Latest in Home Security | News, Interviews, Tutorials
Top Picks | Infrared Security Cameras
Infrared cameras have the ability to capture an image when there is little or no light available during the time of recording. The infrared cameras utilize a night vision technology that allows images to be detected in the dark. Video recordings of activity in darkened locations can be created which result in high-quality imaging to capture vandals or burglars.
Infrared cameras can be used in both indoor and outdoor locations to capture and record activity around a residential or commercial location. Cameras are available in multiple styles including the versatile bullet camera and the recognizable dome cameras. There is also a specialty type of infrared camera intended specifically to read license plate information which is suitable for public and private parking areas for a number of industries.
The following infrared cameras have been handpicked by HSS.net staff out of the many currently available on the market. (See our Top Home Security System Picks)
| Rank | System | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Varifocal Infrared Camera with 940nM Illumination |
|
329.99 View |
| 2. |  DIGIOP Black 600 TVL 0.0 Lux Dome Security Camera |
|
229.99 View |
| 3. |  600 TVL 10-40 mm 100 Ft IR License Plate Camera |
|
999.99 View |
| 4. |  80 Ft 940 nm No Glow IR Varifocal Bullet Security Camera |
|
279.99 View |
| 5. | DIGIOP Black 600 TVL 60 Feet IR Dome Security Camera |
|
199.99 View |
Microsoft to Help NYPD Monitor Terrorist Activity Using CCTV
Microsoft has teamed up with the NYPD to give them a Domain Awareness System (DAS) to track potential terrorist activity spotted on the NYPD’s network of CCTV cameras found around New York City.
Using the DAS technology provided by Microsoft, the NYPD will be able to scan license plates and tap into multiple criminal and terrorism databases to correlate information based on what’s going on in New York’s five boroughs.
Apple’s famous 1984 commercial against IBM and other competitors seems to have been a foreshadow to Microsoft becoming one of the world’s most prominent vendors of integrated intelligence solutions giving security agencies the ability to monitor crime in a way that reminds us of Orwell’s Big Brother.
Top Picks | 4 Camera Surveillance Systems
Camera surveillance systems are utilized as a measure of protection and monitoring for residential and commercial locations. Surveillance systems include multiple cameras placed at designed locations throughout a property in order to monitor and record activities. Depending on the specific type of surveillance system employed, security cameras are connected to digital video recorders and closed-circuit monitors for real-time monitoring.
HSS.net has put together a comprehensive list of our Top 4 Camera Surveillance System picks based both on each offering’s features as compared to its price. Choosing the right surveillance system for your home and family could be one of the most important decisions you make, but it’s important to note that surveillance systems here don’t include monitoring services like those provided by our Top Home Security System Picks. (See our Top Home Security System Picks)
| Rank | System | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  4 Camera Day/Night 130 ft IR H.264 Video Security System |
|
969.86 View |
| 2. |  4 Camera Day/Night 130 ft IR H.264 Security System with DVD Burner |
|
1169.86 View |
| 3. |  4 Camera 65 ft IR Day/Night Video Security System with LCD Monitor |
|
679.99 View |
| 4. |  4 Camera Indoor/Outdoor 50 ft IR H.264 Video Security System |
|
849.99 View |
| 5. |  4 Camera 65 ft IR Day/Night Video Security System |
|
499.99 View |
LifeShield to Launch New LifeView Product
Home security company LifeShield recently showcased its new product, LifeView, in a comprehensive video which describes what LifeView does to meet your security needs along with what ways LifeShield is ahead of the competition. (Read Our Review of the LifeShield Service)
“We developed the new LifeView in concert with customer feedback and usage data to ensure we are delivering exactly what the customers want and in the way they want to use it,” Evan Kramer, SVP of Interactive Marketing at LifeShield said. “We are as much a technology company as we are a home security company, because we realize that a security system is only as good as the technology that powers it.”
Some of LifeView’s technological advancements include:
CrimeWatch – Sends instant alerts of activity happening in and around your home. Through LifeShield’s video monitoring you can then access, using many different types of mobile devices, the video files and snapshots of your home to assess the need for further assistance, or if it’s just your children getting home from school.
LifeShield Advanced Video Monitoring – You can manage your entire LifeView system from your mobile device and access video monitoring anywhere, anytime.
Home security has evolved from a door-to-door foot race to a technological arms race to see who can provide the most home automation capabilities to their customers for the lowest cost.
iCam Catches Burglars
iCam on iPhones alerted homeowners to motion being detected at the back of their home. Burglars through the back door and then fled the scene.
Dallas Burglary Attempt on Bioscrip Pharmacy
Burglar attempts to break into a Dallas Pharmacy by trying to heave a large rock at the plexiglass door.
‘Cleaning Fairy’ Burglar Cleans Your Home
‘Cleaning Fairy’ burglar breaks into homes and cleans them for the homeowners leaving a note asking for payment for her services.
Oscar’s Pub and Grill Burglary
Two suspects break through front window of Oscar’s Pub and Grill in Milwaukee.
Gun Laws Unlikely to Change Due to Aurora Tragedy
Despite the recent tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, where a heavily armed man gunned down movie-goers while they watched “Dark Knight Rises,” gun control policies are unlikely to change in favor of stricter gun laws.
According to a recent article by the Washington Post, statistics over the past 20 years have shown a decline in the public’s want for stricter regulatory measures on the sale of firearms from a majority (78%) wanting stricter controls in the early 90’s to 43% of the public wanting stricter gun laws as of 2010. This no doubt has much to do with the tremendous increase in gun sales for many of the major gun manufacturers for fiscal year 2012. (Read The Booming United States Firearm Industry)
After the recent Aurora tragedy, White House spokesman Jay Carney was asked by the Huffington Post whether the mass shooting should prompt a new review of gun laws. Carney declined to comment and reiterated Obama’s existing support of “common-sense measures that protect Second Amendment rights of Americans, while ensuring that those who should not have guns under existing law do not get them.”
President Obama had been working to ban semiautomatic weapons early in his political career as an Illinois state senator but over time has taken the stance of protecting American’s second amendment rights.
When used as a means of protection, as was constitutionally granted to American citizens in the Bill of Rights, guns are an essential piece to many home security strategies. Unfortunately, in the wrong hands, a gun can turn into a tool which ultimately only serves to magnify the underlying tendencies of the person using it.
Shoot Straight Attempted Burglary Video
Burglar suspects attempted to break into a Shoot Straight. After trying to pry the door open they used a shed to get onto the roof which triggered an alarm and scared them off.
Interviews
