IR illuminator

folks

I have an outdoor camera but that also views an internal living room. Can I place this IR device inside the living room to light up the room. I don't have any binds in the living room so the point of this is when i'm away on vacation and get a home alarm i can actually see inside my home and contact police if an intruder is actually inside the home (they don't respond to just home alarms going off). Of course i can install an indoor camera but if my outdoor is doing two jobs then why not

thx

dohat leku said:

folks

I have an outdoor camera but that also views an internal living room. Can I place this IR device inside the living room to light up the room. I don't have any binds in the living room so the point of this is when i'm away on vacation and get a home alarm i can actually see inside my home and contact police if an intruder is actually inside the home (they don't respond to just home alarms going off). Of course i can install an indoor camera but if my outdoor is doing two jobs then why not

thx

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I don't see why not. Two or more smaller, wide angle units might be better than one big unit; more even coverage, less hot spots. Insure the units are not "seen" directly by the cam, the cam should see only the surfaces illuminated by the IR source. The IR source, if aimed wrongly, will cause exposure issues (think of your own eyes' irises closing up when you look directly into the sun).

what's the recommended unit for a 40x20 living room with AC power. Something with dusk to dawn feature would be nice. Also is there any drawback to having this light pointing to people in the living space? Thanks

dohat leku said:

what's the recommended unit for a 40x20 living room with AC power. Something with dusk to dawn feature would be nice. Also is there any drawback to having this light pointing to people in the living space? Thanks

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I haven't done what you're attempting, but I'd consider 2 small, round 4-LED units like this , 1 at each end of the room. Most have 60 to 80 degree beam spread, just read specs & description, sometimes found at bottom of page.

Some come with 12VDC wall wart that use same connector size (5.5mm x 2.1mm) as 12VDC cameras, some you may have to purchase separately, so read specs and description, also note current requirements. I highly recommend an adapter with UL-approval, like this.

Extension cords for the 12VDC cable can also be purchased if needed.

All should have a built-in light sensor to switch on/off.

No drawback to people or pets looking at the IR light; the small amount that is visible produces a dim red glow at night when switched on. Perhaps you'd have to stare into it for a long time from a few inches away before one could consider hurting their eyes, I cannot say either way...but that would be true of any light source.

The chart below can help; I think I'd try a couple of units with a 60 to 80 degree beam spread, mounted at far ends of room, near the window-wall, aimed toward the wall and objects viewed thru the window.

any unit that has a built-in timer so it's only using power dusk to dawn - thanks

dohat leku said:

any unit that has a built-in timer so it's only using power dusk to dawn - thanks

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It's only 12 watts when on which even if on 24/7/365 at a high $.20/kWHr rate = $1.75 a month, 12 hour burn is half of that so it's $.88 per month per fixture + minimal standby current, so less than $1 per month per fixture.

I haven't seen any with a timer (but I haven't seen everything for sure) so that could be an additional expense. The timer would draw some current too so I'd just let the included light sensor (that most have) operate it for you.

Timers have to be adjusted for DST and cannot respond to changing lighting issues, such as a late afternoon thunderstorm that makes it very dark for that time of day...a light sensor would respond.

TonyR said:

It's only 12 watts when on which even if on 24/7/365 at a high $.20/kWHr rate = $1.75 a month, 12 hour burn is half of that so it's $.88 per month per fixture + minimal standby current, so less than $1 per month per fixture.

I haven't seen any with a timer (but I haven't seen everything for sure) so that could be an additional expense. The timer would draw some current too so I'd just let the included light sensor (that most have) operate it for you.

Timers have to be adjusted for DST and cannot respond to changing lighting issues, such as a late afternoon thunderstorm that makes it very dark for that time of day...a light sensor would respond.

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With that math, it would actually be cheaper to use an indoor camera at 3-5w...

fenderman said:

With that math, it would actually be cheaper to use an indoor camera at 3-5w...

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Yes, and there would be no unsightly IR illuminators in a living room.