My wife kept telling me that jewelry and other items were missing from her room. I kept telling her that she was imagining this as she always seems to misplace things. We have a dog walker and a housekeeper, who have access to the house, but they have been with us for years and obviously we could not confront them without proof. I decided to install your system in my closet where we kept jewelry. We put the system in on Thursday and went out of town. I asked my daughter to check the computer while we were gone to see if anything happens. Sure enough, the next day, she calls frantic telling me the housekeeper was on tape taking jewelry. I confronted her and she admitted that she had been taking things for years and gave back to us many of the things and paid us for the items that she no longer had. This system, which was so simple to install, paid for itself in one day. Great product, great customer service. I am putting more cameras throughout the house and am a customer for life.
October 24, 2007
September 13, 2007
A few tips on camera placement for small business
The power and value of digital video security saves us from wasting loads of time watching hours of live video feeds. Rather, we can simply review recorded motion-based events whenever time permits. This time economy, believe it or not, is an important fact to consider when planning the camera placement for your small business.
Another important fact to consider is the behavior of your customers and the walking/working patterns of your employees. Take a few moments to analyze your customer’s and employee’s behavior. Because we are not typically monitoring live video all of the time, we want to place cameras in the most strategic places where they can provide detailed, recorded video of every person that visits the business.
In my small coffee shop, for example, I calculated that 80% of my customers end up at the cash register; 15% go straight to a table to meet a friend or to use the wireless Internet connection; and 5% come in to use my bathroom or ask directions. And at the end of their purchase or stay, 70% exit the front door while the rest leave through the side door.
Regarding my employee’s behavior, I learned that the bulk of their time is spent at the register, along the food prep line, and in the kitchen.
Taking all this analysis into consideration, I determined that I must have a camera focused on the register, a camera that sees the customers as they leave the store from both doors, and a camera viewing the employees on the food prep line and in the kitchen.
During the camera placement process, keep in mind that we are setting the cameras up to gather video data that will most likely be reviewed at a later time. Knowing this may help you place your cameras in locations that will guarantee you capture high-quality, close-up video of every person that visits the store on a daily basis. Using one camera with a wide angle lens may give you the most overall coverage, though it might provide little detail when reviewing recorded video.
Also consider your store’s infrastructure when placing cameras. For example, if your business is a small storefront with lots of glass windows, you should use a few of the same principals of photography when setting up your cameras. For example, don’t stand in the sun while photographing someone standing in the shade, and visa versa. Because of this, avoid mounting Indoor cameras 10’ inside the store pointing at the glass windows. To see the patrons entering your business with the least amount of glare, mount the camera from the side of the entry looking in. This angle will be more than sufficient to capture a great, quality profile video. Another camera mounted above or to the side of the front door looking into the store will also capture great video of customers as they leave, alleviating any excess backlight that would compromise video quality.
Click on the image below to see a larger view of a typical camera layout for small business. And feel free to ask me questions related to your application.
August 22, 2007
August 02, 2007
May 25, 2007
May 16, 2007
It's better than wireless
How can the WiLife Video Security System be better than wireless you ask? First, let me state a simple fact: Ask any propeller head and they will tell you that a hardwire connection is always more secure and reliable than a wireless connection. It is this simple fact that makes the WiLife Video Security System better than wireless – WiLife uses your existing electrical wires to provide a secure hardwired connection back to your PC. So, even though there’s no new wire to run, you enjoy the security and stability of a hardwire connection over the powerline.
Now, consider the fact that every surveillance camera requires a permanent AC power source. Many people commonly make the mistake of thinking that a wireless security camera has absolutely no wires attached to it. But in reality, it’s only the video feed that they are referring to as wireless. AC power is still required to drive the electrical components of the camera. Yes, you can buy battery operated cameras. However, they’re not a permanent solution because they only provide video for a few hours before they need to be recharged or have their batteries replaced.
What about analog wireless cameras, you ask? Are you kidding me? Analog wireless cameras are just plain silly for permanent surveillance use. These cameras use 2.4 GHz frequencies to openly broadcast video through the airwaves back to a receiver. What this means is that if you hook up any analog wireless camera (such as an X-10) up in your home or office, anyone in the vicinity who is set up to see wireless cameras will be viewing video straight from your wireless cameras. So much for security.
Besides being very difficult to setup, networked wireless cameras are also susceptible to video theft. Studies suggest that an overwhelming majority of America's home wireless networks lack sufficient protection from outside intruders. According to figures from Gartner, some 80 percent of U.S. residential wireless local area networks, or WLANs, will classify as "unsecured" by 2007. The Stamford, Conn.-based research company contends that 70 percent of successful attacks on home wireless systems through 2006 will be the direct result of improperly configured WLAN access points and mismanaged client software. Scary stuff!
This is why we at WiLife have spent nearly five years optimizing and end-to-end solution that securely transmits IP video over existing electrical wires. No new wires to pull and yet they deliver the stability of hardwire connections. And thanks to built-in HomePlug encryption you’re always secure. The result: no wireless security issues to deal with. Thus, and I stress, better than wireless.
