Is there a Need for Home Surveillance Systems?



What does a homeowner away on vacation and a parent at work have in common? They worry about the same thing: what goes on at home while they are away. By installing any of the home surveillance systems available today, they can put their worries to rest. So, is there a need for home surveillance systems? If you're a homeowner away on vacation, a parent who is mostly at work, a homeowner with contractors crawling all over your home, or a landlord who has leased several properties, your answer would most certainly be a resounding yes.

Home surveillance systems may rely on any of the following to meet homeowners' security needs and budget: webcam surveillance, wireless IP technologies, and wireless sensors. Let's take a look at these home surveillance systems.

Webcam Surveillance Systems with Motion Sensors

Many webcam surveillance systems integrate motion-detecting software. The reason for this is simple. Recording only takes place when something moves in front of the motion sensors. This saves memory space on your hard drive. It also saves time because captured images are instantly emailed to users. The good thing about this, aside from being memory-friendly and time-efficient, is that you may easily access the images through a static IP address.

There are, however, many drawbacks to webcam home surveillance systems. First, webcams have fixed positions. This limits their range. Additionally, they are USB-based devices that do not function if they are more than 16 feet away from the computer or USB hub. Additionally, they capture very poor images in dim surroundings.

Wireless Sensors, With Cameras or Without

Most home surveillance systems of this type come with two motion and sound-detecting cameras. On top of that, they also come with sensors that alert homeowners to certain things, such as the presence of leak, a door being opened, and even worrying levels of temperature fluctuation. Captured images are sent to a computer, PDA, or cell phone via a broadband connection. It is also possible for homeowners to purchase motion sensors without cameras. Wireless sensors without cameras issue alerts with high frequency wave signals in most and infrared light, in some.

Wireless IP video Cameras

These home surveillance systems are better known as "nanny cams." Tiny spy cameras or wireless video cameras are hidden somewhere in a room. They send their video signal to a local base station and from there, homeowners can view the images from a television, mobile phone, PDA, laptop, or desktop computer. The disadvantage of home surveillance systems of this type is that of the camera is low-end, its wireless signals might be picked up by people who cruise streets in search of homeowners whose wireless signals they can hack into. Fortunately, higher-end cameras provide more security because their transmissions are encrypted and are tied with standard WiFi networks.

Market trends show that there is a big future for home surveillance systems. So, expect smaller, faster, and more reliable home surveillance technologies in the next few years. Manufacturers of home surveillance systems will never run out of a market to tap into because for as long as people have homes, they will always want them protected.