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What You Need To Consider
- We Only Sell The Best
Why don't we have thousands of products in our Security Camera e-store when everyone else does? Answer: Because we know our products and we only sell the good stuff. (Continued...)
- Bullet Vs. Dome Cameras
When purchasing a video surveillance system, the two types of cameras that you will always consider are the bullet and dome cameras. (Continued...)
- Building / Configuring a DVR System
Building a Geovision DVR can be done in a lot of ways but for Camera Security Now there is only one way it will be done. (Continued...)
Part 8 - Infrared Weatherproof Bullet Camera Demo
A 10 Part GeoVision Series by Camera Security Now -- Featuring Brian Wood
In this video Woodio provides an Infrared Weatherproof Bullet Camera Demo using the IR135. Infrared (IR) cameras are an example of product that is often asked about but little understood. And from my experience they are a product to which people often assign an unrealistic level of expectation. I have seen lots of quotes from other vendors who use low cost IR Bullet Cameras as a catch all for a low budget install. Knowing the circumstance for many of these bids I can only imagine that the vendors quoting these low end products are doing so because of their deceptively attractive sounding specs or their ability to sell them at a high margin. You might think these are harsh words but I have spent countless hours over the years talking with people who have no more need forWhen looking at the
IR135
the first thing you will notice
is that it is a full sized bullet camera with 36 "super
powered" LED's capable of of providing IR light out to 100
feet. The size of an Infrared camera is important because
even in today's high tech world if you want to throw out a
lot of Infrared light you need a lot of IR emitters and you
can't do that with a small bullet camera. An analogy I often
give is that when thinking about an IR camera imagine
walking into the space you want to watch on a cloudy
moonless night with a flashlight. If you could walk into
that space with a flashlight designed to fit in your pocket
protector and be happy with your lighting then you won't
need a very large IR camera. But if this is the sort of
space you would want to light up at distance out to say
perhaps 100 feet away then you would most likely want to
take a larger lantern style flashlight. The same analogy of
course applies to Infrared light and the size of your camera
or it's bank of IR emitters.
The IR135 is also weatherproof and boasts an IP66 rating
which is a must for any camera designed to spend it's life
outdoors. IP in this context stands for "Ingress Protection"
and is the measure by which all quality camera housings are
rated. If you are considering a outdoor camera that does not
list it's IP rating then you are most likely looking at a
very low end product and you should do your best to protect
it from direct exposure to the elements. For more information on this code see
the Wikipedia
Ingress Protection Chart.
The next major feature of the IR135 is its varifocal lens that
can adjust from a setting of a wide angle 3.3mm all the way up
to a much more zoomed in setting of 12mm. This as you will see
in the video is easily adjusted and taking advantage of this
feature should help ensure that you get the proper field of view
with your IR135 no matter how far or near to the subject area
you mount the camera.
Also worthy of note is that the IR135 can
operate on 12VDC or 24VAC power. This allows the camera to be
used at a considerable distance from the nearest power source as
24 Volt AC power can travel much father than the lower powered
12 Volt DC alternative. The 24VAC power can also come in handy when
the camera is used in an environment that heavily saturated with
existing power lines as using a 24VAC powered camera will make your
system less prone to the effects of electrical interference.
Now when it comes time to ask yourself if you
really need an IR camera here is my advice. If at all
possible install lighting and use a standard camera.
Lighting helps deter unwanted activity and allows for
more flexibility with your security camera choices. If
your space has no light and adding light is for what
ever reason just no an option then my next advice is to
consider using IR cameras to watch your space from the
closest distance possible. That is to say IR cameras are
best used in small or even confined spaces. If none of
these recommendations will work for your situation then
my advice is to buy the largest IR camera your budget
can afford and keep your expectations realistic unless
you intend to spend well over a thousand dollars on an IR
camera the size of a shoe shine box.
So we hope you enjoy the video and remember the secret
to a great security camera system is using quality
cameras in an environment where they can perform to meet
or exceed your expectations and give you the level of
surveillance you need for your situation.
Should you have any questions after watching the video feel free to contact us with any of the methods listed below or at the bottom of the page.
All "How to Build and Configure Your GeoVision CCTV DVR" Videos
a 10 Part Do-It-Yourself GeoVision Series
Part 2: Setting a Storage Location
Part 3: Setting Up a Dynamic DNS
Part 4: Backing Up Your Video
Part 5: Setting a Motion Detection Mask
Part 7: CCTV Cable Crimping
Part 8: Weatherproof IR Camera Demo
Part 9: Installing a PTZ Camera
Part 10: Audio Interface Adapters
Other CCTV Product Videos
Infrared CCTV Security Camera Information and Demo
Standard Body CCTV Camera Information and Review
Construction Site IP Security Camera Demo
If you have any additional questions,
Ask A CCTV Expert!
For a list of common terms and concepts related to DVR systems See our CCTV Terms and Definitions Page. Or for more 'do-it-yourself' demonstrations and information check out our CCTV Learning Center!