The movie The Silence of the Lambs made audiences familiar with the use of infra red technology to allow people to see even in complete darkness. Who could forget Buffalo Bill’s terrifying pursuit of Clarice Starling with the aid of night vision goggles? But while Buffalo Bill used infra red technology for evil purposes, it can also be used for good, in protecting your home and/or business. Night vision outdoor security cameras ensure that you always get a clear view of the outside of your property, even on the darkest of nights. They come in black & white or color versions, though the color versions switch to black & white at night, as infra red images can only be produced in monochrome. Infra red LEDs illuminate the surrounding area. Whilst invisible to the naked eye, the infra red light produced by the LEDs is picked up by the cameras to produce an image that looks like a regular monochrome camera image.
Buying a Night Vision Outdoor Security Camera
You can buy a night vision outdoor security camera either as a kit or ready assembled. There are a few questions you should ask yourself before buying.
How many cameras do I need? It depends how big your property is and how wide an area you want to cover, but as a general rule of thumb, at least one for each doorway. You may want to purchase more if you have large windows that could be used to gain entrance and that would be out of view of cameras positioned over the doorways.
What sort of monitoring do I want? Some cameras are merely there to act as a deterrent, activating a floodlight or other deterrent device in order to scare away potential burglars. Whilst prevention is always better than cure, the purchase of a night vision outdoor security camera implies that you are serious about wanting to catch the perpetrator when the deterrent does not work. It is best to purchase a DVR to record the data from the cameras in the unfortunate event that you should need it.
Wired or wireless? Some cameras connect wirelessly for added portability. This can be a useful feature if you need to monitor different areas at different times, as you can cut costs by moving the camera around rather than having multiple fixed cameras operating when they are not needed. The main disadvantage of a wireless camera is that it is very power hungry, so you will need to change the batteries regularly.
All these questions are worth considering before purchasing a night vision outdoor security camera. Good luck and stay safe.