If you are someone who does something on a regular basis then you will understand the basis for doing that thing. There are criteria for doing everything and these criteria will guide your course of action while you are doing that thing. In other words, you expect and/or are expected to meet up to certain requirements whenever you want to do that thing. A car needs to meet certain expectations before it will be termed a car. It must have four wheels, a working engine, at least two doors, at least two seats, exhaust pipe, windshield and so on. Features like a  hard roof, car dash camera, rear camera for car, working air conditioning system are additional features , not expectations.

Our focus for today will be about what you should expect from a good motion detection camera. This is a very important discussion especially for those considering getting a motion detection camera. Before you talk about what you should expect, you should consider what a motion detection camera does. This will enable you to prune your expectations in line with what is achievable. There are a lot of myths surrounding certain things. Believing in them may cloud your judgment. Some people also have expectations based on what they saw in a fictional movie. This article will help you with what you should expect from a good motion detection camera. It will do this by outlining what a good motion detection camera does.

Enables you to activate and deactivate it

I do not want to imagine that there is a motion detention camera that lacks this feature. If it lacks this feature, then there is no use for it. A good motion camera should be one you must be able to activate and deactivate. In other words, you should be able to turn it on and off. It is an added advantage when you can do this remotely without having to touch the camera itself.

Enables you to adjust its sensitivity

This is very important before you begin to creep people out and freak yourself out as well. This is also another important feature your motion detection camera should have. You should be able to make a number of necessary adjustments. The sensitivity will need to work in a quiet neighborhood will be different from the one it will need to work in a busy environment.

Informs you of the presence of someone at the door

This is important if you want to use it to secure the entrance of your house. Technology is evolving so you should not settle for less. A good motion detection camera should be able to notify when someone is within a certain distance from your door. It should not be until the person rings your doorbell before you detect. With an intelligent doorbell, your motion detection camera can cause the doorbell to ring before the person rings it.

Informs you when restricted areas are breached

Your doorbell should not and is not the only place you should secure. There are other areas of your house that need equal attention as well. With a good motion detection camera, you will be notified when someone breaches your security perimeter.

Informs you when someone is somewhere at the wrong time

A motion detection camera is a smart camera. It is a very intelligent piece of technology that can work independently. All you need to do is set the parameter you want it to work with. This brings me to the point of activation and deactivation. Once you have activated your motion detection camera, it should notify you that someone is where he or she should not be. This is different from a breach in security. A breach in security is usually external like your neighbor's kids coming to your backyard to pick their ball which crossed the fence. Someone being at the wrong place is usually internal like your kids running into the kitchen when you are out of the house at that moment. This is the right place to be but at the wrong time as they may end up in accidents.

Takes pictures in the occurrence of the above cases and sending you real-time notifications

This is the crown jewel of any motion detection camera. If it does not have these two features, then you are forgiven if you do not buy it. It does not matter what it can do but it does not send you real-time notifications then it is not good enough. With real-time notifications, you will be able to ascertain the time at which that incident occurred. It should also take pictures when it detects motion for the sake of records.

For you to be able to receive notifications when you have to connect it to your mobile device. You should also enable it to send popup and push notifications. Whether by mails or any other means, do not block notifications from your motion detection camera. What is the essence of real-time notification when you do not receive it in real time? Here are the things you should expect from a good motion detection camera.

   The issue of security is one that is very important. A threat to security is sometimes more than a threat to just security. It usually precedes to a bigger threat. As a result of this, people tend to take significant and sometimes drastic measures towards combating security threats. They sometimes end up going beyond necessary in a bid to ensure security. Imagine someone walking about with a recording pen clipped to his breast pocket. You will not feel comfortable engaging that person in a conversation. This brings me to my next line of discussion. There is a very thin and not too clear line between ensuring security and invading people's privacy.

Sometimes we do not have an idea about how much our actions affect others. The motion activated hidden cameras installed in your backyard may capture an awkward picture. The picture may be one showing your neighbor closing her blinds half dressed. This instance like a host of other is very debatable as we cannot draw a clear line as to who is at fault. This debate is also applicable to the workplace. It is no news that most corporate firms install cameras at strategic places for the sake of security. There is still a question as to which places should have cameras and which places should not have. We are yet to tackle that one and the issue of hidden cameras is already grabbing the spotlight. Ask an admin staff and he or she will give you a million and one reasons why it ensures safety. Ask the average worker the same question and he or she will give you a million reasons why it invades his or her privacy. The idea of an argument is to reach an agreeable conclusion. The focus of this article is to bring out the truth about hidden cameras installation at workplaces. Hopefully, you can learn from it and apply this information to other areas such as the school and even your home.

They should not be used alone

The idea is to discourage workers from engaging in reputation damaging acts not to catch them in the act. It is not advisable to use hidden cameras alone. Doing this will make you look like you are more interested in catching workers in the act than discouraging them from doing it. This does not mean you should place your hidden camera alongside your regular surveillance technology. You can use it to augment for your regular surveillance by placing them at the blind spots of your usual surveillance or using them as another level of surveillance on its own.

They are limited to specific areas as regular cameras

The fact that your workers cannot see them does not mean that you can put them everywhere. Just like regular cameras, hidden cameras are limited to places of installation. You cannot place them inside a restroom no matter the situation. The best you can do is place them in such a way that they capture who or what goes into and out of that restroom. You can place them in the reception, waiting area, offices and so on. The thought of hidden cameras creep people already, do not push it to the extreme.

Not everyone should know about their positions

The question of "who should know if there are hidden cameras?" may be up for debate. The question of "who should know about its position?" is not questionable. Human beings are very good and can be good at doing some things that are not too good as well. If everybody knows about the position of your hidden cameras else they cease to be hidden. Even if you have to reveal their location, it should be to departmental heads so that you will be able to know who to put your searchlights on when there is a security breach. You can tell your workers that you have security cameras that ate keeping watch over them. You should also reassure them that it will protect them and will not invade their privacy.

