SecuritySafe

Digital Ally Developing Glasses-Mounted Bullet Camera For Police Officers

0 comments on this article Posted by admin in Law Enforcement on November 24th, 2014 , tagged with Bullet Camera, Digital Ally, Glasses-Mounted, law enforcement, Police.

Digital Ally, Inc. is responsible for the development, manufacturing and marketing of advanced video surveillance products specifically for law enforcement, homeland security and commercial applications and, a couple of months ago, announced that it would introduce a bullet camera option for its FirstVu HD officer-worn video system.
According to a statement from CEO of Digital Ally Stanton E. Ross, “While the wide-angle lens of our torso-mounted camera allows for a comprehensive view of an incident, the bullet camera provides greater insight into where an officer was specifically looking during events in the field. In this respect, the bullet camera is similar to our FirstVu HD’s helmet mount, but it can be attached to a pair of glasses or an officer’s hat.”
Ross went on to say, “The new bullet camera provides another option in the extensive array of possible mounting locations for our FirstVu HD body camera system, which will now be able to meet the needs of law enforcement agencies regardless of their specific body-worn camera policies. Our bullet camera is smaller and lighter than other eyeglass-mounted options currently on the market and is therefore more comfortable to wear.”
“The bullet camera also works with our patented VuLink connectivity device,” Ross continued, “which allows hands-free activation for the body camera system, thereby enhancing the safety of officers in the field and eliminating distractions that can result from having to manually turn on some of our competitors’ body cameras.”
In closing, Ross noted, “Currently, over 1,300 law enforcement agencies/departments are either using or evaluating our FirstVu HD body camera system. We firmly believe that state, county and city police departments should consider the value proposition of the FirstVu HD system, and our other video solutions, as part of their due diligence regarding options available in the marketplace.”
Specifications of the bullet camera include:

130º wide-angle field of view
Ability to capture Officer’s field of view
.08 Lux low-light sensitivity
Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) recording
720p HD resolution
Advanced H.264 compression

Digital Ally’s FirstVu HD is currently the most technically advanced officer-worn body camera system on the market and has features that include:

Turns on automatically with emergency lights in cruiser
Eliminates distractions with having to manually turn on camera
Can activate in-car video system within a 200-foot range
Longer pre-event recording time
Rechargeable battery with 2.5 day lifespan
User replaceable battery
Larger memory for increased recording
Cloud and local storage
Free app to add notes, GPS and event tagging, incident recordings, ability to display live view or playback recordings, secure access to camera controls, etc…

Cameras are paramount in a lot of legal disputes as they are the perfect eye witness. Cameras are mounted in police cruisers for recording things like traffic stops and other incidents and are used as evidence frequently. A body-mounted or glasses-mounted bullet camera allows for more evidence to be gathered, especially if an officer has to step away from his cruiser. This could also be paramount in cases such as the one in Ferguson, Missouri where there are two very different sides to events that unfolded.

Hacked Security Cameras And Baby Monitors

0 comments on this article Posted by Kyle Stamper in Baby Monitor, Camera Commentary, Home Security, Tips on November 20th, 2014 , tagged with Hacked Cameras, home security.

If you own a webcam, baby monitor, or even a home security camera, you may need to change your password. A website has been discovered, exposing live feeds of hundreds of thousands of camera using the default usernames and passwords. This can create many privacy issues when your camera is in your home watching a young child.

The best defense against these attacks is simply, change your password to a more secure password. A more secure password does not guarantee that your surveillance system could not be hacked, however, it makes it much harder on the person doing the hacking. Virtual and physical thieves and intruders will move on if breaking into your home, computer, camera, or even phone takes too much time.
How do you make a more secure password? Don’t worry, we have you covered. Check out our blog post about how to create a secure password.

Audio Surveillance – Beginner’s Guide

0 comments on this article Posted by Kyle Stamper in Audio, Business Surveillance, Camera Commentary, Camera Security on November 13th, 2014 , tagged with Audio, audio cameras, audio surveillance.

