"YAWCAM" VIDEO SECURITY ALARM HIGH-LEVEL SUMMARY AND DESIRED RESULT: With a free software application and some trial-and-error configuration, you can turn any Windows computer that has a webcam into a security alarm that sends photos of any unexpected events in your home or business to any single e-mail address. If one of this e-mail addresses is one that "belongs" to your cellular phone, then you will be notified in a timely manner, whenever an unexpected “motion events” occurs in your home or business.

BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT “YAWCAM” The "Yawcam" software application can be used as a totally-free "motion detection alarm system". It runs in "Windows 2000", "Windows XP", "Windows Vista", "Windows 7", and "Windows 8". Prior to downloading and installing "Yawcam", you should install a webcam, if your computer or monitor does not already have one. Many laptops have a builtin webcam. Some models of Viewsonic flat-screen monitors have one hidden in the center of the top of the plastic frame. Otherwise, you can buy an inexpensive Webcam that connects via "USB 2" that is manufacturered by Logitech, Belkin, Hewlett Packard, or Phillips.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR INSTALLNG “YAWCAM”: Step 0: If you do not already have one, obtain a Gmail account since the "Yawcam" software will need to use their free SMTP server for sending e-mail to the e-mail address where you want your "Motion Detected" notification e-mail messages to go to. If you do not already know it, contact the technical documentation of your cellular phone service to determine the e-mail address of your cellular phone, if you want Yawcam's "Motion Detected" notifications to go to your cellular phone.

Step 1: Follow the manufacturer’s directions to install your Webcam, if you have not already done so. Step 2: To test your webcam, go to http://www.sillywebcam.com/others/?demo=test-your-webcam It looks like this:

Click on the "Allow" button inside the "Adobe Flash Player Settings" box:

If your Webcam is working correctly, you will be viewing a live video stream with your videocam:

(The live video picture of your Webcam will be shown here.)

Step 3: Obtain a “Gmail” account, if you do not already have one. In order to obtain a new “Gmail” account, an existing user of “Gmail” has to send an “invitation” to you by means of e-mail. This invitation has to be sent to any existing e-mail account that you already have.

Step 4: Start a “Web browser” (such as “Internet Explorer”, “FireFox”, or “Google Chrome”). Step 5: Go to http://www.yawcam.com/ It will look like this:

Step 6: Click on “Download”:

The Web page will now look like this:

Step 7: Click on "yawcam_install.exe":

Step 8: Perform a click on the yellow security notice at the top of the Web page:

Step 9:

A popup context menu will be displayed:

Step 10: Click on “Download File..”:

Step 11: A “File Download – Security Warning” box will be displayed:

Step 12: Click on the “Save” button:

Step 13: A “Save As” box will be displayed:

Step 14: In the left pane, click on “Desktop”. “Desktop” will highlight:

Step 15: Click on the “Save” button:

*

Step 16: After a few seconds, a “Download complete” box will be displayed:

Step 17: Click on the “Run” button. Step 18: If an “Internet Explorer – Security Warning” box is displayed, click on it’s “Run” button:

Step 19: If a “User Account Control” box is displayed, click on its “Run” button also. Step 20: A “Setup – Yawcam ..” box will be displayed:

Step 21: Click on the "Next" button.

Step 22: A “License Agreement” box will be displayed:

Step 23: Select the "I accept the agreement" option:

Step 24: Click on the "Next" button:

Step 25: Click on the "Next" button. Step 26: A “Select Start Menu Folder” box will be displayed:

Step 27: Place a checkmark for "Don't create a Start Menu folder" (to make it harder for someone who steals your computer to determine that you were collecting photos of them):

Step 28: Click on the "Next" button.

Step 29: You will now be provided with an opportunity to "Select Additional Tasks" with "Create a desktop icon" already checkmarked:

Step 30: Remove the checkmark from "Create a desktop icon". Step 31: Make sure that both “Create a desktop icon” and "Create a quick launch icon" are not checked (to make it harder for someone who steals your computer to determine that you were collecting photos of them):

Step 32: Click on the "Next" button. Step 33: A “Ready to Install” box will be displayed:

Step 34: Click on the "Install" button. Step 35: "Yawcam" will be busy installing for a while:

* Step 36: A “Completing the Yawcam … Setup Wizard” box will be displayed:

Step 37: Click on the "Finish" button.

Step 38: Go to the “README.txt” window and read it. (You might need to click on “Format” and select “Word Wrap” in order to get the “README.txt” document to display correctly.) Step 39: Close the “README.txt” window.

Step 40: The "Yawcam" application always starts up with two default windows: The initial "Yawcam - Preview" window looks like this:

Step 41: The default "Control Panel & Console Window" looks like this:

Step 42: Click on "Settings" on the Menu bar of the “Control Panel & Console Window”:

Step 43: Click on "Device(none)" on the pull-down menu:

Step 44: Click on "Change to" which will be to the right of "Device (none)":

Step 45: Click on the webcam that you wish to use. In this example, I clicked on the webcam that is part of my old Viewsonic monitor:

Step 46: The "Yawcam - Preview" window will now show a live video stream from the webcam that you selected:

(The live video picture of your Webcam will be shown here.)

Step 47: Now go back to the "Yawcam" "Control Panel & Console Window”. Step 48: Click on "Settings" on the Menu bar.

