Unmanned Camera Surveillance

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This article is intended to provide you with pertinent information concerning unmanned cameras as well as instructions on how to best utilize the Brinno TLC200 (our favorite unmanned camera). Unmanned surveillance can be integral to a private investigator in the following ways:

  • Pre-Surveillance Research: We set up cameras the week before surveillance at the exits of a community to determine which may our subject enters and exits the community. We also set up cameras outside the subject’s residence to determine the Subject’s routines and patterns; specifically, when the Subject enters and exits his/her home. Determining the Subject’s routine will allow for an investigator to provide a more detailed and accurate recommendation as to when surveillance should be conducted to obtain an optimal amount of activity from the Subject; thereby reducing the cost to the investigator’s client.
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  • Cohabitation/Difficult Service of Process: Unmanned surveillance can also be used to document who is living in a given residence in the event that the client requires face shots to prove cohabitation. Further, unmanned surveillance can be utilized when a person is evading service, to determine when the Subject enters and exits his residence so that the investigator can be at the residence at that exact time.
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  • Business/Warehouse Monitoring: There have been instances wherein we have been able to use unmanned surveillance to gather actual evidence. Often times we are asked to document certain activity; however, the location makes it impossible for an actual investigator to surveil the property. As a result, we have used unmanned cameras to monitor a commercial yard as well as a business when using an actual investigator would have aroused the Subject’s suspicions.
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  • Between Surveillance Segments: Rather than pay for 24-hours of straight surveillance, we often recommend that our clients allow us to install unmanned cameras during times of low activity in between surveillance segments. This allows clients to save money and develop a more accurate understanding of the Subject’s behavior and activity.

 
Utilizing unmanned surveillance in the aforementioned manner will save both you and your client a significant amount of time and, more importantly, money.

 

Selecting an Unmanned Camera

 

As you have learned from my previous article battery power and camera size are the two most important factors to consider when purchasing an unmanned camera. Usually you want your unmanned setup to be as small as possible, but often, a smaller camera means less battery power.

 

The Brinno TLC200

 
As of today’s date, we have found that the Brinno TLC200 generally meets our expectations for an unmanned camera. Brinno is a Taiwanese company that specializes in producing time-lapse cameras for documenting construction.

 

Frame Rate

 

The frame rate for a regular video is 24 frames per second.  This means that every second, the camera takes 24 photographs. The Brinno can be adjusted to take less photographs (or frames) per second in order to conserve the camera’s battery life.  Below are the factory specifications that are provided for the Brinno TLC200.

 

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Resolution

 

Nowadays, the most popular resolution for PC screens is 1920×1080. As such, it is ideal that any video you record is recorded in that resolution.  Recording with a different resolution can result in the pixels will being stretched out and the quality will not be the best when viewed on screen.  Unfortunately, the Brinno TLC200 support only the following two options 1280×720 and 640×480. Despite the fact that the Brinno does not record using a 1920×1080 resolution, we have found that the battery life (and other benefits) outweigh the possible lower quality. Typically, we record using the 1280×720 resolution option. Below, you will see an example (the first image) of a still from a recording using the 1280×720 resolution and another example (the second image) of a still from a recording using the 640×480 resolution option.

 

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Image Quality:

 

On the Brinno TLC200, there are three options for image quality: Good, Better, and Best. Please always keep in mind that the file size will be larger when using a higher quality setting. The following describes what can be expected from each quality:  

  • Good Quality: When using a time interval of 1 frame/second (and 1 FPS in output video) you should be able to record 6 days of unmanned surveillance footage.
  • Better Quality: When using a time interval of 1 frame/second (and 1 FPS in output video), you should be able to record 3-4 days of unmanned footage and have better quality video.
  • Best Quality: When using a time interval of 1 frame/second (and 1 FPS in output video), you should be able to record only 2-3 days of footage, but you will have the best quality video.

In most cases, we use Good Quality, and the video is generally sufficient for our purposes as we typically do not use unmanned footage as actual evidence in Court.  It is important when making this decision to always consider your end goal. For example, if you are hoping to obtain a good shot of a car’s license plate, it may be necessary to use “Best Quality” even if you are only able to record for 2-3 days.

 

Time interval

 

The Brinno TLC200 can be setup to record between 1 frame every 24 hours to 1 frame every second. In the majority of our cases (approximately 75%), we have our cameras set up to record with a time interval of 1 frame/second. In 20% cases, we have our cameras set up to record with a time interval of   1 frame/2 seconds. And in the remaining minority of cases we have our cameras set up to record with a time interval of 1 frame/minute. Depending on the specifics of your case, you can adjust the time interval accordingly. Generally, we utilize the following guidelines when determining the best time interval to use:  

  • 1 Frame/2 Seconds: We use this setting when we have established a good angle of the Subject and/or the residence. This allows us to almost guarantee that we do not miss the Subject as he is exiting his residence. Please note, a good angle is once wherein the camera has a view of the door, the garage and the sidewalk.  We have found that when using this time interval, the camera can last up to ten days without changing the batteries.
  • 1 frame per second. If you do not have the perfect view and are concerned about missing integral activity, we would recommend using this setting as it will reduce the risk of missing any activity. However, your camera may only last up to one week.

