New Products - Cameras with Wifi

One example of a WiFi camera

Here at spytech.com, we have recently introduced a few cameras with WiFi, mainly due to customer demand.  The reason we have been resisting this feature is simply because there seem to be a few misconceptions out there about how WiFi cameras operate.  In this blog I will explain the basic functions of these cameras as well as debunk a few myths that seem to be confusing people I have talked to.  If you are not sure what WiFi cameras actually do, please read on and learn, before purchasing any of these products.

The Different Meanings of "WiFi Camera"

Generally you will find there are three major ways that a "WiFi Camera" could operate:

• Camera connects to a local phone or tablet but not to the internet

The first type of camera has the advantage of a private local connection, which can only be accessed within a few feet, which makes it quite secure only because of its own limitations.  Of course it cannot be viewed over the internet which is the feature most people are looking for.

• Camera connects to a DVR and the DVR is connected to the internet

Ever since the DVR replaced the VCR in the surveillance industry, it has been possible to connect it to the internet.  Whether you have hard-wired cameras from the 80s, or modern IP cameras that connect to a DVR through a wireless network, you could always have online access to those cameras because the DVR has always had the functionality of a video router.  These surveillance systems work great if you are covering a building with several cameras, but they may be overkill if you just want to monitor one room on your phone.

• Camera connects to your WiFi router and then it is on the internet

These are the WiFi cameras we prefer.  You can put one camera in one location and see it on your phone along with controlling any other features it may have.   The location needs to have some kind of wireless internet service for the camera to broadcast to.  Obviously, you cannot put these cameras in a location without having complete access to the WiFi there.  There should be no additional charges to use your camera if you just use your own WiFi, except whatever your high speed internet plan might charge for bandwidth usage, if you aren't on some kind of unlimited plan.

Memory for Recording

Again there are many ways that a WiFi camera can be recorded.  Some cameras record to an online "Cloud" memory which conveniently requires you to pay monthly fees to access.  Others have to record on a local computer hard drive.  Some cameras have no recording ability and just act as a streaming video device.  The cameras we carry will record onto a SD memory card which you can physically take out and store anywhere you want.  This way you will not have to pay a monthly fee for memory because you could permanently own all the memory you want, in the form of SD cards, even if you just want to use one card and keep erasing it whenever it fills up.

Additional Features

Since there are hundreds of different WiFi capable cameras on the market, you can probably find just as much variety when it comes to features.  There are bigger cameras that have pan and tilt motors to move around.  There are cameras with 2-way voice communication through the internet.  Some cutting edge cameras now use facial recognition software to identify family members and strangers.  All of these fancy features can be convenient for the right application, but may only add unnecessary functions to a device that is already quite complex.  Of course in today's market, anyone looking for even the most unusual feature, would still find a handful of cameras on the market that do what they want.

The features our cameras have are the ones that would be associated with a "Spytech" theme.  We sell small sized or hidden WiFi cameras instead of large bulky cameras.  They have a motion activation record feature.  They generally have some kind of "push notification" to warn the user whenever the motion activation is triggered so they can log in and take a look at the video stream.  There should be a way to access the SD card online and view any recordings that may have happened while your phone was off.  These features and others will vary from one product to another, so it is better to actually read the specific details of one particular WiFi camera instead of a vague summary of all of them.

What Does the User Provide?

Indeed, these cameras don't just appear on your mobile device through magic.  As I mentioned before, there may be all kinds of other charges to use a WiFi camera, but let us focus on the cameras we carry at spytech.com to keep things simple:

• High speed wireless internet for the camera

I'm not sure why anyone would be shopping for a WiFi camera if they don't already have this.  So let's say, as a point of reference, your current internet should work well if you can watch online videos without a lot of interruptions.  If you can't watch online videos very well, you probably need to upgrade your internet in order to watch your camera.  You might have a monthly bandwidth cap, which can become an issue once you add a camera that provides high definition streaming video.  Of course, this all depends on how much time you plan to spend watching your cameras over the internet.

