Hidden Cameras, Nanny Cams, Spy and Surveillance Equipment

There are several different styles and sizes of recorders available You can buy a dedicated analog or cell phone recorder, or you can choose one of several models of digital audio recorders that fit nicely in your hand or pocket.

Regardless of which type of audio recorder you decide on, you should be aware of the legalities that accompany such recording. It is very important to make sure that any recording, either of a phone conversation or an in-person conversation, complies with federal and state laws. You certainly don’t want to face criminal charges or civil law suits for any audio recording. Depending on the circumstances and your jurisdiction, there may be a difference under the law between in-person recordings and telephone recordings.

The first consideration you will need to make is whether the conversation is considered private. Almost all telephone conversations are presumed to be private conversations between the parties to the call. In-person conversations, however, are not necessarily private. In general, in-person communications which can be naturally overheard – that is, overheard without use of any special device – are not considered private conversations.

For example, two people have a loud conversation in front of you at the grocery store have no expectation that their communications are private. If a conversation is not private, it can generally be recorded without legal repercussion.

If the conversation is considered private, such as a phone call or a quiet discussion between two people in an office or bedroom, then federal and/or state wiretapping or eavesdropping laws will apply.

You will want to make sure that you comply with the federal wiretapping statute – also known as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. Under federal law, a telephone conversation can be recorded with the consent of at least one party to the conversation. If you are one of the people taking part in the telephone conversation, your consent is all it takes to comply. If you are not part of the conversation, be sure to get the consent of someone who is.

In addition to federal laws, each U.S. state and territory has its own statutes regarding the recording of conversations – either on the telephone or in-person. Most state wiretapping and eavesdropping laws are based upon the federal law and allow recording with the consent of one party to the conversation.

Currently, 37 states allow “one party consent” recording of telephone and in-person oral communications. These are: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The District of Columbia follows federal law and allows people to record conversations with the consent of only one party. Nevada has what appears to be a one party consent statute but state courts generally interpret it as an “all party consent” statute.

Speaking of “all party consent”, 12 states require all parties to a telephone conversation to consent before it can be recorded. These are: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington. (In California and Connecticut, there are exceptions to the “all party consent” requirement. There, you can record a conversation with the consent of only one party if threats or certain criminal activity is involved.)

In most states, the laws handle the recording of an in-person conversation with a reasonable expectation of privacy the same as the recording of a telephone conversation. There are a few exceptions. In Connecticut, you’ll need all parties to consent to the recording of a telephone conversation in order to avoid being sued for damages.

There is no mention of the recording of in-person conversations in the statute which gives that right to sue. There is, however, a Connecticut statute which makes the recording of a telephone conversation or an in-person conversation a felony unless you have the consent of at least one party to the conversation. So, one statute has civil implications, the other has criminal consequences.

In Hawaii, two rather confusing statutes allow for one party consent to record telephone conversations or in-person conversations – unless you want to install a “bug” in a private place to record an in-person conversation, in which case, you’ll need the consent of all parties to the conversation. Indiana has no statute which mentions in-person conversations at all.

So, when considering whether or not to record an in-person or telephone conversation, you should follow a two-step analysis. First, determine whether the conversation is considered private under the law – can you naturally overhear it or is it in a place in which there is a reasonable expectation of privacy? If not (or if it is a telephone conversation), then, the basic rule is that it is illegal to record unless you have consent of at least one, if not all, of the participants. To ultimately determine which laws apply to your specific situation, you should always consult with an attorney.

Just attach the 4GB Button Camera DVR to the inside of your shirt and start recording. Great for covert surveillance, business people, security and police officers. Comes with 4GB internal memory. Plug into the usb port of your computer when done recording, to view the footage.

Specifications:
• Camcorder pixels: 352 x 288
• Video and Picture taking capabilities
• Time and date stamped
• Format: AVI
• Memory: 4GB
• Built-in lithium battery
• Continuous recording for about 1.5 – 2 hours
• No driver installation is needed if the operating system is Microsoft Windows ME, 2000, XP, Mac OS 9.2.2 or above (Microsoft Windows 98 is excepted)

Check it out at A1-HiddenCamera.com

My sister drives a bus for her son’s karate school. She drives to grade schools and then transports the children to the karate school for after care and karate classes. She only has a few children on the bus and does not have many problems, but you never know when something is going to catch you off guard and go wrong.

The Rearview Mirror Camera is perfect for cars, trucks, limos, buses, taxi cabs, handicapped vehicles and so many other applications. Don’t let something happen while you or a loved one is in your vehicle. In a fender bender, stopped by the police, want to record that perfect house and yard… now it can be recorded easily.

