Watch over your home or business remotely with new apps

If you're traveling this holiday season, you don't need to ask a neighbor to watch your house anymore. New technology means you can do it yourself.

New smart phone applications enable you to monitor your home or business from virtually anywhere in the world.

Steve Weintraub travels the world with his family. For several years he has used his computer to keep an eye on his St. Petersburg home and Clearwater jewelry store when he's away. He's eagerly awaiting a new application for his Blackberry that will enable him to do surveillance on the handheld device.

"I'm really excited about this new app," Weintraub said.

Using a live video feed from cameras installed throughout his property, Weintraub will be able to monitor everything from his back yard to his living room, anytime, from anywhere. He'll also keep an eye on his jewelry showroom.

"I can be in the grocery store or at the drugstore and actually view my cameras at home or at the business," Weintraub said.

Mike Stram sells video systems that can sync up with cell phones at his South Tampa business, Home Theater Gallery. He said more and more people are investing in home monitoring by remote control.

"We're all going back to basics. Security of home and family are a big concern to people," Stram said. "It's becoming more popular to link your phone back to controlling your world."

Stram sells technology that can control everything from window blinds to lighting to security systems. He demonstrated the technology by dimming the lights in his showroom with the use of an I-Phone. But the systems don't come cheap. They start at a couple thousand dollars and top out over $20,000. Radio Shack, on the other hand, offers a simple two-camera system starting at about $300 plus monthly monitoring fees.

New applications enabling remote home monitoring are emerging every week, Stram said. Some apps will even send you text messages or emails if something goes wrong at home.

Weintraub said all the innovation helps give him peace of mind, no matter how far away he is.

"I love to be able to pull up the cameras at either the house or business and see what's going on," Weintraub said.