Feb-12-2009 10:36 AM
First used in banks, wireless security cameras have become inexpensive and are now widely used in public places, such as casinos, airports, and department stores, even buses.
Oklahoma City recently completed its 555-square-mile municipal Wi-Fi
network in June. The $5 million system, includes a network of hundreds
of cameras that give police officers and firefighters real-time images
of locations throughout the city. Police can now have eyes on high-risk
facilities and highly trafficked parts of the community, including
arenas, streets and dense gathering spots. The Department can access
its Wi-Fi network via laptop on any of its 700 vehicles. Firefighters
can also use the system to locate water hydrants, access building floor
plans and hazardous material information while rushing to the scene of
a fire or accident.
Municipal surveillance is no longer limited to isolated street corners. Chicago has installed the largest network of bus surveillance in the U.S., with wireless security cameras on its entire fleet of more than 2,100 buses. Each bus has been retrofitted with up to seven cameras to monitor and record activities. Using networked laptops, Metro transit police and supervisor vehicles can tap into real-time video from inside the bus when they are within a range of several blocks. Video from each bus is stored on an onboard DVR. Should an incident occur, drivers need only press a button to save and mark the video for later review.
This "007" technology is now within reach of your average consumer. Take the new LiveView system for example. Users simply connect the tiny wireless receiver to a PC (via USB interface), install the security software, and presto, you've got wireless video monitoring via Internet. Users need only type in an IP address and password from any Internet active computer or cell phone, and view real time video from up to four cameras simultaneously. Users can pan and zoom each camera, even view previous recordings and motion activated "events."
If size matters, security conscious buyers can get really tiny when they go wireless. Secret Security offers one of the world's smallest covert color cameras with full audio. The camera is so small it can be placed into almost anything to capture sharp video and audio. It features a pinhole lens, adjustable focus and built-in microphone. A powerful 2.4GHz transmitter is effective for up to 500 feet. And the 4-channel receiver accommodates up to four cameras. This is an ideal system for monitoring babysitters, kids (indoors or out), employees, or office areas. The camera mounts easily in cars, RV's, or RC model helicopters, airplanes and vehicles. The camera is also an energy miser, running up to 8 hours on a 9-volt battery.
Because wireless cameras are so ubiquitous, balancing security with privacy has become a challenge for many private and municipal organizations. Opponents say wireless security cameras do not deter crime, they only displace it. Many feel these cameras are being used more for social control rather than crime prevention. They insist that security at the expense of civil liberties is unacceptable. "Increasingly, video surveillance is becoming pervasive. It's being connected to central locations," says Barry Steinhardt, the director of the ACLU Technology and Liberty Program.
It seems inevitable that wireless cameras will be getting smaller, lighter and more wired into our lives via the Internet. Clearly, at work or in public, privacy will soon become a thing of the past. And like the movie "Eagle Eye," someone will be watching.
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