Frequently Asked Questions 

Q. What is the WiLife Video Security System?
A. The WiLife Video Security System uses a technology called Home Plug technology that uses A-C wiring in a home or office to transmit the camera signals to the USB adapter that is plugged in near and connected to your PC. You plug the cameras into any electrical outlet within a 10,000 sq ft range of the PC and the cameras use your electrical wiring to stay powered and to communicate with the PC software. There is no additional wiring needed to set up the system and it does not use 802.11 wireless signals. Therefore, cordless phones and your home/office network will not interfere with the system.

Smart Security Cameras
Each system can support up to six Wilife cameras ... indoor, outdoor and and spy clock cameras. Each WiLife camera has a 400 MHz processor inside that lets the camera do most of the work so your PC doesn't have to. The cameras encode the video stream using a Windows Video encoder. The cameras stream the compressed video to your PC in VGA(640x480) or QVGA(320x240)  resolution. The cameras also process the images to detect motion and let the software know when there is motion so the software can create wmv files only when there is motion. The smart cameras also process the lighting in the images and have an auto brightness setting for better results in extreme lighting conditions.

Powerful PC Software

The Wilife command center software installs on a PC and automatically stores wmv files on your hard drive when the cameras detect motion. The software also organizes the files and manages your video storage space. During setup you choose how much of your hard drive you want to allocate for video files. When your video files fill up the allocated space the software automatically removes the oldest files to make room for new recordings.

The software uses minimal resources and can be hidden in your task tray so you can use your PC as normal. To continue recording video your PC must remain on but you can turn your monitor off and the system will continue to work.

The software has a user-friendly interface when you want to monitor your cameras or playback past video clips from any or all of your cameras. The software makes it easy to save video clips and still frame images (jpg, gif, png, tiff, etc.) to your desktop. When you enter your e-mail smtp or e-mail them to friends, family or local law enforcement. You can also easily grab still frames and save them as image files or e-mail the frame within the software.  The system can easily be configured to automatically send you an e-mail or cell phone alert with a video clip or still frame when motion is detected.

Free Remote Viewing

If your PC has a broadband Internet connection, you can view the live video remotely from another windows-enabled Internet device - PC, cell phone, or PDA. There are no monthly fees for basic live remote viewing. If you have more than one location with WiLife installed you can view all your locations from one secure online.wilife.com account.

Q. Why is WiLife the perfect home surveillance solution?

A. With three different cameras to choose from - Indoor, Outdoor and Spy - you will be able to get complete video coverage of your entire house at an affordable price.

The setup takes as little as 15 minutes. You load the software on your computer, plug the power line USB receiver into the wall next to your computer and then plug your camera(s) anywhere in your home. The software will automatically discover the cameras and start streaming and recording live video.

       Easy 15-minute setup

       High-resolution video

       Powerful software

       Email and cell phone alerts

       Free anywhere, anytime live video access

Q. Why is WiLife the perfect system for a small business?

A. A professional surveillance system with all the features provided by WiLife will cost thousands of dollars more. They may also require a monthly access fee to view your cameras remotely.  WiLife is the best system on the market for small businesses.

WiLife is easy to setup and use. The setup takes as little as 15 minutes. You load the software on your computer, plug the power line USB receiver into the wall next to your computer and then plug your camera(s) anywhere in your home. The software will automatically discover the cameras and start streaming and recording live video.

       Easy 15-minute setup

       High-resolution video

       Powerful software

       Email and cell phone alerts

       Free anywhere, anytime live video access

WiLife Pro is also available for businesses looking for a professional installation.

Q. Does the WiLife system work as easily as you say it does?

A. Here is an e-mail we received from one of our thousands of satisfied customers.

Hi Bill,

 I did purchase the Wilfe system from you and believe its the best home surveillance system I have bought.  I have purchased probably 3 others and eventually throw them away. For $314.00 this spy clock kit has the best quality photos and recording I have seen.  It’s very easy to setup probably less than 15 minutes to install software, plug in the transmitter and remote clock.  I think the software is extremely advanced and can't believe how it sends me an email almost immediately when a camera is activated by motion. I Highly recommend this system to others.

 Best regards,
Joseph J. Place

 

(Please read our other testimonials. You will see the customers actual e-mail address along with the date and time they sent in their e-mail)  These are real testimonials from regular folks, unlike other on-line sites that post funky quotes from a “John Doe” in “East Cup cake, Montana.

Q. How many cameras can I install with my system?

A. WiLife supports up to six Home Plug based cameras, Any Combination of Cameras (inside/outside/spyclock). Future software upgrades will allow more cameras. Currently the only way to install more than six cameras is to install systems on more than one computer.

