I'm planning on setting up a simple home security system for my home. I was thinking of using Wireless IP webcams, placed in strategic locations, monitored by software with a motion sensing function. I would tweak the sensitivity and add null zones as needed. I would probably only use two or three cameras to start out, and have the software save ten or twenty seconds of video when the motion sensor was triggered. EASY. Once I have the motion sensing bugs worked out, I'd like for the software to email/text message me. I think most of the security programs for webcams out there can do this. I've had good experiences with one program that also let you run an image server so you can view current images through the internet.
The TRICKY part is how I would like to set up the network of wireless IP webcams. What I was hoping to do is have one machine that was dedicated to running the cameras. My goal was to use my two wireless routers so that I could have two seperate networks, one for the cameras, and one for all the other devices (laptops, desktops, game systems, printers).
My question is, do I connect the router for the cameras to the computer that will run the security software, or do I plug that router into the router for the other devices? I've never worked with two of these small LinkSYS routers at the same time, so I'm not sure if I should be trying to create some sort of network bridge, or if I would maybe connect the camera router and camera computer via the WAN port of the router, since all of the camera images would be displayed on a image/web server running on that computer, accessed from the internet via the other router.
Also, I've never worked with wireless IP webcams, so if there is any sort of quirck that I should know about that your average instructables user couldn't figure out, any help or advice with that would be much appreciated as well.
Thanx
Tony
P.S. Eventually, I'd like to add in a strobe that would blink and a siren that would sound for a short time. I think I could figure this part out with "Pico Servers" and some relays.