Advantages of Home Security Cameras

Crime, robbery, and violence are everyday struggles that the world faces. Unfortunately, the perpetrators who steal, hurt, and vandalize can be lurking in our backyards and businesses. There are many advantages of owning a home security camera that can deter a criminal from targeting your home. This is also true for business owners. Owning video surveillance devices such as a wireless security camera in your business can prevent employees from stealing, thieves from robbing, and the business owner can see what happens while they are out of the office, restaurant, or store. A home owner can view their children being taken care of with nanny cams or monitor that their home is safe and criminal free while they are away at work or while on vacation. The advantages of owning a home security camera far outweigh the stress you may endure from the fear of being robbed, vandalized, or physically hurt by a criminal.

If you are targeted by a criminal, the security camera will provide clear and accurate images to detail the event. These images aid the police in finding the perpetrators which in turn fight to get criminals off the streets and into jail, so they can’t target another innocent home or business owner. One cannot argue with the detailed and accurate evidence documenting if a crime occurred.

While having a home security camera offers images of a possible crime to occur, they also deter the crime from ever happening. Studies have proven that someone is less likely to commit a crime if they know they are being watched. This is a great deterrence for business owners because their employees will not steal or vandalize company property for fear of being caught and terminated.

By having crime deterred, there is a sense of security that is offered from installing a wireless security camera at your home or business. Places such as shopping malls, stores, restaurants, homes, schools, and daycares use video surveillance. Parents can view a nanny watching their children, school teachers can feel safe knowing the school is being watched, store owners feel secure knowing that if someone steals from their store there will be evidence to catch the criminals. We shouldn’t have to live in fear knowing that our homes or businesses can be broken into at any time. Cameras deter criminals and having a sense of security can make life less stressful.

There are different types of security cameras available to best fit the needs of the purchaser. Each camera has its own advantages. For example, there are wireless security cameras, dummy cameras, and infrared cameras just to name a few. Any camera that you purchase will prove to be advantageous to your life as a home owner, business owner, and/or employee.

About the Author: Mike Ward is the owner and operator of Security Cams, a leading online provider of wireless security cameras and hidden cameras. For more information about security cameras, please visit www.security-cams.com.

Security Cameras Catch Criminals

Many advocates claim security cameras are ineffective weapons against crime. Despite the multitude of research studies that show reduced crime rates in regions under surveillance these few people are still not convinced. One study of car parking garages showed a 51% reduction of criminal acts. Security cameras are an integral part of police investigation and special police units are dedicated to their use. Often officers with special training are monitoring 50-60 cameras at a time in a single room, which can be a monotonous ordeal, as camera feeds rotate through monitors every 5 – 10 seconds. However, anti surveillance activists frequently point to situations and circumstances where these units failed to respond when a crime was being committed.

In one such example a woman was assaulted at knife point while inside her apartment building monitored by approximately 200 security cameras. She was forced into a stairwell where there were no cameras and raped. To use the horrendous nature of events like these to lobby against security cameras is unfounded. Cameras did not record the crime itself, but did observe the struggle in the hallways.

What are the alternatives? What would be fool proof? Greater physical presence of police and security guards? What are the chances security personel patrolling the grounds would have stumbled upon the crime in progress, especially since none of the residents heard or reported anything? If guards had missed the crime what options would police have to follow up with other than slowly taking the victims description of the suspect and developing a sketch.

While these are terribly unfortunate events, just because a crime is committed under surveillance does not mean there is a problem with cameras themselves. The presence of cameras and readily accessible digital footage frequently leads to a speedy arrest of the perpetrator. Since there are so many cameras on the streets and in buildings, many times police can retrace a criminal’s steps providing them with an excellent profile of the suspect or his identity. In the example above police were able to locate footage of the criminal approaching the building from a gas station across the street. Other cameras in the gas station spotted the assailant purchasing cigarettes with his credit card and obtained his identity. He was apprehended immediately. Video footage is excellent evidence of the crime and will likely lend for a speedy trial and conviction.