They are subject to state laws

This one is not debatable and you very much have no say over it. You go against it and you risk a lawsuit. To be honest, the law is very harsh when it comes to the use of hidden cameras. It will save you from a lot of trouble, to know what the law states about the use of hidden cameras in your region. Do not joke with this aspect in terms of knowledge and implementation. Some of the instances stated in this writeup may even be against the law in some states or countries.

Security is very important as there will not be growth and development without it. Privacy is equally important as people tend to consider issues like this when they are past that stage of security as a source of motivation. In the workplace, you must be diplomatic about it to ensure your workers give their optimal efforts.

   The business of security is as old as the knowledge of man itself. The ancient man-made conscious and subconscious effort towards ensuring security. The use of guard post and sentries were to ensure security in terms of safety. The gathering of food in preparation for winter is a security measure to ensure that the community did not starve during winter. The act of keeping women and little children at home when going for a hunt is a form of security to ensure that women and children are kept away from the dangers of hunting. With time, things are changing as people now employ more sophisticated strategies to combat security challenges. Before now, things like hidden camera clock, watch camera, body camera, dash camera for trucks, a recording pen and so on were very strange terms. These days, you can get any of these pieces of technology from regular stores. They are no longer limited to high tech stores in terms of availability for sale.

History is very important as it gives an idea of what was, what is and what may likely be. Today we shall be looking at all that has changed and is changing when it comes to surveillance technology. What is phasing out, what is currently taking center stage, what may likely trend at some point in the nearest future and so on. This will be like an overview of the happenings in terms of surveillance technology. If you are wondering how surveillance technology is evolving then you have your answer right here.

HD Cameras are gaining appreciation and application

People are beginning to accept the fact that not all you see in movies are real. Fictional movies tend to portray the idea that you can improve the quality of footage recorded by a camera. Thanks to the increased usage of cameras, people now understand that you cannot work on the footage to improve it. This has made more individuals, as well as corporate firms,  invest in getting high definition cameras. What is the essence of having footage that will not be clear enough for you to make use of. More HD cameras are now being produced to meet the demands of people.

WiFi cameras are making waves

It does not matter if it is a truck dash cam or a nanny cam. WiFi cameras give you the ability to download the footage recorded by your camera via an internet connection. This means that you do not need wires to connect your device to your camera to transfer information. This is making a lot of people opt for it. Some people have to dismount their installed camera when they want to transfer information from it. Some WiFi cameras can even save information on the cloud once you automate it to do so.

Wired cameras do not seem like going anywhere

Despite the buzz about wireless or WiFi cams, wired cams do not seem to be bullied by it. Despite its numerous benefits, WiFi cameras still have a lot of disadvantages. You need a steady internet connection if you want your WiFi camera to work properly. When there is a break in that connection, you are most likely to lose information. This is because most WiFi cameras do not have local storage and everything is about the internet connection. This is still making people stick to wired cameras. While someone can remotely hack into your WiFi cam, alarms will go off when someone tempers with your wired cam. The issue of power is also making people stick to wired cameras instead of wireless cameras.

Hidden cameras are becoming more popular

Do not be surprised, people are taking issues of security to the extreme. Regular cameras have a weakness and it is called "blind spots". These blind spots are areas that are not in the camera's line of sight. Intelligent intruders can easily identify a camera's blind spot by merely looking at the directions it is facing. This is not the same when intruders cannot ascertain where the camera is located. This form of assurance is making people opt for hidden cameras. They sometimes use it solely or use it to augment the regular cameras. The eyes watching you may be inside that wall clock or that piece of stationery on the shelf. The thought of not knowing where the camera is located scares intruders away.

Smart cameras are now a must

Every camera is literally evolving towards this trend. Cameras like motion activated hidden camera are a good example of what cameras are now capable of doing. A smart camera placed above your door will notify you of the presence of someone at the door before the person rings the doorbell. If your doorbell is a smart doorbell, the camera may cause it to ring before the person rings it. Cameras have features such as face detection and face recognition.

Surveillance technology is full of changes and is yet completely seeing these changes out. Despite the challenges of WiFi cameras, manufacturers are making amendments to it. They are trying to resolve the power and connection issues. Even wired cams no longer need to be removed from their place of installation because of transfer of information. Most of them now have the WiFi feature where you can download the information via an internet connection. More changes are still expected to come with respect to surveillance technology.

     I was surfing the internet and I happened to come across some stories. There was this story of a highway incident involving two drivers. I do not intend to delve too much into what happened because both sides to the story were very dissimilar and I could not draw a line as to where they had a thing in common. In other words, both were claiming to be right and that the other party is wrong. This is a regular happening when there are no witnesses. With a witness, you will have a third party addition to the story. Not all witnesses always tell the truth about an event. There was a case in Chicago where two policemen were dragging a motorist to court for flouting traffic orders and carrying illicit substances in his car's trunk.

The case dragged on for a long time as witnesses from both of the policemen and the motorist claimed that what their party was saying was the true part of the story. The judge was almost giving up on the case until an unbiased witness spoke. This witness was no human being but the dash cam installed in the police patrol car. I guess the police officers forgot that they were being watched. The video showed that the motorist did not flout any traffic rule. He pulled over when asked to do so by the officers. The video also showed that he was harassed by the officers and they did not open his trunk. This countered their claim of seeing illicit substances in the trunk of the motorist's car. This is to tell you how important a dash cam is. I am sure some people are already viewing dash cam reviews with the intent of getting the best dash cam. If you are still having a second thought about getting a dash cam, here is how a dash cam can be your witness.

It records events exactly the way they happened

The problem with human witnesses is that they may not always say the truth. This is not always because someone has bribed them to say otherwise. Sometimes they may do this to protect the person at fault especially if he or she is their loved one, relative, friend and so on. Sometimes people speak wrongly solely because of the way they perceive the event. The fact that you do not like a particular brand of a car may affect how you may interpret an accident in which that car is involved. A dash cam does not reason that way. It replays the incident exactly the way it happened. Human beings may forget tiny bits of information about an incident. These tiny bits may be sometimes crucial towards the matter at hand. A dash cam does not forget unless it did not see what happened.

