I Can See You! -- Infrared Security Cameras

You can learn a lot from those TV nature documentaries. I have - about human vision, for example. I have learned that as human beings we are completely unable to see anything in the ultraviolet or infrared range. In order to see with the naked eye, some amount of regular daylight is needed, unlike some other species.

But even though our bodies are limited in their vision capabilities, we can make up for that lack through technology. A good example of this would be the infrared camera. Unlike our own eyes, infrared security cameras can 'see' using light in the infrared wavelength spectrum.

And what makes infrared security cameras very useful for home security is that with them, we can monitor areas with absolutely no visible light (what the professionals call a Lux 0.0 environment). Business and industry have been big users of infrared security cameras for years - with them they can monitor a darkened warehouse or bank vault area after business hours, when the lights may be turned out.

But increasingly, they have been used in the home as well as in industrial and business environments. People with especially large, darkened back yards, for example, will use infrared security cameras to monitor their property for intruders - whether they be human or animal (stray deer, dogs, rodents, wolves).

Yes, infrared security cameras can be placed in a pitch-black environment - yet they will still function and provide a good image. This is bad news for all the home thieves -- these are the guys who specialize in breaking into your home when it is darkened. They believe that the darkness will protect them, that they will not be detected. But with a properly installed infrared security camera, you can catch them - every time!

One thing any good infrared security camera has is an 'auto-scan' function. When a camera is set to auto-scan, it will repeatedly move back-and-forth over the same area automatically. Now, if the area that you need to monitor is too big for the field of vision of one camera, simply install several, and let each one sweep across a pre-defined territory. In this way if you have a very long driveway, or building entrance, you can effectively monitor every part of it.

Unlike regular security cameras, which need the light of the sun - or a light bulb - to provide an image, infrared security cameras generate their own light. They do this in one of 2 ways: They can either shine a beam of light out into the area from the camera unit itself, or they can rely on an external infrared emitter, which when turned on shines the (invisible to us) infrared light into the environment, so that an image can be captured.

Many folk confuse infrared security cameras with 'low light' cameras. Low light cameras, in and of themselves, do not use infrared light - they use normal daylight, but can function with very small amounts of such light (think of light very early in the morning, or at dusk). One weakness in most infrared security cameras is that they do not work well in large, expansive areas - so if you have a large area to monitor, like a warehouse or big garage, you may need to use several. Some models are dual-function: they work like regular security cameras during the daytime, but switch over to infrared functioning when necessary.

Article Source: http://www.myaddirectory.com

About the author: Jennifer Metcalfe discusses home security, video surveillance and home security issues Learn more abouthome security camera systems by stopping by his site.

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