| In the past twenty years, devices such as nanny | | | | The acronym stands for 'passive infrared', as these |
| cameras have moved from the domain of the rich | | | | devices passively sit and 'stare' over a fixed distance, |
| and famous and into the living rooms of ordinary, | | | | registering the heat of the various objects in that |
| nine-to-five working folk. The same is true of | | | | area. If the temperature of that area changes in just |
| formerly unaffordable technologies like door and | | | | one place (rather than ambiently), the motion |
| window sensors and motion detector alarms. | | | | detector will register that as motion. These are the |
| Indeed, to say that window alarms now cost about | | | | kinds of devices you'll typically find over peoples' |
| as much as a few burgers from McDonalds is really | | | | front doors or driveways, used to switch on a porch |
| no exaggeration. You can purchase contact pads, the | | | | or outdoor light when they sense any disturbance. |
| simple magnetic components for door and window | | | | Out of all home security surveillance system |
| alarms, at large hardware and department stores, | | | | components, nanny cameras are probably the |
| often at bargain-bin prices of under five dollars. | | | | devices that have evolved the most. From the fuzzy, |
| These magnetic pads form a circuit which, when | | | | pixilated footage of yesteryear, these devices are |
| broken, signals the central alarm hub and gets that | | | | now more sensitive than most human eyes and can |
| siren sounding. Even for someone with little | | | | be easily rigged to stream their footage to your very |
| experience in terms of working with hardware, taking | | | | own secure website, allowing you to check on your |
| on the task of installing contacts as part of their | | | | baby even if you happen to be a continent away |
| home security surveillance system will probably not | | | | with nothing but a cellphone. |
| pose much of a hurdle. You scarcely need more than | | | | You can even have the data gathered by your home |
| the cabling, the contacts, some wood glue and a | | | | security surveillance system sent to a remote online |
| silicone gun. This is a service you can also have done | | | | storage cluster. Such clusters sell users whatever |
| for you by the majority of security companies, | | | | quantity of space they require at low rental rates. |
| though you won't get their best prices unless you've | | | | Assuming you're using a looped system of recording |
| signed up to use them to monitor your alarm system. | | | | (which is really the wisest option, as multiple nanny |
| Installing contacts should be your first priority, as | | | | cameras might record many terabytes worth of |
| they constitute the first line of your home security | | | | footage if left running for too long) you could |
| surveillance system's defense against that hostile | | | | purchase enough space to store days or weeks of |
| world trying to break into your home. The second | | | | footage for later perusal. |
| line, should someone succeed in breaking in by | | | | Still, this is only cost-effective up to a point. Luckily, |
| smashing or cutting the glass of your windows, | | | | there's a simple way to get around the need for |
| should be motion detector alarms. These are also | | | | making excessively large quantities of storage space |
| fairly inexpensive. There are a few different types, | | | | one of the costs of your home security surveillance |
| which use different technological principles but wind | | | | system. All that you need to do is have you motion |
| up having pretty much the same effect. UWB | | | | detector alarms and door and window alarms wired |
| (Ultra-Wideband) radar detectors are one. These emit | | | | to your nanny cameras. If you set this system up in |
| sonar or radar signals, the same technology used to, | | | | such a way that the various sensors or detectors |
| you guessed it, detect enemy submarines in times of | | | | set your home security surveillance system recording |
| war. If the signal such a device emits gets bounced | | | | when there's movement in the house, you'll wind up |
| back sooner than expect, the device will register that | | | | eliminating the need for redundant recordings of |
| something has moved across its detection field, and | | | | empty rooms. You can also get cameras |
| activate the alarm siren. | | | | programmed with motion detection software to |
| PIR motion detector alarms are the more common | | | | begin with - these will actuate this function without |
| variety in modern home security surveillance systems. | | | | the need for any fancy fiddling on your part. |