HellasCams - IP needs IR

IP needs IR!

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With high future growth expected in the IP industry it is worth investigating this technology’s real ability to deliver 24 hour CCTV, especially as one of the key advantages of IP systems is the ability to view a chosen scene in any place, at any time. In this article is explained why IP needs IR.

With CCTV installers needing to rapidly learn new skills in order to specify and install IP systems, they should be warned not to forget the basics. In particular, there is a real danger that they could overlook the fundamental role of illumination. One golden rule still applies, whether it’s an IP camera or a conventional CCTV camera, if there is no light there can be no picture.

Prominent IP manufacturers Axis recognise this and have linked-up with Infra-Red specialists Derwent to provide a 24-hour IP solution.

The Axis solution uses a compact Miniflood LED [PDF] illuminator which has a size and design that makes it suitable both internal and external applications.

IP demands anytime, anywhere CCTV surveillance. The user will expect to dial in and retrieve a picture every time, day and night. This is only achievable if the area is properly illuminated. Discreet Infra-Red illuminators can provide the perfect solution to the problem.

So what exactly is IR? Infra-Red is light which is invisible to the human eye but visible to monochrome and day & night CCTV cameras. It’s worth bearing in mind that like standard CCTV cameras, not all IP cameras are the same, especially when it comes to low light performance; some cameras will work better than others.

Practicalities
IP can be used for internal, external, long range or short range applications. Currently, most systems tend to be internal, covering a wide angle range over a short distance. To ensure you achieve images on a 24-hour basis, the critical factor is ensuring the correct match between the camera, lens, focal length and the IR illumination. For example, a 4mm focal length will deliver an approximately 60 degree+ horizontal field of view. In order to ensure that the picture is effective at night the IR coverage needs also to have an angle of 60 degrees. Secondly, it’s important to be aware that too much light on a short range can have a negative effect. One of the many benefits of the latest IP cameras is their ability to both optically zoom and digitally zoom. If the camera doesn’t have enough light on scene this zoom feature will only emphasise the bad quality of the image – especially with the digital zoom, which relies more on the quality of the basic image.

Without IR illumination the camera captures a noisy, grainy, unusable picture, meaning the benefits of the IP camera are effectively lost. However, once the IR illumination is switched on, it provides enough of the correct type of evenly spread light for the camera to capture exactly what is happening, giving a clear picture of the intruders, of a high enough quality for the individuals to be identified and recognised. Here the intruder’s would have mistakenly believed that they were operating unseen under the cover of darkness.

The case is clear, if IP is to be truly effective, it needs the right type of lighting and Infra-Red has proved to be an efficient and effective solution. IP needs IR.

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