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This should have been something that had me jumping up and down, instead it did not work like that. I had numerous conversations with the lady at 3rdi and eventually it did work.

The camera costs £199 and it charges from the mains but can then run for around six hours even without connection. So even if the intruder realises he/she is being filmed it's too late as the images are sent back to the server at 3rdi. Assuming you have the camera in the correct mode then a text message is sent to your mobile. You then log in via the software installed on your phone and check what the movement is.

See also: Web-cams

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You pay a monthly fee starting from £10 and this enables you to view the stored images. Of course there could be plenty of legitimate reasons for movement in your home or office maybe the cat set it off. A quick call on your mobile and you can see.

I am told the camera takes a series of eight images some before and some after the camera detects movement. So you should be able to capture who or what set off the camera.

If you currently have a mobile phone on Three then forget it as it will not work with their service and there is also one Samsung phone that refuses to work correctly as well. Any other mobile phone capable of displaying video should work. You will probably need to be on a contract or maybe at the vital time your money may expire.

I am told that the installation of the software is easy and a couple of text messages from the lady at 3rdi should configure all the settings.

When they sent me the camera I was also sent a Nokia phone on T-Mobile with things all configured and while I could dial in to view images it refused to display them to me. That phone was returned and a replacement on another service provider was sent. This was a far more upmarket Motorola offering with a larger screen etc. It was far less fiddly to input the security questions and in theory easier to use.

The main problem was that Orange were having problems with a phone mask and the best I got was two bars and normally only one or even No Service or Emergency Calls Only. Eventually - a week or so later - I got three bars and the service worked looking at yourself on a mobile phone screen at the far end of your hall is quite chilling (I am not a huge fan or mirrors). Once the settings had been changed I set up it to send a text message if it detected movement and I waited a few minutes and then briefly put my hand in it's field of view and sure enough I got a text message to say 'The 3rdi Camera 3rdimedia3 has registered an alert activation at (then the time and date). 3rdimedia3 was the name given to the camera for my trial. You can rename yours to a position say lounge or main office. This is important should you have more than one camera.

It is important to either turn off the camera or turn off the alert warnings if you or someone you know is at the address or you will be besieged by text messages.

The idea of a security camera able to make phone calls (well send video) is great the implementation - if my trials are anything to go by - needs work. To know more you will need to know you get a good mobile signal and be sure it configures correctly.

Should you have to leave somewhere empty - maybe a boat or caravan - then knowing someone is there could enable you to avoid problems or at least know about them sooner.

For more details including a video demo www.3rdisecure.tv