Whether we like it or not, no matter where we live, crime is a part of life. Due to a busy schedule, many of us do not safeguard our property or valuables the way they we probably should. Instead, we only react when the hypothetical becomes a reality, and by then, it’s too late to get back what we have lost. To avoid such situations, you can always get hidden video cameras. Surveillance camera systems are known to have helped prevent theft, vandalism, and unauthorized entry into homes and offices as well as helped victims identify those responsible for such crimes.
Tupelo Super Store provides a variety of innovative and sophisticated hidden color cameras with built-in DVRs. The Hidden Camera and DVR All-in-One is a portable and completely self-contained spy camera with a built-in DVR. These security DVR cameras can capture and record video directly to a Secure Digital (SD) memory card when you press the record button on the remote. To allow you to start recording right away, the Hidden Camera and DVR All-in-One comes with an 8 GB SD card. You can view your footage by plugging the SD card into any SD card reader or by connecting your hidden color camera to a TV or computer monitor via an RCA cable.
These security DVR cameras have two resolution settings, 320 x 240 and 640 x 480. The 320 x 240 resolution setting records in real time at a frame rate of up to 30 fps, and the 640 x 480 resolution setting records in real time at a frame rate of up to 12 fps. These hidden spy cameras can be motion activated and scheduled for recording. Their DVRs have many features, including motion detection area masking, time and date stamp, remote control operation, MPEG4 file format, and composite video out. The Hidden Camera and DVR All-in-One requires a power supply of 12 volts for operation. These hi-tech surveillance systems are available in different models, like the Neon Wall Clock Hidden Camera/DVR, Desk Lamp Hidden Camera/DVR, Air Freshener Hidden Camera/DVR, Wall Outlet Hidden Camera/DVR, Exit Sign Hidden Camera/DVR, and Tower Fan Hidden Camera/DVR. Get the one that best suits your surveillance needs and blends with your home or office décor.
aurembs
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/hidden-camera-and-dvr-all-in-one-746168.html
There are few places in today’s ‘Big Brother’ world without encountering CCTV cameras. For good or bad, they are here to stay. There is no doubt that covert and overt CCTV cameras play an important part in reducing crime and enhancing safety but do we need so many?
The short answer is ‘NO’ especially when CCTV cameras are used for crime prevention and detection. In terms of crime prevention or deterrent value we might use more CCTV cameras in a highly visible way. High presence CCTV is a valuable security tool. The very presence of CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) cameras deters criminal activity, but there is a certain science in getting the placement right. Any cowboy CCTV installation firm can slap up a boatload of cameras, the first victim caught on camera might be the buyer!
Because CCTV cameras are becoming an important part of many company’s business management and loss prevention programs it is essential to have a reasonable understanding of your requirements - or more importantly, deploy the skills of a reputable UK CCTV consultant.
The benefits of implementing a quality CCTV system include: Minimising the risk of theft and other illegal activities. Protecting your premises from threats such as arson, terrorism and vandalism. They are not just there for crime prevention and detection! Monitoring individual employees work performance helps improve business, Improving customer service by observing peak periods and planning the staff rotas. By observing staff activity CCTV can assist in staff training too by pinpointing areas which need addressing..
We are laden with Acts of Parliament, Laws, Rules and Regulations which can bring heavy fines upon us if we fail to maintain them. CCTV can help by enhancing health and safety standards and ensuring employees comply with legal obligations. In so many cases a well-designed CCTV system can help by doing the work of a much larger guarding team, thus leaving people free to deal with situations that arise in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.
Reducing the quantity of CCTV cameras and therefore the cost can be achieved by creating a job description for each camera. There’s more to a CCTV camera than meets the eye, much is in the lens itself, the zoom facility and manoeuvrability. The most expensive isn’t necessarily the best, as any honest UK CCTV expert will tell you.
Your CCTV camera must be fit for purpose and you need to be very precise when instructing your CCTV consultant. Lets look at Car Parks for example; there may be various elements that need to be observed; the entrance/exit and entire area, any individual car and a close up on the drivers’ face and/or the registration number.
