Surveillance Equipment and Hidden Cameras Today

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Phil

It still amazes me how small surveillance cameras and other video equipment are now, and I’m not only referring to the tiny hidden cameras we use for nanny cams but the surveillance equipment in stores and buildings that we can actually see. It’s intentionally designed to be noticed. These cameras don’t have to be as big as they are, they’re really mostly air because the cameras inside of the housings that you see aren’t much bigger than the ones in the nanny cams. The lens is the biggest part.

A long time ago I was a salesman in a camera and electronics store in NYC. To let you know how long ago, cameras still needed film and a cell phone required a briefcase full of equipment to work. At the time video surveillance cameras were only for buildings, stores and a few others that could really afford the security.

VCRs were just becoming popular; they were in huge cabinets and had tuner dials on them, like the old TVs. After a while the cabinets started getting smaller and electronic tuners were introduced. Then they got even smaller and one day an exciting new item came into the store, a portable video camera and recorder. The portable video camera weighed about 5 lbs and the portable video recorder weighed about 8 lbs.

Still, at this time, a hidden camera was something that was only seen in spy movies. But technology marches on and shortly after home video recording was improved with the introduction of an all in one video camera and recorder. But it still had to be big enough to hold the huge VHS cassette. It was shortly after home computers and Atari video games hit the market that I left to find greener pastures.

I’ve been doing my own thing for a long time now but because of this job I always held an interest in these technologies and products. A few years ago I started distributing surveillance systems and hidden cameras. When I first started to become familiar with the new hidden camera products I was amazed all over again. I expected to see the nanny cams, like the alarm clock hidden camera but I was surprised when I came upon the really small ones, the hidden camera in a pen and the hidden camera in a watch, with internal digital video recorders no less. Recorders that could hold as much as the larger of the VHS cassettes.

I then realized that I really wasn’t up on the latest technology in surveillance. James Bond’s spy watch was now real and apparently had been for a little while already. I’m now wondering what technology will make smaller next.

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Hidden Cameras are a Blessing in Disguise

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Phil

Hidden cameras often get looked down upon because many people use hidden cameras for the wrong reasons. But they really do have many good uses too. Many couples with children have to have both parents working, making it necessary to leave children in the care of others, often a nanny. How can we really know whether or not our children are being treated well in our absence while in the care of others?  We can’t, or can we? A hidden camera with a DVR, or several hidden cameras for nannies, cleverly concealed in common items throughout the home can be the number one tool for catching any wrong doing. It might even be the only way to assure your child’s safety and your piece of mind.

Most of these hidden cameras are very easy to set up and use, with the hidden cameras with a built in DVR it’s almost as simple as hitting the button on the remote. The other hidden cameras need to be hooked up to a recording device of some kind but you can get wireless hidden cameras so they are really easy to install. Being that it’s really simple to do, there’s no reason to not make a small investment to know whether or not your kids are safe from abuse.

I know some of my readers may still feel that using hidden cameras is wrong because it’s spying, it’s an objectionable tactic, but I consider it at worst a necessary evil.  I once felt that it was wrong, but you will be amazed at what goes on in your absence and truly, how else are you really going to know! Hidden cameras a blessing in disguise, yes!

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Counter Surveillance you can Hold in the Palm of Your Hand

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Phil

If your privacy is crucial at times or you just think someone might be spying on you then what you need is a RF (radio frequency) Bug Detector or a Hidden Camera Detector. These counter surveillance devices help you find the covert surveillance devices that might be used to spy on you. Whether you’re concerned about “bugs” in hotel rooms or even in your own home, a bug detector is now an affordable and practical counter surveillance device to own and take with you, anywhere you might need it.

Use a RF detector to find hidden cameras and microphones that are transmitting a signal. If there might be a hidden camera that isn’t transmitting a signal then you have to use the hidden camera detector to visually locate it.

This age of “small” technology, has brought us new methods of surveillance, it has also brought us new counter surveillance devices, giving us the ability to find out if someone is using this technology against us. If you think someone might be watching you or you’re having a conversation that you absolutely don’t want anyone else to hear, what you need is Counter Surveillance.

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Counter Surveillance Devices Help You Find the Bugs That Bite the Hardest

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Phil

To prevent someone from spying on you, you need counter surveillance equipment, most people call them Bug Detectors.  Even though new technologies create incredibly small surveillance cameras and microphones, it has also created counter surveillance, the technology to find out if someone is using this new technology against you.

