Our Wi-Fi surveillance fills in the missing piece

The future of DIY surveillance is Wi-Fi enabled covert cameras

Over the past few years, several Wi-Fi enabled overt cameras have entered the market, making DIY home and business surveillance simple and offering greater flexibility over connected homes and businesses without having to enter into long-term contracts and subscription-based services. In fact, we launched our own Wi-Fi home monitoring system in mid-2015.

While these cameras are a cost-effective way to monitor what's happening while you're away – and can serve as a powerful deterrent for anyone thinking about doing harm to people or property – the mere nature of the cameras being unconcealed may not offer you a complete picture of what's going on while you're at work, on vacation, or even while sleeping with night-owl teenagers coming and going.

This is where our exclusive, American designed SleuthGear® brand of surveillance cameras comes in. We admit, it has taken us awhile to make our Zone Shield and Xtreme Life lines Wi-Fi enabled, and for good reason. We've worked hard to find the right technology to offer you the quality you've come to expect of the SleuthGear® brand. We weren't going to settle for substandard technology and inconsistent performance. That's why we are especially excited about these line extensions. Our Wi-Fi hidden cameras offer true live view, require no Ethernet plugs and can perform up to 200 feet line of sight (LOS) from the router.

So, as the surveillance industry as a whole continues its move to Wi-Fi based monitoring, we are proud to tout that we are the first to feature Wi-Fi Direct, which enables up to 16 cameras on different networks and in different locations to easily connect and be managed all from the same application. These capabilities, along with several exclusive SleuthGear camera forms designed to fit busy lifestyles and include household and business accessories and appliances, as well as weather resistant models for outdoor installation, make our surveillance system our highest performing and most versatile for comprehensive family monitoring, and home and business security.

And, setting up SleuthGear Wi-Fi cameras is simple using the "EZ-SEE" app for iOS and Android devices. Once the app is opened, follow the prompts to directly connect your smartphone or tablet to your camera. You are now able to view live streaming video footage from anywhere you have a Wi-Fi connection. The video footage may be stored, shared and accessed securely anytime. Annual storage plans are offered based on seven or 30 days of saved rolling video.

With features including motion alerts, night vision, HD and multi-camera connectivity, you're only a click away from reviewing a snapshot of family life while you're away, being assured your teenager is making safe choices or monitoring contractors or supply chains located around the world.

For more information about how our Wi-Fi helps fill in the missing piece for DIY surveillance, visit http://www.kjbsecurity.com.

Wider, Brighter, Better: Making KJBsecurity.com a Cheerful Corner Store

Who wants to shop in a dark store? This week’s site review is about the “look and feel" of the new updated kjbsecurity.com. No more dark colors and busy backgrounds. Imagine if Pottery Barn redecorated your local 7-11. It'd be a comfortable and cheery place to get everything you need fast. Overall, you’ll find the new site to be brighter and more modern with cool colors and open spaces. Here's a few more updates to help you find the products you need faster than you can fill up a 32 oz Slushy.

Things are bigger in the future:

We learned that our customers are accessing the site on wider screens. So we redesigned kjbsecurity.com to be significantly wider.  More room allows more space for product information as well. 

Fast Find:

Look for our bright pink button to indicate a NEW product or yellow for discontinued. 

The Features Icons Are Easy to Learn From:

These icons were part of the old site but were smaller and less prominent. Dealer feedback told us these icons were quite helpful - when they could find them - so we made that easier. The icons are located just below the product photos and on the blue pop-up screen in the Zone Shield and Xtreme Life sections. Simply hovering over the icon/symbol will display a short summary of what the icon means. Fine product benefits fast without multiple clicks or additional page visits. 

Icons are visible after you click the click the product picture in Zone Shield and Xtreme Life sections

Icons are visible on most products in the Features and Best Uses tab

Next week we'll take a spin through the revamped Dealer Dashboard and Info Hub.

Let's WIN this! Vote to feature Zone Shield Night Vision Clock Radio on DIY Network's I WANT THAT THE MOST

We’re thrilled to announce that viewers of DIY Network's I WANT THAT selected the Zone Shield Night Vision Clock Radio Wireless as one of their top 30 favorite products of the season!

Now we have the chance to be featured again on Nov. 28 in a special episode titled I Want That “The Most.” Only the top 15 products will appear in the episode and YOU can help ensure we are included!

Share this unique link to the Clock Radio on all of your social media channels along with the hashtags: #DIYNetwork and #SleuthGear throughout the voting period.

Encourage your fans, friends, and family to Pin, Tweet, and Post the Pinterest link from Nov. 3 - 10. Only the products with the most social media chatter will be featured on the show.

SleuthGear Gets High Marks from Top Ten Reviews

We are proud to announce that Top Ten Reviews, gave Xtreme Life Wall Clock and Zone Shield Oscillating Fan Excellence Awards and 9+ stars!

9.2 out of 10 Stars for Zone Shield Oscillating Fan DVR

The Verdict From Top Ten: The SleuthGear Zone Shield Oscillating Fan DVR can secure your home or protect your business while keeping you cool and comfortable. TopTenReviews.com gives it the 2015 Bronze Excellence Award for Hidden Cameras.