The Car Rearview Mirror Camera is a Audio / Video Recorder and a DVR Recorder. It has a built-in color camera that can rotate 330 degrees to view anywhere you want. Face it forward out the window, or turn it to view the inside your car. You can continuously record what happens in front of the car or inside the car! Finally!

It has a 1/4 inch digital CMOS Color Camera built in, and a slot that accepts up to a 16 SD Memory card. (8GB SD card included). A 3.6 inch TFT LCD (Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) monitor on the mirror allows you to instantly playback video and watch it in real-time 30 FPS. You can choose between the front or the external camera with the touch of a button.

The Car Rearview Mirror Camera has a built in rechargeable battery. You can also run it off your car’s auxiliary cigarette lighter. You can also recharge the battery by plugging into your computer using the included USB cord. Battery life is approximately 3 hours.

The Car Rearview Mirror Camera is simple to install into your vehicle by clipping it onto your existing rear view mirror. This awesome kit also includes a wireless external camera that you can set up on the rear dash or attach to the outside of the car.

Other Features
• Wireless & Wired DVR + Two Cameras
• Built-in Rechargeable Li-battery
• Two cameras: front rotating camera; wired or wireless rear view camera
• Manual switch from front camera to wireless rear view camera
• 3.6 inch TFT LCD 960*240 pixel, 262,000 color
• Password Setting to protect recording info
• Recording Mode: Manual A/V Recording; Time setting Recording
• Inner Memory: 32M; Support 16G SD
card (approximately 16hrs)
• Overwrite function. Once the card is full, Car-DVR will delete the old recording files automatically for continue recording.
• Built-in Microphone
• USB Port: USB2.0, compatible with USB1.1 (PNP)

Camera Specifications
• HDR Imaging Sensor: 1/4 inch digital Color CMOS
• Horizontal Resolution: 420TV Line
• Pixel: 640 x 480 (NTSC) / 320 x 240 (PAL)
• Manual Adjust Focus
• Minimum Illumination: 0.1Lux
• View Angles: 90 degrees
• Operating Range: 100m
• Operating Temperature: (-10)-(+40) Degree Celsius
• Operating Humidity: 85%RH

DVR Specification:
• Frequency: ISM 2,400 – 2,483MHz
• Work current: 500 mA
• Compression Format: MPEG-4 H264
• AVI Video Resolution: 640 x 480 (NTSC)
• FPS/Second: 30 fps (NTSC)
• Internal Memory: 32MB
• Maximum SD Capacity: 16GB
• Operating Temperature: (-10)-(+80) Degree Celsius
• Operating Humidity: 85%RH
• Video Output: 1Vp-p@75 ohm, S/N>38dB
• Audio Output: 1Vp-p@600 ohm

Includes:
• User Manual
• 8GB SD card
• Car Cigar Charger
• USB Cable
• Rear View Camera with IR, Can be used Wired or Wirelessly

Check out pictures and specifications of the Car Reaview Mirror Camera

With this just released 4 Channel H.264 DVR it is not impossible any more to monitor your home, office, factories or anywhere, anytime in the world through your Mobile Phones or PDA. Advanced wireless technology makes live monitoring truly LIVE!

Events (motion detection, alarm, video loss) can be triggered with email notification to you or anyone of your choosing. Check in on your home from the office.. or your office from home!

It features H.264 compression which is ideal for saving HDD space, real time live display, records up to 120FPS @ 360×240 recording (NTSC) with live display, record, backup, playback and network access at the same time. This is no “Spy Shop” DVR.

Other awesome features include:
• Control methods: front panel, USB mouse,
• IR remote controller, client viewer
• Intuitive GUI for easy configuration and menu driven operation
• 1 channel audio recording and playback
• Supports 1 SATA HDD
• Pan / Tilt / Zoom camera control
• Data backup: USB devices, network
• Event triggered with email notification: motion detection, alarm, video loss
• Support Internet Explorer with same GUI as DVR site
• Multi-language OSD
• Central Management System (CMS) supports up to 16 DVR’s
• 3G/GPRS mobile phone monitoring
• 1 Year Manufacturers Warranty

Click Here to see the specifications and pricing of the New, Economical 4 Channel H.264 DVR With 3G/GPRS Mobile Phone or PDA Monitoring

37 states allow “one party consent” recording of oral communications:
Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming*

12 states definitely require all parties to a conversation to consent before it can be recorded:
California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington** 

In the 37 one-party-consent states, a “body-worn” hidden camera or one of our Popular Pen Video Cameras may allow you to be more flexible in your surveillance in that audio can accompany your video – because you will be present for the whole conversation and recording and only your consent is required.

* The District of Columbia also allows people to record conversations with the consent of only one party. Nevada has a one party consent statute but there is some question as to how the law should be interpreted by the courts – it could be considered an “all party consent” state.

