Infrared cameras were first used in the forests of Korea, and were instrumental tools for US soldiers seeking out enemy infantry skilled in the art of stealth and concealment amidst the trees. Since then, the devices have found application in fields as diverse as archeology, building inspection and astronomy. Incidentally, the infrared security camera has become the absolute cream of home security surveillance technology.
Night-Vision cameras and ‘active’ infrared surveillance
There’s a fair amount of confusion regarding infrared security cameras, as many people erroneously associate the term with so-called ‘night vision’ security cameras. Night vision cameras utilize the World War II technology of night glasses, which use a large diameter objective along with numerous lenses to amplify light up to levels six or seven times greater than would normally be perceived by the human eye. Alternatively, some of them use so-called ‘active infrared’, whereby the camera is equipped with a torch which provides illumination just below the wavelength visible to the human eye, while the camera’s lens is a CCD lens sensitive to light on this wavelength.
Both these designs are known for producing images of inferior quality. Much of the time, the resultant footage is monochromatic, fuzzy and about as clear as the imagery you’d expect from a video game console in the 1980s.
True infrared security cameras
Infrared security cameras, on the other hand, use microbolometers to detect the heat (scientifically known as black body radiation) of objects regardless of lighting conditions, as the light they detect is at a wavelength significantly longer than anything the human eye can perceive. They can pick up detailed, high-resolution images in the complete absence of illumination. While an infrared security camera might not be able to pick up superficial things such as the color of a person’s skin or hair, it will help you to establish things like the build and gender of the intruder, as well as where they’re likely to have left fingerprints. Since infrared wireless surveillance cameras are now available, your quest for state-of-the-art home security surveillance won’t for you to face up to the complications of hardwiring your house. Indeed, wireless surveillance cameras allow you, if you so wish, to send footage directly to an online storage cluster, making your home security surveillance system completely tamper proof.
Are they right for you?
Infrared security cameras can be an invaluable addition to homes where poor outdoor lighting conditions render ordinary wireless surveillance cameras insufficient. While their images might be hard for a layperson to interpret, they provide what, for a skilled thermographic analyst, amounts to full-spectrum coverage.
The thing to guide you in your decision as to whether to purchase what can be a rather expensive piece of audio-visual equipment (thermal cameras from FLIR, the major producer of the technology, start at around $ 2000) should really be need. External infrared security cameras will be totally unnecessary in neighborhoods with well-lit streets, as they will be on porches or driveways with motion-activated lighting.
No more smoke detectors
One truly wonderful thing about infrared security cameras is that, due to their ability to detect temperature changes, they not only beef up your home security surveillance system, but also completely eliminate the need for smoke detectors. You can simply have your cameras set up so as signal the fire department when the cameras detect that ambient temperature has gone over a certain level. This is something you should factor into your reasoning when debating the affordability of the technology.
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