• High speed internet and some kind of mobile device for the user

Your mobile device would need to have an internet connection to connect to the camera.  Whether you want to use your costly "data plan" on video streaming, or simply connect to the free WiFi inside your favorite coffee shop, you will need some kind of internet access to use the camera app.

• Memory

SD cards are sold separately.  Our cameras don't require any kind of cloud storage subscription.

• Installation

Well, as you can see from the product pages, some of these cameras just work as soon as you plug them into a power outlet, while other models need to be mounted on a wall or ceiling.  The amount of installation required is pretty much up to you.  All of them will require you to download a free app (available in Android or IOS) on your mobile device, which allows you to control and view the camera.  You will have to figure out how to access your own WiFi and what the password is in order to connect the camera to the internet.  If you have ever had to connect a tablet, or smartphone to your WiFi, then this process will be pretty familiar.

This WiFi camera is disguised as a USB charger

So all of these requirements are pretty much part of the average urban household these days.  However, if you are thinking of using a WiFi camera in some place like a cottage, or other isolated areas, please make sure you actually have access to the type of internet service described above before purchasing a device like this.  In more populated areas, you can likely use one of these cameras with your current wireless internet without adding any kind of new monthly fee to your stable of bills.

Safety and privacy

The WiFi cameras we carry do have a secure connection and offer password protection in order to access them.  Please be sure to change the default password to something unique once you have set up your camera because the default password can be easily hacked.  If you really want to ensure your privacy, you can increase your router security and disconnect all your WiFi cameras (and webcams for that matter), any time you are not using them.  If you do take all these steps, then the WiFi cameras will be more secure than any other part of your local network.

Did we forget anything?  Do you need more detailed information?  If you have further questions please feel free to contact spytech.com at:

stproductinfo@gmail.com

(416)482-8588 - Spytech Toronto location

New Product - The Camera that Does Everything!

Due to customer demand, Spytech has tested dozens of cameras over the past few years.  Several have had very limited options.  Others have had great features but limited picture quality.  In recent years our customers have demanded HD picture quality but in the same tiny size of our standard definition cameras.  Now, a brand new camera has been released that has both incredibly high resolution, more than 1080P HD, and yet it also has features like motion activation and time lapse recording.   With this new technology, the size has finally become small enough to either carry around comfortably, or to easily conceal in a room.

Introducing the Mini Action Camera:

For the full list of specifications please read the product page here.

Let's take a look some of the many applications of this camera:

• Helmet Camera - wide angle and HD resolution make this ideal for recording action videos of the highest quality
• Wireless Smart Camera - the P2P wireless connection allows "smart" functions like streaming video and playing back video on your smartphone
• Nanny Cam - you can use the included motion record mode to activate video recording only when motion is detected
• Security Camera - timelapse and adjustable framerate allows you to adjust the camera for long term recording - even as slow as 1 frame per minute!
• Outdoor Camera - the included weatherproof casing can protect this camera from rain and can actually go completely under water
• Dashcam - you can mount this camera in your vehicle and use the gyro movement activation to document all your driving footage
• Hidden Spy Camera - the small size and flexible functionality of this camera makes it ideal to hide somewhere for video surveillance
• Playback - unlike most small cameras, this one has a little LCD screen built-in, so you don't have to track down a computer every time you want to view your recordings

Included weatherproof housing allows you to use the Mini Action Camera in any environment

For long recording applications you would have to use your favorite kind of external power bank battery or AC adapter to power this camera through the USB cable.  Due to it's small size, the built-in battery lasts between 1 and 2 hours, depending on what mode it's in.  Memory card maximum recording time can be altered by changing video quality setting.

If you are away from your computer, don't worry, this camera can play back the recordings right on its own LCD screen.  A lot of our customers have been asking for this capability so they are not constantly required to locate a computer every time they want to quickly view a recording or to simply erase their memory card.  You can also do all those things with a smart phone through a P2P wireless connection.  This camera is all about giving you options.

The Mini Action Camera is so convenient your biggest decision will be whether to leave it behind to watch over your home, or to take it with you on your adventure, for high quality photographs and videos.

