How To: Install a Netcam

May 1, 1998
By Jerry Day and Patrick Norton

What is a Netcam?

A netcam is a device that lets you use the Internet to hold a real live video conversation with another person over the Web. You can also use it to record video to send over the Web, or even create your own movies.

3Com's BigpictureTM videophone kit contains everything you need for videoconferencing. It has three basic components:

  • A video camera to capture images.
  • A video-capture card to convert video into bits that your computer can use.
  • Video software that uses your Internet connection to let you talk to other people.

The following tutorial is specific to the BigpictureTM kit but will be useful to any netcam user.

  1. What You Need Before we show you how to install 3Com's BigpictureTM videophone kit, make sure you have the following:

    • A 133MHz Pentium or Pentium II processor (MMX is a big plus)
    • Windows 95
    • At least 16MB of memory (RAM)
    • 10- to 30MB of space on your hard disk
    • An open PCI slot
    • A full-duplex sound card, speakers, and a microphone (full duplex means your sound card can play and record digital audio simultaneously)

  2. Opening Your PC

    The first thing you'll need to do is power down your PC and unplug it (getting shocked not only hurts, it can kill you). Next, remove the cover from your PC so you can get to the motherboard. Once you've done that, look for an open PCI slot. Now grab your screwdriver and remove the slot cover tab-- that's the silver slip of metal that covers the opening next to your PCI slot. Save the screw; you'll need it later. Once you've opened the slot, you'll need the video capture card from the BigpictureTM kit.

  3. Installing the Card

    Before you unwrap the board from its antistatic bag, touch the case of the PC to discharge any static electricity that's clinging to you. Next, center the silver slot cover on the end of the board with the open slot, placing the copper pins on the bottom of the board in the middle of the PCI slot. When everything is lined up, push the card into the slot with gentle-but-firm pressure. If it doesn't quite want to seat itself in the slot, line it up again and try pushing down one end at a time. And be patient. Whatever you do, don't take a hammer to it!

    Remember that screw you saved? Once the board is in place, replace the screw to secure your capture card. Button the rest of the case up, and you're ready to install the camera and software.

  4. Installing the Camera

    The BigpictureTM camera is pretty easy to set up. Unravel its cable and you'll find three separate plugs at the end. The yellow plug is the video-out from the camera; plug it into the yellow outlet on the back of the video-capture card. Then insert the black hollow-pointed plug in the hole just below. That's your power connection, and it's crucial that you don't try to pop it in anywhere else on your system-- the wrong voltage will kill your camera.

    The last plug connects to the camera's built-in microphone. We highly recommend you buy a headset-style microphone for videoconferencing-- you'll get much better results. But if you don't have a headset or standalone microphone, you can use the built-in one. Just plug the last jack (the one with an image of a microphone molded on it) into the microphone input on the back of your sound card. It's usually marked in red or by the letters MIC.

    Now the big question: Where do you put this thing? Most people set their netcam on top of their monitor, but this often results in the netcam sending a close-up view of their scalp. You can avoid that problem either by backing away from your screen or by attaching your netcam to the side of your monitor. Wherever you choose to put it, make sure the green light is on the right side (unless you want to send your image upside down).

  5. Installing the Drivers

    Now you're ready to reboot your system and install the drivers for the capture card. When Windows 95 starts, it should automatically find the new card. A window labeled New Hardware Found will ask you to select which driver you want to install. Click on the button next to "Driver from disk provided by hardware manufacturer" and then click on OK.

    Next, you'll see a window labeled Update Device Driver Wizard. Insert the CD that comes with the BigpictureTM kit into your CD-ROM drive and click on Next, then Finish. If the Update Device Driver Wizard doesn't automatically find the CD-ROM, you'll either get a window titled Install From Disk or the Update Device Driver Wizard.

    If the Install From Disk window pops up, you'll need to point it to your CD-ROM drive by selecting it from the pull-down menu or by clicking on the Browse button and finding the BigpictureTM CD-ROM in the Windows Explorer window that comes up.

    If you get the Update Device Driver window, click on the Other Locations button, and you'll see a Windows Explorer window. Just double-click on the CD-ROM icon, and the driver should install.

  6. Installing the Software

    After you install the drivers and Windows 95 finishes its startup routine, a window labeled Installing Additional Software will tell you your device needs additional software. Don't worry: That software is on your installation CD-ROM. If you click on OK, the software will install itself. If it doesn't do this automatically, click on the Start button on your Win95 toolbar and choose Run. When the Run window comes up, type in D:setup.exe (if your CD-ROM drive isn't letter D, substitute the appropriate letter) and click on OK.

    At this point, you have a choice: You can install all of the software that comes with the BigpictureTM bundle, or you can choose a few specific applications. If you want to get on the air at techtv, you must install one of the videoconferencing applications from the disk, either VDO's VDOPhone or Microsoft's NetMeeting. You should also install VDO's VDO Mail, which lets you create videos that you can send directly to us over the Internet.

If you follow the full software installation from the CD-ROM, you can run the BigpictureTM application launcher from your Start menu, or you can start any of the applications you've installed from the Start/Programs/Big Picture menu.

From: techtv.com/callforhelp

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