When you’re conducting surveillance using traditional cameras, your efforts may be hindered by audio. Typical security cameras may use microphones that capture a lot of background noise, making it hard to listen in on conversations you’re trying to capture. Pairing a parabolic microphone with a high-quality camera like the Meraki Security Camera can greatly improve your surveillance efforts by helping you filter out background noise and concentrate on the people speaking.
What is a Parabolic Microphone?
Typical microphones are built to pick up sound near the mic. It’s harder to make out sounds further from the mic. Parabolic microphones solve this problem by using a dish to guide sound waves into the mic. These microphones are often used for sports broadcasting and other situations in which you need to capture sounds from far away, including surveillance. In this situation, you don’t necessarily have the resources to point a microphone at your subjects without being detected.
How do Parabolic Microphones Work?
These microphones have a parabolic dish that focuses sound waves to one point, which amplifies it into the mic itself. With these devices, you can pick up soft sounds from farther away. Having one on your security camera enables you to hear birds chirping in the distance as if they were right in your front yard. Parabolic microphones are common in sports broadcasting and other industries where people need to pick up conversations at ranges more distant than those that can be covered with a traditional mic.
Using these microphones also changes the way sounds are filtered into the microphone, picking up more sounds at higher frequencies without using amplifiers. You can more easily distinguish human voices from the background noise.
How do Parabolic Microphones Help Surveillance Efforts?
When you’re using surveillance for business purposes, a parabolic microphone gives you higher-quality audio. For example, if you suspect that one of your employees is taking cash from a register, you can look through the tapes and listen to audio to confirm or deny your suspicions. Pairing a parabolic microphone with a Meraki Security Camera helps you match video and audio quality for superior surveillance.
You can also monitor activity outside your building. When looking through your daily footage, you might hear people planning to damage your business. In this instance, you can take precautions to deter nefarious activity like hiring more security at higher traffic times. If you do experience theft, fire, or an accident in your business, the parabolic microphone can help insurance investigators and law enforcement officials accurately assess the situation.
Your security footage may also be beneficial in other emergency situations. Because your security camera offers high-quality audio, law enforcement officials can get better information from your security footage if they need help solving a crime or a dispute. For example, if someone gets into an accident in front of your store, you may offer the security footage to accident investigators or police to help them write the report.
What to Consider Before Using a Parabolic Microphone
Look up your local laws and regulations before installing a parabolic microphone with your security camera. Recording people without their permission is against Federal wiretapping laws. If you’re using a security camera with a parabolic microphone, make sure people can see the camera, and don’t use it to eavesdrop on casual conversations.
How to Install the Microphone
If you’re using a Meraki Security Camera, find a compatible parabolic microphone. Since you want the mic to face outward, look for one with a flexible mount. That way you can position the microphone in multiple directions for the best sound quality.
Parabolic microphones vary in range, so look for one that captures sounds within your desired area. If you’re using it inside your business, you should be fine mounting it next to the security camera to pick up footage.
If you’re using one to monitor the outside of your home or business, figure out which side of your building gets the most activity. There may be an entry point or location where people would be more likely to break in. Put the camera and the microphone within range of this location. If you have a large home or office building, you may need more than one camera and microphone set up to monitor your whole space.
Your microphone’s range will depend on its diameter and its shape. Some are constructed to pick up lower-frequency sounds, while others pick up noises at higher frequencies. Decide what you want to monitor with the microphone and choose a model that meets your needs.
Boost Your Surveillance Efforts with a Parabolic Microphone
If your surveillance efforts are being hindered by poor sound quality, consider adding a parabolic microphone to your camera. You will get better audio quality, particularly when recording conversations. Don’t use your microphone to spy on your neighbors. Do use it to improve your overall security by identifying potentially harmful activities on your property.
With these microphones, you can be better prepared to anticipate dangerous situations or to react to them once they have happened.