It can be easily interpreted

Have you ever listened to somebody tell you a story involving twists and turns? It will get to a point where you will just have to tell the person to stop. Argue with me if you want but expression via language is not easy. Still using the fact that people forget some tiny bits of information, information that can make a difference. Not having these bits of information may frustrate your efforts to draw a conclusion. A dash cam, on the other hand, gives you a replay of the incident and allows you to interpret firsthand information.

They are not prone to bias or controversy

This is also in line with my first points. Like I stated earlier, people do not sometimes tell the truth because they do not want to. Sometimes what they say is their own perception of the truth. A sexist may retell a happening with a biased mind and favoring the individual of his own sex. A person will also not see someone who is from a race he or she dislikes as being correct. A dash cam, on the other hand,  does not have all these prejudices against anybody. It does not bear grudges against anybody and will not favor one person above the other.

These and many more reasons why a dash cam is a more trusted witness than a human being. It is however important that you call an expert who is good at analyzing videos. An analyst with prejudice is as good as having an individual with prejudice telling you his prejudice coated stories.

    Security is very important, very important. Equally important is the individual who ensures that security is the order of the day. These people are the line separating order from chaos. We sometimes do not do enough to appreciate these people enough. It is very easy to install a nanny cam but not so easy to appreciate the effort that babysitter is putting in to keep your kids out of harm. A nanny cam with audio cannot catch your child who is falling as a result of a trip. The same goes for a truck dash cam and a thief. Unlike the truck driver who will try to stop that thief from getting what he wants, your truck dash cam will only take a record of the incident for you to use as evidence in catching the thief.

I do not intend to downplay the role of security gadgets. My point is that individuals are equally as important as security gadgets. Most times, we do not even use these security gadgets efficiently. This is because we use them to keep tabs on individuals who we should be using them to support. Let us use the police for example, let us imagine that they make use of body cameras. I am sure one or two persons are wondering why will a policeman or policewoman be needing a camera? Are body cameras really helpful for police? Here are some facts you should know. These facts will enlighten you and make you the judge. With these facts, you will be able to decide if body cameras on police officers are a plus or otherwise.

United Kingdom report

After testing body cameras in Plymouth, in 2007, the police announced that complaints against the officers wearing the cameras had been reduced to zero and time spent on paperwork had been reduced by 22.4%. This led to a 9.2% increase in officer time spent on patrol using a "50 minutes of a 9-hour shift" plan (Wikipedia). This means police officers have to spend more time in the field than in offices. This is a likely cause of brain drain if you ask me. Detectives will no longer enjoy the thrill of scrutinizing evidence to crack cases.

The Grampian police gave a report in 2011 on how it saved about four hundred thousand pounds due to the use of body cameras. This was as a result of reducing of fear of crime in local communities, quick resolution of complaints about police officers, increased trust and public perception about the police force and so on.

United States Report

Not every city in the US mandates its state police wear body cameras. In the year 2014, President Barack Obama proposed reimbursing communities half the cost of buying cameras and storing video. A plan that would require Congress to authorize seventy-five million dollars over the course of three years to help purchase fifty thousand visual recording devices. This is quite a lump sum if you ask me. Some states are however implementing the use of body cameras and below are the results. Reports showed that complaints against officers from citizens dropped by eighty-eight percent and use of force by officers also dropped by fifty-nine percent. There was also another report that studied the effects of body cameras for some officers of the Orlando Police Department over one year. It stated that for officers wearing the body cameras, incidents involving use of force dropped by fifty-three percent, civilian complaints dropped by sixty-five percent. The report also has it that two in three officers who wore the cameras said they would want to continue wearing them in the future and that it made them better officers. There were cases however, where criminal incidents were not recorded as officers forgot to turn on their body cameras. A new technology that enabled the body camera to record incidents thirty seconds before the camera is turned on and thirty seconds after it was turned off was introduced.

The UK and the US are not the only countries implementing the use of body cameras. France, Denmark, China and a host of other countries are implementing the use of body cameras. I only decided to use them as my case studies.

Challenges

Despite its impact, people are still raising questions about the effectiveness and efficiency of this technology. Issues about battery and power were one it is still contending with. People are questioning how many hours this camera can keep recording before it runs out of juice. People are also questioning their storage. How much storage can it carry? Where are the footages stored? Who and who has access to the recordings? People are also questioning its use by certain officers. What are the consequences when an officer refuses to turn it on? Even police officers have their questions. What will happen if I forget to turn it on? Since these devices are usually worn in front, what measures do I take if attacked from behind? The challenges are there and mounting.

Conclusion

Most of the reports are talking about how much body cameras are protecting the citizens. Like I stated at the beginning of this article, we seem to be more concerned about watching the person we entrust with our safety than anything else. This article has given us an insight as to what we can do when we combine the efforts of both security gadgets and security personnel. Reports also have it that brutality against police officers has reduced by over seventy-eight percent in some hostile areas. People are now conscious of their behavior towards the police as the police is conscious of its behavior towards people as both parties know that they are now being watched. Like I said earlier, you will be the judge not me. So what is your take on police officers wearing body cameras? Is it a good development? Is it a bad development? Will it reduce the use of force? Are there lapses or loopholes regarding its use? Let me get your take on this.

      Insurance is a very important form of security. As human beings, we will usually do our best to ensure things go the best possible way for us. We may sometimes do the unusual to ensure that. Despite these efforts, we do not always have the assurance that things will go as planned. An expert in project management will tell you that it is important to make provisions for unplanned eventualities or risks. There are many ways to manage this risk but I will not delve deeper into that as it is not our bone of contention in this writeup. The point is that we should always have a contingency plan or a backup plan. The idea of installing the best dash cams or a dual dash cam is not to stop what is coming. It cannot stop an accident or car theft. It can, however help you get your car back after it has been stolen. In the case of an accident, it can help identify who is at fault or what genuinely caused the accident.

