Cell Phone Security: Using your Phone to Monitor your Home

This week, we’re talking cell phone secrets — easy-to-use services that can help you unlock the hidden powers of your phone. I started by showing you a bunch of ways to get more for your money with cool services like Braincast and Cellfire.

But today, we’re taking on a different kind of underused force in your phone: its ability to keep your family safer. We’ve seen how cell phones can be used to let other people spy on you. This trick, though, turns the tables and lets you watch them.

Easy access

Imagine this: You’re at work for the day. With a few clicks on your phone, you pull up live images of your home from every possible angle. You see what doors are unlocked, who’s inside, and what they’re doing. You check up on the babysitter trusted with your kids. Or maybe you dial in from the road and look at images of your office to see if your staff really showed up to work when you were out of town. Whatever the need may be, it’s all possible — and not terribly hard to achieve.

There are a number of systems out there that can let you do this. I’m going to focus on the one I’ve seen in action: the WiLife (formerly Lukwerks) Home Surveillance System.

A simple setup

Who wouldn’t want to watch their property when they’re not around? A system like the one WiLife offers makes it easy. You just set up a series of cameras, configure your account, and you’re ready to roll. These things operate through the electrical wires you already have, too — you just plug the cameras
into the wall and plug an adaptor into your computer — so there’s no need for any elaborate installation. You’re probably looking at 15 to 20 minutes tops.

Once you’re all set up, the rest is automatic. You dial some digits on your phone, and you’re tapped in. You can monitor the live feeds at your disposal, provided your phone or PDA can handle the streaming video. But the cooler part is how the system can do the work for you.

Instant alerts

WiLife’s alerts will watch your property and let you know any time anything changes. If someone comes in, if a light turns on, or if any motion at all is detected, WiLife sees it and alerts you. You set the level of sensitivity, then you can choose to get a text message, a picture message, or even a video message as soon as WiLife finds trouble. Now, the second something happens, you know it — and you’re watching.

Link to the law

If you do discover something amiss, the system makes it easy to alert police right from your phone, too. And the best part: It’s recdording it all for you, so you can pass off a single evidence file to the officers the minute they arrive.

The WiLife kits start at $269 ($449 for a 2-camera system) and include the text and video messaging alerts for the life of the hardware, without any additional monthly fees or subscriptions. From what I’ve seen, they work pretty darned well. Speaking of which, nice shirt.

Read More......

Wireless Surveillance Systems for Homeowners Associations

Many Homeowners Associations (HOAs) in South Florida and other areas of the United States are facing the same obstacles when planning a video surveillance system to protect their communities. In many instances, the clubhouse, pool, guard gate, gym and other common areas of interest are positioned such that running cable to one central monitoring station is not practical, cost prohibitive or simply impossible. Fortunately, with increasingly powerful and affordable wireless security camera system technology emerging, applying a wireless solution to surveillance systems for HOAs makes sense.

Wireless Surveillance System used in Boca Raton HOA Project

Setting up a wireless HOA surveillance system with either IP cameras or traditional CCTV cameras is now relatively simple and can be achieved with the use of IP (Internet Protocol) computer networks (LANs, WANs) and some wireless transmitters / receivers. You may then access ALL of your cameras through your LAN (Local Area Network), as well as, remotely over the Internet if you choose.

Although it is NOT necessary to employ IP cameras to access your surveillance system remotely, there are some advantages in doing so. The main one being that the commercial grade and reliable wireless transmitters work over IP, so IP cameras are a natural fit and the easiest to integrate. The PoE (Power over Ethernet) function of IP cameras is also an advantage. This enables installers to power the cameras using CAT-5 cables with the appropriate PoE network switches or injectors. In many cases this allows for easy integration into an existing CAT-5 network where cable is already present. This can cut down on cost by reducing cable runs.

This system can also be used with CCTV / analog security cameras if you also use a network video servers and a network video decoder. The main purpose of the system is to provide a cost effective solution for remote and hard-to-reach camera locations where dredging and cable laying is not practical or is too expensive to do.

