Digital camera keeps an eye on your stuff

Samsung SmartCam wireless security camera
$149.99 at iwatchlife.com, or $149 at Amazon.com

Video surveillance monitors are turning up everywhere these days, even in our homes and our pockets. This Samsung camera lets anybody with an Internet connection keep an eye on her house and her stuff, from anywhere in the world.

The SmartCam attaches to your home network either through an Ethernet cable or a wireless Wi-Fi connection. You set it up with password protection to ensure that only you can see what’s going on. The system lets you install multiple cameras to cover different zones of the house. Next, install software on your desktop computer--PC or Mac--or on your Apple or Android mobile device, and you can look in on your home while on the road.

You can buy the Samsung camera at Amazon.com, or through iWatchLife, a company that offers a security video monitoring service. For $4.99 a month, iWatchLife can automatically alert you to possible security threats. Say you’ve got the SmartCam set up in a corridor that ought to be empty when you’re not at home. You can program iWatchLife to send you a text message alert if the SmartCam detects a visitor.

Even if you don’t opt for the iWatchLife option, Samsung’s SmartCam is a good way to guard your home and possessions.