Turn your webcam into a home security system

Many people own webcams these days, whether built into a notebook PC screen or just attached to a desktop PC. Even if you don’t have one already, they can picked up for little more than £10.Traditionally people use webcams for video messaging and online chat or to show off a beautiful view, but with a little ingenuity and some simple software the humble webcam can be transformed into a surveillance device.Using a free program called Yawcam, it’s possible to get a real-time view of a home from anywhere you can get access to the internet.Better still, Yawcam employs a motion-detection system to snap pictures if something’s happening, like a burglary ­ potentially catching the thieves red-handed. Here’s how to download and use it.