To provide a remote camera connected to a public network that is compact, low cost, and user friendly owing to its simple structure, which uses a mobile telephone as an operation terminal, as a surveillance camera easily used by an individual.

A telephone number is assigned to the remote camera having a function for connecting to the public network, a call is placed from the mobile telephone as an operation/display terminal directly to the remote camera for connection establishment, control of the remote camera is performed by the mobile telephone, and thereby a picture taken by the remote camera is displayed on the screen of the mobile telephone.