Hiding Hidden Cameras

Hidden cameras for both security and monitoring are used in businesses and homes alike, and they have become increasingly popular due to their affordability. However, a “hidden camera” is somewhat obsolete if it is easily spotted, which is why effective placement is one of the most important parts of installation. Finding the right places in a home can be difficult, so here are some helpful ideas for making your hidden camera invisible.

The living area is the first place most people want to install a hidden camera. This is often because it is the most trafficked area of the house, and it is a likely place for a babysitter to reside while taking care of children. Most living rooms provide an endless number of perfect hiding places. Entertainment centers are usually a safe bet for starters. Since there are already a number of electronic devices, most people will right off a camera as another device. For this hiding spot, you must consider the size and look of the camera. For a wider angle, consider using a mini security camera or bullet camera that is barely visible at a distance and mounted on a curtain rod. Most people spend very little time inspecting curtain rods. Bookshelves are also great places for cameras, in fact some hidden cameras even come in the shape of a book to blend in with the rest of your collection. This is obviously a very specialized camera form, but there are a number of such forms to choose from. Cameras might also appear to be objects like mirrors, clocks, cigarette lighters, and more. These everyday objects are very common and thus virtually undetectable.

Most of these suggestions also work very well in other areas of a home, along with cameras placed in light switches and flowerpots. These often provide excellent wide-angle views of rooms and hallways. If you are looking to install hidden cameras in bedrooms or child play areas, here are a few more considerations. A nightstand is a great place to place a clock shaped camera, and a personal computer station is a similar scenario to that of an entertainment center. If you are trying to look after your children, many hidden cameras can actually be put inside of a stuffed animal, a toy car, or even in a mobile that hovers above a baby’s crib. However, it is important to pick a toy or object that is not regularly used to avoid losing a nice view of the room. Many parents find these types of hidden cameras extremely settling when hiring a new babysitter or just keeping an eye on their kids.

There are countless types and shapes of hidden and mini cameras, so it is important to strategize about the most inconspicuous places to hide a camera in your particular environment. This strategizing will help determine what type of camera you should purchase. If you already have a camera, consider some of the hiding spots first suggested, because a poorly placed hidden camera is really not a hidden camera at all.

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

Another Use for Infrared Cameras

Infrared cameras have been used for decades now, first by the military and shortly after by the private sector. These cameras record thermographic images from the radiation emitted by living things, so it is obvious how useful infrared security cameras might when there is not enough light to detect images. However, scientists and inventors alike are constantly looking for more uses of infrared. One of the most recent developments is for the increasingly common condition known as sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea describes a condition where an individual has trouble sleeping due to interruptions in their breathing patterns. For diagnosis a network of electrodes are attached to the head, face, chest, and abdomen of a patient. These electrodes then record the patients breathing patterns while the patient must try to sleep inside a medical lab. As you might imagine, this is a somewhat difficult way to diagnose the condition, which is why scientist have explored the option of using infrared cameras as a new solution.

If the patient already has trouble sleeping, as many as twenty electrodes attached all over their body will probably not help the situation, thus effecting the calculations of the experiment. For this reason, Dr. Jayasimha Murthy of the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, along with his colleagues, developed a new imaging system to record a patient’s breathing patterns with the use of a remote, infrared camera. Like most thermographic infrared cameras this one monitors the changes in heat signals released when the patient inhales and exhales. The point of this new innovation is to remove as many sensors that actually contact the body as possible, thus making it more comfortable for the patient and making the diagnostic process more accurate.

At this phase of development, infrared cameras used for this purpose have been measured against common electrode systems, and the results have been very similar. Murthy and colleagues have studied the data recorded from the infrared camera, at six to eight feet from the patient’s head, with 13 men and women, and the camera detected breathing problems at the same rate as the two most conventional detection methods.

Though for now, these cameras can only replace a few contact electrodes, scientists are testing this tool for other measurements as well, and hopefully contact sensors will be unnecessary in the future. Infrared is no longer for just the military, law enforcement, or business and home security cameras. It continues to prove useful in medicine, research, and development.

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

Hidden Cameras and Law Enforcement

Mini bullet cameras, wireless surveillance cameras, weatherproof cameras and more have long been tools for law enforcement and private investigation. By providing hard, clear evidence of actual occurrences, this makes video surveillance one of the most effect forms of covert security available. The have become so popularized that many people use surveillance cameras for home or private business for everything from checking up on employees, to nanny cams, to shoplifters or public facilities. As the popularity of hidden cameras increased, the legal issues of recording private citizens covertly came into question. Though today there are certainly important guidelines to follow to prevent the misuse of surveillance systems, footage obtained by the use of hidden cameras and wireless surveillance systems is considered perfectly admissible in a United States court of law. From this precedent, the use of video surveillance has flourished and become a common part of commercial, business, and homes security systems.

Before these legal developments however, law enforcement has pushed the surveillance envelope for decades. In fact, it is through this industry that security camera technology really had the funding and ability to advance in quality and cost efficiency. Law enforcement agencies have used video footage as evidence against drug dealers, prostitutes, gang leaders, and other known criminals. The footage serves has hard evidence of the criminal actually committing the crime. As technology continued to improve, cameras become even less detectable and smaller in size, they can be worn by undercover officers and transmit live feeds to the video recorder. This allows for back-up teams to respond quickly to dangerous situations and has saved the lives of many undercover agents. Not only that, but undercover law enforcement can remain undercover because the criminal never has to know who they are. Back-up teams can restrain the suspect and transport them while allowing the undercover cop or agent to escape.

It is also common for law enforcement to have surveillance cameras mounted on the dashboards of patrol or squad cars. These cameras render footage of high speed pursuits, license plates, pull-overs, and more, and serve as an invaluable tool for the location and capture of wanted felons. Surveillance systems can also be found in the back seat many law enforcement vehicles and are most useful for obtaining unsolicited confessions. It is not uncommon for a police officer to place two newly apprehended criminals in the back seat together, where they will most likely talk to each other about the crime to plan their strategy. This often provides extremely valuable evidence in the case against them.

Thought law enforcement and the military paved the way to the development and production of video surveillance systems, they are now considered quite useful for home environments, offices, and commercial properties. And thanks to the increase in technology, they are extremely affordable, simple to install, and easy to operate. Just because the average person is not arresting criminals everyday does not mean they should not have the security of video surveillance.

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