IR illuminator VS motion(solar)floodlights

xmfan

xmfan

Getting the hang of it
Nov 30, 2017
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I've seen several posts regarding external IR illuminators and don't quite understand their need. are the IR sensors in the cam not sufficient for some needs?

If the goal is to have better lighting for the cam, how about if I was to install solar based motion detector flood lights nearby the camera so there's additional light when the cam is triggered and start recording?
 
Adding additional IR illuminators to complement those on the camera can be a good idea. Many cameras dont have exceptionally strong IR, and adding IR comes in handy if you need IR beyond or to the side of the camera's IR beam.

Ultimately we'd all like enough white light to run our cameras in color 24/7 but that can be a problem in some locations. The problem with motion based floods is that the camera frequently takes a few seconds to adjust from B&W/IR to color and those few seconds may be all you have to get a good ID.
 
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The built in IR attracts bugs and spiders. The severity differs depending on the form factor, i.e. turret vs. bullet, but it affects all of them. The several Dahua models I use all have pretty nasty center hotspots with the IR llumination. Some of the external illuminators have bad hotspots, too. I went through a bunch of them before finding a few with more even lighting. I'm using external illuminators on 13 outdoor cameras, with a huge improvement in bug minimization and even light coverage. I still get occasional spiders and webs, even on a camera that doesn't have any lights within 20 feet of it.
 
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@bigredfish, @tigerwillow1 - thank you for your feedback.

so, when an external IR is used, do you (or, can you) turn off the IR that is built into the cam?

I never even considered this issue of bugs spiders crawling into the cameras. Can anything be done as a preventative measure? On the weekends, I am usually doing yardwork so what if I was rig something and spray some bug killer type product at the surroundings of the cam housing, carefully, staying away from the actual cam lens? I mostly am working towards installing the dahua varifocal turrets.
 
xmfan said:
@bigredfish, @tigerwillow1 - thank you for your feedback.

so, when an external IR is used, do you (or, can you) turn off the IR that is built into the cam?

I never even considered this issue of bugs spiders crawling into the cameras. Can anything be done as a preventative measure? On the weekends, I am usually doing yardwork so what if I was rig something and spray some bug killer type product at the surroundings of the cam housing, carefully, staying away from the actual cam lens? I mostly am working towards installing the dahua varifocal turrets.
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It's not that they get into the cameras they like to build webs in front of the lens area because flying critters are attracted to the IR. Dangling webs and flying critters will trigger alerts and mess up the view.
 
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Sometimes I use both external IR plus the camera IR. Just depends on the scene. But yes if pointed/focused correctly, you can use it in place of the onboard IR. Most Dahua cameras allow you to turn off the onboard IR
 
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I turn off the internal IR to avoid attracting bugs.
 
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Spring is here at my place...spiders starting to act up on my turrets. It's not just the bullets but people here say bullets are even worse for spiders.

My other problem with the turrets...birds think it is a nice new bird house and keep smacking into the lens thinking it's an entrance hole looking for a spring nesting area.
 
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xmfan said:
I've seen several posts regarding external IR illuminators and don't quite understand their need. are the IR sensors in the cam not sufficient for some needs?
Click to expand...

If you ever want to do LPR at night, you'll need IR (white light won't help).
 
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nbstl68 said:
Spring is here at my place...spiders starting to act up on my turrets. It's not just the bullets but people here say bullets are even worse for spiders.

My other problem with the turrets...birds think it is a nice new bird house and keep smacking into the lens thinking it's an entrance hole looking for a spring nesting area.
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Hilarious, that birds think the lens is an entrance hole to their nest :rofl:
 
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bigredfish said:
Adding additional IR illuminators to complement those on the camera can be a good idea. Many cameras dont have exceptionally strong IR, and adding IR comes in handy if you need IR beyond or to the side of the camera's IR beam.

Ultimately we'd all like enough white light to run our cameras in color 24/7 but that can be a problem in some locations. The problem with motion based floods is that the camera frequently takes a few seconds to adjust from B&W/IR to color and those few seconds may be all you have to get a good ID.
Click to expand...
hey buddy, do you have some good IR Illuminators for recommendation?
 
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Andy, I reported on a few 4-watt IR illuminators about a year ago here 4 watt IR illuminator comparison. They are all low cost, in the $15 to $20 ballpark. I settled on the IR40 and have at least 6 of them.
 
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I deleted an incorrect statement in the previous post. I incorrectly stated that one of my CMVision IR40 illuminators had failed. Upon replacing it I see that it was really a Jcheng clear face illuminator. Externally they look pretty similar. An autopsy revealed that one of the 4 LEDs had burned out.
 
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I'm using a couple of Tendalux units, they work fine.
I also am using an IR40, as a supplement light for the PTZ in the back yard. It works well in that situation.
 
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