iSpy : Open-source Video Surveillance Software

Almost everyone has watched those movies or TV shows like NCIS where they often show the security staff room filled with many TV or computer screens that show multiple security cameras in a grid. Usually that software is provided by the surveillance equipment manufacturers and is generally very expensive. But if you want to use your webcams or mobile phone cameras to monitor any room or place then you can use the free iSpy software.

iSpy is an open-source video surveillance software that can be used to monitor one or more places through multiple sources of video feed – local camera, webcams, mobile phone cameras, IP camera, microphone etc. It places all the sources of video feed in a grid like display so that you can watch them all on one screen. It checks for sudden movements in all the sources and shows an alert whenever such a movement is detected along with recording those particular portions of the video feed.

After launching the iSpy software, you have to first add a video feed source. For this, you can click on the Add button in the toolbar and then pick one of camera type or video source type from the menu – local camera, IP camera, ONVIF camera, floor plan, video file, microphone and so on.

For each different type of source you add, the steps would be very much different. For example, if you want to add an IP camera then you have to add MJPEG URL and the login credentials. You can also use the IP camera wizard to add these details. However, local cameras can be added pretty easily just by selecting one of the attached cameras from a drop-down list.

Once one or more cameras are added, you can control each of them by right-clicking on them and choosing various options. Whenever it finds sudden movement in any of the video feeds, it will alert you and record those video portions for you to examine later.

Conclusion: iSpy is a very convenient way to setup an affordable motion detection surveillance system using your webcams and any old cameras. It can also be used to replace the standard software supplied by your home/office security surveillance firm.

You can download iSpy from https://www.ispyconnect.com/.