What is it that I need to know before you buy a spy camera?
Before you purchase any spy camera should be clear on the following concepts:
- What is it that we want to record?
- Person, object or place
- How far away is it?
- How much lighting is there?
- How do you find the target?
- Static or in movement
- Where is the goal?
- Home, work or car
- What autonomy do you need?
What is it that we want to record?
Know that this is what we want to record and that distance is our objective, will allow us to choose correctly the angle of view of the camera. The smaller the distance between the lens and the spy camera the greater will be the angle of vision that we need
Example. If you need to record a bedroom that is small, you will need a camera that has an angle of view wide (170º) to take all the walls. On the other hand if you need to record a static object such as a jewelry box or drawer with a viewing angle of 90 ° would be sufficient.
How far away is it?
If what we want to record is a text document that is a few centimeters, we focus previously the camera for that distance. Keep in mind that most of the spy cameras do not have auto focus so that a camera is “configured” to read a text with small print to 30 cm you will not see either an object that is located to 15 meters. Our mini cameras are able to read the letters smaller, even the size 5. See here a video demonstration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzs5Vt0JwPA
If the goal is a long, for example greater than 20 Km, please contact us. We will give you a custom solution with devices not offered in our catalog (professional only)
Our goal is static or in motion?
If the target is static and we don't know when it's going to produce the “action”, it would be advisable to have a camera to record by motion detection and thus minimize the consumption of memory and power to have a greater autonomy.
If the target moves by a fenced-in area we used system cameras recording continuously.
If the target is in motion and we also (follow people), recommended would be to use cameras that work at 60 frames per second (FPS) and High Definition. Most of the spy cameras working at 30 fps. Only working at 60 fps and those that employ the latest technology
What is the minimum lighting I need?
On the technical characteristics of the different spy cameras can read that “lighting is required minimum of 1 lux, 0.5 lux, 0.01 lux, etc” know that the quality of the camera, and therefore of the image, is proportional to the value of the same. Hidden cameras that are good require a minimum illumination is very low and the cameras are more affordable need more luminosity (more lux) to work.
If we want to record in environments with low light, such as bedrooms with the light off, garages, basements or simply for the night, you will need a camera that require very little brightness
It is important to differentiate between cameras that require low-light (need some lighting even if it is short) and those that do not need any lighting since they work with leds infra-red. The amount of IR leds you have will determine the range of the night vision
If you only need to make recordings of the day, or in lit settings like offices, classrooms or bedrooms (with the light on) we will be out of luck because with a very little budget we have a wide range of products.
Do home, work or car?
Another very important factor at the time of placing the camera is where the going to put. As there can be no other way to place the camera in a place where you do not call attention and should be camouflaged with the environment. The best option will always be a custom camera according to the place. Example: The best spy camera to record form cover damage to the vehicle is the spy camera hidden in the dice. A camera car set in the front would be a deterrent but not a spy.
On the other hand, if we want to record in our home or work yes you will have a wide variety of products with endless possibilities. In these cases, the spy cameras that we recommend are those that can be connected to the electricity network that have unlimited autonomy and that they are WIFI, so that we can see in real time the image from a Smartphone or PC
If you want to place a camera inside the car the best place would be in the front
Depending on the resolution and the autonomy of the camera, we have to get more or less capacity. In the following table, you can see how many minutes are recorded on a 1 Gb capacity with the different resolutions available (times are approximate)
How much memory do I need?
Depending on the resolution and the autonomy of the camera, we have to get more or less capacity. In the following table, you can see how many minutes are recorded on a 1 Gb capacity with the different resolutions available (times are approximate)
|
Resolution |
Business Name |
Capacity |
Minutes |
|
1920x1080 |
Full HD |
1Gb |
15 min |
|
1280x720 |
HD |
1Gb |
20 min |
|
720x480 |
D1 |
1Gb |
30 min |
|
640x480 |
VGA |
1Gb |
40 min |
How much autonomy do I need?
Autonomy (recording time in minutes of a camera at full load) varies in function of the consumption of the camera itself so that we would always talk about a camera you specify instead of generalize, that is to say, the same camera can have a higher or lower consumption depending on how the set. Let's look at a real example:
The clock spy SEM-709 HD has a battery of 4800 mAh. Can be configured in different modes, and each one will have a specific consumption, so the autonomy will be different:
- Sleep (standbye): Up to 700 hours (29 days)
- Mode continuous recording with Infra red activated: 8 hours
- Mode continuous recording with Infra red off: 14 hours
- Mode motion detection with infra red activated: Variable in function of the number of detections made
- Mode motion detection with infra red turned off: Variable in function of the number of detections made
Nor can it be set in a generic runtime for cameras that work with infra-red because, for example, the camera-SEM 709 HD has 30 IR leds not visible and the camera SEM-708 HD only 8 IR leds so that the consumption of both cameras will be different.
