6 Tips for Staying Safe when you Live Alone

6 Tips for Staying Safe when you Live Alone

Did you hear that? Was that noise from inside or outside your home? It can be frightening at times when you live alone and have no one else to turn to when you hear a crash or a thud. There are definite ways to stay safe if you live alone and you can protect yourself very easily. This short guide will inform you of the top six tips for staying safe when you live alone.

1. Install indoor security cameras

One of the easiest ways to keep yourself safe in your home is to have security cameras installed inside of your home. Security camera systems are great as they can call the police if someone breaks into your home. They also have a video feed that will capture the intruder's profile and face on film to be reviewed later by the authorities. There are many options to choose from as well. All rooms of your home can be wired, and you will have peace of mind knowing your safe when you are in the shower or sleeping.

2. Own a dog that can protect you

One of the greatest joys is that of a pet. Not only would you gain companionship from your four-legged friend, but they would give you the protection you need when a burglar tries to get in. A dog can hear noises you cannot hear, and their sense of smell is far greater than humans. A dog would alert you to any rumblings outside your property. They would protect you by both barking and attacking if an intruder did break in.

3. Live in a gated community or have a gate camera

If you are lucky enough to live in a neighborhood with a gate, this will keep you safe as no one who does not live in your area can get access to the community. If you do not live in a gated community, you can still use technology to your advantage. You can install a gate camera which is like a security camera so you can see who is trying to come onto your property. These security camera systems can be more expensive than others, but really, what is the price for your own safety?

4. Lock all doors and windows

One of the simplest ways to keep yourself safe when living alone is to verify that all your doors and windows are locked. You would think this is a no-brainer, but surprisingly, many people do not lock their doors or are unaware a door is unlocked. The same goes for windows. Criminals look for cracked windows, and they check doors to see if they are unlocked. Get in the habit of checking all doors and windows before bed every night!

5. Install perimeter security cameras

Another intelligent way to stay safe when living alone is to install security cameras around the perimeter outside your home. If you have a fence, you can put cameras up to catch any intruders trespassing onto your property. This also acts as a deterrent to a criminal as they do not want to try and break into a home with security camera systems. Once they see the cameras, they will leave your property and hit a home without cameras.

6. Install outdoor lighting

A smart way to keep criminals out is by installing outdoor lighting that stays on all night long. A brightly lit area is not someplace a burglar wants to be, and they will overlook your home to hit your neighbor who does not have any outdoor lighting.

As you can see, living alone does not have to be frightening or make you anxiety-prone. You can keep yourself safe by applying the tips mentioned above. If you follow our advice on the top six tips for staying safe when you live alone, you will be happy and content with absolutely no worry of an intruder coming into your home.

4 Ways to Stop Theft in Your Company

4 Ways to Stop Theft in Your Company

How does one stop theft in business? It is harder to stop than one would think. But it is an issue that occurs time and time again. No business owner wants to be stolen from, especially after you have worked so hard to get where you are. This short guide will explain the top four ways to stop theft in your company.

1. Monitor unproductive time

Most all employees have some responsibilities on a computer. Whether they are ordering supplies, using email, or some other computer assigned task, they need to use the internet. With this comes a whole host of problems if you do not lock down certain sites and make a public policy regarding unproductive time. When an employee is checking their email or browsing on the internet, this is known as unproductive time. The employee is wasting time, so to speak, when they could be completing other needed tasks. This is a form of theft as your business is not functioning as well as it could be due to unproductive time.

2. Install security cameras

One of the largest ways to stop theft in your company is by installing security camera systems. A security camera mounted in the office, warehouse, and break room is an excellent idea to deter disgruntled employees from taking anything from the business. An employee will think twice about taking something that doesn't belong to them when security camera systems are watching their every move. A security camera is also beneficial outside if a criminal happens upon your business and tries to break-in. You will have their profile on film to give to authorities to help capture the burglar.

3. Review accounts often

It is of the utmost importance to keep a close watch on the accounts receivable and payable as well as the petty cash funds and reimbursement receipts that employees are trying to submit. Any employee who has access to the books can be tempted and capable of stealing money. Employees may also try to submit a receipt for reimbursement in which they were not the user of the goods, or it is an item that is not approved for the repayment. Lastly, bookkeepers and accountants are good at what they do. If they were tempted to commit a crime, they could easily make up a fiction vendor who is paid monthly. In actuality, the bookkeeper is paying themselves from your funds, and this is not acceptable. Most times a security camera or other type of monitoring on the accountant or bookkeeper, when they are doing your finances, will keep them from partaking in your hard earned revenue.

4. Monitor dwindling supplies of office materials

Not all employees are so brazen to steal cash from the company. But there are other items that employees are likely to take. Warehouse workers and office personnel are tempted and capable of taking items such as envelopes, stamps, paper, ink, tape, staples, and other office goods without the supervisor or owners knowledge. This seems like such a minor amount of money, but added up over the year, it contributes to the financial loss of the company.

As you can see, theft can be in many forms including supplies, money, and time. Make sure you are not a victim of theft in your company. If you follow our advice on the top four ways to stop theft in your company and invest in security camera systems for both inside and outside the building, you will see your yearly finances grow without any losses to report!

What is WDR in Surveillance Cameras?

WDR stands for Wide Dynamic Range, and is essentially the ability to produce high quality image across a wide range of light levels. For example, the center of an image or scene may be very bright due to the sunlight behind a person entering a doorway (or standing in front of a window), while the areas on either side of the entrance (window) are much darker. In CCTV Cameras without WDR, the person may appear as a shadow with no discernable features. Cameras with WDR will compensate for the variance in light levels to allow a more detailed image across the entire frame. The camera will even showing facial features, hairstyle, etc. while still giving details of the darker areas as well.

WDR can make a big difference in scenes with widely different light levels. The WDR feature in CCTV Cameras can maintain proper image brightness, exposure, and contrast to ensure image clarity. Both analog, HD analog and digital IP cameras offer this function. DB is the value to measure the wide dynamic range in a given surveillance camera. A higher WDR range (for example 120DB), represents camera can catch a greater scale of brightness.

Understanding wide dynamic range (WDR) in CCTV Cameras is critical to capturing high quality images in demanding lighting conditions. However, with no real standards, any manufacturer can claim WDR, and many do even if actual performance is weak, causing confusion for even experienced surveillance camera installers. Digital WDR is a feature on many cameras but is not ‘True’ WDR which is much more effective.

Digital WDR (D-WDR) is a software-based technique in CCTV Cameras. DWDR optimizes image quality by adjusting the gamma (γ) value to enhance dark areas. The Camera D-WDR level, should be carefully adjusted according to the lighting conditions in order to minimize possible image deterioration (i.e. the image being washed out).

True WDR is a sensor-based technology. CCTV Cameras with this technology can produce images with an extremely wide dynamic range. The WDR image sensor can capture several images with short and long exposures, then combining them into a single frame. Generally, True WDR can be adjusted using three pre-set levels (Low/Mid/High) according to the lighting conditions. Proper calibration of WDR level is essential to achieving the best result –setting the WDR level too low may not produce satisfying visibility, while setting the WDR level to high may lead to washed out images. Regardless, True WDR is the more effective technology in Surveillance Camera applications.