The Hidden Camera in Your Exit Sign has Use
A hidden camera in your exit sign can allow you to keep your property and business safe. You can use it to monitor people and products leaving your building so that you can avoid theft.
If you are running a business, you will need to watch over your merchandise and building constantly so that you do not lose anything, whether to theft or carelessness. There are many ways for you to watch your business: you can have security guards installed at strategic positions to watch different facades of your property; you can have alarm systems installed at all entrance points; and you can install hidden cameras and link them to a central location, or have them record events in a loop that you can check later. One place that you can install a hidden camera is in your exit sign.
What are the uses for a hidden camera in your exit sign? First, it can monitor people as they leave your building. This might include employees who are taking away office materials that they should be leaving behind; this may also include criminals who are making a hasty exit. You can identify who got what, what was taken, and even when. This will allow you to keep your property safe.
Second, if you are running a warehouse or a facility from which goods are shipped out, then an exit sign that has a hidden camera installed in it can help you monitor the coming and going of goods out of your facility. If a dispute arises as to what goods were shipped, how many, or when, you can always play back what your hidden camera recorded so that you can check on how accurate your shipments were.
Third, you can record conversations and monitor how people behave. Often, an exit is kept clear, and it can be a good place for people to talk and congregate. It may also be a good place for people to be themselves, away from the glare of authority. How faithful and loyal are your employees to you? You can check by monitoring how they behave, and if you see anything amiss when you are not around, then you might be able to take action early on.
These are only a few uses for a hidden camera in your exit sign. There are now many different models available on the market that can help you get good footage and even good audio feed from what you are monitoring. You may also want a hidden camera with an angle that can be changed so that you can monitor different facades, different sides of the surroundings of the exit sign, and different heights from the exit sign. You can truly keep your belongings and property safe, and you can do this with a good hidden camera for your exit sign.
Categories: Cool Gadgets Tags: anti theft, business safety, hidden camera, monitor, security camera
4 of the Best Ways to Use Your Wireless Nanny Cams
Wireless nanny cams have proven their worth time and again. But there are actually many uses to this device other than for observing and recording whether or not your child’s nanny is performing their duties properly. With a little tweak and creativity, you could actually optimize the functions of the nanny cam. Here are some of its best uses:
Monitor your child’s activities remotely
You’re probably more familiar with a nanny cam that uses a recording device. While quite useful, it is only limited to showing you activities that occurred in the past. You might appreciate that there are models of nanny cams that may be connected to a device or a third party service provider that will allow you to receive live feed.
This can be very useful for parents or guardians who are frequently away from their loved ones for long periods of time. With a wireless nanny cam, they can still view and monitor the activities at home even from a remote location such as the office.
Catch perpetrators in the act
A wireless nanny cam is essentially a hidden camera. Small, easy to hide and rather effortless to install, it can be used to help record evidence of a crime or a potential violation. Where to use? The possibilities are endless: the warehouse or supplies office to monitor any pilferage, the entrance hallway to observe who goes in and out of a building, the kitchen to find out if anybody is playing with the pie ingredients, the backyard to find out who or what rummages through the trash at night, or as in the case of a Franklin woman who lost money to theft several times, catch an unlikely suspect in the act of stealing.
Observe and record elusive wildlife
If you have a wireless nanny cam, don’t just limit it to activities in the house. It can also be used to observe animals from a distance in the absence of more appropriate equipment. The only drawback is that wireless nanny cams are not exactly designed for outdoors use, so a few modifications may be required. But given the specs that come in a regular nanny cam, though, it should suffice for this type of function.
And yes, your basic nanny cam will work nicely to find out what your pets are up to behind your back.
Monitor employee behavior or activities
The use of surveillance equipment at the office has been known to lower employee motivation but it works to the benefit of the employer or business establishment. Wireless nanny cams can be utilized in certain locations at the office, plant or warehouse to check on people’s activities and record their productivity.
For small shops or home-based businesses, the wireless nanny cam can also be a cheaper alternative to fully-equipped security equipment. They are also easy to install and generally do not require a significant amount of maintenance.
Categories: Child Safety, Home Security Tags: Child Safety, family safety, Home Security, nanny cam, security camera, surveillance camera
The Nanny Cam: A Self-Recording Hidden Camera
Much as we would like to be there personally for our children, circumstances don’t always allow for it. There are chores that need to be performed, tasks that need to be completed, a job that needs to be finished and clients that need our attention. Thank goodness for the nanny cam, a hidden camera that records onto itself. It’s an independent security device that watches over the kids even when parents are not around.
