BIOS: Technology Means Business

Being a fly on a wall no longer requires multiple components or tricky wiring. With the Digital Private Eye (SW211-DPE) video camera and time-lapse recorder with motion trigger from Swann you can install greater peace of mind for a fraction of the cost. The Digital Private Eye (£99.99) is a stand alone ‘CCTV’ system with a built-in motion detector. Basically, still images are captured every 3 seconds onto SD memory card when motion triggers the PIR motion detector (within 15 feet).

Whether it’s for the office, your home, baby’s nursery, warehouse, whatever you want to monitor the Digital Private Eye records multiple images for added security. Simply position the camera at your front door or hallway, then plug in an SD Memory Card (64MB card provided, allows for 1600 images), power cable (included) or 9-Volt battery then watch the camera go to work. If you intend to capture a lot of images, a 1GB SD memory card allows for around captured 30,000 images.

The device itself looks very similar to a typical home alarm system monitor, but with one big difference - hidden beneath the Swann logo is a F2.0/f3.6 (4G+IR) pinhole camera and colour CMOS (not as capable as a CCD) sensor capable of capturing still images (video recording not possible) at 640x480 pixels. Other technical niceties include a dynamic range of 60dB, S/N ratio of 45dB, automatic white balance and exposure levels. Encased in a white ABS plastic housing, the camera can also connect to your computer via USB, should you want to use it as a Web camera.

There are three operational modes for the home or business owner. The product can be used in a ‘Set-and-Forget’ alarm mode. This involves connecting it to the battery or AC power source and placing the camera in position (wall mountable). It will take pictures whenever the motion detector senses movement and will record them to the SD memory card or direct to a Windows PC if connected. Swann’s Digital Private Eye can also be used in Web camera mode to capture video at 30fps and record this directly through a PC. A third Card Reader mode allows you to plug the unit into a PC using a USB cable to display the content of the memory card.

You shouldn’t get carried away, though, as the Digital Private Eye’s features are limited compared to a ‘proper’ digital surveillance camera. For instance, it has no robust weatherproof or vandalproof casing, it’s useless in the dark, and it can’t connect to your TV, VCR, or DVR for playback and recording. It isn’t even networkable (wired or wirelessly), so you can’t see, hear or speak over IP networks. The SD card also sticks out of the unit slightly, so it wouldn’t take a genius would-be thief long to pop the card out and snatch the video footage.

Saying that, the Digital Private Eye isn’t really designed for serious video monitoring. Instead, it’s an easy-to-use solution for keeping a casual eye on certain rooms or items within your home or office. Image quality is reasonable, but the lack of audio recording is disappointing. [6]

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