You know what they say, build a better mouse and we’ll build a better mouse trap. But as great as these better mousetraps, or rat traps are, they are hardly worth their transistors, unless they are used properly. These covert surveillance devices that you need to find are so small that they can be hidden almost anywhere and in almost anything. So it stands to reason that you will need to look everywhere and at everything. To really get the best results from your rf bug detector you will need to slowly move it around the area under suspicion. These counter surveillance devices need to be close to the bug in order to detect it, so don’t breeze around the room so quickly that you might miss something. Take your time and make sure you cover every square foot, don’t waste your time and money and worst of all, risk your privacy. It’s very important to scan everywhere, under tables, behind pictures and anywhere else you could imagine a camera or mic could be hidden. Remember these bugs are so small now they can be hidden in places you may never expect.

An alarm clock, a desk lamp or even a sprinkler head, to name just a few, could contain a bug. If your privacy is important to you and you think a hidden camera might be watching you, or someone might be listening in, make sure you get something effective for counter surveillance. These bug detectors are so small now you could carry one in your pocket.

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The Use Of Surveillance

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Phil

To a lot of people surveillance is a scary word, it makes them feel like they’re being watched. To others, it’s a comfort, it means the ability to know when a bad situation is happening and that they can take action to stop it in it’s tracks. Stores need to know if people are stealing and it’s a good idea for a warehouse or a shop to know if an intruder is coming in the front, or even, back door. Catching theives when your not there is  a good reason to have surveillance too. Maybe it’s scary to some because they’re afraid that they might  get caught.

But there are a lot of new thoughts on the subject. People are realizing more and more that not only do businesses need Surveillance Systems, they themselves need Home Surveillance. Nanny Cams are considered by some people to be as necessary as a crib. A lot of cheating spouses have been caught by hidden cameras. The list goes on. It’s a whole new world of video surveillance and there are a lot of good uses for it. Maybe there will always be a “perv” who hides a camera where he shouldn’t, but keep in mind, he’s going to get caught by a hidden camera too.

We now have all different types of surveillance equipment available, IP Cameras that connect right to your computer, hidden cameras that have built in DVRs, wireless surveillance cameras of all types and even clever little spy cameras like pen cameras and wristwatch cameras. If your afraid of someone watching you, well, now you can own a bug detector to find those sneaky little cameras and microphones.

Some people need stronger self defense products, but thats the subject of another blog.

Thanks, Phil, Lifeline Products.

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Hidden Camera Rental Program From Lifeline Surveillance

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Phil

Lifeline Surveillance just started a Hidden Camera Rental Program. This is a great new way to get your hands on a hidden camera without paying too much. If you really only need one for a day or two and don’t want to pay the full price and then stick it in a closet this is definitely the way to go. If you decide you want to keep it, you can, they’ll convert the hidden camera rental into a hidden camera purchase with just a phone call. And if you do they won’t even charge you for the rental. So you basically get to try it before you decide if you want to keep it or not. They’ll even ship the Hidden Camera Rental to you for free. You don’t find too many companies doing that for their customers.

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Hidden Cameras, Spy Cameras Yesterday, Nanny Cams Today

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Phil

     Hidden cameras, until recently, were only thought of as spy cameras, something only a James Bond type would have access to. Stores have had surveillance security for a long time but they’ve always had extremely obvious surveillance equipment, everyone knew that security cameras were watching. Video surveillance has come a long way since the early days of surveillance systems. Anyone that has a reason to see or record someone secretly can have a hidden camera of their own. If you need to record what you need to watch you can even get a hidden camera with a DVR (digital video recorder) built into it.

     Nanny cams are most commonly thought of as the best use of a hidden camera and that’s hard to argue with, protecting our children is a very important matter. But stores that don’t want their customers to feel nervous appreciate having a mini camera inside an exit sign or maybe a clock with a hidden camera or one of several choices of commonly seen things with, what used to be called, a spy camera already installed. Some of us, even though we hate to think it, are concerned about who we can and can’t trust, in our households as well as our businesses. The dishonest ones will find a place where their mischief can’t be seen, if they know your watching. This is where a working radio with hidden camera would come in handy. 

     Technology keeps making these things better and better, wireless video from wireless cameras is now becoming very popular because there’s no hassle with running wires through walls etc. Surveillance cameras keep getting smaller and smaller too, speaking of spy cameras, you can own a pen spy camera or a watch spy camera with a built in miniature DVR that connects to any computer’s USB port for veiwing and saving as easily as any common flash drive. If you have the do it yourself mindset you can get board cameras, these are the world’s smallest digital video surveillance cameras and the circuit board needed to be operational. Simply put, they’re hidden cameras that you hide yourself. The options are becomming limitless.

Phil, lifelinesurveillance.com

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