What software could I use to do video surveillance?

I found an easy way with a webcam and thanks to this french documentation.
The idea is:

1. define a service to synchronize a folder on your PC and your Smart Phone
   or to let you consult it from an other computer on Internet:

   • install the synchronization service on your PC

   • install the synchronization service on your smart phone
     or do nothing and just use internet to consult the captured video from an other PC.

2. install a video software to record videos when movement is detected

Let's do it with DropBox and Motion:

1. Install the service to synchronize: Dropbox

   • On your PC, install DropBox
     follow the instruction and install with the default options
     It will create a folder /home/boris/Dropbox (with boris your user logon)

   • Install DropBox on your smart phone, depending on your Smart Phone, find here the way to install it.
     _{I personally installed it from the GooglePlay on my Android phone. (without giving my phone number on the web site)}

2. Install Motion on your PC, and configure it:

   • copy the configuration file in your user environment:

     sudo cp /etc/motion/motion.conf ~/.config/motion.conf
     sudo chown boris:boris ~/.config/motion.conf
     

     (replace boris by your user logon)

   • edit the configuration file:

     gedit ~/.config/motion.conf
     

     modify the target directory to be your dropbox directory (replace boris by your user logon)
     
     

     you may also want to define the resolution of the capture
     
     

   • then launch your video surveillance:

     $ motion -c ~/.config/motion.conf
     

I came through a best video surveillance software named as xeoma. Its having many features thats can made you wonder about it.

you can install it in ubuntu with

sudo apt-get install xeoma

for more information regarding features read XEOMA .

hope that helps.