FAQs

Below are helpful definitions as well as questions others have had. Hopefully, they will answer any questions you may have.

Frequently Asked Questions

TASER FAQ

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HOW DOES AN ADVANCED TASER WORK?
Upon firing, compressed nitrogen projects two ADVANCED TASER probes 15 feet at a speed of 135 feet per second. An electrical signal transmits throughout the region where the probes make contact with the body or clothing. The result is an instant loss of the attacker's neuromuscular control and any ability to perform coordinated action. ADVANCED TASER uses an automatic timing mechanism to apply the electric charge. The ADVANCED TASER releases an electric current in a pre-set time sequence (an initial seven seconds followed by several 1.8 second breaks for a total time of about 30 seconds in each cycle). This cycle ensures that the nervous system of the target does not recover instantly to allow him to remove the probes. The follow-on bursts disrupt the process of re-equilibration of the nervous system. While the target is disabled, the user can place the device on the ground and escape.

HOW CAN THE ADVANCED TASER BE SO EFFECTIVE YET NON-INJURIOUS?
The ADVANCED TASER does not depend upon impact or body penetration to achieve its effect. Its pulsating electrical output interferes with communication between the brain and the muscular system, resulting in loss of control. However, the ADVANCED TASER is non-destructive to nerves, muscles and other body elements. It simply affects them in their natural mode. More importantly, no deaths have ever been directly attributed to the TASER .

WHAT HAS TESTING REVEALED REGARDING THE ADVANCED TASER? Anesthesiologist and specialist in medical electronics, Dr. Frank Summers, MD of St. Joseph's Hospital, Orange, California, directed tests of volunteers at St. Joseph's in 1971 and 1974. Dr. Summers stated, "...We undertook this [volunteer test] in the operating rooms at St. Joseph's Hospital. We had an assembly of cardiovascular surgeons, cardiologists... we had a real [TASER]. We tested extensively and made movies. The tests were impressive. We monitored all parameters of physiology, including electrocardiographs. The tests did not produce any lethal effects and we found that the background work that had been done did indeed pan out in practice."

DOES THE TASER AFFECT THE HEART OR A CARDIAC PACEMAKER?
The ADVANCED TASER's output is well below the level established as "safe" by the federal government in approving such devices as the electrified cattle fence. In a medical study of the Model XR 5000Ô electronic stun gun, Dr. Robert Stratbucker of the University of Nebraska Medical Center confirmed that the T-Wave does not interrupt the heartbeat or damage a pacemaker. Any modern pacemaker is designed to withstand electrical defibrillator pulses that are hundreds of times stronger than the ADVANCED TASER's output. The ADVANCED TASER current of 0.3 joules is well below the 10-50 joule threshold above which cardiac ventricular fibrillation can occur.

ISN'T HIGH VOLTAGE LETHAL?
High voltage, in itself, is not dangerous. One can receive a 25,000-volt shock of static electricity from a doorknob on a dry day without harm. The physiological effect of electrical shock is determined by: the current, its duration, and the power source that produces the shock. The typical household current of 110 volts is dangerous because it can pump many amperes of current throughout the body indefinitely. By contrast, the ADVANCED TASER power supply consists of an alkaline 9-Volt battery that is capable of supplying less than three watts of electrical power for a few minutes.

WILL THE TASER CAUSE ELECTROCUTION?
No. The output is metered by the electronics and the electrical energy in each pulse is always the same, regardless of the target condition. The electrical output will not be transferred from one person to another even if they touch. ADVANCED TASER, Inc.'s president has been stunned by an ADVANCED TASER while standing in water to emphasize this point.

WHAT ARE THE AFTEREFFECTS?
A person hit with an ADVANCED TASER will feel dazed for several minutes. The pulsating electrical output causes involuntary muscle contractions and a resulting sense of vertigo. It can momentarily stun or render an attacker unconscious. Yet, the ADVANCED TASER's low electrical amperage and short duration of pulsating current, ensures a non-lethal charge. Moreover, it does not cause permanent damage or long-term aftereffects to muscles, nerves or other body functions. A January 1987 Annals of Emergency Medicine study reported TASER technology leaves no long term injuries compared with 50% long term injuries for gun shot injuries.

MUST THE PROBES PENETRATE THE BODY TO BE EFFECTIVE?
No. The electrical current will "jump" up to two inches as long as both probes are attached to clothing or skin. At most, only the 3/8-inch needlepoint will penetrate the skin. They have less energy than a spring propelled BB.

WHAT IF THE PROBES MISS?
The ADVANCED TASER can be used in a touch-stun mode. The user is thus provided with a final backup if the probes miss the target. Should the user miss or engage a second attacker, he can touch the unit directly to the target and it will work like a powerful touch-stun device.

