A bit divergent from topic, if not totaly off topic.
Whilst in the UK I helped my brother camera up the three cafes he owns. One of the cafes already had an old analogue system linked to timelapse VCR, but we decided to go the whole network hog and put in DSL connections at each shop and using lan cams (from Axis, nice kit) my brother can now monitor the shops from home or anywhere with a net connection. The cameras are also linked into the alarms in the shops so if overnight someone breaks in the start sending images to a server in a location other than the one being broken into (he had a break in where the old analogue cameras were and the thieves simply took the VCR tape with them).
I used zen internet for the DSL lines in the shops and at his home as they provide, at no extra cost, 8 public and static IP addresses, which make setting up the cameras easy. I used these in conjunction with Draytek/ Vigor routers. Zen also claim no contention _within_ their own network, which is great for this app (though you still get contention on the BT part of the link of course). These plugged into the DSL line will come up automaticaly after a power down and the cameras are online. They also come with LAN to LAN VPN facilites, which means it was easy to set up a VPN between all the sites so that he can print from home machine to a printer attached to a machine in one of the shops (or to a printer connected directly to the draytek - though to be honest I didnt get that working in the time I had in the UK). Oh and the drayteks all have wifi as well so he can wander round the cafes with his laptop and access his files at home or on the net.
So he now has 5 LAN cameras in 3 shops, all accessable over the internet (with passwords of course). He also has a VPN that covers all three shops and his home office. He also has wifi in all the cafes (though no plans to offer it to customer atm). This all runs on Zens own uncontended (once you reach it via BT's contended network) network.
Even imagining trying such an app on NTL's network (using non business products) would be a non starter. No static IP's which makes it harder. The cap would soon become a problem as well. The 128kbs upload is a limit too. This is a high volume internal application (needing no net access at all really if the cameras are being viewed or recorded from any of the sites). For me this is an example of where Zen are getting things right and NTL are not. Zen were helpfull and supportive through out this. They want to drive up usage and uses of their products, not restrict and limit them.
To get back on topic a bit more, I was a bit moraly concerned about helping put cameras in the work place. However these are not hidden or covert cameras. They are clearly seeable and all the staff know they are their. They do also provide some degree of protection for his staff as well. Of course part of the objective of them is to keep his staff 'on their toes' on the basis that they _might_ be being watched. The reality is that they rarely are (once the novelty wears off
)
Once I get my own sat link up and running here (soon hopefully) I intend to get myself a draytek router (not cheap but I have grown to love these boxes) and plug myself into his VPN network of his house and 3 shops too. Of course I would like symetrical 10mbs or even better 100mbs links for this but it still has uses on a half meg connection. So who wants more bandwidth and is not a 'warez merchant'? My brother (and me (ish)) for a start. !