People are people and sadly they make mistakes. Improvements in security technology are vastly closing the human error gap with image recognition. These high tech surveillance cameras can recognize items such as a gun or knife, as well as suspicious behaviors and criminal acts such as vandalism and assault. Absolutely nothing should replace personal common sense. One should always be aware of their surroundings and never take personal safety for granted.

Advances in technology have brought about much higher quality cameras at reduced prices making it a viable option for almost any homeowner to have indoor and outdoor video surveillance. Wireless surveillance cameras are quickly becoming the popular choice since they are so easy to install. These cameras can be quickly installed since there are no holes to drill and wires to run. Monitored security systems will dispatch security agents and notify police immediately.



About the Author: Mike Ward is the owner and operator of Protection Depot, a leading online provider of security cameras and wireless security cameras. For more information about security cameras, please visit Protection Depot.

Security Cameras Controversy – Why Police Should Stop Carrying Guns?

Security camera technology is getting exponentially better every day. With automated smart cameras that can recognize faces, specific items, and behaviors security teams rely on them more now than ever. They are widely used to police big world events, such as the Olympics and. These days cameras are found almost anywhere both inside and outside. With improvements in wireless security cameras that can be placed just about anywhere you really cannot know for sure who is watching. There has never been more controversy over the continued installation of CCTV networks than now.

Many individuals are concerned that continued video surveillance poses a risk to their privacy. Some fear video footage will be accessed and shared with unauthorized users, voyeurs or individuals with malicious intent. Some radical groups promote attacks on installed CCTV networks and develop websites to teach techniques on how to destroy and vandalize cameras. These groups believe they do nothing to alleviate street crime and only divert limited police resource.

However, there are plenty of benefits and it may be the price that is necessary to pay for everyone’s safety. Footage from security cameras has aided police investigations of all kinds of criminal activity. Quick access to key video has allowed officials to recover stolen goods, and more importantly abducted children. The presence of cameras keeps children safe at schools, daycares, and at home with the nanny or while playing around the pool. It is an integral part of loss prevention and employee monitoring. They also assist with ensuring safe work practices at work sites.

Proponents against surveillance cameras argue they do not prevent or even reduce crime. They often cite the Brian Nichols incident at the Atlanta Fulton County where a female security guard was overpowered while under video surveillance. Nichols then went on a killing spree for 26 hours while police struggled to locate and apprehend him. This instance really points to human error and poor procedures. Had the security agents been focused on their job the incident may have been curbed or prevented altogether, furthermore if more advanced cameras utilizing imaging analysis been in place an alarm may have been sounded automatically. Other criticism might point to why a 51 year old female guard was left in charge of a male prisoner accused of rape. Consider an equally ridiculous argument. Perhaps if the deputy did not have a gun for Nichols to take the initial assault would never have occurred. In this case police should not carry guns at all.

From examples like this it seems clear that the problem is not the cameras themselves, but rather how they are used and regulated.


About the Author: Mike Ward is the owner and operator of Protection Depot, a leading online provider of wireless security cameras. For more information about security cameras please visit The Protection Depot.

Security Cameras Data Storage Devices

Even if it is just for peace of mind some form of security system is critical whether at home or work. Almost all banks, casinos, and museums are hosts to wireless surveillance cameras. Of course there are companies who will install security systems and monitor alarms and the video footage notifying you of any suspicious activity. These companies generally charge hundreds of dollars per month for their services, which may not be in the budget of a small business owner or home owner. Online resources provide a plethora of information for the do it yourselfer to make an informed decision on what cameras to purchase based on their needs. Installing wireless surveillance cameras is as easy as mounting the cameras and transmitter. Once the cameras are setup all that is left is to determine how you will store security camera footage. The most common methods of storing security camera footage are a time-lapse VCR, writable CD or DVD, hard drive on a personal computer, or a digital video recorder (DVR.

The most common way to record and store footage from security cameras has been via a time-lapse VCR. This method of video storage requires the security camera or video transmitter to be connected to the VCR for recording. Most cameras now have a motion sensor that alerts the VCR to begin recording to eliminate hours of useless footage. The footage is then recorded onto VHS tapes and is available for viewing at a later time. The drawback of storing footage this way is that the whole tape has to be viewed in order to find relevant footage and VCR recordings tend to have low quality resolution and appear grainy when viewing.

