Found this great article yesterday and wanted to share it with you. The author discusses several different aspects of spy cameras for home and the options available to you. Thought that might be helpful while you shop for your hidden spy camera.

Many people want to have some kind of spy equipment for better home security. However, besides wireless spy cameras, VCR or DVR systems, there is also special software used to control those surveillance gadgets.

Large companies use professional security systems along with already built in (embedded digital video recorder or PC based DVR soft) spy camera control software. But what about smaller guys? Do you also have to spend thousands of dollars for professional spy security system and software to feel safe and secure in your house? And the answer is not necessarily.

Webcam for Spying Purposes

You have the ability to use your webcam (connected to your PC) as a surveillance tool. And to control it, all you need is inexpensive webcam surveillance software. As a matter of fact, such software allows you to connect more than one camera. It can display as much as 16 webcam views on your computer screen.

Moreover, webcam surveillance software even allows you to detect motion and start capturing an event within milliseconds. This means that you don´t have to keep your webcam surveillance software turned on all the time in order to secure the area. By using motion detection webcams, you can also save your computer´s HDD (hard drive) space.

You know, video takes a lot of hard drive space. Non stop recording for 24 hours can cost you 1GB of HDD space a day. Well, it depends on the chosen image quality. Lower quality images will require less bandwidth. Also, if you set lower FPS (frames per second), then you´ll save even more HDD space.

But if you have a large HDD (like 160GB or more), then there´s nothing to worry about.

What to Look for in Webcam Surveillance Software?

Before you decide to order webcam surveillance software, there are a couple of things to consider. Let´s take a look at some of the features of webcam software that you should seriously consider, ok.

* Audio Capturing – Does your webcam surveillance software have audio capturing option? If not, then you should consider that carefully. If you want to record a conversation, it´s crucial.

* Compressed Files – Does your webcam software compress video files? If not, then the space of your HDD might fill up quickly. Try to search for software that compresses the video without losing its quality.

* Remote Access – This is very important. If you leave your webcam to record the area, you should have the ability to access your webcam´s view via internet connection. This is very neat function that is absolutely must in webcam software.

* Motion Detection – We´ve already mentioned that. Motion detection is also extremely important. You don´t want to record the area when nothing´s going on, right. So make sure that motion sensing is enabled in your software.

* Alert Options – Does the webcam surveillance software have an alert option? Some webcam software alert when they detect something. They can alert via email or even dial a phone number. You should seek for this feature, because it´s very neat.

* Multiple Webcams – Can your surveillance software record a live view from multiple web cameras? 2, 4 or 16? If you want to connect more than one camera to your PC, then multiple webcam support is absolutely must in the software you choose.

* Stealth Mode – Does the webcam software run in stealth mode? Stealth mode means that nobody can see if the software is running or not. Not even if they Press “Ctr+Alt+Del” and look at Windows Task Manager!

Look for webcam surveillance software that allows you to do all or at least most of the functions mentioned above. If your software isn´t capable of detecting motion, doesn´t have alert option, doesn´t have audio recording options, then search for a better solution.

In Conclusion

Webcam software (for spying or home protection purposes) combined with a few inexpensive webcams, can definitely serve as a basic home security system. You can put your webcams in the most important places and have your PC to record each camera´s view. And if motion sensors detect something unusual, they can alert you via email or phone.

However, if you´re really looking for quality and all-in-one solution for professional home protection, then a more powerful DVR security system with multiple spy cameras could be your best shot. Such systems cost over thousand dollars, but they´re ideal for quality home or office protection.

About The Author

Marie Johnson

http://www.guarddogsurveillance.com

This article has a focus on the tech side and specifically the software used to run some large setups. If you are not tech savvy, don’t be intimidated. The advances made recently to spy cameras for home have made the set up and operation very, very easy. For instance, You could get a mini wireless spy camera and be set up and running in minutes with no technological knowledge. These hidden spy cameras record directly to an SD memory card. This card is the same memory card used in digital cameras and camcorders. Great stuff – no wires, no complicated set up, no tech knowledge necessary!

Technorati Tags: hidden spy camera, Mini Wireless Spy Camera, Spy Cameras, wireless spy cameras

Found this article on the web this morning. I think the author has some very good shopping tips, whether you are looking for spy cameras for home or any other product you may want  to purchase on the internet. Check it out and let me know what you think.

How to Buy a Spy Camera in 3 Easy Steps
 by: Roger Wembley

I bet you are frustrated by the lack of information about spy cameras available on the internet. I sure was. There seams like there are just a few big companies who have blown their entire advertising budget to make a big splash. (This includes the X10 camera of the late 90s fame). Spy cameras can come in very handy to anyone who wants one (provided, of course, that they aren’t used for nefarious activities). Spy cameras have tons of legitimate uses, and can come in especially useful for home security measures.

Here’s how I use the internet to shop for a new spy camera.

1) Use multiple search engines to do your shopping. Just because something is featured on Yahoo doesn’t mean that it is featured on Google and vice versa. A lot of the time, advertising bidders are very different on Yahoo and Google for the same keywords. Search different search engines to see different vendors selling on different sites.

2) Use specific shopping search engines like Froogle. Froogle is great because it allows the shopper to select among multiple different vendors who are selling similar products. Froogle is a shopping specific search engine that you can use specifically for your shopping needs. I’ve used Froogle on multiple occasions to compare and contrast the different product I’m looking for. If you can think it up, it’s probably on Froogle somewhere. Spy cameras are certainly no exception.

3) Learn about the ins and outs of spy cameras. Spy cameras come in as many different forms as flavors of ice creams. You can find spy cameras that are basically disposable and spy camera systems that can cost over $1000. Learn all about them and the mistakes that people make when buying them. Points 1 and 2 above definitely can help you make a decision, however getting the real knowledge is what you will use to ensure that you get the best deal possible. Learn all about spy cameras and save yourself a bundle.

About The Author

Roger Wembley is author of “Saving Money on Spy Cameras.” Grab your free copy at http://www.spycameraguide.com.

I hope you enjoyed this article. If you have a minute leave a comment below. Are you looking for a specific spy cameras for home? Let me know and I’m sure I can find what you are looking for.

Technorati Tags: Spy Cameras