Audio Surveillance is an option to consider when purchasing a surveillance system and can be a great tool in legal disputes. However, there are a few laws, locally and nationally, to consider when purchasing a surveillance system with an audio option. Laws aside, a microphone can allow business owners and operators a significant tool to keep their business, employees, and customers safe. But what are the law for audio surveillance? Can you have audio capability anywhere you want? Can you use it with your current system? And how do you know if you need an audio option?
We do urge that you consult your local government for audio surveillance details in your area.
Audio Surveillance Laws And Regulation
When we are discussing audio surveillance, we are talking about a surveillance camera with a microphone built in or an external microphone attached to a surveillance system. These types of systems have a few laws to help protect an individual or group of individuals’ privacy.
Audio surveillance laws vary from state to state but all have the same basic guidelines to follow. Depending on your state, if you wish to record a person to person conversation, you will need the consent of either one or all parties involved in the communication. Most states allow recording with the consent of one party but states like California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington require the consent of all party members included in the conversation.
These laws apply to private areas where the parties involved expect privacy. These include, but not limited to, bathrooms, changing rooms, bedrooms, and closets. Public places such as, retail stores, restaurants, or shopping malls allow the freedom to record audio without consent. With these two extremes, there is a question of office buildings or spaces and if it is legal to record audio with employee conversations with each other or with customers. This again depends on the state where you would like to record that audio. For prevent liability, having employees sign a consent form stating that they are under recorded and video surveillance could help prevent any issues. If you reside in a state where a consent form is required of all parties involved, legally you are not allowed to record a person to person conversation between an employee and customer. Recording that conversation could be dismissed in court, depending on the state the recording took place.
Audio Capability
There are many ways to install audio to your surveillance system. Whether or not you are working with an existing surveillance system, or thinking about purchasing a new system, there are a couple ways to add audio. A lot of surveillance systems today have cameras with built in audio options. These cameras can range from 1 megapixel to even 3 or 5 megapixel cameras. If you already have a surveillance system and want to add audio, you can find a compatible mic to attach to your surveillance system or create an audio system that just collects the audio separate from the video of your surveillance system. Depending on your network speeds and bandwidth, some people prefer the separate microphone option.
Do You Need Audio Surveillance
Audio surveillance, comes with a lot of perks, one being to have a recording of an incident in question and being able to get the full story without relying on someone else’s word over another. If you are looking to add audio to your home, just keep in mind the security risks if someone were able to hack into your surveillance system. This is always the risk with any form of technology. If you are wanting to add audio to a business, you should consider two variables, the type of business and your employees. Certain businesses should not have audio to protect customers and employees. A bank or doctors office may want to think more on audio capability to protect their customer’s personal information. Businesses with verbal deals and communications, for example, a car dealership, can benefit from audio surveillance.
You also want to keep in mind of your employees. Is it in their best interest to keep them on constant audio surveillance? Will your employees be comfortable with audio surveillance? If an audio application is best fit for you and your employee’s needs and security, each employee should sign a consent form showing they are aware of the audio device and its purpose.
Closing Thoughts
Audio surveillance is a great tool for many applications and can be very useful for business owners and managers. Audio surveillance and video surveillance allows business owners and managers the capability to understand and observe an incident or series of incidents without any outside information from the parties involved. A video surveillance system alone is a great investment for any size business, but adding audio can increase your investments value.
For more surveillance needs please visit Camera Security Now and check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+
***The information provided in this blog post is provided for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.***

People Could Be Watching You If Your Cameras Are Not Password Protected

0 comments on this article Posted by Jake Nolan in Business Surveillance, Camera Commentary, Camera installation on November 12th, 2014 , tagged with camera, passwords, security, watching.

If you haven’t been making the conscious effort to check your security cameras on a regular basis, chances are that someone else has taken it upon themselves to do it for you… in a bad way.
Your privacy could be at risk, and it’s not because of some new hack or malware that has come out. Many people are at risk just because they don’t change the settings when they connect their camera to the internet. This is the case for home security systems and corporate security systems. They all use a pretty generic IP address and unsafe websites from the start, and all you need to gain access is the username. And I hate to tell you, but the username is almost always “admin” until you change it yourself. It’s kind of like when you first buy a new router for your Wi-Fi connection.

