Open hidden windows with CCTV in the home
Published Aug 19, 2018 12:00 am
By Pinky Concha Colmenares
Privacy is now being pushed aside by a very popular technology known as the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system all for the purpose of security.
Two years ago, there were some 350 million CCTV security cameras around the world, according to an online store selling what else – CCTV cameras. That number has increased by leaps and bounds because those security camera systems have become more affordable and now come in a variety of designs for specific needs, experts said.
Where I live, most house owners have a CCTV system. And our street also has high-tech CCTV cameras connected to our barangay office.
Very recently, after thwarted break-in, many people have added a 360-degree CCTV camera that is connected to Wi-Fi to show images of many corners of our area – on our mobile phones. We can manipulate the camera from our mobile gadgets to direct its focus on the whole span of the area, even to zoom into a far object.
I know many of our neighbors have also installed their own CCTV systems with motion-sensitive lights that give a better quality to the images it captures. I see many of those small cameras on neighbors’ houses and gates.
CCTV cameras have become a common gadget that you’d find them everywhere – schools, hospitals, churches, offices, restaurants, parking areas, public roads, industrial sites, warehouses, even doctors’ clinics. They are so common that motorists and riders now have their own version of the security monitoring technology in their vehicles, or on their helmets, for motorcycle riders.
The reason for the CCTV camera’s popularity is obvious – security has become a major concern. And with the affordable gadget that can monitor all activities 24/7 now offered in various specifications for specific needs – the CCTV camera has opened hundreds of thousands of hidden windows around us.
In fact, an industry has sprouted around the CCTV security system. There were 34,781 items under CCTV security cameras when I opened Lazada online store recently. There will likely be more than that number by the time you search for the item.
The CCTV system is composed of several cameras and a hard drive to store the images and a playback system to review images. The cameras are usually for different purposes – a dome-style indoor camera that does not show where it is focused, an outdoor camera with night-vision, an all-weather camera, and most of them are motion-sensitive too.
Some cameras can capture audio – so you can eavesdrop on conversation, and some can send an alarm through email or SMS.
On top of those designs, there’s the 360-degree camera that can tilt, scan, and zoom in to a subject – and transmit those images through the Internet to one’s mobile phone or gadget. As if that is not enough to satisfy the requirements of security monitoring, there are also cameras disguised as ordinary furnishings – a desk clock, a piece of wall décor – that can be installed through a strong magnet on the unit on any metal surface and wirelessly transmit the images taken when motion is detected.
There’s no stopping the development of more specific – and innovative – security cameras that will open millions more “hidden windows” around the world.
Two years ago, there were some 350 million CCTV security cameras around the world, according to an online store selling what else – CCTV cameras. That number has increased by leaps and bounds because those security camera systems have become more affordable and now come in a variety of designs for specific needs, experts said.
Where I live, most house owners have a CCTV system. And our street also has high-tech CCTV cameras connected to our barangay office.
Very recently, after thwarted break-in, many people have added a 360-degree CCTV camera that is connected to Wi-Fi to show images of many corners of our area – on our mobile phones. We can manipulate the camera from our mobile gadgets to direct its focus on the whole span of the area, even to zoom into a far object.
I know many of our neighbors have also installed their own CCTV systems with motion-sensitive lights that give a better quality to the images it captures. I see many of those small cameras on neighbors’ houses and gates.
CCTV cameras have become a common gadget that you’d find them everywhere – schools, hospitals, churches, offices, restaurants, parking areas, public roads, industrial sites, warehouses, even doctors’ clinics. They are so common that motorists and riders now have their own version of the security monitoring technology in their vehicles, or on their helmets, for motorcycle riders.
The reason for the CCTV camera’s popularity is obvious – security has become a major concern. And with the affordable gadget that can monitor all activities 24/7 now offered in various specifications for specific needs – the CCTV camera has opened hundreds of thousands of hidden windows around us.
In fact, an industry has sprouted around the CCTV security system. There were 34,781 items under CCTV security cameras when I opened Lazada online store recently. There will likely be more than that number by the time you search for the item.
The CCTV system is composed of several cameras and a hard drive to store the images and a playback system to review images. The cameras are usually for different purposes – a dome-style indoor camera that does not show where it is focused, an outdoor camera with night-vision, an all-weather camera, and most of them are motion-sensitive too.
Some cameras can capture audio – so you can eavesdrop on conversation, and some can send an alarm through email or SMS.
On top of those designs, there’s the 360-degree camera that can tilt, scan, and zoom in to a subject – and transmit those images through the Internet to one’s mobile phone or gadget. As if that is not enough to satisfy the requirements of security monitoring, there are also cameras disguised as ordinary furnishings – a desk clock, a piece of wall décor – that can be installed through a strong magnet on the unit on any metal surface and wirelessly transmit the images taken when motion is detected.
There’s no stopping the development of more specific – and innovative – security cameras that will open millions more “hidden windows” around the world.