Home surveillance cameras have become increasingly popular in recent years. Once available only to the wealthy, home surveillance cameras are now widely available to the general public as prices have fallen. But do surveillance systems work? Where can I get a home surveillance system? What kinds of home security cameras are there? Do I need indoor or outdoor security cameras? This site aims to answer these questions and help you make smart choices.

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Home surveillance cameras are a great way to help keep your home safe and secure. Hidden security cameras, strategically placed in and around your home, can keep tabs on what’s going on when you’re not there, whether you’re watching live from a remote location, or recording to view later. This can be of vital importance to your peace of mind. If you have children, for example, you know how important it is to be able to trust your baby sitter or nanny. Home surveillance cameras can provide you with the knowledge that your child is safe and well cared for. These surveillance camera systems have been nicknamed “nanny cams” for a reason.

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Even without children, you’ll find there is great value in the security provided by indoor home surveillance cameras, especially if you employ help in the home, such as maids or housekeepers. It’s amazing the confidence you’ll have in these helpers once you’ve seen them being trustworthy on CCTV surveillance cameras! Trust is a wonderful thing, but remote surveillance can really provide peace of mind.

Likewise, an outdoor wireless security camera can provide another kind of peace of mind. Home surveillance cameras on the outside of your property can help prevent vandalism, theft and burglary. Hidden surveillance cameras outside your house can record all activity, and provide evidence to help catch burglars in case your house is broken into. Cheap security cameras, and even fake security cameras that are visible on your property can act as a deterrent, so that crime does not occur in the first place.

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Placed around your property, near the front and back doors, garage, backyard or driveway, a few infrared security cameras can keep you safe and secure. These are some of the many benefits of outdoor surveillance cameras.

There are many different type of security video cameras on the market, including PTZ cameras (pan-tilt-zoom), internet security cameras, mini cameras, outdoor wireless security cameras, dome security cameras, and many more. This site is dedicated to getting you the information you need to wisely choose the home surveillance cameras that are right for you and your family.

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• Remote Surveillance
• Outdoor Wireless Security Camera

An outdoor wireless security camera can be a great choice to help you monitor any part of your property. Place several of these around your premises, and you’ll always know who is at your front door, who is pulling into the driveway, or who is in your yard. The advantages of the outdoor security camera are many.

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For one thing, unlike mini cameras or other indoor forms of remote surveillance that are meant to remain hidden, the outdoor wireless security camera is intended to be seen. This in itself can provide a deterrent effect, causing a potential criminal to re-think his intended vandalism or theft. In fact, the concept of fake security cameras is based entirely on this deterrent effect, and they can be quite effective. However, a fake security camera can’t help to catch a criminal.  Outdoor security cameras can.

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One very popular type of outdoor security camera is the dome surveillance camera. These are a excellent choice for areas such as a front door or other entryway which is well lit. Any area with motion sensor lighting would be perfect for dome security cameras as well, since they need light to provide an adequate signal. These dome cameras provide a wide angle view, and generally have very high resolutions for an outdoor wireless security camera. When combined to proximity to a doorway, dome security cameras can provide an excellent view. The dome surveillance camera should be mounted on a ceiling for best results, but not too far away from the subject, as picture quality and the deterrent effect can suffer. Remember, the outdoor surveillance camera is meant to be seen by intruders.

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The other main type of outdoor wireless security camera is the infrared surveillance camera, which is excellent for locations which are, or which can become, insufficiently lit to view with a non-infrared video surveillance systems. Remote video surveillance with an infrared camera allows you to scan your property in conditions all the way down to zero light. In some cases these cameras can boast up to 100 foot range or more when needed. Many infrared security cameras operate in two modes, providing excellent color video in lit conditions, and switching to black and white infrared mode at night. An infrared outdoor security camera is a great all-around choice for general use.

Whether your particular needs call for an outdoor wireless security camera that operates in light or dark, dome or infrared, deterrent or video recording, there is an outdoor security camera for you.

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Fake security cameras can provide some very real benefits. As we pointed out in our piece on the benefits of an outdoor wireless security camera, leaving your outdoor cameras quite visible to the potential burglar or trespasser can have a deterrent effect on crime. Surely the one thing better than catching a criminal is stopping him before he starts.

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This deterrent effect is the goal of fake security cameras. The fake camera is seen by the potential criminal, and actually prevents the crime. Obviously, fake cameras can only accomplish this one function, and are useless when it comes to providing data or evidence. Then again, if the fake security camera keeps the crime from occurring, no evidence is needed anyway.

Perhaps the ideal situation for the use of fake security cameras is one in which the residence is actually covered by any number of actual, real outdoor security cameras. In this case, the fake camera can actually help the real remote surveillance system cover more area than otherwise possible, by deceiving the potential criminal.