There are many other instances where we need a backup plan. It may not actually be because of the fact that we want to have something to fight back in the case of an eventuality. Sometimes, we may decide to keep a record for the sake of referencing or evaluation. Not every security or insurance measure is taken because you want something awful to happen. Sometimes it is good for you to keep records for the sake of referencing or evaluation. An example can be the use of a watch camera during an interview. A lot of people may find this creepy but it does not change the fact that it is efficient and not just effective. Unlike a camera placed at a specific position, you can move your hand to get full coverage of what is happening. The blind spot of this type of camera is the one you want to have at that moment. It is also good for getting a view of facial expressions at various times. Before I exhaust the essence of a watch camera during an interview, permit me to enlighten you on how you can use watch cameras during interviews.

Understand its features

This is not something you should start considering after you have gotten the watch. This is something you should consider before you even purchase the watch. You need to know if it has night vision if it is water resistant and so on. This way, you will be able to know when and where to use it. If it is something you intend to wear, a water-resistant watch may come in handy. If it is something you intend to place on a particular spot for use then its water resistance may not necessarily be a "must have" requirement. You should also know if it needs an external memory or has its own inbuilt memory.

Know where the lens is located

Now we are on track on how to use the watch after you have gotten it. Believe it or not, you will definitely goof if you do not identify where the lens is located on or in the watch. Do not just assume that it is located on the timer itself because that is a general rule for watch cameras. Where exactly is the lens located? Is it located at the top close to the "12" icon or at the bottom close to the "6" icon? With knowledge, you will able to effectively use it. You are not looking through the camera to see exactly what is in its view. So do yourself some good and identify where exactly the camera is located. This way you will reduce the incidents of taking random and useless pictures. You will also increase your chances of getting a spot on images or videos.

Know the way the controls work

The idea of using a subtle camera like a watch camera is to avoid making it obvious that you are keeping digital records of that interview. You should know which button does what and where it is located on the wristwatch. If you do not know this, you will not be able to quickly get to work and start making records. You may even fumble with your wristwatch and the person you are interview may even suspect that something is fishy. Before you start using it, ensure you know all about the controls on your wristwatch such that you can even use it in your sleep.

Ensure it is in optimal shape

How will you react or feel like if your watch gave a "battery low or short on storage" warning halfway through an interview? Sometimes, you may not even know this till later on when you check it to see what you have recorded. This is the point where you begin to admit that he who fails to plan plans to fail. Before you start using it, ensure its storage is empty, its battery is well charged and it is good to go. Skip any of this part and you may be missing an important footage goodbye. Do not gamble with this tip as you may be playing with something with serious implications.

There are tons of watch cameras on the market. You can get them from spy tech shops or even regular stores. They vary in prices as well as features. The best way to start is by picking that which is best for you. From there, you can start talking about how to use it.

    The world is filled with threats, especially to human beings. Earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, floods and a host of others. We have been doing our best so far to combat these threats. The problem is sometimes not from nature; we sometimes cause our own problems. The issue of flooding, for example, is not always as a result of natural happenings. We sometimes indirectly cause our own misfortune. You see a lot of people building houses on the wrong places not to mention the manner in which we sometimes dispose of our waste. Statistics has it that by the year 2100 hundred there will be more plastic than fish in the sea if we do not learn to recycle. The cases mentioned above are those we "indirectly" inflict on ourselves. Things are now so bad we now inflict damage on ourselves.

We have barely gone beyond halfway into the year and the stats of robbery and kidnapping cases is very much rising. The problem is not just the fact that there is a threat, the problem is how well this threat is developing. It seems like security measures are the ones playing catch up in comparison with the tactics of criminals and intruders. They now know the wires to cut in disabling both your regular camera and dash cam with night vision such that the alarms will not go off. Rumors are already going around that intruders can now detect the position of your spy cameras by using some sophisticated technique. Imagine all these threats possible even with the presence of security measures. You may as well imagine what is the fate of a home or office without security gadgets. This writeup will give you six out of the many reasons why security gadgets are not an option but a need.

They are proactive security measures

The difference between prior security gadgets and the current ones is the fact that they do not just defend you. They take the fight to the intruder and make them think twice before invading your home or office. A smart doorbell with motion sensors will notify you of the presence of someone at your door even before the person touches it. This causes the bell to ring inside the house or office before the person rings it outside. This is not just the regular alarm that waits until something is touched before going off. To beat this security system, the intruder has to figure out how to disarm the doorbell without even getting close to it. This is not an easy task I can assure.

They are also good backup or contingency measures

It is no new thing that things do not always go according to plan no matter how much care we take into ensuring they do. The manufacturers of security gadgets know this and also made provision for cases like this. It is very hard if not impossible to beat a modern day security gadget and get away with it. Permit me to still use the smart doorbell example once more. That doorbell will not just be able to detect movement unless it has sensors. Cameras usually come with sensors. This means that it is almost definitive that the doorbell will have a camera. This doorbell will also have a means of storing information. Information such as the various people that come within its area of sensitivity. So even if the intruder manages to bypass it, it will still have a record of the intruder. This gives you an upper hand in your search for answers to the question of "how did it happen?"

They deter intruders or criminals

Criminals are human beings; they are neither ghosts nor spirits. This means that they think before they act. They will weigh the consequences of an action before taking it. They will weigh the risks against the rewards and check if the odds are in their favor. Considering the qualities of modern day gadgets, they are most likely to turn down the idea of wanting to break your security system. Sometimes we are the ones that give people the intention to engage in criminal acts. When you do not take security measures, you give people the intention to take advantage of you. Having security gadgets will deter wannabe criminals from taking that action. Only a daredevil will still embark on a move against modern security gadgets. He or she will most likely fail.

