Home Security Cameras

Home security cameras are one of the components that can be used in a home security system. Security cameras have long been in use for offices and stores and are gradually gaining popularity for use in home security with decreasing prices and ease of installation. They can be simply connected to a TV and viewed as a separate channel.

Home security cameras provide safety in many ways. One can see who is at the door before opening and avoid suspicious people. Cameras can keep an eye on driveways to watch vehicles and equipment and check on anti-social elements. They can record events while members are out of the home. They can also be used to check on small children in their rooms. For farmhouses, it is even more important to keep a check on any trespassers and any danger to livestock. Computers and the Internet have even made it possible to keep a vigil on your home while away even in another part of the world.

There is a wide variety of security cameras available. One can go in for black and white or color ones. Black and white security cameras produce sharper pictures and are less expensive. However, advanced color security cameras are also available. Cameras placed outside the home should be shielded from weather and may be equipped with auto settings to adjust with changing weather like heat, rain, snow, and darkness or brightness. There is also a choice between wired and wireless security cameras each having their plus and minus points. Lens size is an important criterion. A wide angle lens can cover a wide area and not show details of strangers, while a narrow angle lens can project details and not show a large area. It is wise to use both kinds of lenses depending on location. Cheaper cameras have fixed lenses while expensive ones may allow options. For simple purposes, a cost-effective security camera can be created by using a webcam, pc and some software.

Home security cameras can add to security if placed well on strategic locations and used in combination with other security systems like control panels, detectors and alarms. Different kinds of cameras are available depending on the proposed use and cost factor. They provide great comfort to people who are alone, invalid or at large properties.

Home Security - Protect Your Children Online - Part 1

During our everyday life, we concern ourselves mainly with home security; enabling the security alarm, locking the door when we leave, etc. However, there?s another menace out there that is creeping through our society. This menace is Cyberstalking, the exploiting of our children through the Internet.

In my professional role in the Home Security Industry, I preach the values of the Internet, not only for us as adults and professionals, but also for our children. Our children have almost immediate access to any kind of information available throughout the world. Want to read A Tale Of Two Cities? It?s on the Internet. Have a question about who the third person to land on the moon was? It?s on the Internet. However, want to be exposed to nudity, pedophiles, and thousands (if not millions) of other social deviants? You bet it?s on the Internet and just a key touch away from your child or grandchild. So, what do we do about this?


First, we educate ourselves. Go to The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website at www.ncmec.org and download their study ?Online Victimization - A Report on the Nation?s Youth.? This report will provide an eye-opening look at the perils our children are under every time they access America Online, Compuserve, or the Internet via the local Internet Service Provider. It also provides a telling survey on how parents deal with their children?s use of the Internet. For example, over 85% of parents have talked with their children about being careful talking to strangers on the Net, and 97% of those polled check every now and then on what is on their child?s computer screen. But, only half the parents ever go back and actually check history to ensure the child is indeed staying out of potential problem sites, and only 39% set a limit on the amount of time their child can be on the Internet. Though it appears that parents do realize the potential exposure their children have on the Net, less than 1/2 play a truly diligent role in ensuring their child is protected.


Second, we educate others. Gather information from such sites as The National Center and tens of other child advocacy sites (including www.pta.org), and speak to your fellow parents in your school system about the dangers presented to our children on the Internet. Stay tuned for future articles on ways to prevent your children from being exposed to unsuitable material. Bottom line: be involved with your child?s Internet experience. They now have the world, literally, at their fingertips. Make the effort to have it at yours also. Part 2 explains the warning signs that your child is having a bad experience online.

How To Choose A Home Security Camera

Surveillance cameras are being used every where these days, all the malls and almost all stores and small shops have installed surveillance cams to stop thefts and burglaries. You must have probably heard of the net of cams in the Las Vegas casinos, yes without cameras the surveillance staff won?t be 1/10th as effective.

