Webcam Surveyor 3.5

Webcam Surveyor can be used to capture video and also for surveillance purposes. In this regard, this tool can record compressed video for many hours.

The application's basic functions are very easy to use. However, beginners are likely to need some help to deal with some more complex settings.

In terms of video surveillance, the most valuable feature is that it implements motion detection. Fortunately, a specific level of sensitivity and a mask that excludes some areas can be used to prevent false detections. In the event motion is detected, the application can trigger various types of alarms, which include capturing video, sending email messages, uploading alerts to an FTP site, running program and playing a sound. In addition, the tool can stream webcam video so that you can visualize in real time whatever is happening even if you are miles away. Finally, there is one feature that may come in handy if you want to detect intruders to your own computer. It is called Stealth mode because other people cannot notice that the application is actually working in the background.

All in all, Webcam Surveyor is an affordable alternative to expensive surveillance systems. It uses powerful video compression levels to minimize its impact on storage capacity; however, only AVI and WMV are supported as output formats. I tested the product with three different cameras and two of them did not work properly. It was able to identify those cameras but the preview image never appeared on the screen.