They are smarter than before

They are smarter than before and equal if not above the threat. The kind of security gadgets available now projects fear into the heart of an average criminal minded person. Manufacturers are not just producing specific gadgets. They are producing multipurpose gadgets that will look regular to an average individual. Hidden cameras are not actually hidden but are taking a less obvious position in plain sight. Motion activated hidden cameras are no longer business as usual. They no longer capture images of any moving object. They now have a face detection feature and will only take pictures of something big enough to be a threat.

Increased number and advanced manner of security threats

Let us leave the gadgets and talk about the threats. If you think security gadgets are the only things evolving, then you need to think again. Human beings with criminal intents are also evolving their tactics. They are also employing gadgets of their own. If they can get close enough to your camera they can bug it and be able to control it remotely. This way you may think all is well looking at the image your camera is displaying, not knowing what you are seeing is not what is happening. Wired cameras are also a playground for criminals who know which wires to court and when to cut them. They will do this so quickly and smartly that your alarm will not even go off.

They ensure that you are always on top of every situation

The smartness of modern-day security gadgets is what makes them special. Instead of trying to beat intruders at their own game, they give you an advantage by bringing the game to your own playground. The extra tight security ensures that intruders hardly breakthrough. Even when they do, these security gadgets ensure they keep their footprints for investigation purposes. Another way security gadgets keep you on top of the situation is by sending you real-time notifications of happenings within your home or office. With the right app, internet connection and a smartphone, you can keep watch over your home and office from wherever you are. Your security gadgets will tell you who came in, who left and the point they came in or left. The beauty of it is that you get the notification as at when it is happening not even minutes later.

Security measures are very important for us in this present day. It comes in handy when safeguarding your home or your office. It protects you and your family while also helping you keep an eye on places you are away from. This way, you do not have to bother about not been around your home or office. With a security gadget in place, you can keep watch using your mobile device. You may not be totally safe with the use of security gadgets but you are totally unsafe without them.

   Charity they say begins at home. Charity implies a lot of things. It may be an expression of love, an act of sharing, learning, respect, security and a host of other things. During the course of this article, we will be talking about issues relating to security. Security is a very important aspect of our lives no matter how we put it. Some individuals take it to the level of installing various hidden spy cams like clock spy cams or spy camera with the audio or even an invisible camera to ensure security. People vary greatly as regards measures they are willing to take to ensure security.

The home is one of the places where our actions affect others. Hence, it is important we consider its implications before we take them. Despite the fact that security is paramount, it is important you take a security measure that does not offend members of your home. Regular cameras are good for keeping surveillance. They help keep an eye on what is happening and that is where it ends. They can only give you evidence to work on but not stop a threat. Motion cameras, on the other hand, are a step higher. They are cameras that do not only keep watch but inform you when there is something unusual happening within its line of sight.

To keep an eye when you are not around

This is one of the essences of having a surveillance system in your home. Motion cameras, however, go a step further in ensuring security. As its name implies, it detects motion and not just functions as a camera. The regular camera records but motion cameras record with intelligence. Based on how you set its sensitivity, motion cameras will send warnings when it detects motion in your house. This can come in handy in a lot of situations, some of which are stated below.

To help keep kids away from danger

This works both ways, by keeping your kids from endangering themselves and by keeping your kids away from danger. Depending on the ages of your kids, certain areas may be prone to accidents. Not every child should have access to the kitchen as well as some kitchen equipment. This is because they may end up putting themselves in harm's way by doing so. The kitchen is not the only regular part of the house that can harm your children. With the help of motion activated hidden camera, you will be able to detect movement in those areas and attend to the incident before it becomes an accident. While your kids may be well behaved, your neighborhood may not be such. A good motion camera can inform you about the presence of someone at your door before he or she rings the bell. It can also inform you of any unwanted guest either human or animal trying to come in through your windows as well.

To help detect a security breach

You do not have to wait till the threat is at your door before you dispel it. You can play motion cameras outdoors as well. This way, you get to detect movement from a distance and act quickly to it. It is not every situation that is a threat and motion cameras cannot differentiate which is good or which is bad. Sometimes it may be your neighbor's children coming to your backyard to pick their ball that crossed the fence. But in case it is something that needs your attention, detecting it from afar will give you adequate time to plan your reaction.

To help monitor kids

The problem is not always external as your own children can sometimes be your challenge. Instead of having to lose sleep because of them, sit back and allow your motion camera to get to work. You do not have to stay up late because you are suspecting that your son is planning to sneak out to attend a party you do not approve of. All you need to do is activate the motion cam before going to sleep and it will notify you when it detects any movement.

Keeping you updated of happenings in your home

Most motion cameras usually come with push and real-time notifications. This is actually beside the fact that they keep records of events as they happen. Some motion cameras that come with WiFi feature will even send you footages of any of the above-mentioned scenarios. This way, you will be abreast with what is happening in your house even when you are not around. You will not have to worry about what is going on as your motion camera will give you a regular update of that.

The greatest challenge to motion cameras is the issue of false alert or alarm. This may be the case of sending you a notification when a squirrel runs past its line of sight or a ball of snow falls down. Motion camera manufacturers have taken notable steps to minimize their recurrence. They now manufacture motion cameras that work with face detection and face recognition. You on your own part can reduce its sensitivity so it does not capture a large object very far away or a very tiny object close to it. You can also select motion detection zones for the camera to work with. This way, your camera will only notify you when it detects significant movement in these areas.

The mobile surveillance platform is a fully integrated mobile solution designed to protect areas without a permanent wired connection and no power source that is easy and quick to transport anywhere. Deployed and prepared by one operator, it’s ready for action in just fifteen minutes. The use of a mobile surveillance camera provides an automatic interactive customer solution and the platform image stream is accessible using any mobile device connected to the internet.

