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We are living in a world which sees crime
rates soar every year and the damage to personal property becoming
a common occurrence. It is therefore very important that we protect
our property and the belongings we have. One of the best ways to do
this is to install a security camera to watch over ourselves and
out homes/businesses.
Despite being better protected by security
cameras, some people are still very confused and therefore don’t
install them correctly or put them in the wrong place so nothing
can be seen. It is important to use security cameras effectively
and this article will help with that.
Where Is The Best Place to Hide a
Camera?
People need cameras for different reason. If
you want to buy a discreet one which can be well hidden, it is best
to buy a small wireless one which does not rely on a power source.
These cameras can be disguised as every day objects and hidden in
things such as clocks, jars, teddy bears and other items around the
home.
 Another popular place for hiding
these minute security cameras is in smoke detectors. No one
really pays attention to smoke alarms and because they are on
the ceiling, your camera will get a great view of the room/s
below it. By hiding a security camera, they become more of a
tool for surveillance rather than a deterrent for potential
criminals.
What Can You Use Hidden Cameras for?
Many parents worry about leaving their
children with a nanny. If you are particularly worried, you could
install a hidden security camera to watch over the new nanny while
you are work. These cameras can be hidden in stuffed toys or in
different areas around the house. It is very important to make sure
that your children are being looked after and it will give you
piece of mind for seeing first hand that they are.
Hidden cameras can also be used when you want
to follow someone or monitor the goings on of your business. People
are not aware that you are watching them so if you think someone is
stealing from your business, you can keep an eye on it from afar of
if you think your partner is cheating on you, you can soon find out
for yourself.
The different ways to use your security
camera are literally endless and how you go about it will purely
depend on what you want to use it for. These cameras are very
competitively priced so if used correctly, will be worth every
penny and more.
Q-See QSC48030 High Resolution Weatherproof CCD Camera w/80ft of Night Vision...
Amazon Price: $119.99
Used Price: $135.29
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Review (rating: 5):
I have a First Alert security system. It's inexpensive but works great. The camera that came with it was OK but marginal. I researched many cameras and this one came with high praise. It deserves it. I could not have been happier. The only slight downside is that the IR lights can wash out the subject when they are about 15 feet or closer away. I covered the lights with a disc of smoke colored plastic. It helped a lot. I am thrilled with this camera..
SVAT GX5201 Wireless Portable Video Monitor with 2.5-Inch LCD & Night Vision ...
Amazon Price: $144.99
Used Price: $109.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Review (rating: 2):
This system suffers from extremely low quality video and sound. The video is frequently filled with enough static that it makes it difficult to see the baby. Second, the sound is also very low quality - this is over about a 30 foot transmission distance. Distances of 60 feet or so across the house render the unit unusable. Raising the sound level high enough enable hearing the baby noises brings with it an intolerable level of static. Furthermore, bursts of interference become headsplitting.
These might be forgivable if the unit were very portable, but its not. The form factor is awkward and not very stable on a table. The battery life is very short - and that with 4 AA batteries, and the cord for the plug simply needs another 8 inches.
While it is very nice to be able to switch between day and night mode, this can only be done on the camera itself. Invariably, you end up moving the camera completely out of position to do so. And if you forget to toggle the switch from night to day before you put the baby down, you are just out of luck.
Ergo - not recommended for use as a baby monitor!
SVAT ISC200 Outdoor Imitation Security Camera with Blinking LED
Amazon Price: $29.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Review (rating: 3):
We bought several of these cameras to mount around our condo complex for increased security. They do look fairly real. My only question is how long does the battery last that keeps the little red light flashing -- we haven't had them long enough to know yet. One of the cameras was broken when we received it, but amazon sent out a replacement immediately.
Q-See QSPDVR04 4 Channel Digital Video Recorder PCI Card
Amazon Price: $64.99
Used Price: $77.13
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Review (rating: 5):
Let me start by saying that I give this a Five Star rating based on performance-for-price; this product is not without its shortcomings.
I have an Intel motherboard with an Intel CPU and everything works great for me. I am running Windows Vista Ultimate 32-Bit. nVidia nForce chipset and nVidia 8800 GTS Graphics. I had lots of blue-screens when I first installed this card, but after updating the nForce drivers from nVidia's website everything has been great. (I have read that AMD users may have more issues.)
A point that I want to make very clear is about the "30 FPS (frames per second)" of video capture; this card can, in fact, encode 30 frames per second of MPEG video, but it is divided amongst the 4 camera ports. IE: you will get perfectly smooth (movie quality) video with 1 camera, 15 FPS each when using 2 cameras, 10 FPS with 3, and only 7 frames a second per camera with all four ports connected. I am not saying that this is bad. Again, for the price, this is a great card with LOADS of features, but do not expect a four-way split screen with each camera having fluid video.
That being said; I generally like this card a lot. I specialize in computer service and repair for a living, and it took me a little while to get the Web Service running correctly. I followed all of the steps to setup "Remote Viewing", and was able to monitor all four cameras from any PC or laptop on my LAN, but was never able to watch from outside my home. A friend informed me that my ISP (COX Communications) blocks HTTP Port 80 (probably to discourage web-hosting) and once I configured my Q-See software and my Linksys router for Port 70 everything worked just fine. I can now watch my Front Door, Driveway, Backyard, and keep an eye on my pooches from anywhere in the world.
Another surprise was when I tried to log into my IP address from my Windows Mobile cell phone. A message asked me if I wished to install the cab file offered by my IP address and when I accepted it added Pocket Camera to my Start programs. I can now scroll through all of my cameras live on my cell phone. (Yah, my friends think I'm a HUGE Geek, but they agree that THAT is pretty cool.) LOL
The only issue I have at the moment is that the Q-See "SUPERDVR" monitoring program is locked to 1024x768 resolution and cannot be moved around on your screen. I have a dual-monitor setup and would love to be able to drag the camera application to my secondary monitor so I can see motion out of my peripheral vision while working on my main screen. Unfortunately I still have to Alt+Tab back to the program periodically to survey my premises. No biggie, and most people may not be running dual-monitors, but it would be a nice option for those of us who do.
Something that really impressed me was the ability to playback any given period of time, from any of your cameras, then burn it directly to a DVD. This is useful if you need to bring evidence of vandalism to the authorities, or simply if you want to record your dogs running around in the backyard.
I highly recommend this card, and have positive reviews for a few cameras as well. There are DVR cards at Amazon which can capture 30 Frames Per Second for each of four cameras, if you need such a thing, but most of then start ar four or five times the price. I think this is an excellent and easy-to-use investment for any homeowner or small business.
Security Camera - Google News
Security Camera - Google News
Hitachi to Sell Escalator Security Cameras - Japan Corporate News (press rele...
![]() Hitachi to Sell Escalator Security Cameras
Japan Corporate News (press release), Japan - 9 hours ago
Tokyo, Aug 7, 2008 (Jiji Press) - Hitachi Building Systems Co. said Thursday it will start selling a security camera system used exclusively for escalators ...
Nats told no camera footage of cocktail party - Stuff.co.nz
TVNZ
![]() Nats told no camera footage of cocktail party
Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand - 2 hours ago
The National Party's bid to find out who secretly taped conversations with its MPs was dealt a blow when it was told there was no security camera footage of ...
Nats must find a new way to identify infiltrator National Business Review
Goff throws National leader's rubbish rummage to the dogs New Zealand Herald
Covert tapings anger Nats The Press
Stuff.co.nz - New Zealand Herald
all 378 news articles
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