The essential components of our system are widely available and affordable we constructed four video systems at an approximate cost of $140 each. No advanced technological or programming skills are required. This detailed protocol guides you through the construction and operation of the HCCS. By offering encrypted access to the desktop environment, our system differs from other low-cost solutions (e.g., Singh et al., 2019) that provide only limited control via a web interface running on a bespoke local Apache web server. The HCCS offers secure remote real-time video monitoring with complete system control and the ability to enable automatic or delayed recording on startup. To overcome these limitations, we have developed the Home-Cage Camera System (HCCS), a low-cost and enclosure-agnostic solution for which the limitation on the number of individuals that can be concurrently monitored and tracked is bound only by practical and species-specific welfare considerations. Commercial options for video monitoring and tracking of laboratory animals are relatively expensive, may require a proprietary housing environment, and – due to their various technological limitations – impose severe restrictions on the number of individuals that can be concurrently housed (e.g., see review by Voikar and Gaburro, 2020).
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