10 Best Home Security & Surveillance Apps For Mac It’s never been easier to keep an eye on your home or business remotely. There are dozens of security camera systems available, many of which run on your Mac and can be monitored remotely from another computer or even your phone.
It’s never been easier to keep an eye on your home or business remotely. There are dozens of security camera systems available, many of which run on your Mac and can be monitored remotely from another computer or even your phone. Fancy keeping an eye on the cleaner, or checking that the kids have got home safely? Or perhaps you’ve gone away for a few days and want to check on your house occasionally. We’ve listed 10 apps below which are all available in the Mac App Store. Many make use of your Mac’s built-in camera (or an external USB one) so you can check what’s going on while you’re away. ISentry Price: £FREE Link: iSentry is another simple (and free!) app that uses your webcam record what’s going on.
Just like Home Watch, it can be triggered to send you a video or photo whenever motion is detected. There are also various settings to control the activation time, sounds, alerts and email notifications. Images can be uploaded to various hosting sites, so you can view them from literally anywhere. Any movement near your Mac triggers a photo or video 3. IWatchU Price: £5.49 Links:, iWatchU is one of the most feature-rich of the surveillance applications we’ve covered, and just like most of them, it features some pretty advanced motion detection algorithms and can record video whenever an intrusion is detected, and let you know by sending an email. Every event is recorded to its history so you can easily look through all the events, which can be saved as either images or movies.
The app supports unlimited USB or Firewire cameras simultaneously – handy if you want to monitor multiple rooms at once. Perhaps it’s best feature (and something the other apps don’t seem to offer) is that you can stream live video of the action! View everything on your iPhone and iPad too with the freely available companion apps. IWatchU certainly provides all the features you could ever need to make sure your Mac is safe and sound! One of the most advanced and feature-rich surveillance apps we've seen, including streaming 4. My Webcam Broadcaster Price: £FREE Links:, My Webcam Broadcaster is another pretty decent free app, but it doesn’t have very many features – however the basics are covered well. It’s compatible with the built-in Mac iSight camera and many external USB ones, and can its snaps be viewed on the web, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch (you need to download the iOS app first).
It takes regular snapshots to create a time-lapse video, which you can make public or keep private. Simple features but the time-lapse video lets you see everything that's been going on 5.
OpenEye Remote Price: £FREE Links:, OpenEye Remote is a little different to the other apps listed, because you need to have one of the remote controlled OpenEye professional cameras for it to work. Check out the OpenEye website for the full range of cameras – once you’ve got the correct one, you can view them remotely even pan, zoom and tilt! The app is free but of course you need to splash out on the hardware A brilliant app to monitor multiple cameras - however you have to buy an OpenEye camera first! Security Camera Price: £2.99 Links:, Security Camera is another basic app, but it’s simple to use and setup is a breeze. Every time your computer wakes, it silently takes a pic and saves the photo into the folder of your choice.
You’ll be able to see who’s been using your Mac without your knowledge with this little app installed Pictures can be uploaded to a Dropbox account for remote viewing, so even if somebody steals your Mac you’ll probably have a picture of the thief. It’s password protected, so nobody can disable it or delete the photos. Who's been using your Mac whilst you've been away? Spy Cam Price: £6.99 Links:, Another app by Alice Dev Team, Spy Cam has more advanced features and capabilities than Security Camera. Videos are saved in 320 x 240 resolution, and can be triggered at intervals between 1 and 30 minutes with video lengths of between 5 and 60 seconds. Every video is compressed to save space on your Mac’s disk, and the developers claim that it doesn’t take up much system resources as it quietly runs in the background.
Like most of the others apps, a password ensures that nobody can interfere with it, and videos are automatically sent to your Dropbox account. Not bad for just £6.99 and greater peace of mind that your beloved Mac is safe Save videos and photos to find out who's been rummaging through your Mac.
Tattletale Price: £2.99 Link: Tattletale only works with the Mac’s iSight camera, but most Macs (except the Mini and desktop Pro) have one built-in anyway. The app silently runs in the background and takes snapshots whenever someone logs onto your account, or wakes up your computer. Images can be saved to any folder and sent by email, and location information is included (such as the IP address and Internet Service Provider), which could be quite useful to help recovering your Mac. If there’s any built-in positioning capabilities (which required Wi-Fi), these details are also used to pinpoint your computer’s location even further. Caught in the act! Third EYE Price: £3.99 Link: Third EYE uses advanced motion detection to determine whenever somebody moving is near your Mac.
Most of the apps use similar principles (a combination of image processing and the Mac’s ambient light sensor), but Third EYE claims their system is particularly advanced – the benefit of better motion detection is that you videos and photos are only activated when there really is movement in the room. Third EYE includes two modes – either continuous recording of photos and videos which can be sent by email, or it can record them only at the time of intrusion – the output can be sent by email to a mobile phone or computer. Monitor several rooms at once with Third EYE 10.
