Guest post by Jeremy Kushner, a home security and automation enthusiast who blogs on topics related to crime, security, home improvement and automation. You can find more of his posts at his blog, Home Alarm Systems.

Do you ever wonder what happens at home when you aren’t there? Would you like to be able to view your front door, back yard, home office or check in on your pets from your cell phone or office computer? Home video surveillance systems are becoming more affordable and smarter.

You’ll need these things to get started.

– Computer with good processing power and internet access
– Web cameras
– Surveillance software

Webcams

Since webcams are inexpensive and easy to connect, it’s a great place to start with a DIY home surveillance project. Select cameras based on where you want to place them and what you want them to capture.

Better quality video makes it easier to view facial features clearly. It is best to use a higher resolution video such as digital 720p or 1080p. Lower resolution cameras also work well and may be just fine for most locations, they are also less expensive.

A few top rated webcams that support both Mac and PC include the Logitech HD ProWebcam, and Webcam C525, Creative Live! Cam Socialize HD AF. Microsoft’s LifeCam Studio Webcam does not work on a Mac, but is a good camera. These webcams range in price from $40 to $99.

Surveillance Software

Depending on the type of features you desire, you can find free or low-cost software for managing your cameras under $70.

Freeware – Free downloadable software

Two free, easy webcam software, Yawcam, short for Yet Another WebCam, and Vitamin D are basic and easy-to-use. Both support live video streaming and still shots and are perfect for use at home.

Vitamin D supports one camera and offers a search view with thumbnails and color coded frames with people in them. It has unique video clip rules such as detection of unknown objects or people inside or outside of a set area; it can even detect loitering. It will record, send an email or play a sound when a video clip rule is broken. Both Yawcam and Vitamin D feature motion detection. Yawcam’s features also include a built-in web server, text and image overlay and FTP image uploading for safe storage.

Low-Cost Downloads

For more features, WebCam Monitor by Deskshare allows you to monitor, preview and record one camera at a time. It’s ideal for monitoring a small area such as a home office or playroom. WebCam Monitor is available as a free trial and costs $69.95 to purchase.

WebCam Monitor not only offers motion detection, but sound detection too. This is a nice feature not found in many low cost monitoring software systems. The system also starts recording before motion is detected, capturing the event immediately, without delay. Recording can be scheduled at set time intervals to capture time sensitive activity. The system sends email alerts, and has audible alarms.

If you’re looking for multiple camera support, try Security Monitor Pro, the professional-grade version by Deskshare.

Another affordable download is the Willing Webcam by Willing Software. This too has a free trial and can be purchased for $39.99.

Not just surveillance software, Willing Webcam enables you to use it for video capture and distribution. You can stream live video or time-lapsed images from your webcam or other video sources to a web site.

Willing Webcam’s surveillance features include motion detection, email, text or image alerts, remote access and management that allow you to view and control the system while you’re away from home. Add date stamps to images and video and archive them safely via FTP upload.

Willing Webcam comes in both a “Lite” and full-featured version. The Lite version doesn’t offer some of the convenience features such as email or image alerts, remote management, FTP upload or video streaming.

Once you choose your software, you’re ready to go. After you have your system up and running, you’ll find it useful for things like being alerted about break-ins, yard and porch thieves or misbehaving pets taking it out on your furniture and ensuring your peace of mind while on vacation.