Surveillance is becoming a must-have for everyone regardless of occupation in today's fast-moving world. Though it has many uses, the importance of surveillance becomes more underlined when we consider personal security, safety of property and law enforcement. More to it, surveillance is considered a vital part of self defense - it enhances the effectiveness of some forms of self defense like alarm systems. There are many forms of surveillance including microphones, audio recorders, transmitters and receivers, but neither of these matches the subtle effectiveness of a hidden camera. We will now look at a few of the different types of hidden cameras there are.
Hidden Board Cameras
Hidden board cameras come in their shapes and sizes but in general, they comprise a fixed lens mounted on a circuit board. The board cameras will often have a lens with a very small pinhole making them the most ideal choice for hidden cameras. Again, they have a fixed iris with a minimal focal length which delivers a wide angle of view even through a minute pinhole. The cameras can be colored or black and white but for either you will commonly have the option of delivering output through RCA connectors.
Dome Surveillance Cameras
Dome cameras are the option you take when you do not want people to know which direction the camera lens is facing, and therefore realize if they are being monitored. To facilitate this, it is not uncommon to see hidden dome cameras with colored or tinted casings. The catch with dome cameras is that the prospective wrongdoer would rather desist from plying his trade than stare at the camera in an attempt to find out if it is facing him. To make them more effective, a dome camera can be configured to capture in color during the day and switch to greyscale at night to cope with low light.
Hidden IP Cameras
These are cameras that, rather than use the usual methods of transmission to the PC or DVRs e.g. cable use a network to transmit captured data. This saves on cost of additional equipment and also allows you to access your hidden camera from anywhere via the Internet. Additionally, you can get more convenience by setting up notifications of motion through email or SMS.
Hidden Dummy/Fake Cameras
There is a new twist to the art of hidden cameras that brings with it fake cameras. Potential criminals, however skilled, are always on edge during their heinous activities. Due to this, any object that appears like a camera is bound to spook and scare them away. To add more sparkle to the show, some fake cameras have flashing LED's. Dummies also spell relief for your wallet as you will probably spend much less on a dummy than on a real camera!
