Background to ZedCam Covert Camera technology

ZedCam has been designing and manufacturing covert camera systems for several years, using innovative technology to extend the battery life of the systems.

The reasons for this are:

The hidden camera can then be rapidly installed without needing to connect to a mains or external battery supply.
The camera will not have trailing wires, so is even more covert
The system is much less likely to be detected by a radio wave scanner
And with appropriate recording technology, the recording will be specifically targeted and not contain unnecessary video scenes

Suggested usage for hidden cameras:

In addition, by combining this technology with Camdata’s (www.camdata.co.uk, owned by one of ZedCam’s directors) rugged computer skills, ZedCam has a range of outdoor devices.

In recent years, the cost of wireless cameras with in-built 2.4GHz transmitters has dramatically reduced. There are two main types of camera:

CCD which offers a high quality image, even in low light conditions, but drains batteries faster
CMOS – lower quality, needs better light conditions, but longer battery life

In addition a variety of wide angle and telephoto lens for different covert and overt applications is available.

The wireless cameras can then be built into “donor” products such as air fresheners, smoke detectors etc.

However, if the camera is powered on as the spy camera is installed, the batteries will be exhausted within less than one hour to 16 hours depending on the camera technology and internal space available for cells. In addition there is a fundamental flaw of CCTV in that the vast majority of recorded video “footage” is of no interest to the observer.

Hence the ZedCam™ technology which switches on the camera only when needed. This is achieved by putting a piece of technology (designed and built in the UK by ZedCam™) between the camera and the battery. This draws a very small amount of current and waits for a signal from one of our triggers. The trigger sends a low power radio signal on an unlicensed ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) frequency. The ZedCam™ protocol allows up to four camera controllers to be used simultaneously and has provision for error detection and noise rejection. When switched on, with a recommended combination of camera and battery type, the camera may be active and transmitting video/audio for between 4 and 24 hours. This is, of course, usually in short bursts of a few minutes and so may be spread over many days, weeks or months. In standby mode, the battery life is 6 to 9 months.

The following triggers are currently available from ZedCam™:

Remote keypad, allowing user to switch a camera between standby and active
PIR (Passive Infra-Red), causing the camera to become active when a human or large animal approaches within range (5m and 10m options) of the device. The camera can be set to switch off after a timeout or after the PIR no longer detects a human being/animal
Door/window switch, causing the camera to become active when the door/window/cupboard etc is opened. The camera can be set to switch off after a timeout or when the door etc is closed
Mat, causing the camera to become active when someone steps on the mat. The camera can be set to switch off after a timeout or when the mat no longer detects a human

In the case of both the camera controllers and the triggers, internal jumpers allow selection of a variety of options, including camera number, camera timeout length and trigger operation.

Playback/recording

ZedCam has a variety of display and recording devices:

A long range Personal Video Recorder with an external antenna to give 170 metre range in open air and up to 40 metres indoors depending on wall composition (ZC-PVR-01)
A wireless to AV convertor to allow the camera video to be displayed on a standard TV or monitor (ZC-AV-01)
A wireless to USB convertor to take the camera video and input to a PC/laptop (ZC-WirelessUSB-01)
The ZedCam Digital Video Recorder, which is switched on/off (at the same time as the camera) by one of our triggers, recording video only when needed. The battery life of the DVR in standby is many months (ZC-DVR-01)

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