Taking the cue from the commercial segment many companies introduced home security camera a few years back, but, back then only the rich could afford the expensive home security camera systems. However, nowadays with development of technology, as home security camera is getting cheaper more and more people are able to afford them. Yes, today even a $30 cam can be turned into a home security camera, it?s no more a rich only option.

When selecting a home security camera, make sure it can take clear pictures in the radius you want to set it up. Systems like analogue closed circuit television may run cheap but it?s not worth the money. It saves recorded coverage to tapes which are not only expensive in the long run but will also take up a lot of space.

With the advent of internet and like I said earlier, development of technology, we have cheap yet good quality home security camera available that send live feeds to the internet and save coverage at a secured location. You can either watch the feds live or browse through the saved data at any point of time. Install two-three home security camera in a room depending on how big the room is and you can watch what is going on in your house from 5 miles or 5,000 miles away.

For those on a very tight budget, there are the fake home security camera which are very much like the original ones and some even swivel on their axis like the original ones but this strategy is only effective in preventing the crime rather than catching the crime.

However, if you aren?t on a budget you should go for tiny cams which can be hidden behind or within objects and are hard to find. These cams when combined with the right software can give you the perfect home security camera system. On the other hand if you want to make it clear to the burglars that your house is not a good choice, install a large cam, a must do for people installing fake cameras, at a location where it can easily be seen.

Want to learn more about Home Security?, feel free to visit us at: http://homesecurity.theknowledgesite.com

Motion Detectors And Your Home Security

Being fully aware of what is going on around your home, both day and night, is a good strategy for home security. And having measures in place that make a break-in to your home very difficult when you aren't there decreases the likelihood that a successful home intrusion will take place. And advancing technology continues to arm homeowners with more and more sophisticated ways to protect their home and family with devices that constantly monitor what is going on around the home.

One of those devices is the simple motion detector. For years they have been used in other applications like garage doors where it prevents allowing the door to close if it senses movement or a blockage underneath the door. But now they are being increasingly used in home security systems to help inform the homeowner of outside movement,especially at night, and also even set off surveillance systems that can capture on video what is happening as well.

So how can you include motion detectors in your home security system? One of the most simple ways to do so is just to install lights around the house at strategic spots that have motion sensors in them and turn on automatically when triggered at night. These kind ofr lights can be found at any hardware or home improvement store and are very inexpensive. They can be wired into your home lighting system and turned on manually, or you can also use battery powered units that are light sensitive and can only be activated when darkness falls. Just be sure to replace the batteries regularly.

For more advanced home security systems, motion detectors can be used to trigger the home alarm system when activated. They are often installed inside the home in addition to sensors that monitor the doors and windows. If someone does gain entry to your home while you are away they will detect the movement and trigger the alarm. This works very well if you don't have pets or small animals that would be moving around the home and could trigger false alarms.

They also can be used outside to turn on video surveillance cameras for more advanced security systems. When installed with video cameras, they can trigger the camera to begin recording whenever motion is detected, and also notify you of the movement if you are home. Since the video camera only captures the action when motion is detected it doesn't have to be on all the time and this saves a lot of video tape or hard drive space depending on how the camera saves the video information.

As you can see the humble, hard working motion detector can be used in a variety of ways to help guard your home and family. Why not begin thinking about how you can include them to enhance your own security system today?

Find out more about a home security system and motion detector alarms by visiting our Home Security Review website.

Homeland Security Industry Growth through Consolidation

Homeland Security Firms Evolve and Expand Product Portfolios

By: Ann-Marie Fleming February 2006

In early February, President Bush presented his fiscal year 2007 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The request for $42.7 billion indicates a 6 percent increase in funding from the 2006 budget.

Elaborating on the priorities of the FY 2007 budget request, Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff explained in a recent press conference, "The budget focuses on strengthening our initiatives in protecting our borders, increasing our preparedness, expanding our intelligence gathering and sharing, and improving maritime and transportation security."

This bodes well for companies operating in this arena, in particular those with technology surrounding surveillance, detection and identification products to assist in meeting the needs of border, port and transportation security and overall homeland security readiness.