** In California, there is an exception – you can record a conversation with the consent of only one party if certain criminal activity (kidnapping, extortion, bribery or a violent felony) is involved. In all-party-consent states, you will need to stick with video surveillance only if you need to stick with the hidden nature of the surveillance.

CLICK HERE to read the full article: Are “Body Worn” Hidden Cameras Legal?

Worried about your kids or parents being out on the road this summer? Quickly and easily record driving conditions and traffic in real time with the Vehicle Car Safeguard -A High Resolution Dashboard Color Camera. This is a great tool for capturing video to use for legal and insurance purposes.

Simply mount the totally self contained “Vehicle Safeguard” on your Car Dashboard and press the “record” button. Videos are recorded onto a removeable SD card in AVI file format, for later playback on your PC or TV using the included AV cable.

Powered for 8 hours using “AAA” batteries or continuous via the included cigarette lighter adaptor. Attaches to almost any vehicle using the supplied double sided tape strip and dash mount. The Vehicle Safeguard supports up to 8Gb SD card.

YouTube, Facebook and MySpace have all made individual uploading of video (and audio) to the internet very simple and very, very popular. You’ve captured some video and audio with A-1 Hidden Camera’s innovative products and you’re ready to share it. But before you start making plans to post your recordings, you’ll want to make sure that you won’t be creating a legal headache for yourself.

Your first consideration should be whether or not the recording itself was done legally, regardless of whether the recording was made by you or someone else. The federal 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act makes it illegal to possess or divulge the contents of any illegally intercepted communication. (There may be an exception to this law in situations dealing with matters of public concern and proposed criminal acts – such as video of government officials conspiring to commit fraud – but this is still a gray area of the law.)

Visible video cameras are generally not illegal if they are in a non-private place like the kitchen or living areas of your home. Hidden cameras (like “nanny cams” or “spy cams”) are usually acceptable from a legal point of view, unless the person being recorded has a reasonable expectation of privacy. Federal law makes it a crime to secretly capture photo or video images of people in places and situations in which they have an expectation of privacy, such as bathrooms, dressing rooms, locker rooms, hotel rooms and tanning salons. Most states now have similar laws.

If the camera records sound as well as video, you must comply with federal and state wiretapping and eavesdropping laws. You will need consent of one or all parties to any recorded conversation, depending on your jurisdiction. Consent can be implied if a conversation is in an open, public area.

Even if the recording was made legally, you must still continue your analysis. A second consideration to be made is whether anyone who appears in the recording has a right to publicity claim.

The right of publicity is the legal right to limit the public use of one’s name, likeness and/or identity, particularly for commercial purposes. Publicity rights have been recognized in at least 28 states. As one might expect, New York and California are two states that regularly deal with right to publicity issues. California Civil Code authorizes a cause of action by any living person whose name, photograph, or likeness (which would include video) has been used for commercial purposes without his or her consent. Heirs of deceased people can also enforce the right of publicity. New York and other states have very similar statutes.

Assuming then that you’ve got a legally recorded video and you hope to share it on the internet for personal, and not business, reasons, you should check the Terms of Use of the website you choose to use. Any website may have more stringent requirements for the use of its servers to upload your recording.

If you have any specific questions about the legality of uploading any of your video or audio recordings to the internet, it is always advisable to consult with a local attorney who is familiar with the laws in your jurisdiction.

Some of the most interesting and useful items available from A1 Hidden Camera are audio recorders. There are several different styles and sizes of audio recorders available including our new USB Pen Video Cameras with Audio. You can buy a dedicated analog or cell phone recorder, or you can choose one of several models of digital audio recorders that fit nicely in your hand or pocket.

Regardless of which type of audio recorder you decide on, you should be aware of the legalities that accompany such recording. It is very important to make sure that any recording, either of a phone conversation or an in-person conversation, complies with federal and state laws. You certainly don’t want to face criminal charges or civil suits for any audio recording. Depending on the circumstances and your jurisdiction, there may be a difference under the law between in-person recordings and telephone recordings.

The first consideration you will need to make is whether the conversation is considered private. Almost all telephone conversations are presumed to be private conversations between the parties to the call. In-person conversations, however, are not necessarily private.

In general, in-person communications which can be naturally overheard – that is, overheard without use of any special device – are not considered private conversations. For example, two people have a loud conversation in front of you at the grocery store have no expectation that their communications are private.

If a conversation is not private, it can generally be recorded without legal repercussion.

If the conversation is considered private, such as a phone call or a quiet discussion between two people in an office or bedroom, then federal and/or state wiretapping or eavesdropping laws will apply.

