Spy Gear

The last twenty years has seen the complete democratization of communication and information technologies. Gizmos with functions formerly reserved for companies with hundreds of millions in their pockets can now be found on the desks of ordinary working people. High quality nanny cameras, which capture digital footage as perfect as any camcorder, are one of the technologies to make their way out of the homes of the wealthy and award-winning and into the lounges of the world. This is also the case with door and window alarms, and with the ubiquitous motion detector alarms.

Magnetic alarm contacts, the twin magnetic pads used to make door alarms, cost less than $4, and are available at the majority of major hardware stores. These contacts are used to form a circuit that’s broken when a door or window is opened. They’re so easy to install that many people these days are undertaking the job of incorporating them into their home security surveillance system themselves. Of course, if mucking about with silicone guns and tubes of wood glue isn’t your bag, security companies such as ADT are usually willing to do the job at minimal cost for their customers (though this will, of course, only apply if you’re signed up for their security services).

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

PIR motion detector alarms, on the other hand, are sensitive to the infrared or ‘black body’ radiation emitted by the objects in their cone-shaped field of view. These devices are very effective and have become a staple of home security surveillance systems across the globe. Simply put, when an object of one temperature moves past an object of another temperature, disrupting that object’s infrared emissions, a PIR motion detector alarm will read this change as motion. The term ‘PIR’ stands for Passive Infra-Red, as PIR detectors don’t shine an infrared beam like those hi-tech security systems in the movies – you’d have to shell out significantly more cash for one of those babies.

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

There is, of course, no reason you shouldn’t have your entire home security surveillance system function in this manner. All you need to do is buy up a bunch of webcams and convert them into nanny cameras by putting them in common household objects and ornaments such as clocks and book-bindings. The only requirement is that your ornaments be located within reasonable proximity of a power point. The footage these makeshift nanny cameras capture can be transmitted directly to a storage cluster online, where it will remain, safe and secure, for days or weeks – the only dependency being how much you’re willing to pay for the storage space. Keep in mind that an extensive home security surveillance system might require multiple terabytes of space for just a few days worth of surveillance.

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

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