Another example is a retail counter; we need to monitor the point of sale for both security and health & safety. Estimating an individual’s height is important so whilst distance is essential we need to get a very close view of money being exchanged … and without compromising reproduction quality for evidence.
Some of these cameras will clearly need to be visible and act as a deterrent. We also might want high visibility CCTV in domes so that nobody can see which way they are pointing and of course we might want to catch someone in the act so we choose covert CCTV.
We are not always able to observe an event in real time and need make recordings for later viewing and of course for evidence when required.
Locating CCTV cameras isn’t the only aspect, the monitors are equally important. We’ll look at the different types further down because focussing on the ergonomics of a security control room or guards station is important right now.
How many monitors can one individual view effectively at any given time for say, one hour?. Is it better to have all four events working from one monitor? Is there an optimum distance from the location of monitors to the CCTV operators’ eyes? - How is this calculated? . How long do we need to keep recordings and in what format?
Video recordings have been effective in helping employers and police identify criminals whilst conducting crimes including; armed robbery, burglary, car park robbery, credit card fraud, colleague harassment, computer abuse, customer returns fraud, employee theft, shoplifting, vandalism, and more. Hidden cameras are often a short-term measure for targeted surveillance operations and specialist advice from UK CCTV Experts should be sought and an understanding of the Data Protection Act is essential.
When we don’t understand something, we are vulnerable and the CCTV industry is no exception, especially when buying after the event and seriously effected by a previous incident.
Not all CCTV Consultants are vultures and rogues but getting an understanding of elements such as colour and monochrome video cameras, time lapse VCR’s, switchers and multiplexes, remote movement control, telephone video transmission systems … and more - Look no further, here is a simple guide to CCTV. It’s not intended to be a comprehensive buyers guide but will certainly help along the way.
Because CCTV cameras are becoming an important part of many company’s business management and loss prevention programs it is essential to have a reasonable understanding of your requirements - or more importantly, deploy the skills of a reputable UK CCTV consultant.
The benefits of implementing a quality CCTV system include: Minimising the risk of theft and other illegal activities. Protecting your premises from threats such as arson, terrorism and vandalism. They are not just there for crime prevention and detection! Monitoring individual employees work performance helps improve business, Improving customer service by observing peak periods and planning the staff rotas. By observing staff activity CCTV can assist in staff training too by pinpointing areas which need addressing..
We are laden with Acts of Parliament, Laws, Rules and Regulations that can bring heavy fines upon us if we fail to maintain them. CCTV can help by enhancing health and safety standards and ensuring employees comply with legal obligations. In so many cases a well-designed CCTV system can help by doing the work of a much larger guarding team, thus leaving people free to deal with situations that arise in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.
Choosing the right CCTV system and having it professionally installed is essential - it will provide you with superior results and will ultimately save you time and money. Remember that commercial CCTV systems don’t come in ready-made kits, so each component can be provided especially for your needs. We will take a look at each one of those items.
CCTV pictures are displayed on monitors. Small desktop monitors, rack fitted security monitors or large hanging multiscreen monitors, they show the end product of your system - live and recorded pictures. Monochrome, colour or high definition colour, monitors are available in a range of sizes. Contrary to popular belief, larger monitors do not show a wider picture, they merely display in larger formats. In selecting monitor size, the distance from viewer to screen will dictate the required monitor size. Reception desks and counters may be fitted with 9″ or 12″ monitors, whereby a wall or ceiling mounted monitor showing a multiscreen display will need to be quite large. A good CCTV surveyor will recommend a monitor to best suit its environment.
Moving (pan/tilt) cameras can take the place of many fixed cameras. Generally fitted with a zoom lens, they can be remotely controlled to cover a wide area. Used predominantly in larger retail and commercial perimeter protection, the benefits of a carefully positioned camera are vast. Often housed within a dome, these cameras can spin round and round to any position faster than any subject being viewed, and zoom in for a close-up picture. They can be ‘taught’ to ‘tour your premises, viewing key areas much more effectively.
Medium Resolution Monochrome, ( black & white ) with good sharp images of around 400 lines and light sensitive down to 0.1 lux these are excellent all-round cameras which can easily meet smaller budgets.