Hans School
President, Spytech

Questions or comments:  stproductinfo@gmail.com

New product - Barking Dog Alarm

Since the dawn of mankind, the dog has been our protector and our loyal companion in the face of danger.    But today the era of "Man's Best Friend" has finally come to an end!  Thanks to the Dog in a Box, we humans can actually use a machine to simulate the protective qualities of a dog.  The box detects approaching objects - even beyond a closed door - and responds with the familiar barking that even our most ancient ancestors would recognize and avoid. 

No, the Dog in a Box will not shake your hand or wag its tail for you.  It will not lift your spirits or chase a squirrel.  Yes, all it does is bark at people.  But on the other hand it will not require large quantities of dog food, daily walks or constant supervision.  This dog will never bite your friends, shed on your carpet and rarely requires you to poop-and-scoop.  If you need a security system that has been effective since prehistoric times, and not a four legged companion, consider a Dog in a Box.

Click picture to see product page...

FAQ - How Can I Protect My Car From Vandalism?

This question deserves its own blog if only because we have been hearing it from so many customers throughout all the decades that Spytech has been in business.  The best answer is to capture the act on video, along with the perpatrator's face, for future legal procedings.  There are many ways to accomplish this, mostly based on where the vehicle is parked, and what is around it.

Not again!

Ideally the whole parking spot should be covered from above so that nothing can happen around the vehicle without being in view of the camera.  This type of setup is usually done by the building management and may not have much to do with the vehicle owner.  In such a situation, the vehicle owner should really discuss the parking security conditions with the building management or parking lot owner, before deciding to do anything on their own.  If the owner of the vehicle also owns the building or parking space, then it is quite simple to add a surveillance camera in the garage, or somewhere around the driveway to protect the vehicle 24 hours a day.  This could be accomplished with any surveillance camera.  The customer would choose between indoor or outdoor, night vision or not, wired or wireless, or whatever other type of camera may be appropriate for the location.  They would probably hire a professional installer to finish the job.

Of course, it's all fairly simple when the vehicle is in an "ideal" location.  Most customers have some kind of vandalism that is happening where there is no access to video surveillance.  Either the lot has no cameras, or they park on the street, or there is just no way to position any cameras around the vehicle for whatever reason.  This leaves the customer in a difficult situation of placing a camera inside the vehicle.  They would have to guess which window to point the camera out of to capture the best footage possible.  They would have to position the camera inside the vehicle where it can see the vandal clearly while not being noticed.  They would be limited to battery power since a vehicle won't provide endless electricity like a building would.

The current best solution is the Power Bank Camera.   This camera looks like a simple battery for charging a phone so it would not look out of place in a vehicle.  The battery life is long enough to cover a work day or overnight on one charge.  The resolution is HD 720P so the picture quality should be good enough to identify anyone who approaches the vehicle.  Motion activation conserves memory for long recording times.  Time and date stamp is helpful for using the video footage to document your evidence.

There are drawbacks in using this camera.  The Power Bank Camera is made for indoor use so it should probably be not be left in a vehicle during the coldest nights and hottest days.  This model has no night vision, so it can only be used for daytime or well lit parking situations.  Battery life is probably only going to cover one day at a time, so a customer won't be able to leave it in their vehicle for long term parking, since daily charging is required.  The biggest problem is guessing which window the camera needs to be pointed at.  Hopefully the customer can predict the correct angle of approach or at least pick a side that is more likely to be vandalized.  Some customers in the past have even bought multiple cameras to cover a wider area.

Despite all the usual limitations that have existed with vehicle video surveillance for over 20 years, the battery life of the Power Bank Camera is a major breakthrough that can't be ignored.

Is RF Radiation a Danger to Your Health?

Welcome to the Information Age

Our modern society has gradually embraced a culture of rapid technological innovation.  Consequently, we now entrust our health and safety to the developers and business people who create and distribute these technologies, since the pace of corporate innovation has become too rapid for regulators to keep up.  As members of this culture, we realize that millions of people could end up watching the latest tech toys self destruct on Youtube fail videos weeks before a government agency issues a safety warning.  We accept this risk because new stuff is cool.