There are actually a few websites that have lists of all of the open webcams all over the world. Insecam.com has a list of over 73,000 webcams across the world that are completely open for anyone to do with what they wish. The website doesn’t even include laptop webcams or any type of computer or USB webcam, it is literally just completely open security cameras. That should tell you right there how vulnerable you really could be. The idea behind the site is to remind you how important it is to change your settings and your password. It seems a little bit extreme that they would expose every single camera across the world, and it also seems like they are trying to do more harm than good. But, at the same time, people need to understand the cold hard truth about how serious it is.
There are also ways that you can do a simple Google search and find open webcams. Anyone can do it. If you have ever felt uneasy or that someone may be watching you, you could be right! If you haven’t checked out your security camera settings for a while then you should probably just check and make sure that everything is secure and password protected.

Important! Change Your Default Password

0 comments on this article Posted by Kyle Stamper in Camera Commentary, Camera Security, Home Cameras, Home Security on November 10th, 2014 , tagged with Camera Security, home security, Password Security.

Is any password a a good password? Does a default password still provide a comfortable amount of security? The quick answer is an absolute, no. You should never keep the default password on any device you have because each default password is easily discovered just by a simple search. So you want to change your password, but what password should you pick and why?
Why Change Your Password
Keeping your default password on your surveillance system or another device keeps you vulnerable to a virtual invasion. For example, there are multiple websites that know the default passwords to certain surveillance devices and stream live videos of all someones cameras across the internet. Some locations can be harmless like the lobby of a restaurant, but other devices are located in bedrooms and watching newborns in their crib. Some of the websites found show a longitude and latitude of signal and can expose your home.
How To Create A Better Password
Some people believe making a secure password means they have to make a password even they couldn’t remember. When in reality, that makes someone less secure. If you can’t remember your own password, you write it down or save it on a word file on your desktop. Suddenly, someone comes across your list of passwords and uses them to their advantage. So What makes a good password that is secure and easy to use? Here are a few tips to help secure your surveillance system and other devices.

Make Your Password At Least 10 Characters Long: Most websites recommend 8 characters when the U.S. government has been recommending 15 character passwords for years. Most of us my sigh at the thought of a 15 character password but it isn’t as hard as you think. One suggestion is to make a 15 word phrase. For example, “I graduated in 2010 with my Bachelors in science from the University of Chicago”. That phrase would make a 14 character password, Igi2wmBisftUfC.
Don’t Use Whole Words: Using whole words, or names, can easily be guessed especially if you have a security question to help remember your password. There is even software out there that helps guess passwords with the use of dictionary words and numbers.
Don’t Use One Password: Using the same password for each account, device, and secure question will open yourself up for an invasion of privacy and even robbery. Use different passwords for different accounts to help keep yourself more secure.

Closing Thoughts
Some devices don’t need a password even the NSA couldn’t figure out, for example, your kid’s IPad who plays Angry Birds. You do how ever need to keep those devices that are used or store private and sensitive information secure. Your home surveillance system and your computer are the first things you should have secured with your own password immediately.
For more security tips, tricks, and advice, please visit us on our website, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+

Security Cameras in your Neighborhood

0 comments on this article Posted by Mike Luciano in Accident, Audio, Camera Commentary, Camera install, Camera installation, Camera Security, Home Cameras, Home Security, Home Surveillance, Lawsuit Prevention, Monitoring, Prevent Theft, security camera, Theft Prevention, Tips on November 7th, 2014 , tagged with Neighborhood, Neighborhood Surveillance, Neighborhood Watch, Residential Surveillance, Security Camera System, surveillance system.

It’s not uncommon to see security camera systems on city blocks and at traffic signals. We see them in homes and businesses as well. There’s one place you might not expect to see them, you’re very own neighborhood. No, I’m not talking about seeing them on certain houses. I’m talking about actually seeing them on your neighborhood streets and light posts. Does it give you the creeps that someone might be watching your every move in your neighborhood? Security cameras are definitely giving new meaning to the term, “neighborhood watch”, that’s for sure.
Are security cameras helping, or hurting neighborhoods. That depends on your point of view.
Why Do Neighborhoods install security cameras?
Why do neighborhoods have security cameras installed? For safety and security. Having a sense of safety in a business is a very big deal for employees. Having that same sense of safety in the neighborhood is very important to its residents.
99 times out or 100 your neighborhood doesn’t need a security camera system. Neighborhoods are generally safe. For added security to property, family and visitors a security camera is a good choice. Fact is when security cameras are present, crime declines. Vandalism and theft are big concerns. Having these cameras in place helps give a sense of ease, safety, and comfort.
Privacy Concerns
This issue might be the biggest concern of all for the residents of the neighborhood. Residents want to feel protected without having their privacy invaded. Residents are not going to want to have cameras pointed directly into their homes. Cameras should only be placed on streets or neighborhood parks. Any place that could be considered public property could have a camera installed. If a camera is installed to view a particular part of a neighborhood, but ends up invading residential privacy the camera should be pointed away from the private property.
Keeping neighborhood areas under surveillance shouldn’t mean that privacy gets put at risk. Cameras are installed to keep people save by monitoring areas for vandalism and other types of criminal activity. You want to feel safe in your own neighborhood, security cameras should be considered.

