes. Though a vast majority of people use chat rooms for personal purposes, online video chat programs are also widely used by big businesses for global conferencing. Multinational companies also benefit from using live chat programs, as they help save time and money on travel and hotel expenses.

Free webcam services allow people broadcast themselves with the help of webcam application and their own web cameras. These services help people communicate with other folks (whether group to group or one on one) through a web server.

Of course, chatting online is possible without using web cameras, however it is always more pleasurable chatting with someone you can see.