Wireless Technology in the Security Industry

Wireless technology has recently inundated the security industry. It can save time and money on installation, but does it offer the same level of security as a hard-wired system?

Whenever new technology is released into an industry, it is usually welcomed with skepticism. Wireless technology has recently inundated the security industry. It can save time and money on installation, but does it offer the same level of security as a hard-wired system? Here are some considerations on wireless security equipment.

Quality equipment is still important, especially with wireless devices. Do your research, and use only quality brands.

The rules are changing. You can now disarm a system with a RF key chain. Some ethical and systematic issues are now coming into play. (example: what if your key chain is lost? can you erase it as a disarming device?)

Does it monitor it's operational status and battery life? Why have a wireless smoke detector if you don't have confidence that it will be functional when there's a fire?

Are there compatibility issues between the device and other parts of the system. What options does the wireless device offer to supply the level of security you require. Wireless or wired, there are going to be vulnerabilities.

Do the research to see if anyone has reviewed the equipment on a blog or in an article. If someone feels they have a bad wireless system, they will likely complain about it on the internet. You can also review the websites, and look for specification sheets.

http://www.protec-alarm.com - Progressive Technology Security Systems, Inc. has been installing Alarm Systems in California for over 2 Decades. Learn more about security system installation.

Fuji SLR Camera Profile - The Fujifilm Finepix S3100

Fujifilm Finepix S3100 is a 4-megapixel SLR camera with up to six times optical zoom. Many user reviews say that the FinePix S3100 produces quality photos which look great even when enlarged to 8x10 dimensions, granted that you operate the camera correctly. Many users also point out that the camera needs around three seconds of "machine warmup" before your subject appears in the viewfinder or LCD screen. This 3-second delay holds true for 16mb memory cards, but users say that the delay increases with larger memory cards. This delay may not be a big deal to most users, but it can prevent you from taking spontaneous shots.

The FinePix S3100 has a viewfinder that is pretty accurate, but you may also toggle the image to the 1.5-inch LCD screen with just a push of a dedicated button at the back of the camera. The S3100 also has auto-focus and auto-exposure, which you can access and turn on by pushing the shutter button halfway for a couple of seconds until a confirmation on the adjustments appears. Then you can push the button all the way down and take a picture. It's recommended to use the automatic adjustments because sometimes failing to do so results in not-so-great-looking pictures.

The downside to using the auto-adjustments feature is that the image in the LCD or viewfinder freezes for a second or two, so it's an ineffective way of taking action shots or photos of moving subjects. This is why the S3100 itself is not recommended for those who intend to use their camera mostly for action or spontaneous photography. The camera has five picture size or quality settings and three sharpness settings or levels to choose from. There are also four scene modes: night, portrait, red-eye reduction, and synchro flash modes which includes suppressed or forced flash modes.

The S3100 also allows you to take short video clips but without sound. The camera comes with a 16mb memory card which will allow you to save eight high-quality pictures or 16 medium-quality ones. If you're a beginner and you're decided on getting the Fujifilm FinePix S3100, you need not worry about knowing how it works because the 100-page manual discusses in detail how you can perform different operations.

Finepix S3100 is dubbed by many as the ideal Fuji SLR camera for the in-between types of photographers. By in-between we mean those who are neither beginners nor professional photographers. Professional photographers may not like the S3100 because manual adjustment of settings is limited, and some first-time SLR camera users may find the S3100 a bit complicated. People who prefer point-and-shoot type cameras might find the S3100 to be a bit troublesome.

Getting the perfect camera, is never an easy thing, especially with the way digital technology is constantly changing. Fortunately, there are plenty of helpful websites online, that can narrow down your search and help you find the camera with all the features important to you.

Which Camera System is the Best for Your Home Surveillance?

As soon as you start thinking of setting up your Home Surveillance you realize that the Camera, however important, is but one element of a System. Which is therefore the Camera System you should select?

As in so many other fields of human activity, the answer, unfortunately, is always the same. "It depends..." But this answer gives you freedom of choice and the opportunity to personalize your selection, making it the most suitable to your unique circumstances.

The simplest system permits only to monitor camera views in real time (that is without recording). Such a system is adequate for checking the entrance door (or any other fixed place), for monitoring the sleep of a baby in the cradle or the games of the kids in the yard (if they do not run out of view...).

Whenever real time monitoring is not sufficient for surveillance purposes one should select a suitable recorder. For examining recorded tape footage on the premises, that is when there is no need to view from a distance, analog technology based on one of the available types of tape recorders is adequate.

A tape recorder will be suitable if the time available between cassette changes (two to four hours) is sufficient to suit your needs. Otherwise special time-lapse recorders can be obtained that conserve tape by sampling images at pre selected intervals.