Nanny cams and your child’s security
Nanny cams are so-called because they were primarily used to monitor the activities of a nanny with their wards. They were also used to take the place of a parent or guardian to watch over the children from a remote location. A nanny cam, for example, may be used to monitor the kids playing in the backyard while the parent is in the kitchen preparing meals. It may also be used to watch over kids young enough to be left at home while the parent is at work.
A hidden self-recording security tool
The nanny cam is generally a hidden device – usually a tiny camera that monitors and records onto itself from a remote location. It often comes with a recording device, usually a DVR that automatically records activities to be viewed later.
Nanny cams come with the advantage of being automatic and independent of human intervention. Some may be set up to record activities within a specific time period or to automatically record only when motion is detected. The images are then stored in a digital storage device, usually a disc or an SD card.
Choosing the right nanny cam
There are several features you need to consider in a hidden camera that records onto itself like the nanny cam. Here are some of them:
Resolution – this refers to the ability of the camera to record images of high quality. Low quality images look grainy and blurred and will not be of much help in case there is a need to identify the persons or objects in the video. Higher resolution nanny cams can assure you of excellent imaging.
Memory – this refers to the capacity of the nanny cam to store a large number of images, particularly video. A robust memory capacity is a good feature to look for. Depending on your needs, consider getting a self-recording nanny cam that has at least 4 Gb or even 8 Gb or higher.
A higher memory capacity will give you many hours of recording time, which can be an advantage if you will be away from the child for at least 8 hours a day or if you will be leaving your child in someone else’s care for several days.
Connectivity – the nanny cam you purchase should be compatible with what systems you already have. Depending on its functions, a hidden nanny cam may be connected to a TV, a computer or even a mobile phone. Connection may either be wired or remote, which allows you to view images from a distant location. The playback function is also important so you can view images immediately.
Categories: Child Safety, Home Security Tags: child security, hidden camera, nanny cam, security camera
No More Pilfering with Surveillance Cameras
You’re losing significant amounts of money but profit reports of your business say otherwise. You can’t pinpoint, however, when or where things went wrong. Or at least you can’t until you make use of surveillance cameras for your business.
Cash Theft Proven by Surveillance Camera Videos
Loss Prevention Results, Inc., a company based in Wake Forest, North Carolina, recently announced the success of one of their investigations. Mark Manney of LPR had been called in by a Northeast vending company to determine the reason behind the mysterious losses it was suffering from.
With the help of a covert VendingCam motion-activated surveillance camera, LPR had been able to obtain eight different footages showing one of the company’s route driver stealing low amounts of cash from certain vending machines with the use of keys the company hadn’t been aware he had been in possession of.
Upon the conclusion of the investigation, LPR had been able to obtain a audio-taped confession from the convicted employee, witnessed by a management representative, as well as a comprehensive written statement of the crimes committed.
How to Make Good Use of Surveillance Cameras
Safety for your business, in all aspects, can’t be completely guaranteed just by purchasing any surveillance camera. Among other things, you’ll have to purchase the model most suitable for your needs as well as determine the ideal location for it.
Choose the right surveillance camera
Consider the light levels of the setting. Night vision or infrared is required for video footage taken in the dark. Besides size and budget, take other important features like motion-activated controls, backup power, and recording capabilities into account.
Choose the right location
If you wish to take covert video footage, it’s best to use tiny surveillance cameras that can be easily concealed behind potted plants or other objects that people normally won’t give a second glance. But if you’re after expansive or complete coverage of the entire room, it’s best to mount your surveillance camera at any top corner of the room, preferably facing entrance and exit doors.
Categories: Cool Gadgets, Home Security Tags: business security, security camera, Surveillance Cameras
Surveillance Cameras: Do What the Authorities Do and Protect Yourself
In Elizabeth City, North Carolina, authorities had begun to operate strategically located surveillance cameras as a way of deterring and apprehending crime. Footage from the “eyes in the sky” is monitored not only from the cars of city police on patrol but also by police communication officers at the station and volunteers. According to Police Chief Charles Crudup, the cameras had been effective not only in deterring crime but also in helping them solve several cases. City Councilwoman Volanda Watts, on the other hand, had shared how an Oak Grove resident had called to inform her about a noticeable decrease in noise as well as drug activity in her area.
