In a surveillance system including a remote sensor apparatus and a portable receiver, a method is provided for collecting and processing data related to a surrounding environment of the remote sensor apparatus including image data for a scene external to the housing of the apparatus. The method includes receiving, at the processing unit, raw image data simultaneously from a plurality of image sensors as the raw image data is being captured by the plurality of image sensors. One or more light sources are placed around a wide-angle lens fitted to each of the image sensor. Infrared or near-infrared light emanating from the plurality of light sources is used in a dark environment. The method also includes processing, at the processing unit, the simultaneously received raw image data to generate pre-processed image data. The method further includes transmitting the pre-processed image data to the portable receiver using the wireless transceiver.