Hide Spare Keys From Burglars

0 comments on this article Posted by Kyle Stamper in Accident, Home Security, Tips on November 5th, 2014 , tagged with Hidden Key, home security, Spare Key, tips.

We all know the basic key hiding routines of hiding it under the door mat, taped inside the mailbox, under flowerpots and rocks, or even hiding them in fake rocks. Unfortunately, this is a trick that every home invader knows all too well and creates a dangerous situation for you. We all should hide a spare key around in case we lock ourselves out of the house, or even in case a family member needs inside while you are not home. But how can you keep your home safe and still have an easily accessible spare key for your home? We will discuss new alternatives to hiding your spare key.
Get To Know The Neighbors
Everyone enjoys nice and respectful neighbors and some of us are very social with our neighbors. If you feel like you have a neighbor you can trust, ask if they will hold onto a spare key for you. This does add the risk of others having access to your home so make sure you are wise on your choice of neighbor. Also, if you do have friends, neighbors, or family with your spare keys, keep the pool of trusted people small to prevent issues with trust.
Try Underground
Another alternative to hide a spare key is to hide it in a pill bottle and bury it a couple inches underground in an easy access location. You will want to hide the container a couple of inches underground, easy enough to dig out, but not noticeable to home invaders. Some people glue rocks, pine cones, or other natural debris on top of the pill bottle to make it easier to find and pull out of the ground.
Use Your Car
The most genius method of hiding your spare key involves using your car. You don’t want to keep a spare key in your car because if someone breaks into your car, they can break into your home. But you can use the license plate to hide the spare key behind. It is pretty simple, you’ll just need to have a key with a key hole big enough to put a screw in. Remove a couple of screws that hold your license plate, put the key behind the screw hole and screw the license plate and key to your car.
Closing Thoughts
We have all locked ourselves out of the house and realize we should have an easy access to a spare key, then we consider climbing in through the window. But we want to make sure our homes are still secure with a spare key out and available somewhere. Keeping your spare key available to only trustworthy people will help keep security at a high and your risk at a minimum.

Your Phone, Or Other Mobile Device, Could Help Your Security Camera System More Than You’d Think

0 comments on this article Posted by Mike Luciano in Accident, Audio, Baby Monitor, Bartender Theft, Business Surveillance, Camera Security, Construction site, Do it yourself Cameras, Gas Station, Home Cameras, Home Surveillance, Lawsuit Prevention, Loss Prevention, Monitoring, Prevent Theft, Remote View, security camera, Theft Prevention on October 30th, 2014 , tagged with Box Camera, Bullet Camera, Digital Video Recorder, Dome Camera, dvr, Mobile Devices, Remote Viewing, Servers, Smartphone.

Remember the days when you had to have someone constantly sitting behind a large wall of monitors to constantly keep an eye on everything that your security cameras are showing? It seems not that long ago to be honest. In such a short time, we’ve come so far ahead of where we were in terms of our security cameras and features. We have new ways of keeping ourselves safe and our valuables secure. We’ve finally entered into the mobile world of technology, and thus, our security measures have done so as well. No, this doesn’t that you can take your large room of monitors with you wherever you go, but you still have a monitor with you right now.
In fact, it’s probably in your pocket right as you’re reading this.

