Connect a WiFi webcam to my TV?

[woodchuck]

Is it possible to get a Smart TV connected to a webcam using the LAN? I'm thinking with RTSP, DLNA, or something similar it might be possible. Any thoughts on the matter out there? I haven't purchased anything yet, just considering some possibilities for streaming from the baby's room to a TV...

[milli260876]

Newborn? If its piece of mind you're after get one of the movement sensor mats... They're great as for the wifi idea??
i have got an ip cam but never really used it...

[3rob3]

I did this as well when my now 2 1/2 year old was born. Didn't end up using it a whole lot since my D-Link camera has pretty nice apps for iPhone and Android. Anyway, find out the ip address your camera uses and then follow this guide to add a link to it in Media Center:
http://thedigitallifestyle.com/w/index. ... ia-centre/

Or even easier, use Relaunch to do this for you and allow you to easily add a icon.

**Edit**
Just realized you wanted this on your smart tv. Leaving my suggestion here in case you also have a Media Center connected to it.

[woodchuck]

Thanks guys. I do have media center running, so that will work at home. My inlaws don't have it though, but the smart tv can navigate to a webpage. I'll give that a go... My 2 year old wakes up at the drop of a pin, so a webcam will be a good way to check on her...

[Shackleford]

Why not just get a video baby monitor?

[blueiedgod]

We got a Foscam and use it to check up on the baby from laptops, phones, tablets, or desktops (i.e. whatever is nearby)

[blueiedgod]

Why not just get a video baby monitor?

$300 baby monitor vs $50 webcam and devices you already have.

$250 buys a lot of diapers.

[woodchuck]

We got a Foscam and use it to check up on the baby from laptops, phones, tablets, or desktops (i.e. whatever is nearby)

I'm thinking this is the way I'll go.. Thanks!

[barnabas1969]

Yeah, a Foscam camera plus IP Cam Viewer (free version) would be real easy from Android phones/tablets. I don't think there is a free version for iOS, but the paid version is only a few bucks. I have an IP camera that I bought from Smarthome. It's actually made by Foscam, and has a web interface that can be used to monitor/control it from a laptop/PC.

[foxwood]

You should make sure that you update the firmware on any Foscam units (and any other similar devices, if there are updates available). There was some recent media coverage about this type of camera being hacked.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill ... cam-users/

Personally, I don't think setting up port forwarding for a baby monitor is the smartest idea in the world, and the problem shouldn't arise if you're just using the camera on the LAN, but you should be aware that these cameras have both a microphone and a speaker built in, and there isn't any obvious way to disable them.

[barnabas1969]

foxwood provided some great info. I'll add that even if you don't expose the camera(s) to the Internet, you should change all the usernames from their defaults, and use strong passwords (longer is better, and use a combination of upper/lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols). Then, if you choose to expose it to the Internet, don't use the free DDNS service from the camera manufacturer, and don't use the default port number.

[STC]

Then, once running, post the make and model of the cam, your IP, port and credentials and we'll all checkout your wallpaper

[barnabas1969]

I'll be honest... I saw some stuff on TV recently about someone hacking the cameras that are included on some TV's. My TV doesn't have a camera, and neither does my laptop. My wife's laptop has one, and she uses it to talk to her family overseas... but it's not like anyone would ever see/hear anything on her PC that we wouldn't show in public anyway.

I didn't know about this Foscam vulnerability until today. When I got home, I played around with hacking my camera. I can view the entire contents of it's memory without any authentication! Holy crap, batman!

Now, I haven't logged-in to this camera for months... because I can't remember the user/password and I've been too lazy to reset it to factory defaults and reconfigure it. I had it configured in IP Cam Viewer Pro a while back, but an update to the app wiped out all my settings (which really sucks, but I digress).

So... I was able to dump the camera's memory and view it in a hex editor... but that didn't help me because I haven't successfully logged-in for so long that there was no valid user/password in memory (not since the last power-cycle of the camera, anyway).

And... my camera is NOT the model that is listed in the hitb.org document that is linked from the Forbes article. (meaning that even different models of Foscam cameras definitely have this vulnerability)

The scary thing about this... is that ANYONE can view the entire contents of the memory on my camera! Holy crap! If I had logged in recently, the user/password would be in memory.

That's the oldest trick in the book! If you can access the memory of a computer, and the username/password is held in memory without encryption... then you can login as that user!

Now, I really don't care if someone wants to watch me walk around in my underwear, or even in the rare instance when I'm walking around nude. I mean... it's not like my wife and I are gorgeous and worthy of posting our nude pictures online anyway (and... since we have kids living at home... it's VERY rare to catch us in the buff anyway), and neither of us are shy and there's no way to get money out of us by posting nude pictures... but... this thing is a Linux computer sitting INSIDE my firewall!

Simply unbelievable that a company would produce something so easy to hack!

[barnabas1969]

The funny thing about the TV news report was that the "expert" recommended putting tape over the camera when it is not in use. Yes, that will prevent the hacker from watching you... but does nothing in regard to the hacker's ability to use a computer inside your network to hack every other device inside your network!

[barnabas1969]

And... something else came to mind... In Florida, it is illegal to install or use a camera in a place where a person would have a reasonable expectation of privacy while removing their clothes... like in a bedroom, bathroom, locker room, or changing room. I doubt that your infant/toddler will sue you for this, but it is something to be aware of. State laws will vary on this subject.

[barnabas1969]

Installed the new firmware and web GUI, and all is well with the world now. Smarthome should have contacted me about this. They know I own this camera.