Video surveillance - keeping an eye on the prize

By Pat Pilcher - Saturday Jul 11, 2009
www.nzherald.co.nz

Burglary. It costs insurance companies bazillions, breaks a whole lot of hearts and see's piles of irreplaceable stuff gone forever. Whilst a burglar alarm is a must-have and definitely deters some would-be burglars, the facts speak for themselves. Out of the 59,525 burglaries recorded by the Dept of Statistics in 2008, only 9,596 were reported as being solved.

If these stats sound grim, you can take some small comfort in the fact I've found several easy ways enhance your chances of catching a burglar in the act should they decide to pay your place a visit.

The secret to this miraculous feat lies in some extremely clever video surveillance technology which may help you and the old bill identify and capture any burglars...

Blue Eye/Red Eye

Mi5's Blue Eye and Red Eye surveillance cameras take a stealthy approach. Looking like a run-of-the-mill infra-red motion detector used by most bog standard burglar alarms, the Blue Eye also has some nifty tricks hidden up its photographic sleeve.

Setting the Blue Eye up is as simple as charging its built in battery and then wall mounting it where it'll capture images of the area you wish to put under surveillance. Nicer still, it can also be wired into an existing burglar alarm where it can do double duty as an infra-red motion detector and a surveillance camera, but will also operate perfectly happily as a standalone device.

Once the Blue-Eye is set up and detects any motion via its infra-red sensor, it captures images using its built in wide angle VGA camera, storing them on an SD card (a 2GB SD card can store up to 65,000 images). Images can then be easily transferred to a PC or Mac for reviewing using the included USB SD card reader and all images are time-date stamped and digitally watermarked, making them both tamper proof and admissible as legal evidence.

Using a clever low power design, the Blue Eye can run for up to nine weeks off of a single charge and is armed/disarmed using an included key-fob infra-red remote.

If outdoor surveillance is a priority, Mi5 have also developed a durable outdoor version of the Blue Eye called the Red Eye. Housed in a ruggedised case, the Red Eye range can incorporate optional night vision and will run for an impressive five months off a single charge. An optional solar panel can provide a permanent power source, removing the need for recharging.