i feel this article encompasses to much of "web cameras". A "web camera" is not a "webcam". A webcam is a camera connected to your computer via USB or fire-wire. So this "webcam" is only accessible if connected to a computer. A "web camera" is accessible with OR without a computer. Web cameras are usually connected either by IP address or a direct coax cable connection. A web camera is what you see on the internet showing places across the world and is the only thing used in say a daycare or school. You can not access a webcam without a computer connected to the USB or fire-wire camera. Most web cameras can be accessed without having a computer connected to it. Web cameras have built-in software that allows you to access the camera from smart phone or computer across the net or web. A webcam does not have this software capability and will need special software on the computer it is connected to view the webcam from another ___location thru the web or net. Web cameras that are used say in daycare or schools have a direct connection to a computer either thru Ethernet cable or coax cable. The distances these cameras are installed compared to the computer they are connected to is usually greater than USB or fire-wire can handle. These web cameras or surveillance cameras that are connected with Ethernet or coax cables have special software in the computer they are connected to. The software records the happenings that go on in front of the cameras and as an added feature in the software gives web access for someone to view from a smart phone or computer. These type camera systems have been around for years but started out as VCR recording. Once computers became easier to use and cheaper software was created for these type systems. The software ssytems have not always had access to internet as bandwidth was always a problem. Bandwidth being to expensive to not good enough. Now that bandwidth is readily available and cheap there are web accessible cameras everywhere. Most web accessible cameras or web cameras now a days have their own software built-in to view directly at the camera and no need for camera to have a computer connection just a internet connection.
So after all that I feel that webcam is the small camera that is built into the screen of your laptop or one you can buy and connect thru USB. A webcam is NOT a web accessible camera. You cant take a web accessible camera and use it on a web video chatting software like Omegle or Chatrulette. An IP camera also can not be used as a "webcam".
http://resource.dlink.com/view/hello-world/ http://www.video-conferencing-guide.org/video-conference-camera.html http://www.g0hwc.com/streaming_webcam.html http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/21247-3-camera-webcam http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,1237,t=Webcam&i=54369,00.asp http://www.experienceproject.com/dictionary/definition-of/Webcam http://www.hudsonhorizons.com/Our-Company/Internet-Glossary/Webcam.htm http://www.techterms.com/definition/webcam Robertguero (talk) 16:35, 30 October 2012 (UTC)