Surveillance: Spy Versus Spy

A few thousand years back, spying was used against enemies in order to gather information that would be helpful to suppress their invasions or to record their suspicious activities. Nowadays, not much has changed. Other than the new term "surveillance," the only thing that has changed is the toys that are used and those who are permitted to observe others.

Nowadays, surveillance isn't just about security any longer. People utilize surveillance to monitor the behavior of the subject or what they are bringing. This is why video surveillance is utilized. This type of surveillance comes in various forms. Because of this, selecting one is going to be tricky. You need not worry. Here's a list of tips to help you.

VCR Player with Time-Lapse capability
This is pretty much a normal equipment used in video surveillance. A VCR player can be plugged directly to a wireless receiver or a camera that is set up in a different area of your house or office. A video recording can then be made instantly.

Motion Sensors
The great thing about motion sensors is that they activate the VCR and cameras as soon as they detect any motion in the surrounding area. You do not have to worry about the amount of space to store your records because they only record when there is movement.

Gadgets That Track Vehicles
This clandestine surveillance is utilized when you want to be the only person who should know about it. Though these devices are used primarily by the very obsessed user, these can be used to keep track of private or company cars.

Bug Sensors
Nobody is secure against high-tech surveillance equipment. Luckily enough, there is an equipment that can locate them. This counter surveillance equipment is not video surveillance but is no doubt needed in this business.

Battery Packs
Very much indespensible, these are used to power up small camera setups that you might have installed in different places of your commercial or residential area. This will guarantee that your video surveillance system won't be easily detected since there is no need for cables to connect to get power.

There is a new system for video surveillance that is currently being developed. Defense and security departments are eager to have this installed in their areas. They are presently calling this new video surveillance, "intelligent video." This kind of video surveillance has, of course, a microphone plus a camera. These can help discover very specific information. These two components along with a particularly programmed software can isolate a word from a plethora of conversations in a crowd. What may seem to be harmless can be thought of as something intrusive. The good thing about this system is that it can help prevent a crime from happening. There is still an continuing argument whether this will be considered as illegal or not.

Home Security Surveillance Systems - Nanny Cams and Motion Detectors Can Make Your Home a Safe Haven

Home security surveillance systems have come a long way in the past twenty years and, as the frontline of technology has moved, so the prohibitive price tags on their more sophisticated components have fallen away. Things like nanny cameras have come out of the domain of the rich and famous, and become affordable for ordinary people with day jobs. The same is true of motion detector alarms and door and window alarms.

Window and door contacts: cheap and easy to install

Indeed, the last of these now cost about as much as a packed lunch. You'll be able to find contacts, the twin magnetic components used to make door and window alarms, for under $4 at most hardware stores. Magnetic alarm contacts form a circuit, which is broken when a door or window is opened, a disruption which in turn signals for your alarm sirens to sound and the police to come a-running. Door and window alarms are so easy to install, you might just as well take the task on as a DIY project - a little silicone and some wood glue and you'll be feeling safer in no time at all. Alternatively, most security companies will provide this most essential part of any home security surveillance system for you relatively cheaply (provided you've agreed to sign a security contract with them, of course).

Motion detector alarms: inexpensive and highly effective

Since contacts guard your doors and windows, you should consider them the first line of defense for your home security system. Next on the list should be motion detector alarms. These, too, are relatively cheap. There are a few different technologies that allow for motion detection. Ultra wideband radar (BWR) detectors emit an inaudible signal over a fixed range. If that signal bounces back sooner than expected, the BWR detector knows that something has moved across its view, and trips the alarm.

Passive infra-red (PIR) motion detector alarms have become integral to most everyday home security surveillance systems. They measure the infrared light that radiates from objects within their fields of view. When an object of one temperature, such as person, passes before an infrared source with another temperature, such as a couch, the PIR detector registers that as motion. In this instance, the term 'passive' is used to indicate that PIR detectors do not actually emit a beam of infrared light (you'd need to pay quite a bit more for that), but just passively accepts incoming infrared light.

Nanny cameras: peace of mind wherever you are

Nanny cameras have probably evolved the most out of all home security surveillance systems - their footage can be viewed online over your cellphone, allowing you peace of mind even when you're over continent away. In fact, this is an effect you can have with your entire home security surveillance system. Simply install decent webcams covering relevant parts of the house, and you'll be able to see not only your baby but also whatever the nanny might be doing with the house while you're gone.

The data from your nanny cameras can be streamed to an online storage cluster, and stored for days, weeks or months (depending on how much you're willing to pay for the privilege), allowing you to review incidents long after they transpire. Of course, online storage is only cheap up to a point - a serious home security surveillance system might call for many terabytes of storage space, assuming that you're recording every minute of every day from multiple cameras.

There is a way to get around this, of course. It's as simple as using your motion detector alarms, along with your door and window alarms, to activate your webcams, so that they're only switched on when there's actually something going on in the house. There is a variety of software designed to integrate home security surveillance systems that allows for this, and numerous brands of security camera come equipped with motion detection right out the box.