High Resolution Monochrome with premium digital technology performance of 580 line and 0.05 lux ensure superb pictures even in very dim lighting conditions. Medium Resolution Colour: Never before have colour cameras been as good or as accessible to smaller budget systems. Excellent for retail and good quality general surveillance, with typical 350 lines and 1.5 lux performance.
High Resolution Colour: Full digital colour cameras offer premium pictures with crisper definition and excellent performance to 480 lines and 1 lux.
Day/Night Cameras: All day and all night - one camera. Using the latest digital intelligent sensing, these cameras offer the full performance of the high-resolution colour cameras by day, then automatically switches to high-resolution monochrome camera when light levels fall.
For premium installations.
What is lux?
Lux is the standard measurement of light. Typical levels of lighting as recommended by the lighting industry are:
Indoor
Warehouses 20- 75 lux -
Emergency stairs 30-75 lux -
Corridors and stairs 75- 200 lux -
Shops 75-300 lux -
Offices and reception areas 300 -500 lux -
Banks and offices 200-1000 lux -
Assembly lines 300-1000 lux
Outdoors
Full sunlight 10,000-1,000,000 lux -
Overcast day 100-10,000 lux -
Twilight 1-10 lux
Full moon 0.1-1 lux -
Overcast night 0.01-0.1 lux -
Star light, clear 0.001-0.01 lux -
Star light, overcast 0.0001-0.001 lux
Digby Farquart
http://www.articlesbase.com/ask-an-expert-articles/cctv-closed-circuit-television-explained-in-plain-english-88568.html
Public video surveillance for commercial and private purposes is not a recent phenomenon. The private sector began using video surveillance in banks in the early 1960s, as mandated by federal law, and later in commercial buildings. By the 1970s, video surveillance was also in use in hospitals, all-night convenience stores, art galleries, and in many other commercial locations. Video technology at the time was limited to passively record events, with little or no means for remote active monitoring. On many occasions, police officials were unable to use remote video cameras images to prosecute criminals because quick movements by the criminals resulted in blurred pictures.
Video technology improved in the 1990s with digital technology. These powerful new advances in video technology extend its range. New digital video cameras have powerful zoom lenses which can tilt and pan to offer a 360-degree coverage. They also are able to gather sharp, clear images in extremely low light. Moreover, new digital video technology requires less labor intensive monitoring. Digital video surveillance cameras can link computer data processing power with sensor or motion detectors to filter out unrelated activities. Such systems can search through a video database of events, allowing the user to isolate only those details in which a particular image occurs. This technology helps police with criminal investigations in order to solve crimes. An executive for a major security firm contends that, “new surveillance cameras document indisputable events with incredibly high resolution.”
Many businesses in the United States have invested heavily in the new video surveillance technology to protect products and to promote safe workplace and consumer environments. A recent nationwide survey of a wide variety of companies found that 75 percent utilize video surveillance. Private sector video surveillance technology is operated in a wide variety of industries: restaurants/bars, hotels/motels, retailing, industry/manufacturing, health care, financial/insurance/banking, transportation and distribution, and utilities/communications.
Digital video surveillance is also very common in the American workplace. CCTV surveillance is one of 5 legally approved methods to observe employees. Businesses also rely on digital video surveillance to monitor cash registers and verify time clock compliance, watch employees in training, as well as to help with employee productivity. Employee productivity can be improved in areas like the kitchen or retail sales floor, just by watching what employees do and providing feedback, both positive and negative.
Some research suggests that American workers feel safer in the presence of security camera equipment. Digital video surveillance has proven to be a significant deterrent to criminal activity and provides valuable evidence in criminal lawsuits. Some businesses have used their footage to refute both customer and employee claims that could have been lengthy and costly lawsuits. Safety can be improved as well. With video cameras positioned outside your back door you always know who is on the other side.
Events such as the World Trade Center bombing, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the closure of Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House have raised public concerns about security. This in turn has made the video surveillance industry more acceptable to the general public. A leading security industry spokesperson asserts, “years ago shoppers objected to electronic eyes recording their moves; today it’s not only accepted, it’s preferred.”
Rachael Madison
http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/intelligent-video-surveillance-95840.html
In the middle of hwy 68 Golden valley, just recently a surveillance remote activated wireless camera has been