More recent IR illuminator recommendations?

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Like I said, the blaster has been up for over a year and a half with no problems. No LEDs burned out at all. I will say the dusk/dawn switch is a little funky in that the light flickers a few times both when turning on and shutting off.

I stand by what I said regarding the coverage of the smaller one. I have one mounted on the back corner of the house and it throws IR out to at least 40, if not 50 feet. I am using Dahua cameras, 2MP with 1/2.8" sensors, and that can make a significant difference when compared to a consumer grade 4MP on a 1/3" sensor which could easily account for apparent illumination differences.

I just bought one of these and find the beam is more like a spotlight than a floodlight. Much narrower and may project a bit further as a result of that. I think it's a function of how many LEDs are in use compared to the others I have.

I have 4 of these and they are around 1.5 years old (under eaves, so they are protected from the rain). They are all still working, and they are more focused (which is what I wanted) then area coverage.
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NorthBendDave

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Just ordered 2 (an IR30 and an IR40) to illuminate dim areas in my yard. Just had a bobcat (?) kill a rabbit in the dark area of the yard. All I could see was the eyeballs just outside the camera IR.
 

Rob2020

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One of my plans for the coming year is to pick up and install an Axton from B&H Photo.

Yes, expensive but if you have high quality cameras having a high quality illuminator seems appropriate.

OEM
 

JesseSR

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I used all 3 of these in the past, very recently (though I switched out to all-color 4K-X cams so I don't really need them anymore, but I'm still using the larges of the 3 below, for the remaining 5442 I still have)




I agree with @Left Coast Geek that it can be hard getting the IR not to wash out the foreground while getting it to light the more distant area you need.
 
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Davahad

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One of my outdoor cameras really needs some help with light. I’m looking to add an IR illuminator but I’m really struggling to find one that doesn’t have reviews that are trash, or is recommended within at least the last 3 years. The FAQs here are recommendations from 2018 and I have to imagine there are newer options. Was looking at some of the CMvision ones on Amazon and half the reviews say it’s the best thing since sliced bread, the others say they might as well ship them straight to the landfill. Was also looking at some of the univivi ones and they’re kind of same deal.

What are folks using that they like and have lasted longer than one year? Not restricted by POE as I can run separate 12v power.
Get the Axton expensive but has 3 leds, poe power, and lifetime warranty. Have 3 of these now and they are much more uniform and brighter than the stuff on Amazon.
 

Rob2020

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Get the Axton expensive but has 3 leds, poe power, and lifetime warranty. Have 3 of these now and they are much more uniform and brighter than the stuff on Amazon.

There is an Axton thread in the archives, not sure if it was Member Davahad or someone else but the review was really positive. One thing that stood out was the person talked to the factory and they were very helpful in steering him to the right product based on his specific situation.

ETA Found the review adding it here.

Axton Review
 

Davahad

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There is an Axton thread in the archives, not sure if it was Member Davahad or someone else but the review was really positive. One thing that stood out was the person talked to the factory and they were very helpful in steering him to the right product based on his specific situation.

ETA Found the review adding it here.

Axton Review
That was me that did the review and bought initial emitter for LPR which works great. Since added 2 more and the link I provided with the
MegaPixel 11E are what I am using. Bought through B&H.
 

looney2ns

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I have had one of these up since Nov 2018, still works fine: Here.

I have one of these up since Feb 2018, still works fine: here

This one since April 2018, still works fine: here

My first foray into IR illumination I believe was this one: Here
It was up about a year, until I replaced it with one of the others mentioned above.
I replaced it because I checked at about 4 months and found if half full of water, but still worked.
The front half screws onto the back half. I discovered that it wasn't screwed tight, and also the cable entering into the back was not sealed properly.
Since then, if I purchase a new one, I take it apart to confirm it was properly water proofed at the factory.

I always mount the wall warts that power them, in the garage and run cable from there to the light. And use dielectric grease in the outdoor power connection and protect it from rain.

I think people on amazon that complain about them not having much distance is because they have left the camera on auto, and not taken the time to properly tune the camera's settings. Or properly test the IR mounting location prior to installing permanently. Location of the mounting does count.
 
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