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Since the very first webcam broadcast of the innocuous Trojan Room coffee pot, in 1991, the use of live webcams has exploded across the world. Though the biggest push for advances in webcam technology originally came from the adult industry, the use of live streaming for corporate video conferencing led to the realization that people liked to watch what others are doing elsewhere in the world. Today literally millions of webcams provide a peephole view inside houses, businesses and public spaces, allowing people to observe and monitor each other's behaviour, the weather, local traffic conditions and even volcanic eruptions from the comfort of their own home.

Web cameras (webcam) essentially connect people from around the world via video, and sometimes audio, broadcast. Webcams allow you to view what is happening in thousands of locations around the world from the comfort of your own home, and if you have your own live webcam set up you can allow others to view what is happening in your little corner of the world, be it your sunroom, your street or your neighborhood. If you are interested in finding live video streams in your local area, or any other, you can visit an aggregator website, for example, Livelook or Earthcam.

SETTING UP YOUR OWN LIVE WEBCAM

Setting up a live webcam broadcast can be as easy or complex as you want to make it, but just about anyone can set up a webcam broadcast these days for free, even if you have very limited IT skills.

Essentially there are three necessities you will need if you are thinking of setting up your own live webcam: a webcam, a webpage or FTP server for people to view the webcam images and software that allows you to upload your webcam images to an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server.

WEBCAM

Webcams are small and produce low resolution, digital, video images. Though webcams can be used for in-house monitoring applications, the prefix web_ implies the involvement of the world wide web (internet) for remote viewing via a webpage, an instant messaging window or a video conference as a live feed, either streaming or snapshots at intervals.

Webcams run from the cheap (under $15) to the very expensive (over $195) and picture quality can run from grainy to crystal clear and this doesn't always equate with the price you pay. Expect to pay around $70 for a good quality cam that has both audio and image capture capabilities.

Connecting your webcam to your computer will vary depending on the webcam purchased, but usually the webcam will

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