CCTV Camera Pros of Boynton Beach, Florida recently partnered with Smart Pro Techs (who cover Palm Beach and Martin Counties as a surveillance installation partner for CCTV Camera Pros). CCTV Camera Pros was contacted recently by an HOA in Boca Raton, Florida to supply and install a surveillance system for a Homeowners Association with a mix of traditional wired analog CCTV Cameras in the Clubhouse and IP cameras paired with wireless transmitters at the two community entrances. The following equipment was used for this project:

• 8 High Resolution IR Dome Cameras for the clubhouse and pool areas
• 4 Outdoor Infrared IP Cameras – two positioned at each entrance to the community on poles
• 2 Wireless Video Surveillance Transmitter Systems – these were used with the outdoor IP cameras to transmitter about 550 feet from 2 poles, back to the clubhouse where the receiving antennas were positions as well as where the recorder is located.
• 1 PC based DVR which was built as a hybrid system for both CCTV and IP cameras

This surveillance system enables the home owners association board members to record video at the clubhouse, pool area, and entrances. It also allows them to view the system remotely over the Internet.

About CCTV Camera Pros
CCTV Camera Pros supplies video surveillance equipment and security cameras nationwide in the USA. We are specialists in the industry and can design a complete system that is easy to use for your HOA community. Please call 888-849-2288 to speak with an engineer or visit www.cctvcamerapros.com to look at more equipment.

About Smart Pro Techs
Smart Pro Techs is an installation partner of CCTV Camera Pros that provides data and surveillance system installation services in Palm Beach and Martin counties of Florida as well as all areas around New York City under their sister company Tel-A-Tech. Please call 888-849-2288 if you would like to get an estimate on surveillance installation for your community or business or fill our our request a quote form.

Wireless Security Camera System

Read More......

Burglar Alarms/ Home Security Systems

Home security systems, burglar alarms, security alarms, there are many different names for systems that are basically designed to protect your home and your family. Although all burglar alarms serve the same basic function, there is a lot of variety out there, and it is a good idea to decide what sort of home security system is best for you before you go out with credit card in hand.


How Home Security Systems/Burglar Alarms Work


All alarm systems have triggers. The two main types of burglar alarms are ones that are tripped when someone breaks an electrical circuit, and alarms that are tripped when motion is detected.


Electric Circuit Burglar Alarms


Alarms that use electrical circuits are the simplest types of alarm systems. They are usually used to guard the perimeter of the house, possible entryways a burglar might use to enter your home. These kind of home security systems can be divided into two types: closed-circuit systems and open-circuit systems.
With closed-circuit systems, the electric circuit remains closed as long as the door is shut. If someone opens the door, the circuit is interrupted, and the alarm is triggered. An open-circuit system is just the opposite; when someone opens the door, the circuit is completed, electricity flows, and the alarm is triggered.


Motion Detectors


Motion detectors are the other main types of home security systems. They are useful for detecting burglars who are already in the house. Motion detectors work by sending out radio energy and monitoring the reflection pattern. If the reflection pattern is disturbed, for example by somebody walking into the room, the alarm is triggered and a signal is sent to the control box.
Motion detectors and open- or closed-circuit alarms can be combined to create a comprehensive home security system.


Categories of Home Security Alarm Systems
Single Premises Alarms


These cheap alarm systems have a single purpose: to warn your family about a specific type of danger. They can include CO detectors, smoke detectors, or battery-operated door wedge alarms.


Local Alarm Systems


When somebody triggers a local alarm system, a siren sounds, warning the house's occupants (and neighbors) of intruders. These kind of alarm systems don't do anything besides activate a siren, however, so if nobody is around to respond to the noise, they may not be that effective. However, the noise alone is often enough to scare away would-be burglars.


Telephone Dialer Systems


The next step up from local alarm systems are telephone dialer systems. These types of alarms dial preprogrammed numbers if the alarm is tripped. From there, the security service is contacted which in turn contacts local police or fire departments and the homeowners. This is all automated. Typically, telephone dialer systems will call up to four numbers and play a prerecorded request for assistance message.


Continually Monitored Security Systems


The most effective (and most expensive) type of burglar alarms are continually monitored security systems. With these types of alarms, tripping the alarm alerts your security monitoring company. Real people in turn call the police/fire department. Some companies will send a security officer to your home to check in on things.
Read More......