For these reasons, manufacturers often do not provide the data of the consumption and only say it when the camera is not configurable. The only way to know the real independence would be performing real-world testing
Note: All of the autonomous regions, which are described in our technical specifications are obtained from actual tests that we have done.
And then? How much autonomy do I need?
Whenever possible we should choose those cameras that can be connected to the electrical grid, or that have a high capacity battery.
The autonomy of the spy camera should always be in accordance with the memory capacity.
Example 1: The wrist-watches that record in Full HD, have an autonomy of approximately 90 minutes of recording. With a memory of 8 Gb capacity would be 120 minutes of storage capacity. With a 4Gb memory would all be exhausted to the storage (60 minutes) and we could not record more in spite of having 90 minutes of autonomy. We would be wasting 30 minutes of autonomy by failing to obtain a correct memory.
The memory that we recommend for any spy camera is that double, at least, the ability of the autonomy of the battery, so that, if one day we forgot to remove the videos after you perform a load, we can keep on recording without having memory problems.
Example 2: A pen that has 8 Gb of capacity, an autonomy of 90 minutes and record in VGA resolution, you would not need more capacity. With those 8Gb can record about 320 minutes (3.5 times higher than the autonomy of the battery)
It is noteworthy that autonomy is directly proportional to the size of the battery, that is to say, a key-fob spy (with a battery 380 mAh) will have an autonomy of 90 minutes and a mini camera with a battery of 4000mAh (of larger size) will have an autonomy of up to 24 hours.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do the images they record audio and video at the same time?
Yes. All the spy cameras that we offer recorded audio and video together.
How does the motion detection?
A camera set to this mode will record video files only when a movement is detected. Completed the move will go into sleep mode to await a new detection.
Note: the time intervals of the recording of the video files, as well as the waiting times between detection and detection will vary depending on the device.
What is the difference with the pre-motion detection?
If the target passes very fast in front of the camera, it is possible that the camera does not record because you have to activate, i.e., move from the state idle to the state recording and this interval may be just a few tenths of a second.
Cameras with pre-motion detection start recording before that is detected in the movement itself. In this way, for very fast pass the camera lens is always recorded.
How the motion detection turned on, the autonomy is greater?
It is possible that you have a little more autonomy, but what they do have is a greater capacity of recording, ie, only the recorded video files with content.
Can I view the images in real time from any PC or Smartphone?
Yes, it is possible using the spy cameras WIFI, or the transmitter IP GV3 + mini camera. The setup is very easy with our manual exclusive in Spanish
Can I program the camera to record at a time and date specific?
Yes, you can. But this option is only available in the more advanced models.
Where do you store the video files?
The majority of cameras work with microSD cards up to 64 GB and recorders that are portable are used by professionals use hard drives with a capacity of up to 500Gb, as the PV-1000 Touch
What if I change the speed of the FPS will vary the capacity of recording?
Effectively. The latest models of our shop spy work 60 FPS, however most of the cameras record videos at 30 frames per second (FPS). In certain models, this speed can be set to 60 FPS, 15 FPS or 10 FPS. The greater the FPS the greater the file size, and better defined the movement will be.
|
Resolution |
Business Name |
Capacity |
Minutes |
Frames |
|
1920x1080 |
Full HD |
1Gb |
7,5 min |
60 |
|
1280x720 |
HD |
1Gb |
10 min |
60 |
|
Resolution |
Business Name |
Capacity |
Minutes |
Frames |
|
1920x1080 |
Full HD |
1Gb |
15 min |
30 |
|
1280x720 |
HD |
1Gb |
20 min |
30 |
|
Resolution |
Business Name |
Capacity |
Minutes |
Frames |
|
1920x1080 |
Full HD |
1Gb |
30 min |
15 |
|
1280x720 |
HD |
1Gb |
40 min |
15 |
Do you need more information?
If you have any questions about the operation of our cameras or if you want us to review your case so that we help you to choose the camera that is best to contact us by filling out the following form HERE or calling us at the phone number 626.580.745