Just plug it in. It does not get any more simple than this. No buttons to press, no setting up necessary. All you have to do is take out the SD card at the end of the day and playback on your PC. That is it !! Unlike other competitors, this unit has a camcorder quality, wide angle CCD color camera inside. The built-in DVR will handle up to 8G SD card for long recording upon motion detection. Excellent for nanny watching and also in a tricky situations like in a nursing home, use it to protect your parents too!.