Make Your Home Safe with a Surveillance Camera
As a private citizen, you may not have the right to install a similar security system for your neighborhood “you’ll have to wait for the local police for that” but you do have the right to protect your loved ones at home with surveillance cameras.
To Be or Not to Be Seen
It’s your choice whether or not to alert others to the presence of surveillance cameras you’ll install in your home. If you install it in a highly visible area, it could be enough to deter break-ins, robberies, or other crimes from taking place. But if you decide to use a covertly installed surveillance camera, you could use any resulting footage for establishing identities of criminals or delinquents that had come to threaten the safety of your loved ones.
To Be or Not to Be Connected
If your surveillance camera is connected to the Internet, you may be able to continue monitoring what’s happening in your home wherever you are. Of course, this can only work if you’ve a remote network setup. Be aware, however, that allowing online access to your surveillance camera gives hackers greater chances of tapping into your security system and obtaining similar access to footage from your camera.
Categories: Cool Gadgets, Home Security Tags: family security, home safety, personal safety, security, security camera, security system, Surveillance Cameras
Nanny Anxiety? Tips to Make Sure Your Baby is Safe with the Nanny
Nannies can be heaven-sent, especially during times when we need an extra hand to take care of our children. However, not every nanny who comes around may be the right person for our kids. Even with a thorough background check, things may not always be what they seem. To avoid nanny anxiety and keep your baby safe, here are gadgets you can use:
Nanny cam
The nanny cam is so named because it’s designed to monitor and if necessary, record the activities of the nanny with your baby when you’re not around. The nanny cam is actually a small camera that may be disguised as a small toy, a clock or a radio. It is hidden from view, which allows it to capture your nanny’s activities with your baby.
The nanny cam can be rigged to record images remotely. These images are kept on tape or as a digital file that you can review later.
Baby monitor
A baby monitor is similar to a nanny cam, although some models feature audio-only capability. A baby monitor may be placed next to your baby’s crib so you can listen in from a remote location. You could also view your baby with this gadget, since some models feature a small color LCD screen. It can even function in infrared mode in case of low light conditions.
The drawback is that baby monitors often only work within a limited range, usually 300 to 400 feet. That means you could use it to make sure your baby’s safe with the nanny from another room in the house or next door.
Security cameras
Other than the nanny cam, you could install security cameras around the house so you will have different viewing angles. This is an excellent step in case your nanny likes to bring your baby to different parts of the house. Security cameras will monitor and capture images that you can review once you get home.
Audio recorder
A portable audio recorder can be a very effective gadget to make sure your baby is safe with the nanny. A good audio recorder to use for this purpose is a digital gadget that automatically records when sound waves are produced. That way, what you’ll hear are only sounds produced by the occupants of your house namely your baby and the nanny. An audio recorder will capture sounds that will tell you whether or not your nanny is performing his/her duties in the appropriate manner.
Categories: Child Safety, Cool Gadgets Tags: audio recorder, baby monitor, nanny camera, security camera
50 Ways to Keep Yourself Safe from Sexual Assault
In these frightening days and times, with US having the highest rate of rape, everyone can be a victim of anyone else’s desperation. You, as a woman, need to take care of yourself. Your car can be stolen, your house can be broken into, your apartment can be burned down, and you, yourself, can be the victim. Protect yourself from sexual assault! There are many ways that you can avoid sexual assault, and many ways that you can keep yourself and your dignity intact. All you need to do is to be prepared and vigilant, to never waver in your confidence, and to be aware of your surroundings without losing your zest for life. After all, paranoia can only go so far: you need to make it work for you.
Here is a list of fifty tips that you may want to remember so that you can keep yourself protected from sexual predators. 
1. Avoid hanging out alone in any isolated location, whether it’s bright as day or dark as night. Sure, there are security cameras and the occasional kind stranger, but don’t court danger all the same. When you are alone, you are as good as prey, and you do not want to fall into the trap that nature sets for anyone who’s alone. If you do find yourself alone, bring protection: a mace spray may be your best
friend.
2. Walk where it’s brightly-lit, and where there are lots of people hanging out. The chances of you being sexually assaulted in broad daylight in full view of a bunch of people will be high only if you work on the set of a porn film. Otherwise, use the magic of lighting and community to elude your would-be predators.
3. Change your route to and from work every day. Some sexual predators track their victims for weeks, looking for habits and patterns. Break your own patterns – after all, you can still make your life exciting. Just don’t be reckless.