Mobile surveillance is the market and technological innovation to suit your needs and they’ve tended to fully replace the need for CCTV traditional method of surveillance. The platform operating software, mobile and stationary provide live status information and key operating parameters. The mobile system lowers surveillance cost by 40% compared to traditional physical security. Minimizing the human factor, it guarantees high effectiveness in emergencies, and the inbound alarm center operator is immediately notified if the platform status changed. The operator can use voice communication like for example; “Attention, this is a restricted area, please leave immediately”, and you can as well dispatch a response group and the Police only when necessary.

The mobile monitoring platform provides a wide scope of applications, a low false alarm ratio, effectiveness and short response time, saving your time and money. Mobile surveillance is now dedicated to various aspects of our lives and the economy, and with it; everything is under control.

The Basics On Mobile Surveillance

Security is something everybody wants, but a lot of people don’t want to actually spend any money on it. Everyone in no doubt needs a camera for security purpose and these are why we have to look out on Mobile surveillance which tends to be widely accepted as an effective CCTV surveillance or home security camera. For you to begin using your mobile as a surveillance camera, you first need to download one of the best apps out there either for your Android or iPhone. Some of the apps are free, but for you to enjoy most of its benefit, you need to register to a monthly plan. One thing you should note about mobile surveillance is that; the apps downloaded on your Smartphones uses your phone camera to record video footages and image capturing and at the same time it wirelessly transmits the video footage on to your computer or receiving device through a local Wi-Fi network just the same way the professional CCTV camera works.

Also, another thing is to make sure that your Smartphone and computer are connected to the same Wi-Fi network and once that’s one, you can view your camera footage in anywhere in the world.  If you don’t have a Wi-Fi router, you can make use of the hotspot router on your phone to connect to your computer wirelessly without the need of internet data. Also, remember to set up your app with the entire necessary configuration as required. Once you are done with all the necessary settings, simply tap on the server button and immediately you’ll see a live feed video which is wirelessly transmitted via your local network. To view the footage, you will have to note down the IP address of your camera which you need to enter into the address bar of the web browser of the device you’re using for viewing the footage; preferably a PC, but you can make use of Android or Smartphones as long as they have internet connection on them. once you have entered the IP address on your computer, if everything goes right; the IP port will automatically open up on your screen.

Most of the apps used for mobile surveillance like the Alfred app, for example, have settings for zooming so that you can see clearly, you can also increase or decrease the video quality and there’s also Night mode and LED flash control for lowlight surveillance. There are tons of settings you can work upon, such as exposure, composure which you can tweak from the receiver / computer itself without touching the Phone camera. Most importantly, you can also record the footage which is for free.

Tips To Expertly Set-up Your Mobile Phone For Surveillance

When it comes to mobile surveillance, there are thousands of apps to help you, but as said earlier, the Alfred and Presence app is the game winners in mobile surveillance. Now using a mobile phone for surveillance does come with its own headaches, such that you may probably don’t even remember your access pin. Let’s start with the most common place that people want to keep tabs on; the front door. There are simply a million ways to make a phone-stand, so you can check your toolbox and find anything that can work, for stability, do make use of a clamp to hold the phone camera at the top and bottom end of the phone then place the phone camera to an area that has a direct line of sight to the front door. The way to position your hidden spy cam or phone is to have your main phone set-up as the viewer so that you can use that to properly position the camera phone. Once you are happy with the location, make sure you plug your device into a wall and be sure you have a constant stream you can tap into. Once you’re done with the set-up, you can now view what’s going on in your living room at any time whether you’re at work, vacation or at the grocery store.

Now, you may probably be thinking; fine, but I can’t monitor my camera 24/7, then how do I know when someone gets into my house or office? Simple; motion detection is the answer. Both Alfred and Presence offer motion detection but you need to turn them on first. To use the motion detection for example while making use of the Presence App; first set up the phone to be used as a camera to enable the motion detection, tap the options button, go to motion detection option and in this menu you can set how long before detection starts, how sensitive it is, alarm sounds and even how long you want it to record. Once you have the options set to your liking, go back and toggle motion detection. Now when there’s movement caught on camera while you aren’t watching, the app will send you a push notification that notifies you that everything isn’t quite right at home. This is probably the most useful feature on both apps, so you can tweak how often you get notified.

Mobile surveillance for the bedroom can be carried out just alike, for example, if you have a snooping sibling or a roommate or partner and they’re the target, a motion detection camera will certainly help out in this situation. To carry on with your surveillance conveniently, look for a small simple box that can fit a phone in it horizontally, close the box and measure where the camera lens of the phone will be on the outside and mark the area with a pen. When that’s done, punch a hole exactly on the area of the box where the lens is situated so that the lens is lined up with the glory hole. Make sure you leave a little room at the end so you can insert your power cord in later. Go ahead and remove as much excess cardboard, and clear the inner surface of the box. Run your power cable cord through the back hole if you plan to keep your mobile phone camera charged up while you record your footage. Manning the phone inside the box is not difficult, you just need some double-sided tape or a sort of removable adhesive to stick the phone at the side of the box inside. Now when you’re done with the disguised installation, you have to think of a strategic place to store away your box to see who is coming in and where they might be going. To disguise the box more covertly, just load up more boxes as junks to better conceal the hole. Stack things around it until it appears stealthier. Finally, load up your viewer and make sure everything looks good. If anyone sneaks into your room while you’re away, you will be notified and then you can deal with the culprit later since you’ll have evidence at hand. It is also important to note that even if the target found the phone and took it, the motion detection will kick in, so the footage will be uploaded to cloud storage before the culprit could do anything about it.

Now your front door is covered and your bedroom is under surveillance; also if you can make use of a camera mount to help you with positioning your camera phone for other types of viewing angles. If you want your phone spy camera pointing upward  you can make use of those plastic things you find in pizza boxes, they’re actually called “pizza savers” and if you want your phone's camera pointing in an upward angle, then you don’t need to make any modifications at all, just plug them in there. Now, this is just a guide to help you in installing your phone camera in just about anywhere, in our home or office; when placing the camera phone, move the phone around and disguise it in a compartment material while finding a view that suits your needs. When you have your camera phone well positioned, just plug it in a power saver mode.