With a PC video images are spooled on to the PC’s hard drive. For 24 hour surveillance the computer would need to be on at all times. The footage would be available for viewing from the PC and would be easily accessible as a search can be done of the recordings to find a specific time. This method of storage has the potential to take up a lot of hard drive space depending on camera resolution. The user would need to frequently dump old footage to keep storage space available or have a large backup drive to transfer data to. A few drawbacks of this method are the potential for a computer crash and important footage may be lost or critical recording times could be missed. If burglars do break into a home they would, in all likelihood, steal the computer.

Another way of storing footage onto a hard drive would be through a digital video recorder (DVR). Recording with a DVR provides a higher quality picture than VHS and would save recorded files onto an internal hard drive. For additional storage capacity the DVR can be connected to an external hard drive. DVRs are a more discreet method of recording footage, since they are about the size of an individual DVD player and can be stored in a closet or out of sight from prowling burglars. DVRs are not connected to the internet and cannot be hacked into and unlike a PC they will not crash.

Wireless surveillance cameras are an effective yet inexpensive way to attain video security during the day and night. Having readily available access to high quality recordings facilitates with authorities quick response to any criminal activity on or around your property.


About the Author: Mike Ward is the owner and operator of Protection Depot, a leading online provider of wireless surveillance cameras. For more information about security cameras please visit The Protection Depot.

The Advantages of IP Based Data Storage

The digital age has revolutionized how security system footage is collected and utilized. Security cameras have traditionally relied on VHS tapes to store surveillance data. Even with drastic price reductions for surveillance equipment in recent years some systems still rely on old technology, which requires one to continually switch out old tapes for fresh ones. Labeling and storing tapes can become a full time job. Businesses with many security cameras may need to store hundreds or even thousands tapes at a time. Surveillance tapes are one of the first places officials go when investigating crimes and the speed of accessing them can make or break a case. With stacks of VHS tapes to go through police might spend weeks sorting through tapes as leads grow cold.

A better method of data storage utilizes digital video conversion. With this method data is converted to a digital format, such as Mpeg-4, and stored on an in house digital video recorder, or DVR. High tech networks are able to combine bullet cams, dome cams, and wireless surveillance cameras to cover all their surveillance needs. Digital camera networks can be easily expanded to implement more cameras. Wireless cameras can be placed in distant locations where it may be difficult or undesirable to run wires. One drawback with wireless is data transfer speeds may be lower, which can reduce playback quality.

Another solution is an IP based approach. Here the data is stored online and a backup DVD copy is also created and stored onsite. The advantage here is that security can be monitored from any location. Authorities can be granted permission to access data remotely to assist with an investigation. By speeding up the process for investigators there is a much higher chance of apprehending suspects. With quality footage suspects are sometimes apprehended in a few hours.

There are other advantages as well. Video data can be recorded at higher resolutions than a VHS, and the audio quality is much clearer as well. Once the equipment is setup you can drastically reduce the time spent managing data. No more having to switch out old tapes for blank tapes or having to house large archives of VHS tapes. It is much easier and quicker to search through digital data for evidence than having to fast forward and rewind a VHS tape. Data can be searched by date and time. Additional video analytics can be implemented to highlight key details in a data set. An example of this would be eliminating background noise to hear what someone is saying or enhancing part of the video footage to pickup small details.

About the Author: Mike Ward is the owner and operator of Protection Depot, a leading online provider of security cameras and wireless surveillance cameras. For more information about security cameras, please visit Protection Depot.

Wireless Surveillance in Action

How do wireless surveillance cameras actually work? In order for anyone to view camera footage on a remote monitor or in any wireless capacity, the images must be collected, compressed, and transferred over a network. This process can take many forms, but the basic concepts are similar, and it is a good idea to know how it works in order to pick out a surveillance system that best meets your home or business needs.

