The Evolution of Discreet Surveillance Devices

In the latter half of the 20th century, a noticeable rise in the use of technology for surveillance has been observed. Surveillance devices have become much more complex, utilising the latest technological advances in order to reveal personal information.

The Expansion of Surveillance Devices

With video and audio surveillance techniques expanding on their historical role, with spy cameras and microphones easily concealed in all manner of locations, these form the basis of modern discretion. However, the enormous range of surveillance devices now available without being an impediment on stealth include heat, light and motion sensitive devices, night vision aids and goggles, computer monitoring and observations of email and web activities as well as the mining of data and profiles on networks or previously deleted information.

New surveillance equipment and techniques are built upon the established, traditional methods, but are made much smaller and have become practically invisible to the casual observer. Technology extends the natural senses of the investigator, allowing information to be precisely captured and recorded. Whilst you might picture the private detective carrying camera equipment in their briefcases, modern adaptations have far surpassed this level. Professional camera solutions are now worn on the body, easily concealed and obviously mobile in the same way as the user.

The pinnacle of this technology at the moment is a button camera, which has the appearance of a standard clothing button and can be worn on any outfit to be perfectly camouflaged. Devices like this incorporate high quality MP4 recorders and SD card recordings, with substantial memory capacity supporting additional SD cards and a good length of battery life.

Surveillance Equipment to Use In Any Scenario or Location

In the office or home environment, there are many more locations for surveillance devices to be concealed. For video recording at its most discreet, technologies such as those contained in table-top air fresheners are as unobtrusive as anything, being totally unremarkable. Likewise, spy clock cameras and thermometers are popular in many homes and would not attract any unusual attention, yet can be purchased which are able to remain in standby for up to 9 days, using their inbuilt body heat motion detectors to capture high quality audio and video at the appropriate moment. Other options are hidden in tissue boxes, smoke detectors, table lamps or even a cuddly bear with voice activated recorder.

Or perhaps the location only requires audio monitoring: this can be easily achieved through recording devices hidden in power adaptors, pens, clocks, USB sticks and many other inconspicuous devices. Many of these surveillance devices use 3G technology to stream their data anywhere in the world, meaning remote observation and risk management is extremely simple.

Learn more about our range and lines of surveillance equipment through browsing our categories or talk to us about secure communications and deployment of such surveillance equipment.