The peace of mind you get in these simple set-ups can be fully expressed in words, and the truth is; its far cheaper than buying a brand new security camera system if you already have old phones around or even if you find some for few dollars online. Have fun securing your home and workplace!

So you’ve finally decided to buy that dash camera for your vehicle; that’s a great choice you’ve made, which driver or vehicle owner do not want to have one of these Spy cameras installed on their vehicles? Everyone wants to be safe as far as possible when driving at any given point in time, and with these cameras installed effectively in your car, your safety may not be 100% guaranteed but it does help boost your possibility of escaping an accident and in many cases; prevent your insurance premium from rising due to false claims, with many more fun benefits that go along with its usage.

Features and Hardware To Consider

It is vital to separate what’s important from marketing jazz. There are three types of Dash cameras which are a combination of two of the following categories, namely; Cheap and reliable and secondly, High performance; which is great video quality and Vis-a-vis. Here is what it means; the A118 Dash cam for example cost $80, and has great video and built quality, but the failure rate is much higher. The Transcend drive Pro 200 is reliable and cheap and price is around $90, it has a great long lasting battery and has an outstanding two-year warranty, but unfortunately, the video quality is bad at night compared to most dash cameras. The Blackvue 650 has a great design and features and cost $300; many people think it’s not worth the price and there are few reasons not to argue about that. Keeping these categories in mind, let’s talk about some important features.

Notifications: This is the messages and sounds that let you know that your camera is working and which notifies you if there is any problem. For most professional users, notifications are more important than video quality. Many manufacturers of these dash cams did a poor job not letting drivers know when their cameras have failed so that the audible notifications at times can trick you to make you think the camera is working. They have warning messages that quickly disappear and difficult to see. Better cameras are persistent and have visible written messages; they can also use audible warnings like “please check the SD Card”. Your camera will eventually fail if its electronic feature is exposed to rapidly changing temperatures and humidity; this is why you need an SD card that helps to save your videos automatically as its recording.

Video Quality: Having a camera with higher quality video resolution does increase your protection, it has better chance of capturing important scenes like license plates, a driver s face after a hit and run or assault. Video quality is simply a matter of investing more in your dash cam purchase. For example, the 3K UltraHD Pro Dash Cam has one of the best video qualities we have seen and some other expensive dash cameras fall behind in this spec category. Generally, most dash cams are fairly similar, except for the bit rate which is drastically fascinating. 

For video quality, you have to consider and look closely at two factors; first is legibility while moving – some cameras can capture license plate while some other dash cameras are blurry. The other factor is dynamic range, which is how well a camera captures the scene with wide contrasting lights. One benefit of dynamic range is to capture dimly lit pedestrians, which can be missed by poor performing cameras, it is also important in cases of accidents to show the entirety of what happened.

Lithium-ion Batteries Vs Capacitors: Most dash cams can save video after losing power from your vehicle. The spy camera can acquire energy from external battery available. Lithium-ion batteries are used for most dash cams because they are cheap, they store a large charge which can give up to 50 minutes of use, great for recording and capturing accident scenes if you don’t have a Smartphone. Unfortunately, they are prone to failing under hot weather, which can cause it to swell or cause a leakage that damages the camera.

Capacitors, on the other hand, are heat resistant and generally last much longer than Lithium-ion batteries. The downside is the added cost and they last only after shutting down your camera. In general, professional dash cam users do prefer capacitor cameras, but that may limit your options for budgeting on other units and accessories.

Dash Camera Lenses: Lens focuses on light and its critical for sharp images. Better lenses are made of glass and not plastic. The F-number represents the size of the aperture, and a lower number means a wider aperture and more light improves clarity. Inside most dash cameras, there are two components that greatly matters for video quality; first is the image processor and the other is the image sensor. The image sensor collects light and turns it into a digital signal for the processor. Better sensors are clear even in low light situations. The image processor takes the digital information from the sensor and turns it into a video file.

Appearance: Specifically, when dealing with dash cams, much emphasis should be placed on its discreteness. Professional users do much to avoid using large and powerful cameras that can be easily seen. For appearance, we look at three attributes; its size, shape, and color. The smaller match-box size dash cam is difficult to spot, compared to the much larger ones. Most dash cams look like the point and shoot camera. When it comes to color; anything other than black can easily be noticed. Other colors do reflect more heat, which could increase liability over time. So many manufacturers do attach a metallic design, which sparkles and does attract attention.

 Before you buy that dash camera, a more discrete color camera option is better, but go with what you enjoy most, some people want something flashy and some want a cooler design.

Installation: There are two general categories; first, a type that attaches to your rare view mirror and more commonly your camera is attached to your windshield, using an adhesive or suction mount. An adhesive mount uses a tape pad to keep the camera in place, they are secure and reduce vibration compared to suction mounts. They are more compact and the only downside is that they are un-reusable; you have to use a new pad if you’re moving into a new vehicle. Suction mounts use a vacuum to hold the camera in place and they are easily reusable, but the downside of it is that they may fall off when the weather changes or when the rubber hardens. For suction mounts, the camera may be prone to vibrations, in some weaker designs, the shakings are quite noticeable, so if there’s an option, it is preferred you make use of a tape mount as a hassle-free solution since you can always buy a second mount.

Looking closer at their freedom of movement, the camera attachment in rare view mirror comes in three different designs, the first strap is chipped into your existing mirror with the camera poking up from the bottom and this completely covers the mirror so you lose any anti-glare functionality.

The above options can be an optional accessory, which leads to two reasons why people use a mirror attachment camera:

• They don’t want anything hanging on the windshield
• They think the design is stealthier.

Dual Dash Cam View: Some people like to install dash cams with a second supporting cam view. Remote cameras are generally mounted on the rear windshield and add contacts to what the front camera captured which gives you additional details in an accident scenario. Due to the complexity of dual dash cam system, video quality is often sacrificed. Therefore, if you prioritize video quality, you may want to install two separate cameras that most times are difficult and hard to maintain.