WHAT IS THE BEST-SHOT AT MAXIMUM RANGE?
As long as the spread of the probes is at least six inches, the ADVANCED TASER will be extremely effective. To ensure that the spread is greater than six inches, the ADVANCED TASER should be fired at a target several feet away. The optimum shot is from seven to ten feet away form the target to achieve maximum effect. At seven to ten feet away - the spread of the probes will be approximately 16 inches, ensuring that the target receives the most efficient T-Wave flow.

DOES TEMPERATURE HAVE A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON THE ADVANCED TASER? No. The ADVANCED TASER utilizes compressed nitrogen (an inert gas). The ADVANCED TASER compressed air capsules have successfully held their charges at temperatures of minus 20º F and up to 160º F. Moreover, altitude will not adversely effect the firing of an ADVANCED TASER. In addition, the temperature will not effect the T-Wave. However, as with any product containing polycarbonates and other thermoplastics, the ADVANCED TASER and Air Cartridges should never be left in direct sunlight.

Surveillance Definitions -
AGC - Automatic Gain Control is an electronic system found in many types of devices. Its purpose is to control the gain of a system in order to maintain adequate performance over a range of input signal levels. Or An electronic circuit that tries to keep the video signal at a constant level (1volt peak-peak). Useful on cameras working at low light levels
AI - Auto Iris is an electronic circuit that acts as an iris on CCD cameras by electronically shuttering the CCD sensor. Or An automatic method of varying the size of a lens opening in response to changes in scene illumination.
AWB - Auto White Balance is an electronic process used in video cameras to retain true colors. It is performed electronically on the basis of a white object in the picture.
CCD - Charged Coupled Device: It is analog technology. The CCD camera has a little bit higher resolution than CMOS. The camera also functions better in low light. A CCD camera drains a little bit more power than the CMOS cameras. It uses 12v instead of 9v.
CMOS - Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor: a lower resolution camera compared to a CCD model. The advantage of a CMOS camera is that it uses lower operation current. CMOS camera is smaller
than a CCD camera and works longer with the 9v battery.
HAD CCD - Hole Accumulation Diode is a type of CCD sensor with a layer designed to accumulate holes (in the electronic sense), thus reducing noise level.
S to N Ratio - Signal to Noise Ratio is simply the ratio of the signal power and noise power, expressed in decibels (dB). Or measure of noise on a video signal. It is represented in Decibels as the level of the video signal compared to the level of noise present on that signal. The higher the signal to noise ratio the better.
BLC - Balance Light Control ia a method to compensate for bright spots in a picture. It is also important to consider whether there are bright spots in the picture such as car headlights which can make identification of the vehicle registration or model impossible. This can also be a major problem where it is necessary to identify a person who is moving from bright daylight into artificial light. This could result in the subject becoming an unidentifiable silhouette.
OSD - On Screen Display is a method of displaying set-up information or instructions on to a display monitor.
Resolution - Resolution measures the cameras ability to reproduce an image. The higher the resolution, the better the picture quality.
LUX - LUX is the measurement of low light needed for the camera to view and record properly.
FPS - Frames Per Second is the number of still frames (pictures) that give the illusion of motion, which appear in a single second of time.30fps is considered "real time". So for real time viewing of your cameras, you need at least 30fps for each camera.
IR - Infrared, IR LEDS are used on Day/Night cameras which allow the camera to see in the dark.
Focal Length - the distance from the surface of a lens to its focal point.

Surveillance Questions -
How do hidden cameras work? A small board camera is built into an everyday item. The camera can be wired which means it is connected to the DVR or VCR using a cable. The camera can also be wireless, in this case the camera transmits a signal to a receiver that is connected to the DVR or VCR.

Can I get audio in my hidden camera? - No you cannot. According to United States federal laws, audio should not be used in a surreptitious manner. One example of surreptitious interception is audio in a hidden camera. This includes pinhole board cameras and all covert or hidden cameras; i.e., a clock radio. Audio in a hidden camera or board camera is only available to law enforcement agencies. Title 18, Section 2512.

What is the difference between a wired and a wireless camera? - Wired cameras have a video cable that runs from the camera to your recording or viewing device such as a DVR, VCR or monitor. Wireless cameras have a built-in transmitter that sends the video signal to a receiver. The receiver connects to your recording or viewing device.

How far can a wireless hidden camera transmit? - Standard wireless hidden cameras can transmit up to 1000 feet and high-powered wireless hidden cameras can transmit up to 2500 feet.

How many wireless cameras can you have in one location? - You can have up to four wireless cameras in one location. You can view all cameras at once using four receivers or you can use one receiver and switch to each camera. You will only be able to view one camera at a time if you only use one receiver. If you want to install multiple wireless cameras in one location it's best to order them at the same time so that we can put them on different channels.