9.5 out of 10 Stars for Xtreme Life Wall Clock DVR

The Verdict From Top Ten: The SleuthGear Xtreme Life Wall Clock is a simple hidden camera with a complete feature set and a dependable design. TopTenReviews.com gives it the 2015 Silver Excellence Award for Hidden Cameras

The Honest Reviews calls the Zone Shield Night Vision Clock Radio DVR “a great product”

Tech expert Tony Tran with The Honest Reviews recently reviewed our new Zone Shield Night Vision Clock Radio DVR and we’re pleased that he rated the camera four out of five stars – and even higher on the design and ease of use. We’ve pulled out a few excerpts from the review below.

Here’s what Tony had to say about the design:
“The clock radio is light and the design is very stylish which makes it great to look at. It feels and weight similar to my real alarm clock, so there is no way to tell that it’s a hidden camera unless you open it up and look inside.”

And the video quality:
“I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the video in complete darkness. You can even read some of the text on the box shown in the image” 

Screen capture from video in a well lit room.

Screen capture from video with Night Vision working in total darkness.

Tony’s final thoughts:
“Overall, the Zone Shield Night Vision Clock Radio DVR is a great product as it was easy to setup, easy to use, very stylish design, and comes with a lot of features. If you are shopping for a nanny camera or hidden camera that is built into a working household appliances, then the Zone Shield Night Vision Clock Radio DVR SC8000 is definitely recommended. This device was assembled in America using high quality video surveillance components which makes it even more reliable as a hidden camera.”

Visit The Honest Review and read the full review as well as see pictures from the review process and enter for a chance to win a Clock Radio DVR!

Why Made In Tennessee Matters For Hidden Cameras

For many years open tooling has been the bane of companies attempting to manufacture goods in Asia. Bait and switch or smoke and mirrors, call it what you want, but open tooling means that two devices may look the same on the outside but are actually different on the inside. In some of China’s tooling shops, components are purchased and assembled without regard to quality standards. Malfunctions, limited performance, and lack of compatibility with add-ons products may all be a result of slip-shod tooling.

While developing the SleuthGear® line of hidden cameras we encountered the frustration of inconsistent quality and duplicate poor performance products too many times. So we decided to assemble our devices at our warehouse in Nashville, Tennessee. One hundred percent of our SleuthGear® products are quality tested, including the Zone Shield®, Xtreme Life™, and Recluse® line. We are the only manufacturer in the industry making trips to China to visit vendors where we test for quality. You may notice that while searching online for hidden cameras, identical products from various vendors can have significant price differences. Most likely, the least expensive device is the result of open tooling…cheaper assembly and less attention to detail.

A very popular surveillance devices that is rampant on Chinese-import sites such as Amazon is a Clock Radio Hidden Cam. But a cheap version could have a hidden camera that is not centered correctly resulting in a smaller field of view and consequently, you risk not capturing enough important footage. Some of these imported wireless cameras also have deficient transmitting ability resulting in footage with static interference.

The video below shows actual video footage examples taken from competing Chinese imported cameras. At the end you see how their footage compares to SleuthGear's hidden camera footage. Now which one of these cameras do you want watching your babysitter?

Recommend These DVRs to First Time Covert Security Users

Surveillance devices can be life savers. They can also be intimidating. If you are new to the world of hidden cameras, consider a built-in self- recording DVR. If you select a battery powered device, it will be as simple as plug and play. KJB’s removable SD cards make it easy to capture video and quickly retrieve it for viewing. A battery powered device with a removable SD card is a user friendly first step into the world of DIY surveillance. Here are a few popular and easily handled styles:

The Xtreme Life Smoke Detector DVRs come in either side view or bottom view camera mounts and they all feature Night Vision for low light conditions.

The Zone Shield Clock Radio DVR is KJB's most popular hidden camera. This simple clock blends into just about any household or business setting. While it is not battery powered, it does feature a Night Vision version.

Need covert surveillance outside the home or office such as a coffee shop, client's building or principal's office? Consider the DVRs hidden inside these common personal accessories. Both the Insulated Mug DVR and the Key Chain DVR have easy on/off switch operation.

Finally it's hard to know when you might need to record footage around your home or business but having a weather resistant hidden camera means you've at least got a plan. The Xtreme Life Landscape Stone DVR has a heat sensor that conserves battery life and also has a quick auto start. 

Night Vision At Work

Tell your customers that a Night Vision wall clock in a darkened office or conference room can clearly capture any suspicious behavior of a late night cleaning crew. Our extensive line of Night Vision products are available in both Zone Shield and Xtreme Life devices. As we stated in this blog, KJB goes to great lengths to make sure all our Night Vision products are capturing video in even the most challenging lighting situations. Whether it's a clock, smoke detector, or fan our hidden camera forms will blend into any small business or home environment.

The Night Vision wireless cameras in Xtreme Life and Zone Shield can be integrated into the same system. For example, if you started with a Zone Shield Night Vision Clock Radio in the conference room, then an Xtreme Life Night Vision Smoke Detector is a great addition to the office hallway. 

Not every camera in a Night Vision system needs to be hidden. This Indoor/Outdoor Camera sports IRs and is a great addition as a third or fourth camera. Use it to monitor an entrance hallway or warehouse.

If you are a Dealer, download the IR symbol from our site to indicate that a product has night vision. No need for your customer to get overwhelmed by choices. If they are seeking a Night Vision product, the IR symbol will help to quickly identify the best device for them.