It’s Called Remote Viewing

Are you familiar with the term remote viewing? Some of you may be aware of this term, while others might be in the dark. The fact is that many of the security camera developers know that we are in the mobile technology age. We don’t have the time to just stay in one spot anymore. We are constantly moving and on the go. However, because of the fact that we are always moving now, it makes it easier for theft, vandalism, and other criminal activities to happen. This is where the security camera developers decided to step in and give us something to help us feel a bit more safe, and it’s called “Remote Viewing”. While this feature may not be new to some, it’s still very invaluable in keeping everyone at ease. With this feature, you can view your security camera’s feeds directly from any mobile device.

Keep Your Security Feed Right In Your Pocket

Now, security truly is mobile. You can even view your feeds directly from you phone, or tablet. Just about every business man and woman have their phone on them at all times. The security of a business is just as important as the profit of a business. Whether you use your phone or a tablet, you can access your security camera’s feeds at any time… as long as there is an internet connection. If you have that and a powerful enough mobile device, you can see what your security camera sees no matter the time. We have the internet, and Digital Video Recorders to thank for that. The use of DVRs with security camera technology is what makes remote viewing possible.

Your DVR Is Important

The days of keeping all of your security camera footage on tape have gone away. Everything is digital now. All of your footage is now stored digitally on these servers. This allows access to the feeds from any device that can access the servers themselves. The DVR is essentially the gatekeeper to all of your footage. That means that your servers need to have enough storage space to keep all of the footage that you need. As long as your DVR is secure and you have proper internet access. The fact that these DVR will also be recording all of your footage means that you can go back to it at any time, even from your mobile devices.

The fact that we have come as far as we’ve come with our technology to allow features like this to exist really says something about how much more serious we are about our security measures. We want to make sure that our businesses are safe, and we want to ensure that our customers feel safe. No matter the camera that you’re using in your security camera system, whether it be a box camera or a bullet camera, make sure that you are taking full advantage of features like Remote Viewing.
Who knew that your phone could help you keep watch over your business!

You Can Now Detect Hidden Cameras With Your Phone

0 comments on this article Posted by Jake Nolan in Business Surveillance, Camera Commentary, Camera Security on October 26th, 2014 .

Technology has come so far in the past few years that we rely on it for everything. Security cameras are getting better every day, and they are getting smaller every day. Now, security cameras can be so small that you literally would never even see them. Not only that, but they are all very accessible, so anyone who wants one can get their hands on them.

Sometimes there is no real way to detect a hidden security camera. They can be as small as the tip of a ballpoint pen and the only thing that needs to be exposed is the lens in order to see everything around it. Despite this fact, you still shouldn’t have to be a voyeur victim, and you shouldn’t have to worry all the time about who or what is recording you. Along with security cameras getting better every day, so has other technology. There are now hidden camera detection apps available for both Android and iPhone.
No matter how well hidden a camera may be, there is no way to hide from these apps. It is crazy to think that your smartphone could do something so cool, but it’s true. You press one button and it shoots out IR beams, allowing you to see the reflection of any camera lens at all. What would have been completely invisible before will be right out in the open.
Things are a lot different than they used to be, but you don’t ever have to feel unsafe, and you don’t ever have to be a victim. I would suggest getting on your phone’s app store and checking out all of the options available!

Home Security For Halloween

0 comments on this article Posted by Kyle Stamper in Accident, Camera Commentary, Prevent Theft, Remote View on October 17th, 2014 , tagged with Halloween, Holiday security, home security.

The air is starting to get cold, the leaves are changing colors, and everyone is rushing to get ready for the spookiest time of the year, Halloween. Halloween is meant for the fun of costumes, candy, and even Halloween parties, but some people like to like to hide in the extra cover of all the fun and excitement and attack us when we are vulnerable. We have listed a small list of safety precautions you can take to during Halloween.

Lighting

Most Halloween events take place late at night and end much later. To prevent someone from breaking in your home, or a young teenager egging your windows, you should keep on plenty of outdoor lights. Most criminals (big and small) don’t want to get caught, and lighting is the easiest way to get caught in the middle of the night.

Security Cameras

No one person can watch their security cameras all day. But being able to keep an eye on your home should be ideal. And in the possibility of you having a home break in, or vandalism, you would have video evidence of who came into your home.

Close Doors and Windows

No matter what neighborhood you live in, you should always lock your doors and windows at night. If you live in a two story home, your not going to see someone climb into your second story window because it causes too much attention, but all the first floor windows and doors are easy access points to your home. Don’t think that just because there is a screen window, that no one will try and climb in.