Prequisites: Register for a HomeCamera account; download and install the HomeCamera software (installation requires double-clicking on the downloaded file and following the prompts). Ensure your webcam is connected to your computer and that the relevant drivers have been installed.

•     Click on the HomeCamera icon on your desktop (or in the directory where you installed the software); this will launch the HomeCamera client; click on the "Add Camera" icon on the toolbar.
•     The camera addition dialog box will appear with a live video from your camera (if you have more than one camera, the first camera on your PC will be selected automatically). Enter a name for your camera (e.g. kitchen), select the picture quality, and hit OK.
•     If this is the first time you're setting up the HomeCamera client, it will ask you to enter your HomeCamera user ID and password. Once you've done this, the client will automatically connect to the server.

You can set up additional cameras by again hitting the "Add Camera" button and following the steps above. As many as four cameras may be set up on a single PC.

Up to four.

Yes, you can set up the HomeCamera client software on as many PCs as you like; however, at any given time, you'll only be able to connect up to 4 cameras to HomeCamera at the same time. We will be introducing a PowerPlan for advanced users soon - this will enable you to set up many more cameras. Drop us a note from the Contact Us page if you're interested in being updated when this service is introduced.

You can use a HomeCamera-enabled network/Wi-Fi camera, such as the D-Link DCS-2120, in which case you do not need the HomeCamera client software. Alternatively, you could set up your cameras on your PC, in which case, yes, you'll need to install the software on a Windows-based PC.

•     Under "My Cameras", click on the "Share/Unshare" icon for the camera that you'd like to share
•     Key in a name for the person you'd like to share the camera with (we call this person a "buddy")
      and your buddy's email address. This must be the same email address your buddy has used to
      register with HomeCamera; if your buddy already has a HomeCamera account, he/she will be able
      to access your camera immediately; if your buddy does not have a account, an email will be sent
      to him/her to sign up for a HomeCamera account before they can access your camera.

•     Under "My Cameras", click on the "Share/Unshare" icon for the camera that you'd like to unshare
•     Click on "Delete Buddy" next to the email address.

No; the buddy will only have access to the specific camera that you decide to share with her / him. If you want to share multiple cameras with a buddy, you'll need to add her / him as a buddy under each camera that you'd like to share.

Under "My Cameras", click on the "Share/Unshare" icon to see a list of the buddies you've added.

Under "My Cameras", click on the "Share/Unshare" icon to see a list of the buddies you've added.

•     Launch the HomeCamera client and double-click on the picture from the camera on which you want to
      set up motion detection.
•     Click on "Motion Detection" on the left panel.
•     Tick the checkbox for Enable Motion Detection.
•     Select whether to send an image or video when motion is detected.
•     Adjust the sensitivity of motion detection - move the slider to the right to detect even small amounts of motion.
•     Decide whether you'd like to enable motion detection all the time or specify a timing when you would
      like the motion detection to be enabled.
•     Choose a minimum interval between motion detection pushes; this is best understood with the following
      example. Let's say the interval is set at the default duration of 10 minutes and that HomeCamera
      detects motion and sends you a picture. Immediately after this, HomeCamera once again detects motion;
      this time, before sending you a picture, HomeCamera will check whether at least ten minutes have
      elapsed since the last time a motion detection alert was sent out. If not, it will ignore the latest
      motion detection and will wait for the interval duration (in this case, 10 minutes) before starting
      to check for motion once again. The objective of this interval is to ensure you do not accidentally
      get "spammed" by too many motion detection messages - if you've set the sensitivity too high, even a
      fluttering curtain could cause HomeCamera to send you motion detection messages.

NOTE: Motion detection images and videos can be sent to your mobile phone or to your email address. This destination can be altered at any time from the "My Account" window, after logging into homecamera. You must enter a valid mobile number (remember to select your country too!) in order to receive motion detection alerts on your mobile; each time a motion detection alert is sent to your mobile, one mobile credit will be deducted from your account; motion detection alerts will not be sent to your mobile if you do not have mobile credits available in your account. If a valid mobile number is not available, motion detection alerts will be sent to your email address instead; there is no charge for motion detection alerts sent to your email address.

No, motion detection is built-into the HomeCamera client software; your webcam needn't directly "support" motion detection.