In this culture it is up to the consumers to inform themselves about technology.  In the spirit of providing information, I have written this summary about the safety of RF radiation, using the least biased data I could find.  My opinion is that there is a large amount of data presented to the public, much of which is biased towards either extreme danger or extreme safety, but I believe the truth actually lies somewhere in between.  Speaking of opinions and bias, keep in mind you are reading this article on a website that also sells devices with RF radiation.

What Is RF Radiation?

RF Radiation is made up of "Radio Frequency" waves.  That's the stuff that comes out of all wireless devices from phones to wearables to WiFi routers.  Radio frequencies are just one section of the entire Electromagnetic Spectrum.  I will only be writing about the RF part of the spectrum since that is the one associated with our company's products.  If you want to get even more specific, the majority of consumer wireless devices are between the frequencies 300 MHz and 6 GHz, within the RF range.

This NASA graphic shows where Radio waves are located in the overall spectrum

While it is widely understood that massive amounts of RF radiation can cook you, which is demonstrated every time you use a microwave oven, this article is more focused on the typical RF radiation levels the average person would encounter.  People who work with powerful RF equipment every day, or people who are exposed to abnormal levels of RF radiation for some reason, all have their own safety issues that I will not be getting into.  Check out Wikipedia for the full technical details about RF frequencies if you are interested.

Government Regulations

Let us make the assumption that the RF technology industry chooses to limit itself according to government regulation.  For example, I can assure you that no mobile phone in the USA exceeds the FCC's regulations, as a quick Google search will show you that this has been examined many times over the years during numerous lawsuits.  Obviously the mobile phone industry carefully complies with the government regulations simply because they could be sued by any one of their millions of customers.  So regulation does exist, but this presents us with the question, who is regulating this?

WHO is regulating this!  The World Health Organization (WHO) has been studying the health effects of RF radiation for decades - with a logically higher emphasis on mobile phones in recent years - and most government regulations around the world concerning RF devices are modeled on what the WHO has recommended.  Without going into endless detail, the limits they came up with are different for every type of wireless device, and depend on factors like proximity to the body, or transmission frequency.  A phone held right next to your brain has a different safe transmission limit than a microwave oven, for instance.

The numbers that the World Health Organization recommends to the world's applicable government agencies is what they call the SAR, or Specific Absorption Rate, or the safe amount of radiation absorption for humans.  The SAR is 1.6 W/kg averaged over 1g of human tissue for frequencies 100kHz - 6GHz.  Check out Health Canada's own guidelines for a complete list of confusing numbers related to SAR.  Canada and USA both use 1.6 W/kg as their limit.  Other countries may vary, and some don't even have regulations.

Mobile Phones

The signal strength of a modern 3G mobile phone can range from 250 mW up to a maximum of 2W.  Different phone models have different signal strengths and they also automatically change their power output based on their proximity to the nearest cell tower.  If you want to look up your particular mobile phone SAR rating, the FCC offers this SAR lookup feature on their website.  Since that is a tedious process, here are the SAR ratings for 2 of the most widely used mobile phones these days:

Apple IPhone 6 Plus

• Head = 1.18 W/kg
• Body-worn Accessory = 1.19 W/kg
• Wireless Router (Hotspot) = 1.19 W/kg
• Simultaneous Transmission (Head) = 1.59 W/kg
• Simultaneous Transmission (Body) = 1.54 W/kg

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge for Verizon

• Head = 0.4 W/kg
• Body-worn Accessory = 0.55 W/kg
• Wireless Router (Hotspot) = 0.96 W/kg
• Simultaneous Transmission = 1.17 W/kg

Above ratings are from "Electromagnetic Radiation Safety" blog.  This blog actually shows the ratings for simultaneous phone and WiFi router functions combined.  Manufacturers only provide some of these ratings in their manuals and websites.  The actual SAR numbers for devices are quite hard to find online but there is plenty of criticism about how the SAR figures are measured.

This article wasn't supposed to focus on mobile phones exclusively, but I can't ignore these devices because they are so often in close proximity to our bodies, and we also use them excessively in our daily lives.  So let me resolve this mobile phone radiation dilemma by pointing out that RF radiation becomes much weaker with distance.  There is a huge difference in radiation absorption from a phone that is 1mm from your head, compared to one that is sitting all the way at arm's length, on your desk.  So if you are concerned about dangerous SAR levels from your phone, adding one wired hands-free device will severely reduce the RF radiation you are exposed to, simply by locating the phone far away from your body.  Your phone's owner's manual and even the FCC's own website suggest that you keep your phone away from your head.

