Great Gadgets > Cameras (Hidden)

...hidden cameras and DVRs (digital video recorders). These have many uses, ranging from sales training to crime prevention.

Mindconnection got into the electronic translator business and the scanning pen business in the late 1990s. Customers have asked about other electronic gear. A supplier had this amazing line of spygear and surveillance devices. These were too good to pass up. That's why we offer these products for security, surveillance, and safety enhancement in your home, office, or other facility.

Watch the video on the next tab, and check our offerings. See what one of these is like, and imagine the possibilities. Imagine the increased security of your home or office. OK, just buy the thing already!

• Completely covert design.
• Highly sensitive motion detector captures every moment.
• High storage capacity.
• High run time between charges.

• Resolution: 640 x 480 @ 30FPS.
• Storage: MicroSD Card.
• Power supply: Rechargeable Li-ion battery.
• Storage consumption rate: ~1GB every 30 minutes.
• Video recording. This means it records a video rather than a succession of still photos.
• Still recording. Many of these allow you to select a single frame video or an actual snapshot. Could be useful.
• Motion activated video recording. For long-duration monitoring, this is an essential feature. Otherwise, the event may occur right after you run out of video storage.
• Audio only recording. This has some obvious advantages, and for some applications it's all you need.

• Documenting. Keep a record of who comes and goes, without their knowing it.
• Hiring interviews. Let several people view the one properly conducted interview, rather than drafting busy people with no interviewing skills to each conduct their own.
• Job interviews. Let the camera take notes for you.The interviewers will be amazed at your attention to detail. Could result in a considerably higher offer.
• Safety. Use in production facilities to disclose unsafe acts.Then conduct followup training for prevention.
• Sales presentations. Discreetly capture the client's objections, facial expressions, and body language.Then analyze and follow up.
• Sales training. Let the camera watch your trainee. Later, analyze the video and provide helpful feedback and suggestions.
• Security. Monitor "off limits" areas.
• Theft investigation. See whodunit.

The most common use is to foil thieves. While these criminals think they aren't being watched, they are. And they are being captured on video. Cops love this kind of evidence. Why not ensure they get it? These devices allow you to do exactly that.

You must take both of those factors into account.

Any time you take pictures, you need to consider framing. Try to position the device and point the lens so you get the intended target in the frame. This isn't always easy to do, and it may take some trial runs to get it right. If you are going to be monitoring the same area all the time, you can mark the surface with a couple of faint, tiny cross hairs. Use these to line up the device.

Now, what about the "hidden" part? The nice thing about the devices we sell is you don't have to hide the camera. It's already hidden in something. Your job is to avoid giving away that fact. One mistake users make is they check the video or images in situ. Instead of doing that, remove the object. Go to some place where you can't be observed, such as an office with a door you can close. Then check what it recorded.

Another mistake people make is they announce, "I've put a hidden camera out there." Well, gee. Now you have a new object in the environment. Guess where people are going to look? So keep everything strictly on a need to know basis. That usually means only you need to know. Once you have captured the video you need, maybe then someone else will also need to know. Like the police or your attorney. They will probably not want you to let it leak out that you've been secretly capturing sound and video. What they might get from this is too good to just throw away due to blabbing about it.

Where you're capturing audio, don't try to trick someone into saying something. It does work in the movies, but unless you're a trained detective you're liable to do more harm than good. For the lay person, the best thing to do is just let the device capture uncoached audio. Also, it is not necessary to blow into the microphone. If you want to take a test audio recording, set the device up at about the same distance that you'll use in the actual recording. Aim the microphone toward the intended target.

Keep in mind that outdoor recordings are subject to sounds such as traffic and wind noise. If you can choose the location, choose an indoor one. And make sure it's fairly quiet.

Privacy

If you use this kind of device inappropriately, you could run afoul of privacy protection laws and/or face a civil suit. But don't let this concern discourage you from properly using the device.

Many people try to claim privacy violation as a defense for whatever misdeed they were caught doing. The most common situation is the employee claiming privacy as a defense for getting caught doing something wrong. Courts have consistently upheld the right of employers to monitor employees. That just makes sense. The employees are there by choice and being paid to work. The employer does not normally have the right, however, to put video surveillance in places such as bathrooms. If you feel you need to do such a thing, consult an attorney first. And make sure that attorney specializes in privacy law.

You generally do not have the right to monitor another person on that person's property. In a public place, you may legally be able to do that but it's a gray area.

Just as people try to claim privacy as a defense, some device misusers try to claim they have some superseding right over the other person's right to privacy. For example, a wife suspects her husband is cheating on her with her best friend. So she gives her friend a device that contains a hidden DVR and uses that to spy on her friend. Not only is this a failed relationship, it's illegal. It does not matter what you suspect, you can't just spy on someone.

If you violate privacy to get evidence, it's doubtful that evidence will be admissible in court. If you really feel the need to cross the line, consult with a licensed private investigator. That person can probably advise you on a better way to get done what needs doing. Of course, that is going to cost money. So will invading someone's privacy.

These devices can be wonderful tools when used correctly. So can a hammer. Pay attention to what you're doing, and you can prevent smashing your thumb.