Fine Tuning and Starting the Webcam System
Now that you have your WebCam hardware and software up and running, let's take some final considerations.
It is time to decide what are you going to do with it. Some suggestions:
- bring life to your static web page.
- point it to your pet spot (fish tanks, cats, reptiles, ...).
- put it over a robot and make it user-controllable through the Net.
- mix it a Chat Java Applet to get your own Videochat room.
- install more than one WebCam on the same computer to turn it onto a surveillance system.
- combine it with a weather station to let others know how's the weather like in your area.
- explore your imagination and fill in this space!
One key to success is to put a WebCam in a place others haven't put it before (ever seen a WebCam in a jail? inside an aquarium? they're now available!)
Starting your WebCam system
PC Windows users with a dial-up account on the Internet have a small utility called Dunce, which will launch up to 4 programs upon connecting to the Net. It will also "press" Connect for you and fill all the login information for you, so with a single double-click you get connected to the Net, the WebCam software is launched and also is your favourite browser and anything you'd like to start when entering the Net (a WeatherStation software, a Chat page, ...).
We'd like to hear about the tricks of other Operating Systems' WebCam operators, so please let us know about them if you got any interesting tip to offer.
The Web(Cam) page!
Now that you have your hardware, software and Internet connection working all togheter, it's time to share what the WebCam captures to the rest of the world... Yes, you're right, you need a Web page!
If you're new to HTML you may want a template to start your WebCam site as soon as possible. We suggest you a few you can use for free as long as you keep a link back to us. Proceed to the WebCam Templates section!
