Detectives leading the investigation into the death of three-year old Callum Bland in a house fire in Northamptonshire have appealed for neighbours with CCTV cameras on their homes to come
forward.

Many industry insiders are predicting a home security revolution that includes increased use of smart cameras and digital surveillance in households. This technology, which previously seemed out of reach in terms of cost, has arrived at a point where sophisticated systems are now available at reasonable prices.

Hip hop mogul Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons is known for many things. A pioneer of modern music, reverend and bona fide family man, Simmons' life has been shared with MTV audiences for three seasons now in the hit reality show "Run's House."

How many times has this happened to you? You pick up the phone to call a friend and your wireless phone picks up your neighbor's conversation instead. You hear a noise on your baby monitor and it turns out to be someone calling the pizza delivery place down the street. A Palatine, IL woman recently discovered that her baby monitor - a new model featuring wireless video and a viewing monitor - was intercepting some very unusual footage...from the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

74-year-old Jack Wilcox saw a need in his Stockton, Calif. community, and went out and did something about it. The wily elder-statesman succeeded in convincing 55 residents of his cul-de-sac on Lake Union to each contribute $49 towards seven security cameras to protect their neighborhood. Residents will be able to access the camera footage online via their personal computers. According to Wilcox, the neighborhood has experienced a number of break-ins and the time had come to up the level of safety for its residents and their property.

Celebrity superstar Britney Spears has led a life in the limelight for nearly ten years. In that time, she has had experienced much in the public eye: annulments, marriages, childbirth, nervous breakdowns, public drunkenness, divorce, and most recently a custody battle.

We're all fans of UPS, right? They deliver our goods. They wear awesome matching outfits that usually involve snazzy brown shorts. What's not to love? Well, just like the rest of us, UPS workers are human and prone to occasional lapses in judgment. And sometimes those lapses are captured in vivid detail by home security cameras.

We've talked quite a bit about how IP surveillance technology has affected home security. New digital systems are far more effective and functional than their analog predecessors, and as the technology continues to improve, digital surveillance equipment has become affordable even to the average homeowner. A recent break-in of a household in Framingham, Mass. demonstrates the effectiveness of digital surveillance in the home.

Smashing pumpkins is a tradition as old as time itself. When autumn leaves fall, and the season of candy-hoarding and turkey-basting hits full bloom, those bright orange gourds become prime targets for anyone with a strong arm, or a good pair of steel-toed boots. But for a group of young pumpkin punishers in Baltimore, the experience could come back to haunt, thanks to one man's home surveillance system, and the irrefutable video evidence it provided.

Home surveillance in the UK is on the rise. With its citizens already holding the status of most-recorded people in the world, Britons and Scots have turned to household security cameras with hopes that IP cameras placed around their house will work as well as the myriad of security cameras that record them when in public places.

A recent study by MultiMedia Intelligence predicts huge growth for the do-it-yourself (DIY) home surveillance market in the coming years. The study anticipates the consumer DIY surveillance camera market to reach over $1 billion dollars by 2012.

Looking to provide budget-friendly solutions for home and office surveillance, D-Link has released two new IP cameras. The D-Link Wireless G Network Camera (DCS-920) connects wirelessly to a home or small business network, provides remote video monitoring, and can be mounted in difficult areas not conducive to wired cameras. The more affordable D-Link DCS-910 connects to the network using a standard Ethernet cable.

Like many other American cities, Pittsburgh has been the recipient of grants for security cameras from the US Department of Homeland Security. Cameras have been installed in the city's most dangerous neighborhoods, and officials say that the cameras are "paying for themselves" as they help preserve city resources and have drastically lowered crime.

D-Link has unveiled a new PTZ network camera designed for whole-room video surveillance in homes, offices, and small businesses. The D-Link SecuriCam Pan/Tilt/Zoom Network Camera (D-Link DCS-5610) can be mounted on the ceiling or wall, and allows users to remotely control pan, tilt, and zoom functions in order to achieve wide-area surveillance from a single camera.

One of the key benefits of IP-based surveillance is the ability to transmit footage over the internet so it can be viewed remotely. In Chicago, where a large surveillance network already exists, a plan is in the works that would allow businesses and home owners to make their private security cameras available to the Chicago 911 center in cases of emergency. The owners would have to give permission, of course.

Schlage and Panasonic have formed a partnership that will expand the capabilities of the new Schlage LiNK door locks to include remote video monitoring. By offering integration with Panasonic IP cameras, Schlage's wireless-controlled door locks will provide homeowners with 24/7 remote control and monitoring capabilities via computer or web-enabled cell phone. Users will be able to control the locks and view real-time video using the Schlage LiNK online portal.

We've talked about the new Smartvue S8 IP camera system before, and now we have a good idea when it will hit the market - January, 2009. That's the expected ship date for this intriguing solution for home and small business surveillance. Smartvue S8 is an integrated plug-and-play surveillance system that uses compact, wireless IP cameras along with a 1TB video recorder. Wireless connectivity allows for flexible installation, and users can monitor the cameras remotely on their PCs or cell phones.

Vivotek has released a new, easy-to-use network camera designed for home and small-business surveillance. The Vivotek IP7133 is an affordable, ultra-compact IP camera that offers a number of advanced features including support for 3GPP mobile surveillance, real-time MPEG-4 and MJPEG compression, digital I/O for an external sensor and alarm, and a privacy button to pause monitoring.

D-Link has unveiled a new megapixel IP camera geared towards homes and small businesses. The D-Link DCS-2121 aims to make high-resolution video monitoring affordable for smaller applications. This all-in-one solution can operate over an existing network, is easy to set up, and enables remote video viewing. Users can access the camera and view streaming video from any computer connected to the internet. The DCS-2121 connects to a home or office network using a wireless connection for extremely flexible installation in almost any location.

It's always nice when we see real-life success stories of home surveillance cameras proving their worth. Last week the internet was abuzz with the story of Jeanne Thomas, a Fort Lauderdale woman who was sitting at her desk at work when she got to witness her home being robbed live online. What a shock that must have been! Thankfully, Thomas was able to use her newly-installed remote video monitoring system to help police nab the thieves right there on the spot.

A Visalia, California family's world was turned upside-down over the weekend when a group of young hooligans ran off with their beloved Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer lawn ornament. Thankfully the family had recently installed a video surveillance system for their home, and the cameras were able to capture footage of the thieves in action.

With the New Year come new products. Earlier this week D-Link announced its latest range of IP surveillance cameras designed specifically for use in the home

Whether it is a cabin in the mountains, beach house or some other special getaway, investing in a second home is a big decision. One of the logistical concerns is how to make sure your vacation home is safe when you're away. Network security cameras can be more reliable than neighbors or hired help. More and more, vacation home owners are installing security cameras to monitor their property.

Leaving your home vacant for days or weeks while you are on vacation can be nerve wrecking. Get some peace of mind this holiday season with a home video surveillance system featuring mobile monitoring.