Q. How much does a typical system cost?

A. WiLife starter kits start at $299.99 and include everything you need for a one-camera system. A six camera system will cost under $1500.  (Call SecuritySystems.com for discounts; Our “MAP” agreement does not allow the posting of discounted prices)

Q. What comes in a “Starter Kit”?

A.  Inside Starter kit consists of ONE standard Inside camera and everything needed to complete the entire system; software (to be loaded on your pc) signal transmitter, receiver and usb connector.  The Outside kit is the same but includes ONE outside camera.  The Spy Starter kit consists of the spy clock camera.

Q. Is the spy clock a working clock?

A. The clock is an actual working clock. It looks like any clock purchased at Sears, Wal-mart or any other retail outlet. It glows in the dark. The clock has an 8 foot power cord and simply plugs into an outlet just like any other “real” clock. Under close inspection it is impossible to detect that it is anything but a clock.

Q. When do the cameras record video?

A. The cameras are motion activated and record only when they pick up motion within a wide 80 degree field of view. (watch some of the sample videos posted on the site)

Q. Is the WiLife system compatible with Microsoft's Vista operating system?

A. The latest version 2.0 is Vista compatible All systems purchased from the online store now come with WiLife Command Center version 2.0 and are vista compatible. If you have an older version of the software and would like to install WiLife on Vista please visit the link provided for details on how to get the latest software.

Q. Is the WiLife system compatible with the Mac operating system?

A. At this time, WiLife Command Center is only compatible with Windows operating systems. .

Q. How much hard disk space is required for video storage on my PC?

A. The system requirements state the minimum storage space is 500 MB. We recommend you allocate at least 20 GB of hard disk space. WiLife's software is designed to intelligently record motion events, reducing the space necessary to maintain an archive.

In continuous recording mode, each camera - using the default QVGA settings - requires about 2.2MB per minute or 3.2GB per day.

Most users prefer to use the motion detection feature to selectively capture significant events. Motion detection mode requires approximately 10-20% of the storage used in continuous mode. A typical single camera system using motion detection will require between 3 and 6 GB of disk space for well over a month of recording. This depends, of course, on how much motion your cameras are seeing. You may wish to allocate more space if you have lots of motion, or if you wish to retain your video for a longer period before the disk space is recycled for new video.

Q. Does the WiLife system record audio?

A. At this time we do not offer an audio surveillance system. What we offer is an affordable, long term, PC Video protection fro your home or small business.

State and federal laws in the U.S. generally prevent audio recording without the permission of one or more parties. For this reason audio recording is not a feature we offer with the WiLife Video Security System. 

Q. Does my computer need to be running for the system to work?

A. The WiLife software runs on a PC and the computer needs to be running for the software to record video to the computer's hard drive. The computer also needs to be on and connected to the internet to access your cameras online. The software is designed to use minimal resources and will run in the background while your screensaver is on. The computer monitor does not need to be on for the system to work.

Q. What is the field of view for cameras?

A. Each camera comes with an 80 degree lens. In optimal lighting objects are visible  up to 100 ft. Please see our sample videos to get an idea of the image quality and view.

 Q. How far can the cameras see clearly?

A. In optimal lighting objects are visible up to 100 ft. Please see our sample videos to get an idea of the image quality and field of view.

 Q. How far away from the PC can I place my cameras?

A. For best performance the WiLife system works best in buildings under 8,000-10,000 sq ft. or on a single electrical run 1,000 linear ft.

The actual distance is dependant on the AC wiring architecture, including whether all circuits serving the system are served by a common meter(required) and the same breaker box (highly desirable).

Q. Can the WiLife system support more than six cameras?

A. WiLife supports up to six Home Plug based cameras. In the future you will be able to add more cameras to your system, but with the current software six cameras is the maximum number supported

One way to get more cameras in one location is to install more than one system on different computers.

Q. Do your cameras work at night with no light?

A. WiLife Cameras have very good low-light capabilities - down to 2 Lux - or about twice the light of a full moon. With a porch light, the cameras work great and have plenty of light to provide a quality picture.

An easy solution is to install the Outdoor Camera near an exterior flood light. When the light is activated the camera will detect the motion and record.

IR-capable Outdoor Cameras could be available in 2008.

Q. Do the WiLife cameras operate off of batteries?

A. WiLife cameras will not function on battery power. The WiLife Cameras are designed to be powered by the A-C power line and send their digitized, compressed video signals back to the PC via the same A-C power line.

Other so-called "Wireless cameras" still need a source of A-C power to operate, and a very complex setup in a network environment. The WiLife system was designed with ease of setup and ease of operation in mind.

Q. Do the WiLife cameras operate in a power outage?

A. There are 2 safeguards in the event of a power failure. First we would recommend purchasing a battery backup system. Common battery backups will continue to provide power to your PC for up to 30 minutes during a power outage.

Additionally; it is possible to set up your PC so that when power is returned that your computer will reboot and return to the same state it was in before the power outage. This is accomplished by going to your BIOS Power Management and enabling the "AC Power Loss Restart" and "Previous State" settings. Not all BIOS have this feature and in some circumstances you may need to contact the manufacturer of your PC to assist you in enabling these settings.

