Security cameras are a fact of life in today's world. They're everywhere -- at the bank, in your employer's office building, in stores, on streets, and in parking lots. Your opinion of security cameras is likely to depend on your personal experience with them.

For many, security cameras conjures up images of the time their car was vandalized in a "monitored" lot only to find that the camera wasn't working. And, for those who have ever tried to set up a security camera surveillance system, the mere thought brings back feelings of frustration and confusion at how complex some systems are.

The good news is that they've come a long way since the 1960s and 70s. Security cameras were initially used by law enforcement and businesses to monitor high traffic areas and catch criminals in the act. In the late 1970s and early 80s, security cameras became more available for private and domestic use.

Today, new technologies have reduced the size of cameras from the large, boxy models used in the early days of video surveillance. Because most security cameras on the market today use digital technology, they are more reliable than the old videotape models. In addition, the systems are easier to set up than they once were.

Three exciting new technologies have the security camera industry all a-buzz. Security cameras are more versatile and powerful than ever.

The first is HomePlug technology, used to connect all the devices in the system to each other through a building's power system. Through a HomePlug Adapter, users can actually plug the devices right into the electrical outlets, eliminating the need for any extra wires.

Systems that use this HomePlug technology are easier to set up than other models. The camera itself doesn't need configuration, and there's no need for wireless routers or networking equipment.

The second technology is called Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). UPnP makes it possible for a new security camera plug into a system and instantly communicate with other devices. They immediately have an IP address and tell other devices about their own capabilities. This means the cameras are ready to go in minutes.

UPnP makes it possible for users to control the resolution, recording schedules, and alerts for multiple cameras whether the cameras are indoors or outdoors.

The third technology involves Windows Media Video 9 encoding. Many cameras are being developed to work with this technology because it is an efficient and universal video compression tool. Cameras using Windows Media Video (wmv) format typically compress video to as much as 200 times smaller than the original size.

These compressed videos are then transmitted to your PC. With the right software in place, your PC becomes the video surveillance command center. Users can even set up email and cell phone alerts for remote access.

The world of video surveillance and security cameras has traveled light years since the early days. Thanks to this new technology, security cameras are now easy and affordable for the mainstream public. They're widely available through a number of stores and on the Internet through web sites like, lukwerks.com, polarisusa.com, and skywaysecurity.com.