Upgrading or altering a traditional, wired security camera systems can be a tedious process of running cable, determining locations for monitoring stations, and strategizing. Wireless surveillance cameras make it simple to add new cameras. Not only that, but buildings that have a local area networks or some other form of network internet connection already possess the infrastructure for adding as many monitors in as many locations as they would like. Web based systems even allow for any computer to serve as a remote monitor. This might be set up through a password protected, secure webpage, or perhaps through some other web based software program.

The most common communication protocol for computer networks is known as TCP/IP. This is used for the mass expanse of the Internet proper and almost every new network being currently being installed. So unless your business is still operating on an extremely outdated system, wireless surveillance is a practical solution. Most offices, banks, and corporate style locations already incorporate at least and Ethernet network in which each computer or device has a unique IP address, allowing it to connect directly to the Internet. Because of rapid advances in technology, most systems like this have an extremely high capacity to communicate with several machines at the same time. Some cameras on networks like these can send footage directly to ten or more computers within that network without a web based format. If the footage from the wireless surveillance cameras is sent directly to the server, the video can be viewed by an unlimited number of viewers through a web based model. This opens up a whole new world in security cameras. This allows day cares to give clients the option of watching their children in real time through the mounted security cameras. Restaurant managers can insure quality control people can keep an eye on their pets. The possibilities are endless.

If you are considering installing a new system or changing an existing system to wireless, consider the different types of network transmissions such as T1 connections, DSL or ISDN modems, or Ethernet connections, and depending on what network solution you choose, pick the best cameras for this speed. You should also consider the amount of light certain cameras need and where they will be placed, as well as the level of resolution you need.

About the Author: Mike Ward is the owner and operator of Protection Depot, a leading online supplier of wireless surveillance cameras and a variety of home security cameras. For more information about security cameras, please visit Protection Depot.

Applications for Wireless Surveillance Cameras

The applications of wireless surveillance technology are extremely wide spread, translating to thousands of extremely valuable situations. These applications play themselves out in hospitals, offices, airports, banks and much more, providing security, quality control, and peace of mind for millions of people.

The most commonly perceived use of wireless surveillance cameras is security. Network cameras make it possible to be in one place, while viewing the video footage from another. Entrances, vaults, and parking lots can be closely monitored without a huge number of security employees. Not only is it much less expensive over time, but it is also much more effective. Video surveillance might catch a glimpse of someone that an actual human might not have caught, and after the fact, the footage can be played for any number of people, where as the information logged in an employee’s brain is much more difficult to extract. The beauty of wireless technology is that these cameras can also be monitored by multiple people in a control room while as well as viewed by local law enforcement, or managers who are in other locations.

This brings us to another major application of wireless surveillance, which is remote monitoring. This may have nothing to do with security, but may provide some valuable service by making video footage accessible to the public, clients, or employers. By connecting to an IP-network, wireless surveillance cameras provide real-time, high-quality video footage to any computer or network that an owner or operator chooses. For instance, perhaps a restaurant owner would like to keep an eye on their cook line or their bartenders to insure quality service for their customers. Remote monitoring makes that possible. This might also prove useful in reception areas to see who is waiting, in conference rooms, or on production lines to monitor the performance of machines or equipment.

One last overarching application for network or wireless surveillance cameras is that of website attraction. Website owners can actually show live video feeds from their network-enabled cameras, making it available for the entire world wide web. This is a very valuable tool for baiting visitors to return to your site to view this live feed in the future. This video footage might contain a university area, a mountain, a river or tide, and even a roadway. An extremely popular application of web attraction is the monitoring of traffic on roadways so that visitors can make travel adjustments.

The uses for wireless surveillance cameras will continue to increase as home security cameras, surveillance for military and law enforcement, and monitoring and security for businesses providing people everywhere with easily accessible footage that helps them make decisions, catch criminals, keep an eye on their pet, and or see someone pulling up to the drive through window.


About the Author: Mike Ward is the owner and operator of Protection Depot, a leading online supplier of wireless surveillance cameras and a variety of home security cameras. For more information about security cameras, please visit Protection Depot.

Network Surveillance Cameras

The advent of network technology has improved so many applications around the world. These include things like communication, information distribution, file sharing, and even real time video surveillance. Networks allow for people to receive and send data without being in the same room, and when it comes to video surveillance technology, network solutions have made remote video monitoring and inexpensive reality.

