Facewatch, fully compatible with Y-cam cameras and provides users with an online crime reporting and CCTV image sharing portal directly to the Police. Their innovative web based system offers a complete online evidential pack allowing businesses to upload images, CCTV footage and any witness statements; providing swift accesses to Police support.

The system is working wonders already, Met Police figures show a 73% increase in detection rates of low level crime as well as measurable savings in Police time and costs, as shown in the stats below:

Met Police figures based on pilot 2011:
Time saved per crime reported through Facewatch – 2 hours
Detection rate 8.8% vs 5.1% – an increase of 73%
Circulation of CCTV images – 2 weeks faster than normal

Therefore it is not surprising that the Police are in full support of Facewatch, Sir Hugh Orde, President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, commented:

“I am pleased to support Facewatch for its practical use of technology in the fight to combat crime. The system is a catalyst for businesses and Police to join together; a great example of citizens and communities getting involved alongside the Police.”

Facewatch is fully compatible with all Y-cam cameras and is a fantastic free step to combine with their CCTV. For more information on Facewatch visit them online at www.facewatch.co.uk.

The ‘know it alls’ of frequent flyers, RyanAir, have listed Y-cam as one of their ‘must-have travel gadgets’. Featured amongst some amazing gadgets, including Goflex, Fonera & Zeo, our Knight S has made it through and can be seen within this month’s in-flight magazine.

No strangers to the insecurities and worries passengers feel when they leave home, it is not surprising that they loved our Knight S’s simplicity and ease of use, helping home owners stay in control, even when they are miles away.

Offering readers the advice:

“Install this security camera before you travel and you can receive a picture if someone enters your home. Set up is easy, the pictures are sent over Wi-Fi and the cameras even have night vision. So you will get a full report regardless of what time of day it is.”

Continue reading the full article, including the other amazing ‘must-have’ gadgets in this month’s RyanAir magazine, or to see more of what our little camera can do check out our Knight S’s information here.

1. Show Google your heart

This little gem shows you how to send someone you love the perfect heart equation. Simply copy the code below, paste into Google and whisk your valentine of their feet with this simple and unique valentines message.

(sqrt(?cos(?x))*?cos(?300*?x)+?sqrt(?abs(?x))-?0.7)*?(4-?x*?x)^?0.01, sqrt(?6-?x^?2), ?sqrt(?6-?x^?2)

2. Shout your love from the roof tops

Why not go all out and tell someone you love them in a 50ft message broadcasted to the nation? This year you can do just that, simply tweet your message using the hashtag #loveisallaround and see your love spread across the BT Tower.

3. When two become one e-card

Send e-cards like never before with Jibjab, upload you and your sweetheart’s faces, assign your favourite song and then share the result with all your friends or keep it personal just between you and your valentine.

4. Serenade your other half the new fashion way

Ok so it’s not really that techy but we love it anyway. This year you could wow your valentine with Facebook as Heineken have created a pretty cool Valentine’s Day Facebook App that will let you create your own personalised song with a few simple clicks of your mouse.

5. Let Cupid do the talking

Much like Heineken’s Facebook app, O2 have decided to use social media to help you spread your personalised message to your loved one. Using Twitter user’s messages, the O2 Cupids will record your personalised message and post it via YouTube videos. To play, simply tweet your message to @O2 and include the hashtag #O2Cupid.

These are some of our favourite tech fuelled valentine message that our out there, but if you come across more please do share the love and leave a comment below this post. And if you just can’t get enough of the lovey tech, why not continue reading how this Valentine’s Y-cam could be your shining Knight.

At Y-cam this is our main priority too, therefore it’s fantastic to see our products do what they were intended for, being used innovatively to actually make a real difference to people’s lives.

This is shown by one customer’s residential application. Mr.Kimber and his family were feeling vulnerable where it is most crucial to feel secure, his home. Being situated within a remote location, with a number of exposed entry points Steve Kimber decided to take action.

Not being shy to technology he knew what he needed and how he wanted it to work; simple to install, remote live viewing, activity alerts, plus it needed to fit within his existing ‘Smart Home’, something all us tech fanatics want to achieve.