Who’s Looking Price: £2.99 Link: Who’s Looking also has two modes – continuous pictures taken at defined intervals (it has a built-in thumbnail image viewer so you can browse them quickly), or it will take a snap when your Mac wakes up. Every image is only accessible within the application (which is password protected) so nobody disable it or delete vital evidence! Dropbox is supported and it’s one of the few apps that supports external USB cameras in addition to the default iSight camera – great for multiple room monitoring. Upload the pictures to Dropbox and check remotely who's been on your computer.
Shares 14 How to connect an IP camera to your PC or to the computer monitor? If you’ve got your security video IP cameras home, and you don’t plan for an NVR, you may get problems on how to directly connect an IP camera to PC (without routers, without internet, without DVR or without its receiver). This doesn’t mean you are an idiot, but you are just not a technical guy or you just don’t have experience in this kind of stuff. It’s wise to hook up your security IP cameras to computer (or computer monitor) for 24/7 monitoring and recording. You can, with or without Internet, connect your indoor or outdoor surveillance cameras to PC or to Mac with the top 5 solutions.
Pleased be noted: Install your security cameras in the right positions firstly. You can refer to. 5 Solutions to Connect Your Security IP CCTV Camera to PC/Mac. And I’ve covered third party software to connect your IP Camera to computer in. Those methods will guide you to connect a wireless or PoE IP camera to PC (on Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows XP and Windows Vista), and to a Mac (on Mac OS X 10.13, 10.12, 10.11, 10.10, 10.9, etc.).
Important Note: The methods recommended below may NOT apply for the, which require initial setup on your phones. Connect a WiFi or PoE Camera Directly to PC/Mac (without Internet) The steps below detail how to connect your security IP camera directly to PC/Mac, without an NVR or DVR, without a router network, without WiFi, and without any fees or complicated configuration.
Alternatively, you can try the top 2 solutions for cameras without WiFi I have mentioned. Requirements:. Your WiFi or PoE camera. The camera’s power adapter.
Your computer (desktop or laptop). A network cable And that’s all. Here is how: Step 1.
Get your security camera charged. Use the power adapter to get the camera plugged-in and charged.
Normally, when you buy a, it comes with a power adapter. For a, ask the supplier and buy one that’s workable for the camera. Use the network cable to connect to the camera and the computer. Normally there would be a 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 cable attached from the camera. Find the network connector from that cable and use the network cable to connect to it.
Then connect the other end of the network cable to the computer. If your computer has network already, disable it – make sure your computer is offline. Scan and find out the security camera’s IP address on the computer.
Now the security camera is connecting to your computer basically and physically. But you still can’t view the camera on the computer. What you need to do now is to scan and find out the camera’s IP address. There should be surveillance software from the same supplier with the camera. Take our test as an example.
We have on the computer. Launch it and it will automatically scan all the cameras in the same local LAN and show the default IP address (every camera has a default and unique IP address when it leaves the factory). Change the computer’s IP address to the same network prefix of the IP camera. So in Step 3, you get your security camera’s default IP address.
In our test, the default IP address of the camera we use is 192.168.177.100, and now you need to change your computer’s IP address to 192.168.177.x, where x identifies the node/host and is the number between 2 and 254. So let’s say the computer’s IP address is 192.168.177.12.
IP address 101: An IP address consists of two parts – one belongs to the network address and one belongs to the node address. All nodes on a given network share the same network prefix but have a unique host number. Now to change the computer’s IP address (we take Windows 10 as an example): 1) Press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to bring out the Run box.
2) Enter “ncpa.cpl” and open the “Network Connections” window. 3) Right-click your computer’ network adapter and select “Properties”. 4) Select your computer’s Internet Protocol Version and click “Properties”. 5) Select “Use the following IP address” and change the IP address into 192.168.177.12. Now your IP camera is connecting directly and communicating with your PC, because they are now in the same little LAN. You can watch your IP camera with Reolink Client on your computer.
Here’s the video footage shared by one of our customers. Important: Since there is no router network, the IP camera would not transmit data or send alarms to your phone. Still, you can record and save all the footage onto your computer. If you’re gonna use your IP camera with the computer all the time like this (without router network), you’d better change the default status of your IP camera’s IP address to the static to keep it the same all the time, because each time you reboot the IP camera, its IP address will be changed and you will need to do all the steps above again.
To keep the IP camera’s IP address the same all the time, head to “Device Settings” and “Network General” on the Client (Reolink Client in our test), and choose “Static” for “Network Access”. Connect a Wireless/WiFi Camera to Computer via Router (with Internet) If you do have WiFi network and need to remotely see the IP camera when you’re not there, you can connect your wireless or WiFi camera to computer wirelessly via your router. Requirements:. Your WiFi camera. The camera’s power adapter.