The first webcam went online in 1991 and was used to monitor the level of coffee in a coffee pot at Cambridge University. Since then, the development and wide spread use of network camera technology has grown dramatically. Network cameras have been the solution for security in businesses such as banks and shops, casinos, and airports. In the last five years, the security and network camera market has increased by ten times to over five hundred million dollars.

Network security cameras make it possible for people to monitor video footage from another location by connecting the cameras directly to an IP-based computer network. Access to this network can be restricted so that an authorization process is required in order to view the footage, but for some businesses it is nice to post this feed on a website or on another monitor for the public to see. This might help people keep an eye on their dogs while at the kennel or watch their kids at the daycare through a broadcast of the network provided by the kennel or daycare owner. Network data transfer also makes the installation process much simpler. If a business or home already has an existing IP-network, then the infrastructure needed is already in place. This can save individuals and businesses thousands of dollars of installation costs required to wire their structures with coaxial cabling. However, if an expensive analog system has already been wired, it is usually quite simple to connect the existing system to a network so that they can be monitored from a remote location, halfway across the world if necessary.

The basic components of a network camera are quite similar to that of an analog device, however, the built-in computing functions are provided by the use of a small computer with a dedicated IP address. This “computer” connects to the network with built-in software allowing access to the web server, ftp server, ftp client, and even email client. Many cameras also provide an input for an alarm trigger and an output as a relay feed. Though these are the basic functions of the computer located within network computers, there are also cameras that come with a variety of added features, such as motion sensors or analog video feeds, and new functions are constantly being created.


About the Author: Mike Ward is the owner and operator of Protection Depot, a leading online supplier of wireless surveillance cameras and a variety of home security cameras. For more information about security cameras, please visit Protection Depot.

Surveillance Cameras

There are several types and classifications of surveillance systems, the most basic difference being that of interior versus exterior security cameras. Exterior cameras have a somewhat different exoskeleton, or protective covering. Obviously anything that is constantly exposed to the elements will need some sort of protection such as a metal visor, sport mounting, or durable casing. Interior surveillance cameras require electronic friendly, dry environments with reasonable temperatures. Beyond these two major differences in surveillance cameras, a host of various types of cameras can be used for various functions and desired results, the most common being wireless and hidden devices.

Wireless surveillance cameras have become incredibly popular for obvious reasons. These units are much simpler to install now that there are no wires to worry about. Not only can the average citizen save money on self installation, but the manufacturing costs have also decreased dramatically for wireless surveillance cameras. Wireless units also bring a new element of flexibility to camera placement, with total freedom from wires. The only difficulty when dealing with wireless units is the need for power. There are some options to use a wire for electricity only, so you still do not need to run a video feed wire, and some units run on battery power that can be recharged or replaced.

Hidden cameras are also quite popular, giving people the ability to monitor specific areas while going unnoticed. Sometimes it is important to display security cameras in an open view, but it is also extremely helpful to utilize the services of hidden surveillance. There are a variety of reasons that hidden cameras are useful. For some homeowners, they are used to check up on children, monitor house sitters or cleaners, and keep a close watch on valuables. In some high security circumstances, employing a combination of hidden and non-hidden cameras is advantages. For example, in a banking situation, a mounted camera may act as a deterrent, but a criminal is likely to dodge the view of such an obvious fixture. A hidden camera can assist in identifying the subject for police or authority reference.

Perhaps the most effective hidden cameras are considered “mini security cameras.” These tiny lens cameras fit in the smallest of place such as through air vents, around corners, or mounted to other fixtures. Though they are very small, they can still produce the resolution needed to make identifications.

These different types of surveillance cameras are making the homes and businesses of so many people safer places to live and work. It is important to keep a close watch on those things that are valuable because no one is exempt from being targeted for some type of trespass.

About the Author: Mike Ward is the owner and operator of Protection Depot, a leading online supplier of wireless surveillance cameras and mini security cameras. For more information about security cameras, please visit Protection Depot.