The system becomes more complex if more than one camera sends images to monitor and recorder. In this case one of the two following solutions is available. Either one can sample in sequence (using an automatic switcher) every camera in turn or, using a Multiplexer, one can examine multiple reduced views on the same monitor.

But if images must be seen at a distance using the Internet, then the analog technology is not suitable any more. One must go digital to permit manipulation of images by software as in Personal Computers or in specially designed dedicated DVR (Digital Video Recorder) hardware.

Besides allowing transmission, digital technology permits software compression of files resulting in economic use of hard disk drive memory for many hours of continuous recording.

A PC based digital video system is programmed through software while a DVR is set up with a kind of hand held remote controller.

A PC uses a digital screen while a normal analog monitor is used for hardware DVR (although images are digitized for manipulation and recording).

A PC system can easily be expanded later should the need arise, while the rigid construction of hardware DVR is not readily amenable to further additions.

To select the most suitable Camera System for home surveillance one should think about the actual needs and one should answer the following questions as correctly as possible to narrow down the search.

Is the system needed only to monitor views in real time?

Is analog video cassette recording technology adequate? (No Internet).

How many camera views should be available?

If recording is needed, will sampling of images at intervals be sufficient?

Is a multiplexer needed for monitoring at once all camera views?

Is there a need to observe the views from a distance through Internet?

Would you be comfortable with PC programming?

In conclusion the selection of the best Camera System for you depends on the answers to these questions.

Elia Levi is a retired engineer. He built a website to assist with a step-by-step Guide to understand, design, select and set up, all by yourself the best and least expensive surveillance system for your home security. Read more on the subject of this article at http://www.1st-diy-home-surveillance-guide.com/Camera-systems.html

Advances in Digital Camera Technology

Digital Photography has been around for a good few years now and the days of film cameras must surely be numbered. Of course there will always be those who do not want to embrace the 'new' thing, but for most 'digital photography' is the only way forward. There is a continual advancing of technology in the digital camera field and I have noted a few of the newer concepts below.

Megapixel count

Not too long ago (a few years) my 1.3mp digital camera seemed to do the trick and took some good photographs which I could print out on A4 paper. As time went by the amount of megapixels on cameras started to rise and 5mp was considered really good. The camera I use now has 6mp and does a great job. However, the megapixel count used in dslr cameras continues to grow and the standard amount has now gone past 10mp to 12mp and some have 15mp or even 20mp!! When will it end, or will it??

It is said that you should buy a camera that has at least 6mp and I think that if you can afford one that has 10-12mp you have the capability to take really great photos which can be enlarged quite substantially without any loss of quality.

Camera shake reduction

This is a fairly recent addition to digital cameras and works really well when you find that hand movements start to cause camera shake as you go to take a picture. There are 2 main methods of providing the shake reduction. One is to have the mechanism in the lens being used, and the other to have it in the camera body itself. If using a camera body which has the shake reduction  incorporated within then that means that it can be used with any lens whereas if using stabilised lenses each lens used on the camera would need to have it. 

Sensor self-cleaning

The heart of the digital camera is the sensor and eventually some dust will find its way onto it. There are many solutions given for this for cameras which have no self cleaning mechanism.

Microscopic dust particles can get on your digital SLR sensor when you remove the camera lens. This dust shows up in every photo that you take. Self-cleaning sensors vibrate to prevent and eliminate  digital SLR sensor dust. This self cleaning was added a few years ago and does away with the need to remove lenses and get cleaning materials etc. to remove the dust which can be very awkward for the aspiring photographer.

Live View

This is where you can get a view of the intended photograph on the large LCD window on the back of the camera in contrast to being able to look through the viewfinder.

For many years the function of live view was the feature of all compact digital cameras. There was no popular SLR with this function. That has now changed and a few of the main manufacturers are introducing it to their SLR ranges.

JPEG & RAW capability

JPEG  is probably the most popular type of image used on digital cameras now. One of the drawbacks is that it is a lousy image which means that you get degradation of the photo the more cropping and resizing is done on it. RAW on the other hand is the digital equivalent of the old 'negative' and allows far more scope for adjustment on the photograph. RAW files are big and can take up a fair amount of room, so large storage mediums are essential. One good thing that a few of the better digital SLR's have is the ability to take a RAW and JPEG file of each photo you take. This gives you the option of keeping the JPEG as is or doing some work on the RAW image as required.

These are some of the more recent innovations to DSLR cameras. There undoubtedly will be more and it will be interesting to see the next few advances in the technology in the foreseeable future.

This article was written by Alan Seel who is a keen photographer. If you are interested in finding out about how to make money from your photographs, then you must visit http://onlinephotostop.blogspot.com where I explain one method of doing so.