Portable DVRs

Having a portable digital video recorder can come in very handy and at times is essential in executing covert or discreet surveillance. Portable DVRs are small and handy in size and are battery operated. Portable DVRs allow you to capture images or video remotely for storage and playback later. However, some portable DVRs come with a monitor as part of the unit in which you can view real time video in addition to storing it.

Portable DVRs can be located in very small objects such as in a spy pen or even a motion detector or they can be standalone devices that attach to a particular camera. The devices are usually very easy to set-up and easy to use, even if you have never used such a DVR before.

Portable DVRs can be set to record upon motion detection, manually, continuously, or on a schedule. Most units are programmed to leave a time and date stamp on the images. The video is usually stored on an SD card that you can later remove and playback via a compatible computer or monitor. (Many times the SD card, depending on the gigabyte and recording mode, can hold several hours of video.) In some case the device itself can connect to a TV via RCA cables for playback.

A scenario of using a standalone portable DVR would be to wire the DVR to a snake camera so that you can record what is behind a wall for example or through and behind a hole. If you were a construction worker or engineer this would be handy. You could then later, depending on the type of DVR you have, replay the video at a later time or replay it at the site as well