To access via the Web, simply login to homecamera - you'll immediately go to the "My Cameras" section. Click on the image icon to access an image and on the video icon to access a video (videos require QuickTime; if you do not have QuickTime installed, you can get a free download from Apple)

To access via your mobile phone, you can:

1) Send a text message to +65-9191-9195 saying "cam <name>" (where <name> is the name of the camera you want to access e.g. "cam kitchen"); you will receive a link to the image; click on the link to download the picture. If you want a video clip instead, your text message should say "video <name>" (e.g. "video kitchen"). Note that this message must be sent from the mobile number you used when you registered with HomeCamera; if we're unable to recognize your number, you will receive an error message saying the requested camera does not exist.
Note: Your cellular service provider may levy additional charges for international text messaging. Do contact your service provider for details.

2) Alternatively, point your mobile phone's WAP browser to http://www.homecamera.com/mobile - you'll need to login with your HomeCamera user ID and password. After logging in, you'll see your cameras displayed; click on Image for a picture and Video for a video clip (pictures are shown immediately while a link to the video will be sent to your mobile phone).

Mobile credits enable you to have pictures and videos from HomeCamera sent to your mobile phone.

You are "charged" a mobile credit each time we send a picture link or a video link or some other text- / SMS-based communication to your mobile phone. We do not charge you for WAP-based image access. By way of example, a motion detection alert sent to your mobile phone is chargeable.

As it is impractical to charge a few cents to your credit card each time a picture or video is sent to your mobile phone, we ask that you purchase a small number of mobile credits up-front. All beta users receive 5 free mobile credits right away - if you need additional credits, you can purchase them by clicking on "Buy Mobile Credits" after you login. (Mobile credits are very affordable: 100 mobile credits cost only $ 5.50; the amount will be charged to your credit card and the transaction will be processed through PayPal, so we don't ever see your credit card information).

Video clips are recorded live - i.e. when you hit the "video" icon, the HomeCamera client commences recording the clip. This clip must first be recorded, then uploaded to the HomeCamera server, and then downloaded back to the PC from which you requested the video. The entire process takes roughly twice as long to complete as the original duration of the clip (so, for example, a 10 second clip might need 20 seconds to get to your PC). Our user-testing showed most users dislike waiting beyond 20 - 25 seconds; as a result, we compromised on setting the default video clip duration at 10 seconds.

That said, we will soon introduce a feature where you can customize the duration of video clips from your cameras. Drop us a note from the Contact Us page if you'd like us to inform you when this feature is added.

Video streaming is certainly where high in our list of feature priorities. A team of high-calibre developers are working on building this technology and we expect to offer live streaming in the next few months. Drop us a note from the Contact Us page if you'd like us to inform you when this feature is added.

Sure.

We use a technology called "WAP Push" to deliver pictures and videos to your cellphone. An alternative to WAP Push would be MMS (also known as "picture messaging"). Unfortunately, picture messaging across countries rarely ever works - and when it does, it's significantly more expensive (6 to 10 times as much!), which would make the service more expensive for users. WAP Push, we think, provides the best balance between reach and cost and this means sending you a clickable link.

•     Click on "Sign Up", fill the required details in the form, accept the terms and conditions
       (we've tried to make them real easy to read), and click Next
•     Hey Presto! Your account has been set up. You can now download and install the HomeCamera client software
      and set up your own cameras.

Yes, you can share your mobile credits to another user by "transferring" them to the user. To do this, login to HomeCamera, click on "My Account", look for the line that says "Mobile Credits Available" and click on "Buy More Credits". On the left menu, click on Transfer Mobile Credits. Enter the HomeCamera user ID of the user to who you want to transfer your credits. Choose the number of credits to be transferred and select "From my existing credit balance". Click on OK in the dialog box that appears. The selected number of credits will be transferred immediately.

You may store up to 200 MB of data, with any combination of pictures and videos OR up to 60 days' archives, whichever comes first. Content that is more than 60 days old will be automatically deleted on a daily basis. Once you exceed 175 MB of usage, a notification email will be sent to you. Once you exceed 200 MB, the earliest 10 MB of your archives will be automatically deleted to make space for more content.

An advanced-user service plan for users with higher storage needs will be announced shortly. Please write in to us from the Contact Us page should you be interested in receiving an update email when the new service plan is introduced.

Try refreshing the page. This can be done by clicking on "My Cameras". Alternatively, your camera might not really be connected. If you're absolutely confident that the camera is connected (the HomeCamera client software says "Connected"), please write in to us via the Contact Us page and we'll do our best to sort this out.

If your Internet connection is very slow, the HomeCamera server might time-out your image request before your camera is able to deliver it. In general, this should not happen. If it does, please use the Contact Us page to write in to us.