This was when Steve was introduced to Y-cam. Meeting his needs and more the Kimber’s currently having three Y-cam Bullet cameras monitoring their homes exterior and driveway. The cameras slot seamlessly within his existing security measures, including a code protected driveway gate, plus offer him and his family the interoperability he wanted with all cameras accessible on iPhones & mobile tablets.

“We like to use the cameras to see who is at the gate on the iPad”

With the help of Y-cam Steve and his family are safe in the knowledge that no-one can enter their home exterior without them knowing; total protection 24/7.

Read the Kimber’s full story online here, or for more information on Y-cam and how others are securing their homes continuing reading here.

The survey conducted by the British Retail Consortium, published this January, reports that the average cost per incident has risen by 17% from £847 to £989; it is becoming increasingly more evident that the need to tighten security is still paramount.

The British Retail Consortium director general, Steven Robertson, comments:

“Retailers have made significant investments to protect their staff, stock and premises from opportunistic crime. The falling number of many types of crime is testament to the sector’s own efforts.”

This is true for elements such as customer theft where, possibly due to precautions, it has fallen by 19%. This is not evident, however, with the increase in robberies, criminal damage and violence; retailers, now more than ever, need to ensure they are taking the correct precautions.

The survey also reviews the August riots and how the effects are still being felt, highlighting how important it is for these crimes to be understood and ensure that retail crime prevention remains high on people’s agendas.

To read the British Retail Consortium full survey on Retail crime for 2011, please visit BRC online. For more information on retail crime and how the riots affected the high street, continue reading ‘The After Effects: How the High Street is coping after the riots’, or to find out how Y-cam could help you and your business. see ‘How Y-cam helps Retail’.

To spur us on, these stories not only provide us with inspiration but the ability to share them with others in hope that they will be able to help. Two customer stories that have particularly touched us come from users with very different requirements; however both end with fantastic results.

Ana and her family received the distressing news that her grandmother was diagnosed with dementia; with her grandmother needing round the clock observation, Anna was at a loss. However, after finding Y-cam she was able to obtain access direct to her grandmother simply, whenever she needed.

Ian’s story was slightly different, being bed bound it was himself that searched for a solution which would allow him to regain confidence and feel secure within his own home. Seeing security as a real threat Ian purchased his Y-cam cameras to combat this panic and provide peace of mind for whenever he was a home.

To find out more about each story or how we could help meet your needs, please visit our ‘How Y-cam Helps: Homes & Families’ or contact us directly. Should you too have a story you wish to share please contact us as we would love to hear them.

We select our installers specifically for their extensive knowledge, fantastic work ethic and award winning smiles. Each will be able to help you right through the process, from site surveys and consultations on the perfect solution that fits your exact needs, right though to installing the product and providing any support that may be necessary.

In addition to this, we have just made it even easier to locate your nearest installer with our interactive ‘Installer Search’ map, located via our ‘Where to buy’ page. This new map offers a simple method to search through our database for your nearest installer and provides you with all necessary information and contact details; it couldn’t be easier.

To test out our map please visit our ‘Where to buy’ page.

Synology’s DiskStation Manager 4.0 is looking to be a terrific piece of software, full to the brim with new abilities including their introduction of their cloud service allowing users to access and share their files anywhere. However the thing that has got us most excited is the introduction of intelligent video security which is going to allow for some pretty incredible things to happen with your CCTV.

Feature snapshot

• Live view analytics can help you spot the suspicious movements
• Invisible digital signature is embedded on all recorded videos or images
• Batch camera editing can add multiple cameras with the same model at once
• Instant event preview means no more waiting for recordings to be finished you can watch as it happens

We can’t wait to get our hands on this and really see what it can do, but if you want to see it all for yourself head over to Synology’s site for more info on their DSM 4.0 and all its new tricks www.synology.com/dsm4.0 or check out overview video below by geekyranjit.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU0wD2FmRVE

Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year!

Day comparison

Y-cam Bullet                                                           Y-cam Bullet HD

Evening comparison

Y-cam Bullet                                                           Y-cam Bullet HD

As you can see, our HD camera offers a sharper, brighter and a much wider field of vision. The cameras 720P resolution has more pixels providing a higher resolution, and therefore the ability to recognise faces and licence plates.

For more details regarding our Bullet HD’s image quality, or any of its other amazing features, please continue reading ‘Introducing Y-cam Bullet HD : Security in High Definition ’ or read the camera’s full specs here.