4. Don’t hang around your parking lot. Just get into your car and drive! This is especially true if you have to travel late at night. Parking lots are lonesome, dimly-lit areas that are good breeding grounds for stalkers and attackers.
5. Budget your time: Avoid working late hours. You may think that the evenings are quiet and conducive to work. They’re conducive to sexual assaulters too.
6. Practice controlling your voice: don’t tremble, be firm. If you do encounter someone who wants to grope or touch you, you can shoo them away. How? By showing that you are not willing to be a victim. A predator is only as strong as its prey is weak. Turn the tables and talk in a firm voice.
7. Rearrange your hand bag so that everything you need is where you can grab it easily. Reaching for that mace spray? Make sure you don’t pull out that can of hair spray instead. Looking for that pocket knife? Make sure you don’t pull out your pen by mistake, unless it’s a pen knife. Keep your weapons in a location that you can reach so that you don’t fiddle with your bag in the process.
8. Train yourself to use your weapon of choice to your advantage. You may have a weapon to bludgeon your attacker with, and something good for stabbing, but weapons are only as good as their users. Take a class, read online, do research, and practice your moves so that you are prepared to use your weapons right when the time comes.
9. Carry weapons as often as you can so that you can protect yourself.
10. Know your body’s weak points. Do you have weak knees? You could be brought to your knees with the slightest kick, so start doing a workout. Are your arms out of shape? You need elbows to knock your attacker over if he comes up from behind. Learn what your body needs in order to function well.
11. Learn to be vigilant – recognize something suspicious, and allow yourself to be paranoid. When in doubt, change your route or run in the opposite direction. This means that you need to keep your eyes peeled all the time. If you think you’re too sleepy to notice something, either have a cup of coffee or drink orange juice to keep yourself alert.
12. Think on your toes and always be prepared to defend yourself. You may have all the karate skills in the world, and all the weapons that your body can carry, but if you don’t respond quickly and have quick reflexes, you can end up hurt. As you are taught to drive defensively, teach and train yourself to walk and stroll and enjoy the world with some health amount of defensiveness.
13. Stash all your jewelry away when you walk on the streets. Anything conspicuous can make you fodder for predators. True, robbery and sexual assault might be too separate things, but then again, why court danger?
14. Do not hitchhike! This may be the most common-sense advice that anyone can give you, but in desperation for a ride home, you might think that going on the highway and asking for a ride can be safe. Find another way to get home. Better yet, avoid any situation that might put you on a highway and get you into danger that you shouldn’t be in!
15. Look confident and do not look like a target that’s easy to spot and weaken. Walk with your head held high. Don’t look fearful or paranoid. Look like you know where you’re going. Build your confidence! The world may be a dangerous place, but it isn’t a place for weakening paranoia.
16. Practice eye contact. This not only builds confidence, but it can weaken would be attackers who do not want to be identified.
17. Wait in a lighted and peopled area if you’re waiting for your transportation to arrive. A common mistake that many women make is to wait in a certain area even if it is dark, if only to get transportation to a place they need to be in. Find a nearby place where you can hang out, where you are still in reach of people and within sight.
18. Sit behind the driver or near the door when on the bus. This will keep anyone from sneaking up on you.
19. If you can’t get a seat near the driver or the door, get an aisle seat so that you don’t get pushed into the window. Sexual predators aim to weaken you and literally push you into a corner. Don’t give them that chance!
20. Get the train compartment that has the most passengers when you are traveling by train late at night. Again, you want to be around people, and you don’t want to be presenting yourself as a most welcome bait.
21. On the other hand, get a moderately occupied train when you are commuting during rush hours or peak hours. You don’t want to get groped or fondled without you getting the chance to find out who is doing the groping or fondling.
22. Have your keys ready as you are going to your car, whether you are parked in the parking lot or on the street. You don’t want to be fiddling with your bag while waiting in front of your car door. Don’t keep yourself vulnerable.
23. Keep your doors locked and your windows closed when you are driving. This is especially true when you reach intersections and you have to stop.
24. Always look in the back seat of your car, and under it, very quickly before you enter. Your car is a pretty good hiding place for people, but don’t linger on looking at it. Just take quick peeks, and then launch yourself in and drive away.
25. Never leave your car unlocked! You may go into the store for just a minute, or off to your library to return your book for just a second. Don’t take your absence for granted. If you think you’re quick, sexual predators are quicker.
