USE A WEBCAM AS A SECURITY CAMERA WITH OBJECT RECOGNITION

Boring video conferences and subpar fa­cial recognition may have been the only jobs some webcams were good for, but
Vitamin D Video can transform a lowly webcam into a powerful security cam­era with object recognition.
when paired with the right software, a webcam can be transformed into a pow­erful security tool.
The process is straightforward, too. First, make sure your webcam is con­nected to your PC or network, its drivers are installed, and the cam is operation­al. Then download and install Vitamin D Video (www.vitamindinc.com). The app is free for single camera installations and is available for both Mac OS X and Windows.
Once you launch the app, a Camera Setup configuration wizard will open (if the wizard doesn't open, the configura­tion can be completed by accessing the Tools menu and selecting Add Cam­era). From the Camera Type drop-down choose your camera type (either Net­work IP camera, or USB / Built-In), and then from the Camera drop-down select the specific camera you'd like to use; then click Next. Vitamin D will test the camera connection. If all is well, click the Next button; if not, ensure that your
webcam is working. On the subsequent screen, give the camera location a name (e.g., Office, Front Door, etc.), click Next again, and then click Finish to complete the initial phase of the setup process.
At this point, Vitamin D is capable of capturing video, but a few more tweaks will exploit some of the app's more pow­erful features. First, go to the Tools menu, select Options, and in the Op­tions menu click the Move Video button to specify a directory other than the de­fault option in which to save your videos. Then switch from the Preview pane to the Search pane by clicking the spyglass at the upper-left of the interface, and click the + button to define some rules. The app can track moving objects or specific shapes and distinguish between cars and people, for example, or even capture objects as they pass through specified thresholds. Once you've got your rules set up, switch on your camera in the app, and it'll capture video as long as the camera is connected.