By Rik Fairlie
(May 4, 2005)

Network Web cameras that include a built-in Web server are no longer exclusively the playthings of the IT set. As more homes add Wi-Fi networks, these "IP cams" are fast becoming handy add-on devices for average consumers. Often marketed as surveillance tools for home or office security, network Webcams are now being employed by early adopters for more personal matters, such as watching kids and monitoring pets. Here's how to quickly add a Wi-Fi Webcam to your existing network.

Monitor your home with a Wi-Fi Webcam

Before you get started with this project, we recommend that you have the following:

Monitor your home with a Wi-Fi Webcam

A broadband connection and a wireless router are the basic infrastructure you'll need to set up an IP Webcam. We recommend an 802.11g router for maximum throughput; we used a Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster (WRT54GS) from Linksys. Because it's often easier to install and set up Wi-Fi products from the same vendor, we also selected the Linksys Wireless-G Internet Video Camera (WVC54G). The camera includes an Ethernet cable, an AC adapter, and a setup CD. A built-in microphone, which transmits sound across the Net, is also part of the package. Because the WVC54G functions as a standalone Web server, it can operate without being connected to a PC.

First you need to configure the camera while it's connected to your router via an Ethernet cable. Attach the Ethernet cable to the router, then connect the other end of the cable to the Ethernet port on the camera. With the Linksys cam, you must connect the camera to the router before powering on; otherwise, the camera may not function. Next, connect the power adapter to the power port on the camera and plug it into an electrical outlet. The Ready LED flashes while the camera is initializing. When the Ready and Ethernet LEDs are solidly lit, the camera is ready for setup.

You can also connect an IP Webcam to a wired network, but the cam will be tethered to the Ethernet cable.

Monitor your home with a Wi-Fi Webcam

Insert the CD-ROM and follow the simple onscreen wizard. First, enter the Service Set Identifier (SSID) of your home network. (The name, which is case-sensitive, must be entered exactly the way it is stored in your router.) The wireless mode should be set to Infrastructure. Once this is done, the software will automatically detect the camera and prompt you for a username and a password. Also, you'll be asked to fill in the type of security you employ--64-bit or 128-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)--and to enter your WEP key. If you don't have WEP enabled, click Disabled. Next, you'll be asked to name your camera. Pick a short, easy name; the default is the camera's model name, WVC54G, which isn't terribly memorable.

After that, the instructions will ask you to select a static IP address or to use Automatic Configuration-DHCP. Initially, we selected Automatic Configuration-DHCP to make the process easy, assigning a static address to the camera later (in step 5). The setup software then provides you with the camera's IP address, as well as other basic network settings. You can also find the IP address on the camera's digital display.

If saving the camera settings fails, try disabling your antivirus program and possibly the Windows XP Service Pack 2 firewall. Both may interfere with configuration.

Monitor your home with a Wi-Fi Webcam

Now you're ready to unplug the Ethernet cable and take the camera wireless. First, unplug the power adapter from the electrical outlet, then disconnect the Ethernet cable from the camera and the router. Take the camera anywhere within range of your router that's near an electrical outlet and plug it in. When the Ready and Wireless LEDs are solidly lit, the camera is ready to use.

Monitor your home with a Wi-Fi Webcam

To view the camera's image, open Internet Explorer and enter the camera's IP address. (Bookmark this page; you'll need to come back.) When the Linksys page loads, click the View Image tab. To focus the image transmitted by your camera, place a book with a legible title at the range you want to be the focal point, then adjust the focus ring on the camera until the type is sharply displayed on your monitor. You can also tweak the resolution of images by selecting the Image tab. There, you'll find brightness settings, as well as time-stamp and even text-message features.

Note that the Linksys camera doesn't work with Internet Explorer on Macs or with Mozilla Firefox on any computer.

Monitor your home with a Wi-Fi Webcam

Now you'll need to open a port on the router for outside access to the camera. After accessing the Linksys router's setup page, click the Applications And Gaming tab, then enter the name of the camera in the Application field and the port number in the Start and End fields. Now enter the cam's fixed IP address and click the Enable box, then Save Settings. To view the video image, open an IE window and type the router's public IP address, followed by a colon and the port number. (The public IP address can be found on your router's Status page.)

Linksys also enables you to restrict access to the camera to a list of approved users. If you want to do this, select the Users tab and fill in the user's names and the password you want to assign to them.

When opening a port, always start with 1024 and above. Ports below that are used by ISPs and other software and services.

Monitor your home with a Wi-Fi Webcam

Linksys offers an optional dynamic DNS provider service that allows you to assign a permanent URL to the camera that's easier to remember than an IP address. The service, called SoloLink, is free for the first 90 days and costs $19.95 a year thereafter. To register for the service, click the SoloLink DDNS tab on the camera's Setup page.

The SoloLink service allows a maximum of only four viewers at one time.