I answered a call at my office the other day from a man who lived in a home in Studio City. His neighbor had recently installed a CCTV security system with 6 infrared bullet cameras. Infrared bullet cameras are commonly used to view driveways, doors and windows, backyards and side yards  of single family homes.  These cameras use infrared light that can see in low light or totally dark areas. But the man in Studio City had been watching too many spy movies. He was worried that his neighbor would be able to see through his curtains and walls, listen to his families conversations and record everything going on in and around his house. The first thing I asked him was “Why?”.  Why would someone do this ? Most people install video camera systems in to protect and secure their own property. There is equipment out there that uses thermal imaging and long distance audio devices to spy on people but its very expensive and your average homeowner probably has no interest in it. In the movies spies are always planting “Bugs” to see and hear what the bad guys are doing, but these covert cameras and microphones need to work wirelessly and with batteries. So after a day the battery dies and unless you are really close the video picture and audio feed will be a scrambled mess. The gentleman in Studio City sounded kind of embarrassed. He did tell me that there had been a few burglaries the last few months in his area and we both figured that was the reason for his neighbors security cameras. I also gave him a free quote to install cameras in his home and once again assured him that his neighbor was more interested in watching out for the bad guys than what he was watching on TV tonight. We install CCTV systems for homes all over the San Fernando Valley including Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys and Encino.

On Tuesday we started a video security camera installation in Chino for a business with a warehouse and 4 loading docks. The customer needs to cover all materials being loaded and unloaded in the shipping and receiving area. For this system we are using box cameras with a varifocal len. The box camera is a high resolution camera for crystal clear viewing and playback. The varifocal lens allows us to adjust the focal length of the picture for a wider or tighter shot of whatever we are looking at. So we mounted 4 of the cameras and adjusted the lens with a tight shot to look right into the back of the truck. We than mounted 2 cameras with a wide view to capture the flow of fork lifts and workers in the dock area. We are also installing 2 infrared bullet cameras in the parking lots. The lighting in the parkink lots is not that great so the infrared lighting will help the cameras see better at night. All 8 cameras are being recorded on a 16 camera Vitek DVR with a 2 terebyte hard drive. With the DVR set to record only when there is motion, the customer will get 3 months of video back up. In addition to  Chino we serve many other cities in the area such as Pomona, Ontario, Upland, and all of Riverside County

If you are thinking about having a video surveillance system installed in your home, the installer is the key to getting the job done right. When it comes to our home’s we all want everything done to perfection. That is why we have trained our surveillance installers to work clean, safe and make sure when we leave all cameras are secured , cable is hidden in attics and walls and the digital video recorder is programmed properly. The installer can set up the system to be viewed on the internet or on any television in your house. If you home is in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Culver City, The Wilshire District, Marina Del Rey or Venice or even Manhatten, Hermosa or Redondo Beach call us for free quote.

Since 1981 when VCRs used tapes to record cameras that were the size of shoeboxes and a monitor was so big and heavy it took 2 strong men to put it on the table, M&J Video has been installing CCTV systems that were built to last at affordable prices. We now have DVRs to digitally record infrafed cameras that can see in total darkness. The cameras can also be viewed on any computer or smart phone through the Internet. We have installers in all cities in Southern California including Burbank, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Pasadena and Glendale.

M and J Video’s Surveillance System Installations are built to last years and be free of maintaince, but at some point you may want to add or replace differant parts of you CCTV system. That’s when our trained survaillence installer will come to your home or businesss and recommend what you should do . He can upgrade your digital video recorder with a larger hard drive or more camera inputs, change your camera to one with an infrared illuminator, replace a CRT monitor with an LCD monitor or just give your CCTV system a tune up by cleaning and focusing cameras.