The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opens tomorrow in Las Vegas.

It’s the annual show where all the big boys showcase their new toys.

Take a look at this early news of a new wireless N router from D-Link featured over at engadget.

This router is the ideal solution for the consumer who wants to be the first on his or her block with the ultimate ‘all-in-one’ networking device.

Says Daniel Kelley, senior director of marketing for D-Link Systems.

Of course, it is a state-of-the-art wireless N router, but take note of the ‘STORAGE ROUTER’ badge – it allows you to connect and share USB hard drives as if they were network attached storage (NAS).

Some network cameras, such as Mobotix, are already able to store their surveillance video to network attached storage directly (without the need for any PC or server to be running video recording software) – ideal for those who would rather not run a PC 24/7 for surveillance at their home, office, holiday home, etc.

There’s a wide selection of NAS drives available, but what makes this router option attractive is that standard USB external hard drives are a good deal cheaper than NAS drives, and this router will make a USB drive behave like an NAS drive.

The CES show opens tomorrow.

engadget have a great micro site featuring all the latest CES News – worth a visit for any Tech Geek!!

We’ve just received this Latest News from MI5:

Jonathan Evans, the Director General of the Security Service, gave an interview on Tuesday 6 January 2009 to a number of national newspapers. This was the first time that a serving Director General of the Security Service has given an interview to the media. The interview marked the start of the centenary year of the Security Service, which was founded in October 1909. The interviewers were from The Guardian, the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, The Sun, the Daily Telegraph and The Times.

During the interview, the Director General discussed a number of topics including:

• the Centenary of the Security Service – trends and themes from past to present
• the threat from international terrorism – Al Qaida and related groups
• the threat from dissident Irish republican groups in Northern Ireland
• other security threats facing the UK and UK interests
• future challenges for the Security Service, including the 2012 Olympic Games and recent technological developments

For coverage of this interview from the newspapers involved, please see the links below (all links will open in a new window):

• “Opening up, but not lifting the lid“ (The Guardian, 7 January 2009)
• “‘We’ve got the terror gangs in check’, says casually-dressed MI5 head in first-ever interview“ (Daily Mail, 7 January 2009)
• “Terror trials ‘reduce threat to UK’“ (Daily Mirror, 7 January 2009)
• “We’re foiling terrorists – but threat remains“ (The Sun, 7 January 2009)
• “MI5 chief warns of threat from global recession“ (Daily Telegraph, 7 January 2009)
• “MI5′s spymaster Jonathan Evans comes out of the shadows“ (The Times, 7 January 2009)

Anybody can sign-up for the latest News updates at the MI5 website.

This free iPhone App from Yoics allows you to access a webcam from your iPhone and use it to keep an eye on things at home (office or wherever).

Currently only available for the iPhone, and only for use with a single webcam camera but it might be just what you are looking for, and you don’t get better value than free!!

Surveillance webcam app for iPhone

IPCCTV delivers real advantages over its predecessor analogue CCTV; as we have mentioned many times before, analogue CCTV cameras hit a technology glass ceiling of 0.4 megapixel image resolution; IP has already enabled the connective medium that allows CCTV cameras to deliver 16 megapixel images.

There’s some interesting blog dialogue flaring-up in the VOIP world which hypothesises that VOIP is dead – 2008: The Year That VOIP Died

Of course they are not really reporting the end of the use of VOIP, quite the opposite in fact – the use of IP networks for voice telephony has become merely plumbing.

There is no killer benefit to VOIP.

Ordinary telecoms costs are cheap enough.

VOIP has become fairly mainstream and boring, and therefore barely worth further discussion.

There’s some talk of High Definition telephony (HD VOIP) bringing a renaissance, but who ever finished a phone conversation and thought I really must upgrade this handset to the latest Bose unit so that my chums sound better!?!?!?

As you read the blogs from these VOIP gurus you have to wonder at the similarities, and might VOIP be a predictor of the future of IP CCTV:

• VOIP was special
• VOIP was the future
• Dedicated exhibitions and conferences were created
• Some manufacturers didn’t get it
• Some mainstream manufacturers broadened their hardware product range
• Some focused on the software
• Maybe there were more providers than there was demand?
• Pure play companies are struggling
• Some companies fell by the wayside

This summary – 10 points about the death of VOIP – gives a neat overview.

Another interesting article introduces the Internet Communications Continuum – I’ve never heard it called this before, but it is this thing, this continually evolving connectivity of the cloud that is the vital wave to ride!

CCTV and Security training is attracting a lot of interest at the moment.

We’re in a recession, and a lot of folk are losing their jobs.

Those people are looking around for a new career, perhaps in a technology with a future …

They see upcoming major projects such as the 2012 London Olympics creating a great demand for CCTV and other security services.

They are looking to re-train and to pick up new skills, seeking courses to attend which will provide them with the new skills they seek.

Some are in the market for a career change into a new and more interesting field of work associated with developing technologies such as IP CCTV.

Common questions include:

• Where can I attend a CCTV training course?
• How much does it cost?
• What previous experience or qualifications will I need?
• What will employers expect?
• Are there any jobs?
• Where are vacancies advertised?
• How can I start my own CCTV company?

We have a great deal of experience in the UK CCTV market, please feel free to Contact Us and we’ll gladly provide you with some pointers to guide you in the right direction in these difficult and changing times.

Update, due to lots of enquiries on this topic:

From personal experience we are happy to recommend Tavcom for CCTV Training.

Other possibilities include:

CCTV Training & Logistics