eintracht

Unfortunately I'm having to leave my mum behind whe we immigrate but to soften the blow we are planning to buy her a PC with a webcam so she can see ad talk to us daily. The PC is not a problem but have others got experience of webcams etc. ? I know Broadband at each end is ideal.

Thanks

Chris

Simone

We;re using yahoo messenger for the webcams, it's all working fine!

We also use www.skype.com which lets you talk via the computer(make sure your computer has a microphone, or a buy a webcam with one in it).

Using the webcam and skype together isn't great(makes it all too slow), but you can always use the phone when using the webcam. It's really cheap with those international calling cards(the ones backpackers also use).
Or just use yahoo messenger to type you message.

We bought and extension cord for the webcam, so we can give a mini tour of the house

Been chatting to our families several times a week(but will probably get less over time, it's already starting to lessen now).

And yes, Broadband is a must!!!!


Good luck

soapy©

yeh we use it too on msn, the kids keep in contact with pals from the uk. it really helped them settle.

soapy

koofoo

Chris,
You need to do the following on both PC's

1/ Get a usb webcam and install the driver.
2/ Have broadband installed.
3/ Create a hotmail account (it's free).
4/ Install Microsoft Messenger version 6.2 or later, (again it's free).
5/ Startup Messenger and add the person's account that you want to communicate to. This only needs to be done once and in future Messenger alerts you when that person logs in.
6/ Select the person you want to communicate to and click webcam button and the micro phone for audio.
7/ The person at the other end of the conversation will get the chance to accept or reject communication.

That's it. Happy conversing.

Simone

And if you'll be communicating with anyone on a Apple/mac computer, don't use msn messenger, use yahoo!

andrew63

Chris
Another you can do is set up a web site for your family. Surprisingly easy and inexpensive. Just use it like a photo album for your digital photos. All software you need is free and it is as easy as creating a word doc and inserting images.
MSN, Yahoo & Skype are all great! Trillian is useful too as it combines Yahoo and MSN on the same programme.

Andrew

soapy©

we just used that free web thingy. works ok for us and is free
save sending loads of emails lol

scutterUK

not wanting to hijack but has anyone used ICQ for a webcam? I've tried both MSN and yahoo. On MSN i've got a good pciture but no sound and yahoo got an OK picture but crap sound. I'm starting to scratch my head a bit here now.

Also a piece of advise if you haven't done it already, get a proper microphone headset. Cuts down on the feeback .

ta all.

Simone

thanks, will try that.

Can't help with ICQ.
Good luck!

jwinch

would you be able to use the webcam on dial up as my parents could not afford the continous monthly fee of broadband

Muzza04

I am wondering about this too. Coz some of family live in areas(UK) where no broadband is available at the moment. Ie no FO cables laid.

Gonna try later as i have dial up here at the moment.

mlbonner

I guess in theory you could do, but the slower connection will drastically reduce the quality. Some broadband providers do good rates now, have you tried shopping around a bit?

scutterUK

no worries.

Cheers!

by the way, how can anyone survive on a dialup! broadband is a must, at most it only costs a tenner more than dialup nowadays. I really feel sorry for those 'stuck' in a no broadband dead zone.

( i miss my telewest 1.5MB cable! )

Muzza04

unfortunately my folks have retired to the outer west of Scotland region, where modern IT infrastructure and technology is a few years behind.
Namely Argyll and Bute.

andrew63

I have been using web cam on standard dial up 28 k and the sound is "normal" but the pictures were very "jumpy".

Andrew