LIVE INVESTIGATION "How To"
There are several factors that play into performing a Live investigation. First and foremost you must pool your equipment and see which way it makes sense for you to go. Probably the #1 most important and critical factor to conducing any form of Live streaming investigation is some access to the internet. This usually involves some source of WiFi or Wireless Data. Wireless data could include 3G, 4G or Edge technology phones.
Now the question arises as to interference with the investigation. The short answer is that WiFi generally will have minimal impact to any equipment. WiFi uses 10-20mW power and is across a spread spectrum of frequencies. Will it impact some sensitive EMF meters, yes. But so will some of the standard electronics you carry such as digital cameras, computers, voice recorders, etc. Basically any digital device emits some form of EMF at low levels and high frequencies.
The ideal situation would be to have a high bandwidth, lower power source of WiFi in the area of the investigation. Of course this is not always a realistic expectation or even a common occurance. As most of you know, the average investigation will be in a location which is remote and not anywhere near any sources of WiFi. In some cases not even in an area with Cell phone signal capabilities.
Failing the Highspeed WiFi access, the next best thing is Wireless cell phone data access. This can be used in one of a multitude of ways. First you can use it directly from the phone with an app for streaming video and audio. Although this works, its far from ideal. For one the usage of the cell phone at the point of investigation inherantly will induce high EMF fields and interfere with some of the sensitive equipment. Secondly, most cell phones are not made for lower light conditions, and so will simply yield a dark picture with someone talking or whispering. Not exactly gripping edge of your seat material.
In situations where all you have is a Cell phone and no other means to broadcast, I would recommend setting up a staging area with somewhat higher light conditions. Perhaps a flashlight and perhaps even a Tri-pod to set (or tape) the cell phone to. And I would recommend picking one of your investigators (usually the tech person) to be the host of the live investigation from that central location.
This person could in turn narrate the action, play EVP's as investigators bring the equipment back and report, and also display photos and other findings right as they're happening. Also the central agent could keep in contact with the various investigators. This can serve multiple purposes aside from simply hosting the Live investigaiton feed. The central host can also in turn read the member questions and answer them as the investigation progresses. This is likely the cheapest and easiest way to conduct a live investigation on a limited budget and with limited means when no WiFi is present. The down side is that it does require some more man-power and coordination. It requires at least one extra person.
The second option in the absense of WiFi is to create your own WiFi source from a Wireless Data source. This is called creating or using a "Hotspot". It involves either a cellphone provider supplied "Hotspot" (which usually comes at a charge of about $50/month plus equipment cost) or using a "Hotspot" enabled cell phone. These include iPhone and Android phones but also incurr a cell phone provider surchage for using them.
There is another option though. Both iPhone (though jailbreaking) and Android (through rooting) provide the ability to install an application which can turn your phone into a Wireless access point or "Hotspot" without incurring any additional provider fees. Now on an iPhone jailbreaking is not recommended as its not an accepted practice and can lead to issues with using the phone. So we will not really down that road, just know that the option is there and you can probably find out more by simply Googling "iPhone hotspot free" in the search engine.
On an Android phone though you can "root" your phone which opens up lots of extra abilities and removes any limitations to software. There is an excellent article about how to root your Android 2.2 or later phone
here
This article provides both videos and explanation on the Pros and Cons as well as a brief how-to. Be aware that in many cases "rooting" the phone will void any warranty or support contract. But often the benifits outweigh the costs. This is a descision you must make for yourself. If you do root your Android phone, you can then download the latest version of the free hotspot software from
Google Code Archive - Long-term storage for Google Code Project Hosting.
.
Once you have a wireless hotspot. You can then locate this hotspot in a central area away from the investigation itself. This will ensure that it does not interfere with the investigation, but will in turn allow your lower powered WiFi equipment or laptops to work and will allow you to stream video from your location using the standard GnH Live Investigation streaming web page or app.
In either instance I would still recommend having a centralized "Host" to send a feed from the central Tech location. This will allow him to narrate, and keep everything focused and on track using walkie-talkies. Also it helps keep interference to a minimum. Its recommended to have this location at least 40 or more feet away from any investigations that are taking place.
Finally, if there is no other means of streaming live video data then there is a fall fallback. Its not available yet but we will be creating a phone number that you can call do a voice based live cash from an old fashioned style cell phone. But again, we don't recommend you do that from the location that you're investigation. Pick a small area away from the current investigation room which can be used for communication and central HQ of the investigation.
We're hoping to work with everyone over the next few months to make it easier to be able to bring your investigations into the fore-front and also enable our members to join you during your adventures. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask and I'll try to answer them as best as I can.
