Video Surveillance

Video Surveillance — Comments Off
8
Sep 11

Webcam (as spy cam)

Webcams are relatively inexpensive devices that are used often in business situations for video conferencing, and for personal use in live video chat environments.

They can come with a microphone as part of the unit, and some more advanced models include zooming, tilting, and panning functions. Most webcams are used to monitor their immediate surroundings. They can be placed anywhere provided they can remain connected to their host computer or, if wireless, within range of it.

There is, however, a range of webcams that are “network cameras,” which means they contain their own web servers and connect directly to the Internet without the need for a computer on site. This enables you to see what it sees from any computer anywhere in the world that is Internet connected, no matter where the camera is placed.

These devices are more expensive than regular models and might not suit you if you have to leave the camera in potentially hostile territory. With any webcam, images can be sent immediately to the owner via email in the form of several still photos, or to a website that has been set up to stream images.

(Burglars have been caught in the act this way, and even despite stealing the computer that was transmitting the images!) Again, if you are covertly monitoring an environment, creative placement is the key.

Even though webcams are not typically built to be concealed, they are compact enough to conceal. Wireless webcams, which are not too much more expensive, might be even better toward this end. You may also want to consider using multiple webcams in different locations, which can all quite easily be attached to the same computer.

Most webcams are peculiar to either PC or MAC computers, and there are far more products available for PC owners. Apple makes its own webcam, however, for MAC users that is an excellent piece of equipment even if a bit pricier at $150.

It automatically sets the focus and exposure of the lens, and its builtin microphone delivers superior quality audio. In general, PC users can follow the “above or below $50” rule when choosing a webcam. Webcams under $50 usually have relatively low resolution – too low to print a picture from. For over $50 you will find nearly double the image resolution (at 640×480 pixel, or “VGA” quality). This resolution is considered as standard, with anything above it placing too much drain on your computer processor.

Video Surveillance — Comments Off
7
Sep 11

Covert Video Surveillance

If you need to conceal your video surveillance device, there is a huge range of devices available, some of them so small that they can fit inside a single screw.

These items have a pinhole lens that is no bigger than several millimeters in diameter, and a resolution of over 300 lines. But bear in mind that smaller is not always better and it will almost always make things more expensive. A creative plant is much more important to your snooping success.

Concealed cameras can be fixed inside your home, such as in a clock or fire alarm for example, or they can be portable, such as in a boom box radio. Coupled with motion detection, they can be a potent part of your spy arsenal.

The concealed clock-radio camera, for instance, can be set to begin recording a few seconds after motion is detected, then switch off if there is no longer any motion. They can even be worn on your body, in a baseball cap or in a pair of sunglasses for example, recording everything you look at. Hidden cameras that are wireless typically transmit their video and audio back to a receiver that is up to 100 feet away.

Depending on the type of camera you use, you will be able to connect it to either your TV/VCR, camcorder, or computer for recording options. Some digital cameras can have built in digital video recording (DVR) capability, so that your footage can be easily transferred and stored to your computer.

Video Surveillance — Comments Off
6
Sep 11

Overt Video Surveillance

To monitor a location over a continuous basis you can use a fixed camera that transmits to a single monitor. This is the same type of Closed Circuit TV (or CCTV) system used by security operations worldwide.

Digital technology has vastly improved the versatility of this method, as digital images can be taken at a much higher resolution, and the footage is easier to study and store.

You can get a quality video surveillance camera for $50-$120 that includes audio as well, with color image and night vision at the higher end of the scale. Installation is a straightforward process.

If the unit will be exposed to the elements, make sure you are purchasing a system that is weatherproof.

Double that price and you’ll find a remote controlled camera that can swivel 360 degrees and see in the dark. If you are after a cheap and easy security device, you may even want to consider a dummy video camera, which uses motion detection to pan an area (and flash a green LED light) in order to appear as if it is actively recording. You can find one for under $30.

Video Surveillance — Comments Off
5
Sep 11

Video Surveillance spy

Sometimes you need to see it to believe it. It may take hours of listening to audio recordings in order for your espionage efforts to bear fruit.

But it might only take one fleeting image to pinpoint a thief, an adulterer, or even a disobedient dog if they are caught with video surveillance techniques. Some general questions to consider before hatching your plan:

• Do you need constant video footage to monitor a specific location? This can be more labor intensive if you are using video tape rather than digital video because you have to constantly change the tape. In both cases, if you are not monitoring in real time, recorded footage is easily time and date stamped for quicker access.

• Does the camera need to be concealed? In the case of security monitoring, the very presence of a camera can deter any criminal activity – or even a fake camera, or even a sign that says that there is a camera on the premises (but not a sign that says that there is a fake camera!). In any case, you will obviously need to position this device so that it is not easily deactivated or vandalized.

• Does the camera need to be portable? Wireless?

Sometimes concealed cameras, such as one, say, hidden in a clock, are incredibly effective surveillance devices. But you can’t keep moving the clock around to different rooms without it looking quite odd. In this case a wireless webcam might be a better option, but it is of course more difficult to conceal.

Because of its cost, it is also not something you’d want to plant anywhere that there’s a risk of losing it. The important thing to remember is that with audio, all you need to do is expose the microphone in the direction of the targeted sound source; but with video, you will need to be more precise in how you aim the eye of the camera.

Motion detection and night vision are other options you have with video surveillance. It is possible to set video recording devices to record only when motion is detected.

And, for an added cost, you can purchase an infrared camera that will help you see in the dark (by sensing radiation and turning that heat into images on your screen. Any video surveillance system will include the same basic components: a video camera, a recorder / playback device, and a monitor. For wireless devices, include a transmitter and receiver in this list, although some devices bundle these functions into one unit.

In the past, these systems were difficult and costly to install. But they are continually getting smaller and less expensive; and anyone who owns a personal computer likely already owns most of the components necessary to implement one form of video spying.