Sometimes it’s necessary to keep a watchful eye covertly, and a wireless wall clock camera is just the device for the job. Security Camera King offers several different types of hidden cameras, including wireless wall clock cameras. These cameras are built in such a way that detection of surveillance is almost impossible.
Our security experts are often asked how these cameras actually work and how they can be concealed in an object like a clock. In the following article we’ll talk about how a wireless wall clock camera works an mention the types available for purchase through Security Camera King.
The key factor behind hidden or disguised digital video security cameras is advanced technology. In the no to distant past, security and surveillance cameras were analog based. Since they are now digital, that has allowed the security camera industry to share the benefits of technological advances found in the personal computer and electronic industries. This in turn has yielded incredibly small, high quality cameras that can capture video images in a variety of different conditions.
Creating a digital video image using a wireless wall clock camera begins with the camera’s lens. Objects have a natural tendency to reflect light. The light that is reflected is gathered by the lens and focused on an electronic sensor. Many hidden cameras use a highly accurate 3.7 mm wide angle lens. To get an appreciation for the size of this lens, hold two nickels together. The thickness of two stacked nickels is a little greater than the entire size of a 3.7 mm lens. The wide angle feature allows this small lens to have a proportionately larger field of view.
The lens focuses the light image on a small electronic sensor. One of two different sensors is used. A Charged Coupled Device or CCD or a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor or CMOS converts the light energy into electrical impulses. The CCD and CMOS go about the process a little differently, but both yield the same end result; electrical impulses that can be measured and used to create a digital video image.
As a side note, CCDs have historically produced a higher quality image with a greater demand for electrical power while CMOSs have produced a slightly lesser quality image with a lesser demand for power. However, as technology advances, both CCDs and CMOSs are approaching an equal state of quality and power demand.
All of Security Camera King’s wireless wall clock cameras use CCDs. One would think that the electronic sensor would need to be rather large, especially when using a wide angle lens. However, our wireless wall clock cameras use a very small 1/4 or 1/3 inch CCD. Using a 3.7 mm lens and such a small CCD, it should become obvious how easy it is to disguise the camera with the clock face.
After the light images are created into measurable electrical impulses by the CCD, the camera then converts this analog data to binary or digital form by using an analog-to-digital converter. The analog-to-digital converter resides in a very small Integrated Circuit or IC chip that takes up very little space.
Now the video data is ready for transmitting. Once again a relatively small IC chip comprises the transmitter. The circuit converts the digital data into radio waves that can be sent by the transmitter to a corresponding wireless receiver.
Our wireless wall clock cameras use 2.4 GHz radio technology; the same technology used by many land-line based wireless phones. This technology offers a strong, clear signal with very little interference.
Normally the receiver is located near the Digital Video Recorder or DVR unit and is connected to it by a cable. Once the wireless wall clock camera video signal reaches the receiver, it is transferred to the DVR where it can be displayed on a monitor and viewed live and/or stored on the DVR’s hard disk drive for archiving or later use.
Security Camera King offers four different wireless wall clock cameras. We offer a “standard” looking wall clock that looks like any plain circular wall clock found in an office or home. We also offer a more sophisticated looking clock camera with humidity and temperature indicators. Each of the two designs offers either a black and white video image or a color video image. The black and white video images models will produce a high quality image in very low light conditions (0.003 lux for example). Check our “Wireless Hidden Cameras” web page.