Environmental RF Radiation

Assuming you took my advice, and that phone is no longer located right next to your brain, then you have wisely banished your phone's RF signal into that mysterious fog called "Environmental RF Radiation".   OK, so that sounds much safer.  But what if there are twenty other wireless devices sitting around your home along with your mobile phone?  How much RF radiation are you being exposed to overall?  Before I get to that, let's pile on even more!  The radiation from the cell tower down the street, your local radio station, TV station, all the wireless devices from all your neighbours, or even add on those satellite transmissions from space, if you like.  Of course, I would be a hypocrite if I didn't mention that our very own spytech.com wireless video camera would contribute yet another RF transmission to your household tally.

Unlike a stationary cellular phone that is measured easily in a lab, SAR is not used as a measurement out in the real world .  In Canada these measurements are given as a percentage of the Safety Code 6 limit, which is the limit of W/m^2 of RF radiation that is considered safe for humans.  Once again the SAR is used as a reference to determine this limit.  A Safety Code 6 limit is calculated as the power density of 0.02619 ƒ^0.6834 (f = frequency in MHz) per meter squared over 6 minutes.  That formula is used only for frequencies between 300MHz - 6 GHz.  I'll cite 2 outdoor environmental radiation studies to help relate these measurements to the real world (both of these links are PDF format):

• 2002 Downtown Toronto Canada (Metro Hall) = 5.63% of Safety Code 6
• 2000 various towns around Sweden = .0006 W/m^2

The number I mentioned for "Downtown Toronto", as measured by Industry Canada, was by far the highest measured in the whole city (click on the link for a whole list of other locations).  This particular location was bordered by the buildings like CBC, CN Tower, First Canadian Place, and many others, all of which have large amounts of radio, television and cellular phone tower transmitters.  However, if we just look at random locations, or less urban environments like the Swedish study, the numbers are quite small in comparison to the wireless devices found in your own pocket or inside your home.  For indoor sources, I will refer you to a case study from 2012 that measured the RF radiation from 24 laptops with WIFI enabled, along with 2 wireless routers, all located inside one boardroom.  This should be more RF devices than an average person would have in their entire home.  There are pages of data you can examine through this link, but I will cite the very highest average result they measured, which was a sensor located just 20 cm from one of the two routers:

• Case study 1 room, 24 computers (using WiFi), 2 routers = 6.6679548% of Safety Code 6

Note -  other locations around the same room were all measuring at 10X lower than this number.

These are only a few examples,  two of these studies were done by the Government of Canada, and one by a Swedish university, so we can assume the numbers are not industry marketing materials, or fabricated.  I think we can take these numbers to mean that the amount of RF radiation we are exposed to in an average location would rarely be close to the Canadian Safety Code 6 limit.  If we take the highest reading from that Downtown Toronto data, or the similar highest number from the WiFi case study, we are still talking about less than 10% of what is considered a safe limit in Canada.  But what does this so-called "safe" amount of radiation mean for our health?

The Canadian Government study simulated the RF conditions of a typical boardroom like this one.

RF Health Effects

This is extremely controversial territory.  On the one hand, billion dollar communication companies have a huge financial stake in the public's perception of whether RF radiation causes health issues.  Conversely, a surprising number of conspiracy enthusiasts and Cellular Cassandras seem absolutely convinced that RF radiation means an end to humanity.  The many interest groups from both sides have filled the internet with highly questionable experimental data, outrageous anecdotal evidence, scary pictures of mutant animals, and countless other outrageous claims.  It is quite alarming how little credible scientific information has ever been published about devices that are now used by billions of people around the world.