You will want to make sure that you comply with the federal wiretapping statute – also known as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. Under federal law, a telephone conversation can be recorded with the consent of at least one party to the conversation. If you are one of the people taking part in the conversation, your consent is all it takes to comply. If you are not part of the conversation, be sure to get the consent of someone who is.

In addition to federal laws, each U.S. state and territory has its own statutes regarding the recording of conversations – either on the telephone or in-person. Most state wiretapping and eavesdropping laws are based upon the federal law and allow recording with the consent of one party to the conversation.

Currently, 37 states allow “one party consent” recording of telephone and in-person oral communications. These are: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The District of Columbia follows federal law and allows people to record conversations with the consent of only one party. Nevada has what appears to be a one party consent statute but state courts generally interpret it as an “all party consent” statute.

Speaking of “all party consent”, 12 states require all parties to a telephone conversation to consent before it can be recorded. These are: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington. (In California and Connecticut, there are exceptions to the “all party consent” requirement. There, you can record a conversation with the consent of only one party if threats or certain criminal activity is involved.)

In most states, the laws handle the recording of an in-person conversation with a reasonable expectation of privacy the same as the recording of a telephone conversation. There are a few exceptions.

In Connecticut, you’ll need all parties to consent to the recording of a telephone conversation in order to avoid being sued for damages. There is no mention of the recording of in-person conversations in the statute which gives that right to sue. There is, however, a Connecticut statute which makes the recording of a telephone conversation or an in-person conversation a felony unless you have the consent of at least one party to the conversation. So, one statute has civil implications, the other has criminal consequences.

In Hawaii, two rather confusing statutes allow for one party consent to record telephone conversations or in-person conversations – unless you want to install a “bug” in a private place to record an in-person conversation, in which case, you’ll need the consent of all parties to the conversation.

Indiana has no statute which mentions in-person conversations at all.

So, when considering whether or not to record an in-person or telephone conversation, you should follow a two-step analysis. First, determine whether the conversation is considered private under the law – can you naturally overhear it or is it in a place in which there is a reasonable expectation of privacy? If not (or if it is a telephone conversation), then, the basic rule is that it is illegal to record unless you have consent of at least one, if not all, of the participants.

To ultimately determine which laws apply to your specific situation, you should always consult with an attorney.

Introducing the Smart Guard Outdoor, Weatherproof Flood Light Hidden Camera Self Contained DVR System that records both AUDIO & VIDEO onto a Micro SD Card. This is the latest innovation in home security and is by no means your ordinary Motion Sensitive Flood Light.

When motion is sensed by the built-in PIR, not only does the 300 watt high intensity halogen light illuminate the area, but a time/date stamped video and audio record of the intrusion is immediately recorded on a tiny SD card, stored in a hidden compartment.

Unit can even emit a audio warning to intruders, including a barking dog, doorbell chine, or your own pre-recorded announcement. 60 degree viewing angle and effective viewing distance of 32 feet insures wide coverage area. 640 X 480 high resolution video @ 10fps offer great detail in video recordings. Approximately 500 video “clips” of intrusions are stored on a 2GB SD card.

The Flood Light Hidden Camera is about 14″ tall, 6″ wide and 6″ deep.

Portable surveillance is all the rage these days. Whether you are at home or on the road, a good surveillance system needs a good video recorder. Sacrificing on the DVR will mean sacrificing on the quality of your video. We have all seen surveillance videos on the news that are so “grainy” that you cannot even make out the features of a person. What good is that?

A quality DVR does not need to cost a fortune. This great little Mini MPEG4 Portable Surveillance DVR Recorder offers features found only on high end security Digital Audio/Video Recorders. User options include manual, scheduled or motion activation recording and time/date stamp overlay recording. These features are packed into a device about the size of a standard deck of playing cards! Video and audio are recorded and stored on tiny SD (secure digital) card. You can record up to 5 full hours recording on a single 1 GB SD card. Recordings can then be viewed by connecting the SecuMate MPEG4 DVR to any TV/monitor or through windows media player by simply removing the SD card and inserting into your computers card reader. Supports SD cards 256Mb and above. (SD card not included)

Specifications:
• Auto detection of NTSC or PAL
• Quality level High, Medium or Low
• Manual, Motion Activation and Scheduled Recording
• Max Frame Rate 704×480 @ 24fps
• AV In/Out
• Video MPEG4 ASF
• 1 Channel Video/Audio
• Time/Date Stamp Overlay
• Adjustable Motion Activation Sensitivity
• Batteries Power Unit for 3 Hours (AA x 2)
• AC Adaptor 5VDC
• 5 Hours Recording on 1 GB SD Card
• Key Lock Function
• 2 1/2 X 3 1/2 x 1 Inches

Check out the MINI Mpeg4 Portable Surveillance DVR Recorder or our full line of High Quality Portable Pocket Surveillance DVR’s