Defense sector correspondent James H. Smith in his weekly column, "The Defense Market Report"(exclusive HDS feature), explains, M&A activity continued to be the strategic weapon of choice for companies wanting to move decisively into desirable market niches. Top acquirers used M&A activity to drive their top lines far past the levels achievable through organic growth alone. With an estimated US$38 billion in worldwide M&A activity in the aerospace and defense sectors, 2005 was a very good year. And the current year also looks promising."

As the homeland security industry continues to establish itself as a long term market, many anticipate M&A activity to become more prevalent. Scott Sacknoff, manager of the SPADE? Defense Index (AMEX: ^DXS) describes, "The homeland security market is ripe for consolidation. With so many companies offering single solutions and products, we can expect a number of acquisitions in the homeland security market in the coming years as firms seek to offer a portfolio of security options under one roof."

Building product portfolios has become a necessary strategy for many firms working to address the growing needs within the homeland security arena. Dore Perler, CEO of Sense Holdings, Inc (OTCBB: SEHO) explains, "Today's terrorist activities are a global religious and political phenomenon encompassing a broad spectrum of national security threats. These threats range from a lone aggressor covertly gaining access to a national infrastructure asset, all the way to a organized large-scale conspiracy by a number of well-financed suicidal fanatics. The ubiquitous utilization of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) introduces a particularly difficult challenge to security forces throughout the world. The only effective way to simultaneously confront all of these security threats is by the intelligent application of high technology."

"Sense believes that the solution to this problem requires the mass-deployment of security systems integrating Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Biometric Identification and Micro Electromechanical Sensors (MEMS). These Sensors, or electronic noses, are designed to detect infinite amounts of explosives, chemical warfare agents (CWA), biological warfare agents (BWA) and last, but not least, narcotics. Sense is dynamically involved and committed to the development, integration and deployment of all of these technologies," concludes Perler.

Sniffex, Inc. (OTC.PK: SNFX), a developer of a lightweight handheld distance weapon and explosives detection device explains their strategy for being able to expand their offerings, "As the expenditures for homeland defense continue to grow, the customers that we sell to through our worldwide Representative network are asking for more and more products to sell to their existing customer base. There is a huge demand around the world for products and services that can be used as a tool in fighting terror and crime. We believe that if one or our Representatives is selling Sniffex, they should be selling every other great tool in the arsenal of products and services for fighting crime."

Technest Holdings, Inc (OTCBB: TCNH) has been focused on diversifying their product base for many years to be able to target a variety of the nation's security needs. As Robert Tarini, CEO of Technest describes, "Although significant progress has been made against terrorism in the foreign arenas of Iraq and Afghanistan by our combat troops, many security problems remain unresolved domestically here in the US, in our cities, federal infrastructures and borders. Many of these security problems will be solved by innovative technologies that can be delivered by fast and nimble companies with the ability to address multiple problems through a portfolio of solutions such as Technest Holdings."

As the definition of homeland security has shifted to the concept of global security, the diversity and complexity of security and defense needs continues to grow. As a result, companies have had to evolve and expand with many firms understanding the strength of being able to solve multiple needs through further R&D of existing products and by adding new technology to their portfolios through partnerships, mergers and acquisitions.

Ann-Marie Fleming Ann-Marie Fleming completed her MBA in the United States, where she attended Webster University. She also holds an Honors B.A from the University of Toronto. She has over fifteen years of experience within the financial industry to include retail banking and brokerage, investment banking, and mortgage brokerage within the United States and Canada, with a firm background in corporate research. Disclaimer: www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp, www.HomelandDefenseStocks.com/Companies/HomelandDefense/Disclaimer.asp

Ann-Marie Fleming completed her MBA in the United States, where she attended Webster University. She also holds an Honors B.A from the University of Toronto. She has over fifteen years of experience within the financial industry to include retail banking and brokerage, investment banking, and mortgage brokerage within the United States and Canada, with a firm background in corporate research.