PC-Alarm and Security System

The biggest concern you can have when you go on vacation is how to keep your home safe while you are away. Most of the times you wonder if you remembered to lock the door or cut the water and gases. From burglars to fires, anything can happen while you are away. Instead of asking a neighbour to keep an eye on your house, you can create your own security system with PC-Alarm and Security System. Besides monitoring the activity on your computer, it will also use a webcam and a microphone to detect intruders or fire alarms and it will automatically send emails, recorded messages over the phone and other notifications.

The program can be used on Windows NT and all the higher versions. It does not require additional applications or services, but you will need a webcam, a microphone or both if you want to use its full potential. After a fast and straightforward installation process, you can run PC-Alarm and Security System right away.

Before making use of the interface, you will have to create a PIN by simply typing and retyping it in separate fields. A tree menu, on the left side of the interface, can be used to switch to different sections of the interface, where you may configure various aspects of your security system. These are the most important sections on the tree menu and they will display the same options. Using radio buttons, you will have to select an arming mode and what action the software should perform if it detects an alarm.

You can arm the system in Away mode, if you have to go away or you can arm it in Stay mode, if you are in front of your computer. If an alarm is triggered, the software can either disable a specific security measure or re-arm it after 10 minutes. Additional customization options can be found for each measure, on a separate window, after clicking the Custom button, in the lower right corner of the window. These will give you a better grip on the monitoring features and timetables.

If an alarm is detected, the software can notify you in more than one way. It will immediately send you a notification, by email, phone, network message or pager. The required configurations can be done on a tabbed window, which can be brought up by clicking the Alarm Settings button, on the upper area of the interface. You will have to specify a sender's and a receiver's email addresses, your login details and SMTP server if you want to use the email notification feature.

The software is capable of calling a phone number automatically and playing a pre-recorded message. This can be done on the same settings window and it requires specifying your modem name, a phone number, a maximum number of call attempts and, of course, loading an audio file, in .wav format. The system can be armed, in Away or Stay mode, by clicking one of the buttons on the upper area of the main window. If you arm it in Stay mode, the interface will be minimized to the system tray and the program will run in the background. If you arm it in Away mode, your computer will be locked and it will stay this way until you type your PIN.