Security Cameras: Clearing the final hurdle.
The final frontier of these amazing devices has been breached.
First, size was the biggest factor to be overcome.
The cameras did deter crime because potential thieves could easily see the devices.
They could hardly miss them! As microchip and charge coupled devices (what picks up the image: measured in pixels) got smaller and smaller, the security cameras became harder and harder to see.
Before long, many thieves got prison time for crimes they were sure no one had witnessed.
The camera systems still had to be hardwired to each other and to a central processing recorder of some sort.
After a while, as cell phone and wi-fi technology blossomed, wireless surveillance cameras began to take their place in the world of security.
This brought forward a new set of problems, however.
Because the remote cameras relied on radio signals to get their images to the central recorder, the image tended to be blurred or full of static.
The signals were prone to picking up interference from the environment.
Engineers built systems that used lower frequencies which made the signals able to stay cleaner, but that caused other problems.
One difficulty that has dogged designers since the early days is the amount of memory required to store all of the video images.
First, tapes were used and reused.
Once recording chips became widespread, images were stored in large quantities in tiny spaces.
This helped, but still the problem persisted of having someone wade through hours of no activity to maybe having someone come into view for a few minutes.
The latest breakthrough is having motion sensors built into the cameras.
When there is no one present, the camera remains in standby.
When motion is detected, the usually hidden camera energizes and records till the movement is no longer detected.
Then, it shuts down again.
This saves an incredible amount of memory and time.
One solution uncovered another problem, however.
What to do about a place where little kids might go and play? What about wild animals coming by for a visit? This is where this new development really conquers the final frontier.
The latest hidden surveillance cameras have the same built in motion sensors, but they have changed the programming so that the machines can be made to not recognize the lower quarter of the viewing area.
If little children play in the area, they are not tall enough to trigger the motion sensor and the camera stays dormant.
If an animal wanders in, unless it is as tall as a moose, cow or something similar, the security cameras won't pay it any attention.
This "deadening" of certain areas of the viewing field is probably the most ingenious design yet.
A classic example is one where nobody hardly goes, but is brightly lit.
The best trap to lay here for a prospective wrong-doer is to hide a wireless security camera in a floodlight base.
He wouldn't suspect a floodlight and a camera mounted inside can be pointed in any direction.
The area is not safe from intruders, but any damage or other crimes committed would be dutifully recorded awaiting the attention of the security officer.