Abstract: A device is provided for recognizing individual bar codes from selected household items and registering bar code data at a central monitoring station via a web browser on the Internet. The device includes a control module directly connected to a television and includes an optical recognition mechanism for scanning a barcode label. The optical recognition mechanism converts bar code data into a stream of convertible analog data to be transferred over the Internet using a standard web browser and 128-bit SSL technology for added security. A communication mechanism is operably connected to the optical recognition mechanism and cooperates therewith during operating conditions. A data interface circuit is directly coupled to the communication link so that the microprocessor can directly format and transfer bar code data in HTML format prior to being sent to the central monitoring station database.