Will a cordless phone interfere with wireless cameras? - Cordless phone that operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency will cause interference with 2.4 GHz cameras. Interference should be minimal and usually occurs if the phone is between the camera and receiver. Wireless Internet, networks and Wifi can cause interference too.

What is a 2.4 GHz wireless frequency? - A frequency is used to transmit a signal or data like video. 2.4GHz is the specific wireless frequency that our tranmitters use to send video signal to a receiver. All of our wireless cameras operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency. Range varies from 200' to 700' depending on environmental conditions. These units are FCC approved.

Are the transmitters FCC approved? - The transmitters used in all of our wireless systems are FCC and Industry Canada Certified.

What is CCD? - CCD is used in professional cameras because of it's high resolution quality and it's ability to record in low-light situations. CCD is basically a small silicon chip that receives light and turns it into voltage variations which makes up an image. It's usually measured in inches with 1/3" CCD being the standard. They are higher priced but are great for cameras that may require vision in near darkness.

What is a Quad? - A Quad is used with a VCR or other single channel recording device that splits your monitor into 4 sections allowing you to view 4 cameras at once.

Will a Quad allow four cameras to record at the same time? - Yes, you can record all four cameras at the same time. You can also record using a switching monitor, which will record the camera that is showing at that moment.

Do the receivers work through walls up to two feet thick? - Yes, as long as there isn't excessive amount of metal in the wall.

Do the plug and play connections require extra wire to run the signal back to the VCR or TV? - Yes, you need to buy the length of cable you need. We offer the CA-25, CA-50, CA-100 and CA-150.

What is the difference between a DVR and a VCR? - A Digital Video Recorder (DVR) system records high resolution digital images to a hard disk drive (HDD) and eliminates the requirement of maintaining VHS tapes. Since the video images are stored digitally, the image quality will not degrade overtime, as would a VHS tape when recorded over multiple times. The time-saving search capabilities of a DVR will enable the user to locate the desired video clips via user defined parameters (camera, time, date, etc.) versus the fast forward and rewind functions of a VCR. A DVR can be accessed remotely from anywhere in the world using the Internet.

How many hours will a DVR record? - The amount of time a DVR will record for is based on the size of the DVRs hard drive, the number of cameras recording and the number of frames per second it is recording at. Our stand alone DVRs uses 3.4GB per camera per day. 4 camera stand alone on 250GB hard drive will record for 18 days. 8 camera stand alone on 250GB hard drive will record for 9 days. 16 camera stand alone on 500GB hard drive will record for 9 days.

Do I need a VCR from you or can I use my own VCR? - You can use your own VCR for recording. However, the VCR will have to be recording all the time. Most VCRs can only record for about 10 hours but we have special VCRs that can record up to 1280 hours.

What is a DVR card? - DVR Cards enable the user to convert their computer into a Digital Video Recorder. The DVR Card(s) is typically installed in an available PCI slot of a computer. DVR cards are bundled with video surveillance software which allows the user to record and display multiple cameras simultaneously from the camera site or a remote location.

What is a Plug and Play connection camera? - It is an RCA Video plug and a power plug on the camera for easy connection to VCR or TV. This is done by running the RCA (Aux) line into the VIDEO IN of the VCR or TV. The TV or VCR must be set on the correct channel to view the VIDEO IN picture.

How many cameras can I hook up to one TV? - You can hook up as many cameras as your TV has inputs. Most TVs have 2 inputs but when using a quad you can hook up four cameras.

Do you need a VCR to record or will the cameras record? - You must have a VCR or DVR if you want to record.

How long will the camera last with a 9-volt battery? - The Cyber Eye and BD-127 will last 5 hours.

Between what temperatures is it safe for cameras to operate in?
It is safe for B/W cameras to operate between -23°C to + 50°C or -10ºF to +122ºF
It is safe for color cameras to oeperate between -23º C to +40ºC or -10ºF to +104ºF
It is safe to sotre cameras between -30ºC to +70ºC or -22ºF to +158ºF

What is the operating voltage of a camera? - Our cameras range from 9 volts (CMOS) to 12volts, and also 24 volt professional models.

What is a varifocal lens? - A varifocal lens is one where the focal length of the lens can be varied. This is a fancy way of saying it is a zoom lens. Most varifocal lenses have, and in almost all circumstances should have, an auto iris feature.

What is a fixed lens? - A fixed focal length lens cannot zoom. The focus is fixed. A fixed focal length lens usually allows more light to pass through the lens at a given focal length than a varifocal, or zoom lens. This can be important in low light situations.

 


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