Sunday, October 4, 2009

Outdoor Security Cameras In Low Lights


By Steve Goldman

The most important factor to capturing useful surveillance video is making sure the lighting levels are adequate for your outdoor security camera. Depending on the type and model of the camera there is a wide range when it comes to minimum lighting requirements. There are some basic strategies we can use to make sure poor lighting won't hinder the performance of the security camera.

The first option is simple. Installing additional lighting might be the most straight forward solution to the low light conditions but it may not always be the best solution. Either the infrastructure required to install the lamps are not available or the environment requires that there are no lights, such as surveillance of a dark room. Also, the controls for the light are another consideration with this strategy. Leaving the lights on 24 hours can be costly but turning the lights on and off could require additional hardware, such as light sensors. Sometimes additional lighting is not sufficient for the conditions, whatever the case there are two other options.

It is not always as simple as adding an additional light source to illuminate the area in every case. Some conditions require the lighting to stay low, or it is not economically feasible to create a line just for a new bulb. Whatever the case is, if the lighting is simply low and nowhere near complete darkness, then using a black and white camera might be enough to solve the problem since these cameras require much lower light to produce an image.

For lower light levels where black and white cameras are useless, night vision cameras are the next option. They use infrared technology to detect lights at wave lengths outside the visible range in the spectrum. The minimum light level a camera requires is measured in LUX ratings and a rating of 0 means the camera can record in complete darkness.

The sole purpose of an outdoor security camera is to record activity in an area for increased security and darkness is more reason to increase the level of security. Psychologically people feel more secure committing crimes under the cover darkness and that is why we have a need to protect our things, our families, and ourselves with security surveillance cameras.

The most effective way to protect your camera is by installing it properly in the first place. Install the camera inside a housing unit if necessary and it usually will be necessary, and mount the camera flush to the wall or ceiling if possible. Minimize the exposure of the cables to avoid tampering. Take as many threats into consideration when installing the camera to minimize the chances of an attack, and minimize the effect of the attack when it does happen.

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