Another dual camera style has a camera that faces inside the passenger cabin; they often have infrared lights for night vision. This is useful if you are a professional driver that needs to capture any problem that occurs when driving, but if you’re just a common driver, it is often more of a liability than a help.

Dash Camera Set-Up: When you first receive your camera, in most cases you will install it right away and it will work. Many drivers want to customize settings like time and date first. Most best dash cams have an LCD screen and buttons, but people want something intuitive like on-screen descriptions and clear menus. Other cameras like the Blackvue 650 have no LCD screen and needs a Smartphone or computer to change options. If your dash cam doesn’t have a Wi-Fi feature, you may have to pull out the Micro SD card and load a computer program to change settings. Some other dash cameras require you to connect them directly to your computer.

Wi-Fi Feature: With the Wi-Fi function, you can connect your camera directly to your Smartphone through an app so that you can actually stream and download recorded videos. These can be used for reviewing an accident scene; you can preview your video but don’t make it obvious that a dash camera is installed.

GPS Tracking Feature: This is used to log your speed and show position, not to give you instructions on where to go. These can be seen in some app where you can visualize your stealth, speed and more. Many drivers hope that this can be used in cars to prove that they weren’t speeding, and haven’t seen some successful cases yet, but you can be the first.

If you have teenagers, employees that need to lend your vehicle, you can make use of the GPS tracking feature to check if your vehicle was properly used. GPS may not be as useful as everyone thinks, except in a few situations where it may be needed especially in the case of professional driving. If you have a court case regarding this category, you may need to testify that your GPS reading is accurate

G Sensors: This is a popular item in the world of dash cam, which helps to detect forces and movements. Now, many manufacturers sell it as something that enables you to detect an accident and lock the file to prevent it from overwriting. The reality is much different, and first, it’s not a perfect system. In most dash cameras, you can adjust how much forces are required to lock a file. If it is too sensitive, driving over a bump can trigger the G-sensor and if it’s too low, it doesn’t do anything.

Part Recording / Motion Detection: Part recording is a special setting that only records movement or when an alarming noise is detected. It is used to safe space on your memory card as you don’t want to record when nothing is happening. Now, most people use it to catch hidden runs or vandalism in a parking lot. Generally, most dash cameras record for 5 – 10 seconds when the system is triggered; it could be called buffet part recording, and it does not only capture the event but the moments leading to it.

In cheaper cameras, you have to manually manipulate to enable part recording through the menu, it’s not practical and if you forget to disable it, you could lose the footage while driving. The motion detection algorithm is not perfect, better cameras automatically activate part recording using the combination of GPS and the G-sensor to detect if you’ve moved. Keep in mind, part recording can require additional installation, and you’ll need to connect your camera to your vehicle battery, and most often through the fuse box if the socket isn’t constantly powered.

If you ever need to record partly even in mild weather, you need to make use of a heat resistant camera, due to the greenhouse effect; this is why it is recommended you make use of a capacitor camera, which can operate at a higher temperature limit. Most cameras are designed not to work above 60-degree temperature; Some dash cameras can work up to 80 degrees Celsius but you should not be recording close to that degree in temperature.

The Emergency Lock Button Function: When pressed, this helps to lock the current video from overwritten. It helps you to have accident footage or if you need to save an interesting scene for later viewing. It ideally creates a new video file that distinct both in the app and in the file name. it records before and after the button is pressed and not just whatever was currently recording. If you make use of the emergency lock feature quite frequently, you will want to look for a button that’s easy to find even in the dark and located away from important features; you don’t want to accidentally turn-off recording.

Microphone Management: A microphone is included in nearly every dash camera and helps pick up conversations and sounds, which can be used for evidence. In every camera seen, you can disable the microphone from the menu, it has a hardware button to make it easy to turn-off and it is recommended for all users to look up their local laws and other jurisdictions regarding audio recordings.

Video Processing Settings: It may interest you to note that this feature is supposed to help improve video quality, but sometimes can be useless at best. The 60 frames per second are marketing to reduce motion blur by doubling the video frames captured from 30 to 60 frames per second. However, you have to greatly reduce the resolution, which dramatically reduces video quality, and this as well does not help to reduce blurriness at all, rather shutter speed helps to do that. One of the most marketed features is the high dynamic range processing (HDR), it’s a processing algorithm that is used to improve clarity under contrasting light. You have to manually enable this feature in the settings, and just like 60 FPS, it needs more processing power so you lose more video quality as well. HDR does not significantly improve quality, it is best to leave it off.

Conclusion on Important Features For A Dash Camera

Aftermarket dash cameras can be loaded with a host of useful extra part and features, while it's not in the case as in the past, even the most basic dash camera these days’ boast of an auto-recording function. It is now considered a must feature for most users which starts and stops the camera recording with the vehicle ignition. Forgetting to press record is a thing of the past. Loop recording is now a must-have feature that overwrites the oldest footage as the memory card becomes full. However, having loop recording active means important video from an accident can be overwritten if you forget to stop the recording, such occasions can be prevented if your dash cam has an in-built G-centre. If the high G-forces of an accident are detected, the camera will save a couple of minutes before and after the event. A G-centre is also essential to the function of part mode feature and investing more in your dash cam brings extra features which could be vital in accident scenarios.

At the top of the range, some dash cameras further bring convenience and safety features such as lane departure warnings, forward collision warnings and gesture recognition hardware which is available in some models; meaning a quick wave of the hand can make your camera capture a photo.

Considering the resolution in which each dash cam records, the entry level is VGA or 480P, going up from there to 720P high definition than to 1090P for high definition and 2K / 4K for super high definition. Purchasing the highest definition within your budget will ensure that every available data is clearly visible in our footage, but a resolution is not only the consideration around image quality, choosing a camera with a wider range of view will also ensure you capture more of your surroundings.