# Webcam Causes Computer to Start **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2001, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322 "2001-04-25T18:05:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/1 "2001-04-25T18:05:36Z")
My running friend mentioned this morning that since he bought a webcam and hooked it up to his computer (a McIntosh), after shutting the computer off, it would come on by itself after 20 minutes. He has to disconnect the webcam to keep it off. I asked him to email me all the facts: model of the McIntosh, webcam, etc., and I would ask all the smart folks on the SDMB. He hasn’t done so yet. Does any one have a clue with the facts given? ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/2 "2001-04-25T22:03:53Z")
My friend emailed the info: iMac SE running OS 9.00 iBOTwebcam driver version 1.0.1 ---
**Author:** ![skydyvr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@skydyvr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skydyvr)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/3 "2001-04-26T17:57:47Z")
Is it possible that the camera software has a “pic on movement” option, or perhaps a timed pic option? I’ve seen that in some packages, but have NO idea if it would wake the computer to do it… ---
**Author:** ![breaknrun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@breaknrun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breaknrun)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/4 "2001-04-26T20:31:57Z")
Hmm, interesting. I don’t know much about Macs. Here is my question: 1. is he really powering the computer off or just putting it into a suspend/sleep mode? Some OS’s can be told to shutdown but if you don’t power off the PC, you can restart it with a keyboard click or mouse click. **skydyvr** If the computer is really off, the software wouldn’t make a difference since it _coldn’t_ be running. ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/5 "2001-04-26T22:05:25Z")
If the webcam has a computer chip in it, it could be receiving power through the USB port even with the computer off, allowing it to run a “activate with motion” feature by triggering the computer’s boot up sequence when it sees motion. –Tim ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2001, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/6 "2001-04-26T23:14:40Z")
Sure, obviously he set the web cam software to do something every 20 minutes. Like send a photo to a web site. So turn it off in the software. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/7 "2001-04-27T00:43:55Z")
He tells me that he shut it down. “No power. That’s what makes it mysterious.” ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/8 "2001-04-27T02:25:06Z")
My money’s on the USB port turning on the machine b/c it has been set to “activate with motion”. If the Web cam came with a non-USB cable also, have him use that one, althought depending on how old the iMac is, he may not be able to use it w/o a USB cable. One more question - when he says it turns on by itself, does he watch it reboot when the camera activates? IOW, does he see it loading INITS, Extensions, etc, or does it just appear in the Finder window, already booted up? If it’s the latter, then he really isn’t shutting it down completely. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/9 "2001-04-27T03:37:48Z")
All macs since the late Performas can be soft booted. Usually, this is so you can set it to turn itself on at a specific time. I have never heard of external hardware using this feature, however. Since Macs have the power button on the keyboard (which is USB), this webcam may be sending “turn yourself on” signals for some strange reason. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/10 "2001-04-27T15:45:17Z")
"He tells me that he shut it down. “No power. That’s what makes it mysterious.” No mystery there. My PC does that but it’s still self aware. If the phone rings, itll turn the computer on. Its not off, its asleep. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2001, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/11 "2001-04-30T12:13:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dooku \* > \*\*My money’s on the USB port turning on the machine b/c it has been set to “activate with motion”. If the Web cam came with a non-USB cable also, have him use that one, althought depending on how old the iMac is, he may not be able to use it w/o a USB cable. > > One more question - when he says it turns on by itself, does he watch it reboot when the camera activates? IOW, does he see it loading INITS, Extensions, etc, or does it just appear in the Finder window, already booted up? If it’s the latter, then he really isn’t shutting it down completely. \*\* Saw my friend this morning. He’s not impressed with the expertise on this Board. He said that he doesn’t use USB ports, but uses a firewire, and this was disclosed by some of the data he gave me. I know very little about computers, and I don’t know the difference between a firewire and a firewall. He explained that a firewire enables him to hook up more attachments. And I reiterate, he did shut the computer off. There’s no power. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2001, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/12 "2001-04-30T15:13:25Z")
“And I reiterate, he did shut the computer off. There’s no power.” How? At the power strip? Or on the keyboard? If you do it at the keyboard the computer is still ‘live’… ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/13 "2001-05-03T23:27:18Z")
I’ll bump this up one last time in the event that some one who hasn’t seen this may know. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/14 "2001-05-03T23:34:10Z")
barbitu, your friend might not be impressed but we’re not psychics here. You are not responding to the questions you’ve been asked. It might help if you did. A computer can be “off” and yet have power and the ability to wake itself up. did you understand this? ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/15 "2001-05-04T01:13:20Z")
I thought I answered the questions. He told me that he shut if off: no power. He did not put it asleep, merely shut it off at the keyboard, or otherwise put it on hold. He told me there’s no power. He shut it off. I assume that when he says he shut it off, he shut it off. When I shut off my computer, I press the “surge arrest” and there’s no power, except what the battery supplies to the clock. My friend is no idiot. He has a Ph.D. in pharmocology and has had his computer for years, so I assume he knows what he’s talking about, unlike me. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/16 "2001-05-04T02:55:34Z")
It is going to be very difficult to resolve anything like this. You admit you do not know too well what you are talking about and merely transmit what your friend says. Some pointers have already been given to you but you are just not understanding them. You seem to think a computer is either ON or OFF but it is not so simple as that. It is pretty simple but not as simple as that. Maybe it would be better if your friend posted directly. I guess the one thing I can tell you is that if your friend “presses the surge arrest” he will not have to worry about the camera starting the computer. You can be quite sure of that. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/17 "2001-05-04T10:05:05Z")
I suggest you’re friend made this up knowing you’d spend many hours debating it on this site and thus get many people tearing their hair out in unadulterated confusion and frustration. Sounds like my sort of chap. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/18 "2001-05-04T15:22:11Z")
I already said it before. When you turn a Mac off at the keyboard, it’s ASLEEP but has POWER. It is not OFF! What part of that do you not understand? ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/webcam-causes-computer-to-start/63322/19 "2001-05-07T12:16:29Z")
I saw my friend this morning, and he says he shuts it off at the computer, not the surge protector. If he doesn’t disconnect the webcam, the computer comes on 20 minutes later. If he does and then reconnects, it comes on right away.