Nanny Cameras - Features And Specifications You Need To Know

If you have decided you need to install nanny cameras in your home to monitor how your hired nanny deals with your kids, it is important that you have an idea of what you should get. It will help a lot to know exactly or at least have an idea how these devices function. The outside appearance of a spy camera will tell you nothing about this so you need to know what features and specifications go with each unit.

What are the most common covert camera specifications you need to understand?

Illumination - this is measured by Lux or Lumens per Square Meter. When looking at covert cam specifications, you will encounter information regarding minimum or maximum illumination. The lower the Lux, the lesser light a camera needs to capture clear video or image. Nanny cameras usually have 0.5 Lux rating which means there should be some decent light source for the videos to be viewable i.e. from a night lamp. There are some spy cams though that have night vision features or 0.000 Lux capacity which can record videos in complete darkness.

Frame rate - this is the number of frames, meaning images that are displayed per second on playback. The higher the number of frames displayed per second, the smoother the playback appears to the viewer. In the movies, the usual frame rate is 24-30 frames per second (FPS). Most hidden cameras however display 12 FPS which is already acceptable. Lower frame rates usually means choppy video playbacks.

Storage modes - this is the method with which recorded images and videos are stored for later viewing. Nanny cameras sold in the market these days usually utilize Secure Digital Memory Cards (SD cards) and High Capacity SD cards (HCSD cards). These memory cards are removable and can be inserted via card reader to a computer or TV monitor for viewing recorded footage.

Resolution - this indicates the quality level of video images, the higher the resolution, the better the video quality. Some unit specifications express resolution as TV lines (TVL) or Lines of Horizontal Resolution (LoHR).

Some features you may want to take note of:

Motion Detection - this feature enable the device to detect motion and when it does, to start recording video clips of what's going on. More and more nanny cameras are created with this feature which helps make nanny monitoring automatic. Battery-run devices also benefit from this feature since storage spaces are stored.

Time/Date Stamp - with this feature, the date and time the video is taken is indicated.

Auto-recycle Recording - the device will delete older files automatically when maximum storage capacity is reached.

These are the basic specification and features you need to know of so as not to be lost when on the market for covert cameras to monitor nannies with. Take note that these devices may have more specifications and features especially that newer designs seem to be introduced every month.