How to Select a Night Vision Camera

Integrators might want to check out the latest technological developments in cameras with built-in IR illumination as a potential add-on sale for both residential and commercial applications.

Bosch Security recently held a training session to introduce dealers to the latest night vision camera technologies. The night vision camera trend is being spurred partly by “green” initiatives because people don’t want to waste money on electricity to maintain outdoor flood lights.

Indeed, dealers can sell the ROI for the installation of a night vision camera for exterior (or interior) security use vs. the cost of lighting.

How IR Illumination Works

Without any light source in some cases, cameras can clearly capture crisp images for use at night, potentially opening up a whole new market. CCTV cameras have always been primarily a commercial offering, but lower cost bullet and discrete dome units are well suited for resi applications.

“IR illuminators offer the camera the ability, in essence, to capture the wavelength of light that is not visible to humans,” says David Pieklowski of Bosch.

IR illuminators can be built into the camera or be a separate attachment. Pieklowski says there are three wavelengths of IR illuminators for night vision cameras:

• 730 nm (nanometers) — Produces red glow about half the strength of stop light and offers the best visibility.
• 830 nm — Most common strength that is used for semi-covert applications and produces a slight red glow.
• 940 nm — Designed for covert applications. It can produce an image from full blackness, but can only view a short distance.

There are two types of IR illuminators:

• Thermal IR — These detect heat. They are ideal for detection, but not for identification.
• Active IR — These detect motion and offer crisper images.

Cameras are available that offer a combination of both technologies.

“It’s a myth that if there is no light, there will be no picture,” says Pieklowski. “You can get a picture, but it’s not a good idea.”

He is referring to low-lux cameras that are available for dealers to use in low-light situations. However, these cameras, which do not have IR illuminators, are likely to produce a “noisy” picture. Also, if the images are being recorded on a DVR, they will take up a lot of space and bandwidth.

Likewise, if the images are being sent over an IP network, they require 40 percent more bandwidth for transmission.

Questions When Spec'ing Low-Light Cameras

Pieklowski says there are four questions to ask with spec’ing a low-light camera:

1. How far? Distance needed to capture images will determine focal length, beam angle and IR illuminator width.
2. How wide? The wider the lens, the shorter the distance.
3. Is there light at the scene? Some lighting looks good aesthetically, but is not good for image capture.
4. What is the environment at the scene? Is the camera going to exposed to vibration, heat , saltwater, etc.

Night vision cameras themselves are getting greener. New units draw as little as 25 watts to 45 watts of power to see as far as 700 feet. Those same cameras used to require 500 watts to 1,000 watts.

Finally, integrators should know that IR illuminators degrade at about 20 percent per year. Bosch has introduced a new technology called Black Diamond (pdf) to minimize degradation by automatically turning off the power to the illuminator during daylight hours.

Click here to see photos from the event.