It’s been a little while since I sat down to write for the Gadget Panel. Sorry for the delay, but I’ve been traveling a lot lately and not near the computer as much as I normally am. When I’m on the road this often, it’s always a good time to try out a new gizmo or gadget—like the Vehicle Safeguard Video Camera I talked about a while back.

This time, it’s all about the Wireless Near Infrared Camera that I got from Gadget Universe. It’s not a portable gadget like the Safeguard, but rather an ingenious, inexpensive way to add a bit more security at home while I’m traveling. Best of all, and i know this is a topic I harp on a lot, couldn’t be more simple to use.

The little gadget basically gives you the ability to cheaply install a security camera in your home or office…just like your neighborhood bank or grocery store. The best part, however, is that this little wireless camera gives you a full-color picture. While it didn’t come with any software for remote access (as I mentioned, it’s a simple setup with a wireless camera and receiver that talk to one another remotely), it’s an easy process to connect the video input to my PC and access it remotely from anywhere with a program like GoToMyPC. With literally a 5-minute setup (which included about 4 minutes to position the camera where I wanted it for the widest shot), I could check in on my home from anywhere my laptop gets WiFi access.

One more cool feature I forgot to mention…like the name implies, the camera has really cool infrared technology. While it’s not military-grade night vision, it does give you a pretty clear picture day or night, so that even in the dark you can make sure the viewable area is secure.

Now that’s security!