Step 49: Then click on "Edit Settings":

Step 50: If a "Windows Security Alert" dialog box is displayed: Make sure that “Private networks..” is selected. Then, click on the "Allow access" button

Step 51: Go back to the "Yawcam" "Control panel & Console Window”:

Step 52: Click on "File" on the Menu bar:

Step 53: Click on "Enable Motion detection":

Step 54: Click on “File” on the Menu bar again. A checkmark will now be displayed for "Enable Motion detection":

Step 55: Next, click on "Settings" on the Menu bar:

Step 56: Click on "Edit Settings":

Step 57: A "Yawcam - Settings" dialog box will be displayed:

Step 58: Click on "Startup" to highlight it:

Step 59: Uncheck "Check for new versions", if there is a checkmark next to it. Step 60: Place a checkmark next to "Start Motion detection", if there is not already a checkmark next to it:

Step 61: Click on the "OK" button:

Step 62: Back at the "Yawcam" "Control Panel & Console Window", click on "Window" on the "Menu bar":

Step 63: Click on "Motion detection" on the pull-down menu:

Step 64: A "Yawcam - Motion Detection" dialog box will be shown:

Step 65: If there is an "Enable" button and the red text says "Motion Detection NOT running.", click on the "Enable" button to start motion detection. Step 66: “Motion detection RUNNING” and a “disable” button should be displayed. Do not click on the “disable” button:

Step 67: Click on the "Settings" tab to adjust the "Sensitivity" and "Tolerance". You will be adjusting these parameters through a trial-and-error process:

Step 68: Click on the "Actions" tab:

Step 69: If there is a checkmark next to “Play Sound”, remove it:

Step 70: Place a checkmark next to "Send E-mail":

Step 71: Click on the "Settings" button next to "Send E-mail":

Step 72: An "Email settings" box will be displayed:

Step 73: In the "To: " field, type in the e-mail address that you want motion detection event notifications to be sent to. Hint: to make "Motion Detected" e-mail messages arrive as quickly as possible to your cellular phone, type in the e-mail address of your cellular phone. If your cell phone is configured to receive all of your regular e-mail messages anyway, then put in your regular e-mail address as follows:

Step 74: In the "Subject: " field, add in the location if you have more than one computer running "Yawcam": For example: The computer with "Yawcam" that is aimed at your front door might have a "Subject:" of "Motion detected - front door of Tucson house!" and the computer with "Yawcam" that is aimed at your back door might have a subject of "Motion detected - back door of Tucson residence!". Step 75: Place a checkmark for "Attach Image":

Step 76:

Go to the technical documentation of your e-mail service and determine your "SMTP server" settings. For example, the "SMTP server settings" for gmail accounts are located at http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=13287 Step 77: Type in your "SMTP server:" name. For all gmail accounts, the "SMTP server" is "smtp.gmail.com":

Step 78: Type in the port number for your SMTP server. For all gmail accounts, the port number is "465".

Step 79: For all gmail accounts, "Use encrypted connected.(SSL)" needs to have a checkmark.

Step 80: Place a checkmark next to "Password required":

Step 81: Enter in the "Username" and "Password" for your e-mail account:

Step 82: Change the “Flood control” value from the default of 300 seconds to 10 seconds:

Step 83: Click on the "OK" button.

ADDITIONAL CONFIGURATION FOR REDUNDANCY In this example, "Yawcam" will now send to "Yahoo mail" a “Motion Detected” notification with an attached photo of whatever your webcam "sees", whenever “Yawcam” detects motion. For example, a typical e-mail notification in my "Yahoo mail" inbox looks like this:

While Yawcam is a free, no-frills software application, you can use various e-mail tricks to extend its capabilities. At the present time, it is only capable of sending out a single "Motion Detected!" e-mail message to a single e-mail address whenever a "Motion Detected" event occurs. When "Yawcam" uses the SMTP server of my gmail account to send a notification to my "Yahoo mail" e-mail address, I get a copy of the e-mail notifications of detected motion in my "Gmail" inbox also. This is a standard default feature of "Gmail": when you use it's free SMTP server to send e-mail, it automatically forwards a copy of the sent e-mail message in your Gmail "Inbox". In this way, my Gmail account acts as a redundant repository of my motion detection messages:

The net result of this e-mail wizardry is that when "Yawcam" detects a "motion event", I get an four e-mail notifications with a photo of the culprit in four places: a "Motion Detected!" message is sent to my "Yahoo Mail" inbox, the "Motion Detected!" message is copied to my "Gmail" inbox, my cellular phone receives a "Motion Detected!" e-mail message from the forwarding filter that I configured in "Yahoo Mail", and my cellular phone receives a "Motion Detected!" e-mail message from the forwarding filter that I configured in "Gmail",

It is then my job to call the local law enforcement authorities to ask them to respond to the situation, unless the intruder is someone who has my permission to enter my home.

"Yawcam" detects a "motion event" and takes a "frame grab" photo of the intruder

"Yawcam" uses the gmail "Yawcam" SMTP server to uses send the out a gmail SMTP "Motion server to Detected!" send e-mailout to a the "Motion e-mail Detected!" address of my e-mailphone to cellular "Yahoo mail" (with the with the "frame grab" "frame grab" photo of the photo intruder attached attached as a file attachment)

Gmail SMTP server automatically copies and forwards a copy of the "Motion Detected!" e-mail to Gmail's inbox