My thoughts on the SecureView
The system arrived in a non-glamorous, but very functional package. Since I didn't walk into a retailer and buy it off the shelf, I have no problem with that, although I'd like to see the packaging that will be used in stores.
Even though it appears as nothing more than a "light bulb", a black box, and a cable, it's pretty cool! Maybe I was just anxious to see it, but even my kids thought it was cool. I have an outdoor version, and it looks just like an outdoor floodlight. I planned to post a review on it here, so I paid close attention to the time required to set it up. I wanted to tell everyone that I installed it in less than a minute, which would have been easy, but I made a couple of bad assumptions. Mistake number one: The signal may travel along internal wiring, but you have to turn on the switch to make it happen (if the light switch if off, so is the camera). I should have figured out that if I turn off the switch, I break the circuit, but I wasn't that bright. Okay, so it took me longer than a minute to hook it up and figure that out, but I still hadn't invested much time.
Once I turned on the light switch, I had a reasonably clear, but upside down image on my TV. The instructions told me to expect this (I didn't read them until later), and they tell the user to simply rotate the camera clockwise until the image is correct. I think it would help if they marked the "top" of the camera lens, but it was no big deal. I simply went outside and rotated the camera. I then had a decent black and white image with moderate interference.
The interference bothered me. The picture was acceptable, but not what I expected. I'm a perfectionist about this type of thing, so I began to experiment. I was watching on the TV in our entertainment room where we have standard 110v outlets as well as dedicated 30 amp 110v power. The room has lots of electronics and two options for power. I plugged the "decoder" into a different outlet, and immediately had a perfect picture. I'm not an electrician, but it's my understanding that there are two interconnected banks of wiring in the house. They're obviously common at some point, as we only receive a single electrical feed to the house, but I know from using a generator that there is a division somewhere. I tested this theory by inserting the camera into a portable lamp and plugging it into various outlets throughout the house. Some locations produced a picture with slight interference, and some produced a perfect image. Our house is about 4000sf, and distance from the decoder had no impact on picture quality.
Okay, so now I have an excellent security camera (hidden in a light bulb) for daylight use. Not exactly a sixty second installation, but certainly less time than it took me to type this. How does it handle total darkness? I suppose if you're monitoring a very small area, it's probably fine to rely on the existing IR capabilities. I'd like more distance, although the price point and ease of installation on the SecureView system lets me forgive a lot. Fortunately, the company seems to realize the IR shortcomings, so they offer an "IR Floodlight" to match the SecureView. I considered ordering one, but decided against it. The IR bulb is probably a great stealth compliment to the SecureView, although I'd rather deter problems that may require a security camera, rather than let them happen so I can see or record them. To this end, I'll opt for a standard floodlight in a two socket housing to compliment my SecureView. If the user really wants an inexpensive security camera system which may be used in the dark, the SecureView and optional IR emitting bulb may be a great solution, although that isn't what I'm looking for. I tried a dual socket housing with the SecureView in one and a standard floodlight in the other and it works great!
In the end, the camera works exactly as advertised. The effective range in total darkness is somewhat disappointing, although that is easily resolved by adding a nearby light bulb. If I had been smart enough to turn on the light switch and hadn't plugged the "decoder" into the outlet I selected, installation would have taken less than sixty seconds.
I would like to see a color version, although I doubt I'd pay substantially more for it. It's important to remember that this isn't like watching television. The purpose for most, I believe, is to provide acceptable image quality with minimal installation effort at a low cost. SecureView does those things very well.
A couple of final thoughts: As previously noted, I think an identifying mark at the "top" of the housing would be helpful. I don't know if the angle of the camera itself (inside the light bulb housing) can be readily determined during assembly, but if it can, something as simple as marking the housing would seem very easy and add no additional cost or assembly time. The other change I'd suggest would be to include a longer video cable to run from the decoder to the monitor. The included cable is approximately three feet long, which may be shorter than needed for many applications.
People can say what they will about McBride, the company, or whatever, but if we're relying on the products to make the company succeed, I'd say the future looks very promising.