 

Step-By-Step Instructions

 

Every set of instructions begins with the following step:  Turn on the camera and wait a few seconds until it shows this screen (this is considered the Starting Screen):

 

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Resolution Instructions

 

  1. Click the “Menu” button and you will be directed to the Camera Options screen. Continue pressing “Menu” until it shows “Output Resolution,” then press the “OK /Start” button.
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  3. You will see the following two options: 720P which means 1280×720 and 480 which means 640×480. To make select one option you need to press the “Menu” button, so that the red arrow on the left side will be pointed at resolution that you need. Than press the “OK / Start” button and you will be returned to the starting screen.
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Image Quality Instructions

 

  1. Click the “Menu” button and you will be directed to the Camera Options screen. Continue pressing “Menu” until it shows “Image Quality.” To proceed, press the “OK /Start” button.
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  3. Using the “Menu” and “Time” buttons, move the red arrow on the left side to select the desires Image Quality. Press the “OK /Start” button to confirm and you will be returned to the starting screen.
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FPS Instructions

 

  1. Click the “Menu” button and you will be directed to the Camera Options screen. Continue pressing “Menu” until it shows until you see “AVI Frame Rate” on the screen, then press the “OK /Start” button. Please note, “AVI Frame Rate” directs the camera as to how many frames should be shown in 1 second of output video (this basically determines the speed at which your video streams on your computer when you review the footage captured).
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  3. Using the “Menu” to move the red arrow to 1 FPS and then press the “OK /Start” button to proceed.
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Time Interval Instructions: 1 Frame/Minute

 

  1. Beginning at the starting screen, merely press the “Time” button on the camera to adjust the Time Interval settings.
     
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    Keep pressing the “Time” button until you see “1 min” and then press the “OK /Start” button. This function is directing the camera to capture 1 frame/minute.
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  3. After you pressed “OK /Start” button you should see “1 Min” displayed on the starting screen.
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Time Interval Instructions: 1 Frame/2 Seconds  

 

  1. Repeat steps 1-3 above.
  2. Keep pressing the “Time” button until the screen displays “2 Sec” and then press “OK /Start” button to apply the changes. Afterwards, you should see “2 Sec” displayed on the starting screen.
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Time Interval Instructions: 1 Frame/Second

 

  1. Repeat steps 1-3 above.
  2. Keep pressing the “Time” button until the screen displays “1 Sec” and then press the “OK /Start” button to apply the changes. Afterwards, you should see “1 Sec” displayed on the starting screen.
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Recording Instructions

 

We have already reviewed the following quality settings: Resolution, Time Interval and FPS. Below are instructions on setting up additional settings as well as the recording function:

  1. Turn on the camera, wait couple of seconds until you see starting screen. Press the “Menu” button to enter the camera settings and keep pressing the “Menu ”button until you see “Time Stamp.” Press the “OK /Start” button to proceed.
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  3. Using the “Menu” button direct the red arrow to “On” and then press the “OK /Start” button to confirm your choice. You will be redirected to the starting screen.
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  5. Press the “Menu” button again to enter the camera settings, then keep pressing the “Menu” button until you see “Low Light Recording.” Press the “OK /Start” button to proceed.
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  7. Using the “Menu” button direct the red arrow to choose “On,” then press the “OK /Start” button to confirm your selection. You will be redirected to the starting screen.
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  9. Date and Time Setup: From the starting screen enter camera settings by pressing the “Menu” button. Keep pressing the “Menu” button until you see “Set Date & Time,” press the “OK /Start” button to proceed.
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  11. Using the “Menu” and “Time” buttons you can adjust the year, then press the “OK /Start” button to switch to the month. Again, using the “Menu” and “Time” buttons adjust the month, then press the “Ok /Start” button to switch to the day. Repeat these steps to also adjust the hour, minute, and seconds.
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  13. After pressing “OK /Start” for the final time you will be redirected to the starting screen, which will display the time and date according to the setup.
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  15. Now we are ready to start recording. From the starting screen press the “OK /Start” button. An LCD screen will display the camera’s view which allow you to make any adjustments to the angle by varying the placement and angle of the camera.
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  17. Press the “OK /Start” button one more time. The camera will show “REC” on the bottom of the screen. This means that recording process has started. After a few seconds, the screen will turn off in order to conserve battery power.
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Additional Considerations

 

Battery Life

 

Battery life (and by default, recording time) is dependent on many factors and it is impossible to provide you with a guaranteed estimate as to how long your camera will record. As discussed previously, the time interval rate and the image quality can drastically influence the battery life of the camera.

 

White Balance

 

White balance cannot be controlled when using the Brinno TLC2000.  This means that if there is a sunny day and you placed a camera so it has a wide angle, you may not be able to obtain any usable footage as the light will render the image un-viewable.

 

Power source

 

The Brinno takes four AA-Batteries. These are batteries that can be purchased almost anywhere. We generally use Duracell Duralock, as we have found that they work the longest.

 

Memory usage

 

The Brinno TLC200 utilizes an SD card and supports up to 32GB. Typically, we use SanDisk and have never had any issues with them. Please keep in mind that you must also consider the storage of your memory card. The more frames per second captured, the quicker your memory card will fill up.

 

Camera Placement

 

This is something that we cannot teach you. Everybody has their own tricks and tips, it all comes with experience and creativity. Use your imagination. A well placed camera will not be found unless someone is specifically looking for it. We have gone so far as to wrap the camera in camouflage tape and/or have taped shrubbery to the camera to ensure that it blends in with its surroundings.  The goal here is to be creative.

 

***We do not recommend the Brinno TLC 200 PRO version as it uses too much battery power.


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