Hidden Wireless Camera for Protection or for Entertainment

A property under constant surveillance will be much more secure. A hidden wireless camera can be used to detect intruders or simply installed for your own amusement or curiosity. Who are what is turning over the trash cans? A bunch of kids getting in trouble or a pack of raccoons? The point of the wireless video technology is its versatility, making it applicable to many imaginative purposes. The same camera that can help you to make your home more secure can also be trained on your bird feeder or set up to monitor the kids while they play in the backyard.

Basic Features

While buying a wireless surveillance camera you will obviously opt for the top one. These include the Linksys Wireless-G, Linksys WVC54GC, Panasonic Wireless 802.11 b/G, X10Xcam2, D-Link DCS5300 10/100TX, and Sony SNC-M1W. The general features of all these cameras are more or less the same:

• Each camera has an operative wireless range of around 100 feet and will transmit through walls and floors. (This does not mean, however, that a wireless camera cannot be subject to interference. Be prepared to do some re-positioning in this event.)
• Many cameras can be hooked up to VCR or can initiate recording on a PC. These capabilities can be manually triggered or set to trigger when the camera's motion sensor detects movement in the area of its viewing range.
• All of the top cameras have color photo transmission capabilities.
• The cameras will require at least a 110 AC power outlet.
• Most if not all allow batteries to be used as alternative to AC power.
• The cameras can either be mounted with included screws or can be positioned with a stand that allows them to be easily moved from one location to another.

Many cameras also come with pan, tilt, zoom, and low light or night vision options. Obviously these will be more expensive units.

Requirements

Your camera will need an existing wireless network and you will have to install some software and configure it for use with your camera or cameras. Since getting a WiFi camera properly aligned and working well can involve a good deal of "fiddling" set aside an hour or better to get it all "just right." Since the camera will require a power source try to position it near an outlet that can be reached with the included power cable or with an extension cord.

Sources for Information and Review

With the increasing popularity of these wireless solutions you will find more information online to help you select the unit that will work best in your setting and for your purpose. For example, you can directly visit www.x10.com, www.axis.com or www.videosurveillance-guide.com for information about setting up and using a wireless surveillance system.