One thing I can be pretty clear about is the science behind the SAR limit of 1.6 W/kg is based on tests that studied thermal health effects on adults.  There is much varied and flawed data about non-thermal RF radiation effects, but very few impartial scientific studies.  Even more alarming, is that there is very little data about the effects of RF radiation on children, and how it effects their development.  As an example of this research shortage, the Supreme Court in Italy ruled in a 2012 case that heavy cellular phone use can cause cancer.  To arrive at this ruling, the Italian court ignored any research that was funded by the mobile phone industry, which wasn't easy because most research is funded by that industry.

On the other hand, the American Cancer Society suggests that past research has failed to produce much evidence of RF radiation causing cancer.  On its cellular phone page, the same organization cautions people that research on phone radiation is inconclusive, and that there are several studies currently under way that will eventually clarify the danger.  This mantra about ongoing research is repeated by all the more credible medical information sources and the mobile phone industry as well.  I would assume there will be some interesting research results announced in the near future so let's hope we will soon understand the effects of RF radiation better than just those Specific Absorbtion Rate studies from many years ago.

What Should You Do?

Unlike quitting smoking, there is nothing immediate you can do to eliminate environmental RF radiation from your life.  Even if you remove yourself completely from civilization there are still small amounts of RF radiating around the entire universe.  The good news is that an average person's exposure to RF radiation at some random location would be much lower than a person that spends time near broadcast transmitters or someone who uses radio equipment every day.  Therefore, the majority of the radiation you are exposed to in life mostly comes from the devices you are actually controlling, as long as you don't spend a lot of time in unusually high level RF environments.  In other words, you can lower your exposure to RF radiation simply by strategically locating, or shutting off, the RF devices in your home.

As I mentioned in the section about mobile phones, the level of RF exposure goes up dramatically as RF devices get closer to your body.  Alarmingly, the latest trend in today's consumer gadget industry is "Smart" wearable devices - meaning they transmit RF radiation - which you use by attaching them all over your body.  If mobile phones, that have been around for decades, are still not fully understood, the health effects of these smart devices must be a total mystery!  Wearable wireless devices contradict all the medical recommendations about keeping a reasonable distance from RF devices to reduce your RF exposure to the safest level possible.  Perhaps this is the trend that really needs to be scrutinized more by our technology-loving culture?

To summarize, there is not much evidence that everyday levels of RF radiation can be dangerous to your health, but there is also not much evidence that the current regulated levels of RF radiation are actually safe for your health!  In such an information void, I would suggest that it is a good idea to limit your exposure to RF radiation much like you would try to limit your exposure to sugar, stress, fast food, irregular sleeping habits, sitting down too much, excessive alcohol, tobacco or drugs.  All of these will damage your health once you exceed certain levels, and just like RF exposure, there is ongoing research varying opinions about what those levels are.  How much people actually care about their own health and safety is another variable.  The one thing we do know is that it is easy to minimize your RF exposure simply by locating all RF devices away from your body as much as possible.

There is no reason to ignore the dangers of RF radiation, just because they are unknown, because the concept of a "safe" exposure limit could easily change after the next scientific study is published.  On the other hand, there is also no reason to fear RF radiation, since it is quite easy to take steps to minimize your exposure, compared to something like eliminating sugar from your diet, or overcoming a drug addiction.  Like every other decision in life, you have to accumulate the best information you can find, balance the risks with the rewards, and then decide between caution and indulgence.  Hopefully the material I gathered here will help you with that decision until some compelling scientific conclusions are finally released.

“Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance.”
― Epicurus

Link Sources (click on above links to see exact pages):

• www.wikipedia.com
• www.who.int (World Health Organization)
• www.hc-sc.gc.ca (Health Canada)
• www.fcc.gov (Federal Communications Commission USA)
• www.saferemr.com (Electromagnetic radiation safety blog written by Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D.., University of California, Berkeley)
• www.spytech.com (this website)
• www.ic.gc.ca (Industry Canada)
• www.salzburg.gv.at (Research authored by Prof. Dr. Yngve Hamnerius and Thomas Uddmar, Chalmers University of Technology, Goteborg, Sweden)
• www.ic.gc.ca (Government of Canada)
• www.prlog.org (Press releases)
• www.cancer.org (Website about cancer research)

Hans School
President, Spytech

Questions or comments:  stproductinfo@gmail.com