Web Cam Directory contains one of the largest, and most rapidly growing, directory of webcams on the internet with over 3500 webcams from around the world.

Subjects range from busy city street scenes, top tourist destinations, some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, ever changing views from cruise ships to the outright bizarre!

Use one of the hundreds of pre selected collections to browse the web cam directory, or use the powerful search facility to find exactly what you want

The first ever webcam is reported to be a camera set up in the computer science department of Cambridge University, England in 1991. The webcam provided a 128x128 grayscale image of the coffee pot in the so called Trojan Room. The webcam, initially viewable over the university's local network, provided a view of the state of the coffee pot, thus preventing wasted trips to the Trojan Room if the pot was empty. The camera was connected to the internet in November 1993 and was finally switched off on 22nd August 2001. The coffee pot was later auctioned on ebay for £3350.

Currently the oldest webcam still operating is believed to be the FogCam at San Francisco State University. Started in 1994 as a student project, the cam is now based in the humanities department and shows real time pictures of Tapia Drive.

The 'Amazing Netscape Fish Cam', established in 1994, provided views of the Netscape fish tank, and at the peak of it's popularity it was thought to be the 10th most popular page on the internet, regularly attracting over 90,000 hits a day. Sadly the webcam would appear to be no longer operational.

Another famous defunct webcam is the well known JenniCam, which started in 1996 which provided a voyeuristic view of the life of Jennifer Ringley. This site was the forerunner of many subsequent 'life' cams. At the peak of it's popularity, it is believed that the site attracted three to four million daily viewers.

Today there are millions of webcams around the world. Their uses vary from private video conferencing, video chat, security surveillance to publicly available webcam images. Webcams can be found in the most unlikely locations such as Livermore's Centennial Light BulbCam providing 24/7 views of the worlds oldest known working light bulb, or in more conventional locations, providing a fascinating insight into daily life.

As with the internet in general, the subject matter of webcams can range from scenic views of world beauty spots to more extreme content.

The technology of webcams has improved considerably since the first webcams, which required considerable technical expertise to set up and operate. The wider availability of broadband, always on, internet connections, and the falling cost of webcams, means that it is now easier than ever to set up your own webcam.