How easy is it to set up a home monitoring system?

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A home monitoring system need not be expensive or difficult to set up. A few hundred dollars and some of your time is a small price to pay for safety and peace of mind.

Networked cameras are different from webcams because they operate independently of a computer. You can access a live stream of video and audio from each camera via the Internet or 3G, using a computer or smartphone.

While you can create your own do-it-yourself (DIY) home monitoring system using a variety of components and software, that kind of system often requires more technical know-how and computer savvy than you might possess (or have time to learn).

However, there are many products and packages that offer a multi-camera monitoring system in an integrated solution that brings together the hardware and software for nearly plug-and-play ease of set-up--and some even provide subscription-based Web monitoring.

For example, the Avaak Vue Personal Video Network comes with two wireless cameras and a gateway receiver that connects to your network router. Set-up is performed using a Web browser (hence the need to connect it to your computer network), and you'll also use a Web browser to monitor the incoming video. Additionally, you can remotely view video from your monitoring system from anywhere in the world when connected to the Web when you sign up for a subscription (and even your iPhone, via a dedicated downloadable app).