Your computer (desktop or laptop). A network cable. A router Here is how: Step 1.
Get your WiFi security camera charged. Use the power adapter to get the camera plugged-in and charged. Use the network cable to connect to the camera and the router. A WiF camera needs to connect to the router with a network cable for initial setup, because the new camera itself wouldn’t recognize and auto-pick up a network that it never uses. Only after the correct WiFi settings can you disconnect the cable from the camera and the router. And yeah again, normally there would be a 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 cable attached from the WiFi camera. Find the network connector from that cable and use the network cable to connect to it.
Then connect the other end of the network cable to the router. Watch the IP camera on PC/Mac On the computer, launch the surveillance software to add the camera and watch live view directly. In our test, we open. Since the computer and the camera are in the same network (using the same router network), Reolink Client automatically searches and displays the camera directly. Click “Start” and you can view the camera on PC. And you can set up the configurations for all the functions you want the camera to have.
Here’s the video footage shared by one of our customers. Set up WiFi settings and remove the network cable. Do remember to make the WiFi settings for the camera. On the software, navigate to “Device Settings” and “Network”. Choose the WiFi network and enter the password, and done.
Cameras from different brand would have different WiFi settings. Please refer to the guides you get from your supplier. After that, remove the network cable, and then the security IP CCTV camera connects to computer wirelessly. Important: If you need to see the IP camera from another computer which is not in the same network, you need to input the camera’s UID into the software to remotely access the camera. Connect a PoE (Wired) IP Camera to Computer without PoE Injector/Switch Connecting a PoE wired IP camera to computer via router is similar to that of a WiFi camera, and even much easier – you don’t need to use a power adapter, set up the WiFi and remove the network cable.
Requirements:. Your PoE camera. Your computer (desktop or laptop). A network cable. A router with PoE feature Here is how: Step 1. Use the network cable to connect to the camera and the router. PoE (Power over Ethernet) means you can just use a single network cable for both video and power transmission.
So just connect the camera to the router via the network cable, and the camera will get power supply and network access. Please make sure your router has the PoE feature. Watch the IP camera on computer. On the computer, launch the surveillance software to add the camera and watch live view directly. In our test, we open. Since the computer and the camera are in the same network, Reolink Client automatically searches and displays the camera directly.
Click “Start” and you can view the camera on PC. And you can set up the configurations for all the functions you want the camera to have. Here’s the video footage shared by one of our customers. Important: If you need to see the IP camera from another computer which is not in the same network, you need to input the camera’s UID into the software to remotely access the camera. Connect a PoE (Wired) IP Camera to Computer with PoE Injector/Switch If your router does not support PoE, you need a PoE injector or PoE switch to help connect your IP camera to PC.
Requirements:. Your PoE camera.
The camera’s power adapter. Your computer (desktop or laptop). A network cable. A router. A PoE injector or PoE switch Here is how: Since the steps on how to connect a PoE IP camera to PC via PoE Injector/switch are quite the same to that of connecting without a PoE Injector/switch, we’d like to make it more simpler to understand here. Connect all the devices as the picture showed below: Important: Once you connect the PoE IP camera to the PoE injector or switch which is connected to a router via Ethernet cables, you’ve successfully connect the camera to the network. For a wireless IP camera, you need to use a network cable to connect it to the router if you haven’t set up the WiFi network configuration.
And then the wireless IP camera is in the network. You can set up the WiFi configuration later to make the wireless IP camera connect wirelessly.
Make sure your wireless IP camera is connected to a power supply. Then on Reolink Client, add the camera and watch live view directly. If you need to see the IP camera from another computer which is not in the same network, you need to input the camera’s UID into the software to remotely access the camera.
Connect a CCTV Camera System to PC/Mac (with or without Network), like the PoE kit, have their own proprietary networks, and can work with and without your router network. Here’s how: How to connect a CCTV security camera system to computer without router network Step 1. Connect all the cameras to the NVR. When you receive the new IP camera system you bought, connect all the devices you got – connect the NVR to your computer’s monitor and the mouse, use the power adapters to charge the NVR and cameras, etc. For a WiFi system, once the WiFi NVR and the WiFi cameras are charged, they connected to each other automatically and would start communicate.
For a PoE system, connect the PoE cameras to the NVR via the network cables provided. Start watching the IP cameras. The startup and setup wizard will pop up to guide you to watch your cameras and do other configurations. Now you can see all the IP cameras on your monitor and start recording.