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Another benefit is the low cost of the fake security camera, when compared to mini cameras or other real video surveillance systems. As well as the cost of the cameras themselves, remember that even cheap security cameras need a working system behind them. A dummy CCTV camera needs no wiring, no monitors, and no DVR or other recording device. In addition, there is no maintenance required for fake security cameras, and replacing a dummy camera lost due to damage is not a major financial or technical issue.

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If you do go with fake cameras (hopefully in combination with the real thing), make sure they look as real as possible. One way is to look for fake cameras made from the outside casings of real cameras. Another feature you may seek is a fake electrical cable which is attached at one end to the dummy camera, and at the other end to a fake electrical outlet.

However, in your quest to fool potential criminals with fake security cameras, just don’t fool yourself. Remember that what you have isn’t a cheap surveillance camera, it’s a fake camera. no more and no less. It is a tool of deception, but there are things it cannot do. There will always be some perpetrators who are not intimidated by any camera, let alone a dummy camera. Your best choice is always the real thing.

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Mini cameras can be an important part of your home surveillance system. Remote surveillance by way of a wireless spy camera can give you insight into the activities of anyone inside your residence, whether your nanny, babysitter, maid, housekeeper, children or others. Today, many of these wireless hidden cameras are so small as to be undetectable even when the subject is looking directly at them, making for completely discreet remote surveillance. If you choose a mini wireless color camera with microphone, the video quality can be matched with audio, to give you all the information you need about what’s happening in your home. Even night vision can be achieved with many of these amazing wireless spy cameras.

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Mini camera, also known as “pinhole” cameras, are often made small enough to conceal within ordinary objects with just a bit of modification. Many objects we already have in the home can be hollowed out or otherwise modified, and fitted with a wireless spy camera. Books, desks, lamps, chairs, window frames, light fixtures, and many other commonplace objects can be transformed into surreptitious carriers for security surveillance cameras.

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Due to their small size, it’s also easy to mount mini cameras anywhere you desired; if a mounting bracket is needed, it’s generally quite small and can be mounted easily with a single screw. Often, velcro can be used. Generally these wireless spy cameras take just minutes to install, allowing you to discreetly monitor your home office, child’s room, garage, bedroom, or any other area you choose. Security camera installation has never been easier.

Once you have set up your mini cameras, you can send the video signal easily to a TV for viewing, or a VCR or DVR for recording. And if you go for a wireless spy camera, there’s no need for any cord between the source and monitor.

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Place your mini digital video camera anywhere you desire, point it in the right direction, and as long as your system has enough range, you’ll pick up the signal at your monitor.

Different mini cameras operate on a number of different frequencies, and have widely varying ranges. Camera system manufacturers state this operating information up front, so read up on the specifics when comparing models.

Be sure to get a larger range than you think you need. Remember that conditions differ, and manufacturers are giving you a best case scenario, measured under perfect conditions. Also, you may wish to move your wireless spy camera at a later date, so you’d might as well be prepared with more range than you need.

Mini cameras may be small, but they’re no toys. Unlike your kid’s pink digital camera, the wireless pinhole camera is serious business.

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Remote surveillance has become increasingly popular over the last few years. As everything else has migrated to the internet, so have video surveillance and security. Thanks to the proliferation of broadband, and the increasing data throughput it makes possible, a remote surveillance camera in Bangkok can now be viewed in Boston, or anywhere else its owner might travel.

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Remote surveillance cameras can be set up to need little to no maintenance, and can be paired with a motion detection or remote control system. These tools can give the remote operator almost as much control as being right there in the room. The recording system can often be set up to begin recording only when motion is detected. This conserves space on the hard drive or other recording medium, and saves the owner time in scanning through hours of empty footage.

Thanks to broadband internet, the frames per second of a modern remote surveillance system puts even the best Hollywood film cameras to shame. Frames per second regularly match or exceed the 24 frames per second of film cameras, and a high-end remote surveillance camera can send a signal of 200 frames per second or even higher.

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The streaming video from a remote surveillance camera can be watched live and discarded, or it can be saved to a PC hard drive. Remote surveillance video can then cataloged, edited and logged with the use of various software. The computer should be powerful if video quality is to be maintained, and a good video card is a must. To ensure the safety of your surveillance devices, a whole house surge protector is also a wise choice.

An excellent alternative to a PC hard drive for receiving and storing video from remote surveillance cameras is a DVR system. These also contain hard drives, but they are made specifically for the purpose of receiving and recording video. The embedded system in a DVR has only one job, and is thus far less likely to lock up or freeze than a PC-based system.

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The highest-end remote surveillance cameras come with a feature known as “PTZ”, or pan-tilt-zoom. This allows the camera to be moved by remote control, zoomed in, tilted, and generally act as it a camera operator was right there on scene. These PTZ cameras are used in many public feeds of remote surveillance cameras which are streamed publicly on the internet – these include many well-known monuments, public buildings and national parks.

The most expensive features like PTZ might not be in your budget right now, but for a few hundred dollars, you can have one or more excellent remote surveillance cameras and all the hard drive space you need to use them.

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