26. See someone in your car threatening you? Run away from your car and start screaming - and loudly. You want to make noise, not cooperate with your would-be captor in hiding what he is about to do.
27. See someone pointing at your tires on the road, or signaling that you should pull over? Unless it’s a cop – and even then, you should be cautious – keep driving. You can be pulled over for the express purpose of someone charging into your car while you’re distracted, and then holding you hostage.
28. Don’t ALWAYS stop to help. It may not be the Good Samaritan way of doing things, but if you see someone pulled over to the side of the road, think robbery and assault scheme. You can’t really tell in these troubled times.
29. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for help, say for going to your car or escorting you across a parking lot. Make sure you can trust this someone to help you, though, or you may be leading yourself into a trap.
30. Be alert when walking in your parking lot. Not only should you not hang around, but if circumstances do force you to hang around, be alert and watchful. Avoid using your cellular phone and calling someone first while you are in your car. Remember, do not be distracted, and do not render yourself vulnerable.
31. Getting a taxi cab? Always look at the ID tag of your taxi driver, and ask a friend to note down his or her plate number. Check that the ID tag of your taxi driver matches that of the driver.
32. Be extremely vigilant if your taxi has central locking. You may be locked in without your express permission, or the taxi driver may have friends waiting to sandwich you in and take your elsewhere.
33. Call for taxis as much as possible instead of hailing them on the street. This way, the driver can be better traced.
34. When walking on the street, walk against the traffic so that you can see if cars are coming. Not only is this safer for you in terms of not getting hit by a car, but it will allow you to see if someone is coming toward you. Just be sure not to get blinded by headlights.
35. If you are being shadowed, or followed close by a car, run in the opposite direction. This can make it difficult for your follower to continue tracking you.
36. Avoid using an IPod or plugging anything into your ears that might make you less vigilant. This is especially true if you are walking home alone late at night. The music may make you feel powerful and strong, but having a big bass banging against your eardrums can also keep out sounds that may put you on the alert.
37. Make friends with the people who live along your route going to and from work so that you have a place to run to just in case you do get into trouble. This way, they know that if there is frantic knocking on their doors in the middle of the night, and they find you, they know that they can trust you and take you into their protection.
38. Never take anything for granted: even if you have roving police in your area, and even if you haven’t experienced any assault in the last five years, anything can happen within moments.
39. When dialing for help from a telephone box, dial the number immediately, and then turn around, so that you can be more alert for anything that is coming in your direction.
40. Use the telephone box as a weapon. You can use the phone itself to whack your attacker, and if your telephone box has a door, you can use it to wedge your attacker in.
41. Avoid wearing restrictive clothing that will keep you from running or moving. This includes fitting skirts, extremely high and uncomfortable heels, and jackets that may keep your hands to your sides. You need room to move, and you need to keep your attacker at a good enough distance for a good kick.
42. Avoid wearing provocative clothing. This may seem to be even more restrictive, but in these desperate times, you need to know how not to court danger. Sure, that neckline reaching down to your ankles can make you feel sexy, but do you really want to attract the wrong crowd and put yourself in even more danger?
43. Avoid doing anything that will hamper your senses, especially if you are coming from a party. This means not drinking or taking a large amount of sugar (which may lead to a sugar crash later on). This makes you extremely vulnerable, not to mention insensate.
44. Watch your drinks closely! Buy your own drinks as much as possible, as someone may slip you a pill just to get you into bed. You want to be awake and living when you get home, not hammered, plastered, and probably raped.
45. If you do get attacked, use your strongest joint: your elbow. If you can’t use your elbow, try kicking. The groin and the knees are weakest in your opponent. When your opponent is down, don’t take a look at him. Look fast enough to identify him later. Just run away.
46. Never take anything for granted: lock all the windows and doors of your home whether you are in or out of it.
47. Find people to attend events with and avoid going alone. Agree to look at for one another and make sure to contact each other when you get home, just so you know that all of you are safe. Sure, you may want to be alone, but reserve those times for when you are going out in broad daylight, or staying at home, locked safely in.
48. Know the emergency numbers in your area. You need to know, by heart, who to call.
49. Listen to your intuitions and obey your gut. Sometimes, your senses are trying to tell you something, and your stress can block your intuition. That said, try to make your life as stress-free as possible so that you are lucid and alert.
50. Take self-defense classes and practice!
Most of these only require common sense. Do you have any other suggestions on how you can prevent being a victim of sexual assault?