Here’s the video footage shared by one of our customers. How to connect a CCTV security camera system to computer with router network Step 1. Do the step 1 showed above. Connect the NVR to your router via the network cable provided. Start watching the IP cameras. The startup and setup wizard will pop up to guide you to watch your cameras and do other configurations. If you need to see the IP cameras from another computer which is not in the same network, you need to input the NVR’s UID into the software to remotely access the cameras.
Third Party Software to Connect IP Camera to PC/Mac You can also opt for third-party software to connect and set up security camera on computer. Make sure the software can handle all the cameras on the network and support all the features for the cameras. Normally, the third-party software has several versions. And if you want to use full features of the camera, you need to pay for a premium version. If your security IP camera is not working properly as expected or if you get any issues, you can try the. For any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave it in your comment. I will reply as soon as possible.
Can I connect my IP camera to computer without a router? “No” is wrong answer! IP camera can be connected directly to PC via an LAN cable.
Connect IP camera directly to PC via LAN cable 2. Go to LAN network adapter of PC on which you just connected IP camera and change the IP address to be on the same subnet mask like your camera 3.
Go to IP address of your IP camera via Internet Explorer and you can view your camera. Some IP cameras will send you little software via network, so you must first install them. I have several issues with your guide that I hope you can clarify: Problem 1, LAN connection directly to PC: Method 1: Step 2: Does this mean ALL network adapters should be turned off? If so, how is it that Step 3 is supposed to work? Obviously, the LAN adapter needs to be active, and others off. Step 3: What is my camera’s IP range?
Without knowing this first, it is impossible to set up the TCP/IPv4 LAN settings in Windows. Without knowing this, the Roelink Client will not show connected devices. Step 4: I tried using the suggested 192.168.177.x, (192.168.177.12) this does not work.
I had also set my adapter to 192.168.1.x, this too does not work, but yet, if connected to the router, this IP range does work. I do NOT want to connect to router, I want to connect to PC. Neither of the above methods work. The ‘Add Device’ (step 3) shows nothing connected.
Problem 2, WiFi access: Method 2 (using router): Everything is working, except for WiFi. What is the Camera’s WiFi adapter MAC address? Is it the same as the LAN address or different? How do I find out? In the Client software, Device Settings, WiFi settings (or even Network General), it should really show the MAC address of the camera’s WiFi. I have tried several Routers, but every time I click on Wi-Fi Test, all I get in return is “Wi-Fi Test failed!” Some routers have MAC filtering I have allowed the MAC address, but is the WiFi MAC the same or different?, some do not. Methods 3&4: I am using the supplied power adapter, only methods 1&2 apply.
Firmware has been updated as of May 1st 2018. Here’s all the quick answers: a).
Problem 1, method 1, step 2. I think it’s so clarified: if your computer has network already, disable it – so you need to turn off the network of YOUR COMPUTER. Many ways to do this – 1. If it’s a desktop computer, to disconnect the wired Ethernet network, unplug your Ethernet cable from its jack; 2. If it’s a laptop and it’s connected to the network wirelessly, to turn off the WiFi connection on the laptop, right-click the “Wireless Connection” icon and select “Disable”; and etc. In step 3, the only thing you need to do is to get the camera’s IP address.
If you’re using a Reolink camera, Reolink Client will help. As mentioned in step 2, every camera has a default IP address that’s randomly generated when it leaves the factory, so Reolink Client will help to find out the IP address. If not, it’s because you’ve set up the firewall. To troubleshoot this, go to: If you’re using other cameras from other brands, there should be some kind of software like Reolink Client to do the same job. Please note that Reolink Client only works for Reolink cameras. In our test, we use a Reolink cam, so we use Reolink Client to do the job. There’s no “suggested” IP address, in the post, we’ve already clarified that we’re showing our test.
So it’s just an example to show you the steps. The exact information should be based on your actual situation. Pls refer to the step 3 you’re done and use the IP address according to what you’ve get. Problem 2, WiFi access, method 2 (using router) If you’re using Reolink WiFi cameras, please refer to the FAQ from our support team: e). Method 3&4 In Method 3, you don’t need the camera’s powered adapter to do the work, because a network cable will do for both power transmission and video transmission. The camera’s powered adapter can only do the job of power supply for the camera.
So in Method 4, if you’re saying the power adapter does not work, the camera won’t work (because the camera can’t ever get power supply.) So it’s very very very weird that it’s working in method 1 and 2 but not in method 4. Please check if actually the power adapter works. Hope all these help. So has anyone got the funlux ip wifi camera to connect to there computer via wifi?
Funlux said it is impossible to do. I want the port numbers so i can get it to work on my tinycam app. And my pc app. But funlux will not give out the port.
Funlux has to be able to connect thru my home inside my network being i see my modem. I have the ip address for this camera but can’t find the port it uses. Is there a program for finding the port? Or can my pc find the port and if so how do i do it?
Any youtubers showing this?