Another possible alternative is WiLife Pro.     Wilife Pro is a fully networked Powered Ethernet system (18v over the Ethernet) that is compatible with Uninterruptible Power Supply units.

Q. Does WiLife offer smaller spy cameras?

A. Presently there are only three cameras available. The standard Inside cameras, The outside camera and The Spy Clock camera which solves all covert applications.

Q. Are your cameras "wireless"?

A. Wilife is better than wireless. Like wireless, there is no additional wiring needed to set up the system. No drilling, pulling, cutting or stripping. There is also no installing wireless cards in your PC and no wireless router to configure. With Wilife this is all done automatically with no configuration or hassle on the customer's end, and unlike wireless networks; cordless phones, walls, or movement in your home will not interfere with the video signal.

The Wilife system utilizes "Home Plug Technology". This is a superior means of transferring secure data using the structure's existing AC power lines. The cameras transmit the video signals along the AC power lines to the USB adaptor that communicates with the PC via USB cable.

Q. How long are the camera cords?

A. The Indoor Camera has a 10 ft Ethernet cable, the Outdoor Camera has a 12 ft standard electric cord and the Spy Camera has an 8 ft standard electric cord.

Q. Can the cameras be connected to an extension cord?

A. The Indoor Camera has a cat5e 10ft cable and can be extended with available 10ft; 20ft and 30ft  cords. You can also use any cat5e cable you have available. The Outdoor and Spy cameras can be connected to extension cords and we recommend you use a high grade cable and limit the length of the cable as much as possible.

Q. What is Remote Viewing?

A. Wilife provides a simple and secure way for you to view your cameras from anywhere in the world. Any other company will charge you monthly for such a service but Wilife offers this free of charge. Simply create an online account at  onlineWilife.com and connect to your account from the Wilife Command Center Software and you can then log into your account from any web browser including your cell phone or PDA and view your cameras live from any high speed internet connection in the world.  Remote viewing requires high speed connections at both the on-site computer as well as the remote location.  Dial-up or Satellite connection will not allow remote viewing

Q. Can more than one person remotely view at the same time?

A. Current remote viewing access is limited to one user at a time. It is not possible for multiple persons to remotely view the live video feed from any one location.

Q. How secure is remote viewing?

A. The remotely-viewed video stream is password-protected on our server which you log onto on our Web site to remotely view your cameras.

Q. Can I remotely store recorded video?

A. WiLife Platinum has a feature where you can upload video from your software to be stored on our server. WiLife Platinum requires an annual fee ($79.95) and comes with 50 MB of online storage that can be upgraded as you need more. It is important to note that the video files are uploaded manually. This is great for storing and sharing important video files online. Once the file is uploaded it can be accessed from your platinum online account from anywhere in the world.

Q. How does the powerline network operate?

A. Power line networking uses the existing electrical wiring at home, to form a network of communication. Simply imagine that the electrical wiring hidden in the walls work as the traditional Cat. 5 Ethernet cables used in traditional LANs.

Q. Will using power line devices damage other home appliances or electronics?

A. No. The power line devices transmit using very low voltages that will not damage any other electronics in the house.

Q. Will power line devices work if the power goes out?

A. No. Power line devices will not work when the power goes out.

Q. Do older electrical wirings affect the power line devices?

A. In some cases, old wiring may have faulty connections or have long wiring paths that may influence performance.

Q. Does the USB adapter deliver any power to my computer?

A. No. The power for the USB adapter comes from the computer. The receiver is only plugged into the wall to complete the network.

Q. What is the range in distance for power line devices?

A. Power line devices will operate at a distance of 300 meters (under normal circumstances) before performance is adversely affected.

Q. Is the power line network secure?

A. Yes. Once a password is applied, the power line communications are secured with 56-bit DES encryption to secure the data during transmission.

Q. What can I do to ensure the highest performance of the power line devices is attained?

A. Do not plug the devices into power strips or electrical surge protectors.

Q. Will the power line signal pass between homes or businesses?

A. No. The power line signal will not pass between homes or businesses.

Q. Do the power line devices have built in surge protectors?

A. Yes. There is no need to plug into a surge protector as this will hinder the signal and hurt the performance of the home plug network.

Q. Will the power line network pass through different power phases?

A. Yes, in some cases; however, testing has shown that the strength of the signal will suffer and ultimately be lost.

Q. Will the powe rline signals travel between floors in a home or business?

A. Yes. You will be able to utilize any available electrical wiring and outlets on the same fuse box. Separate floors do not represent a problem for power line.

Q. How much electrical power does a power line device consume?

A. The cameras require 18 volts. During startup the cameras boot up using approximately 120 milliamps and then run on 100 milliamps (100 milliamps = one tenth of an amp).