The changing face of CCTV

In 1949 when George Orwell released his iconic book ‘1984’ the world wasn’t quite ready for the idea of video surveillance. In many ways Orwell’s book was seen as a work of make believe. However as history has proven, he had more or less predicted the CCTV age we now live in. Video surveillance technology was developed in the 1940s but it wasn’t until the 1970s that it was used in homes as a security measure. An early model of a video home security system included a set of four peep-holes and a camera that could slide up and down to look through each one. The system included a device that enabled a homeowner to use a television set to view the person at the door and hear the caller's voice. The system also allowed for a door lock switch and an alarm button that could activate the alarm at the central station that monitored the residence. Nowadays surveillance cameras come in all shapes and sizes, can be connected to the Internet, fitted with powerful lenses that can capture and stream high definition video online to be viewed from anywhere in the world. Householders are able to programme their security systems to send a live video clip of an area if motion is detected when the home is unoccupied and the alarm is activated.

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