How To Decide Between a Night Vision or Infrared Security Camera

When you are looking to setup a home security system or surveillance system for your business, one of many decisions you will make is what type of cameras to make use of. We have all heard about 'night vision' cameras. It is a common term that hides a lot of technology. Understanding the difference between the two major types of video security cameras will help you make the right choice when you finally decide to go with a particular system.



Day/Night Security Cameras:



A persons eye sees visible light. When we say it is 'dark' outside, what we mean is that there is not enough visible light for us to see. However, it's rarely the situation where there is actually no visible light whatsoever. At night there are numerous light sources that give off some light, it is just usually too dim for us to make use of with the eye.



But there is natural light from the moon and stars and man-made light from street lamps, security lights and other sources. This light might be too dim for the eyes to use, but the CCD chips in night vision security cameras can be made to be extremely responsive to these sources of visible light.

Day/Night security cameras (and many of the high end night vision devices which the military uses) incorporate this kind of sensor that's sensitive to visible light.



You will find some advantages to this. Because the camera needs only regular light, you are able to enhance the cameras range and recording ability by simply adding additional normal lighting to areas you would like to cover. And because of the camera's sensitivity, a small amount goes a long way. Also, you will normally record a color picture down to suprisingly low light levels until it is necessary for your camera to change to black and white mode.



The main disadvantage of Day/Night cameras is the fact that high quality units also usually come with a higher price.



Infrared Security Cameras:



Infrared light cannot be seen by the human eye. However sensors in infrared security cameras can use infrared light to show you what's happening in the dark. An infrared security system uses light waves from this part of the spectrum to give you a picture.



Part of the infrared image is captured from the heat given off by an object. So even in total darkness, like a closed warehouse or garage, a picture can nonetheless be recorded.



An advantage to infrared is that you need not have visible light to record an image. There are lots of cases where you may not want security or other visible lighting in an area or in a building. By using an infrared camera, you can still monitor the area easily.



The major disadvantage to using infrared cameras is they don't provide a color picture in low light situations. The image is converted from the infrared wavelengths to a visible picture shown in either black and white or the common black and green images most of us have seen.



Image Quality or Best Surveillance?



Making your choice for which type of business or home security camera to make use of boils down mainly to these two items. If you want to make use of your system to record the very best image day or night and you don't mind adding any necessary lighting to areas that may need it for quality coverage, then a Day/Night type camera system is the best way that you can go.



If, however, you don't want to have visible lights on all night, or you need to monitor places that adding lighting will be a problem, then you should think about using an infrared security camera wherever necessary.



The choice between the two is much easier when you're conscious of how surveillance and security cameras work.



Night vision technology is advancing rapidly and has become extremely affordable. If you'd like more info about outdoor security camera systems or the different types and uses for a night vision video camera don't hesitate to stop by our web site.