Check your webcam to see whether it is working correctly. Try refreshing the page to see whether the video loads. See if the video thumbnail shows up in your camera's archives section. If the video thumbnail is available in your archives, but clicking on the video icon doesn't load the video, please use the Contact Us page to write in to us.

To set up a camera, you will need either:

•     A PC running Windows 2000 or above
•     A typical PC webcam (HomeCamera might NOT work with video camcorders or stand-alone digital
      cameras running in "webcam mode", that are connected via FireWire, etc.) OR a CCTV camera
      (such as a surveillance camera or a wireless "spy camera") connected to a video capture card
•     A connection to the Internet, preferably ADSL or cable

OR:

A D-Link DCS-2120 network / Wi-Fi camera with the HomeCamera firmware (all DCS-2120 cameras sold in SE Asia from April 2007 carry the HomeCamera firmware; starting April 2007, the firmware will also be available for download from the D-Link Support section of the HomeCamera site) Accessing pictures and videos: Any Web browser on any OS (including OS/X, Linux, etc) can display pictures from the HomeCamera server. To see videos, you'll need Apple's free QuickTime software installed (this can be downloaded from here).

Typical Wi-Fi / network cameras will not work (EXCEPTION: the D-Link DCS-2120 with the special HomeCamera firmware works beautifully...). We've also seen one or two cases where a webcam that's integrated into a notebook computer's lid is sometimes not recognized.

Images are captured in jpeg format and are typically 8 - 25 KB, and videos in .3gp (typically 80 - 250 KB). Videos can be displayed through QuickTime on PCs (video playback does not require any special software on most currently-available mobile phones).

The minimum system requirements for running the HomeCamera client are:

•     Windows XP or above
•     Internet Explorer 6.0 or above (latest versions of IE and Firefox recommended);
      Pop-ups from www.homecamera.com must be permitted
•     Internet access through ADSL, Cable, leased-line, or dial-up (Important: you many not be able to
      connect your camera to the HomeCamera server if you are inside a corporate LAN that requires its users
      to go through a proxy server)

The software can be installed in Windows XP and above. If you absolutely must use an older Windows version, please use the Contact Us page to write to us and we'll work something out for you.

Yes. The HomeCamera Client is not resource intensive and is meant to be left running in the background. You can click on the "X" icon on the top right of the HomeCamera client software - this will minimise HomeCamera client and it will continue running in the background until you exit.

You can use a D-Link DCS-2120 network/Wi-Fi camera - in this case, no computer is required as the camera connects directly to your network / Wi-Fi router. Alternatively, you could use a CCTV camera connected to a USB or PCI video grabber - there's literally no limit on the cable length with CCTV cameras.

The Auto-Record feature enables you to preset a preferred frequency and timing at which images/videos will be recorded and stored on the HomeCamera server. You can use this as a "time-lapse recording system" where, for instance, your "maindoor" camera can be setup to automatically record pictures every 5 minutes and save them in your Archives or send them to your email address. You can have more than one Auto-Record setting.

To enable Auto-Record:

•     Click on the "Auto-Record" icon for your camera.
•     Select your preferred frequency and timing and click on "Add this Auto-Record Setting". To add another
      Auto-record setting, simply repeat this step.
•     Click on "Done" once you're finished.

•     Login to your account if you've not already done so. At the Download page, click on the "Download Here" icon.
       Click on "Save" when prompted and save the installation file into your computer.
•     Go to the location where you have saved the installation file and click the icon to run the
      installation. The rest of the installation process will be automatic.

•     Go to Control Panel in Windows,
•     Double-click on Add/Remove Programs.
•     Select HomeCamera Client. The rest of the uninstallation process will be automatic.

To exit the HomeCamera Client, click on File and select Exit or right click on the HomeCamera icon in the System Tray and select exit. NOTE: Clicking on "X" in the upper right of the HomeCamera client will NOT close the application - it will continue to run with a small icon visible in your icons tray.

Click on image or video against the camera you want to access; once the image / video loads, click on "Send to my mobile" and a link to the image / video will be sent to your mobile phone (to the number registered with HomeCamera); click on the link to retrieve the content. (One mobile credit will be deducted from your account whenever a picture or video is sent to your mobile phone in this manner; in addition, your mobile service provider might charge you for data usage - HomeCamera does not levy any additional data charge or levy a premium or share revenue with your operator on their data charges).