Infrared (IR) cameras are one of the most misunderstood of all CCTV products. Over the years we have had clients who are mistakenly convinced that IR cameras can detect heat, that they can some how can just pull infrared light out of the night sky to light an entire field, that they can be used as covert / hidden cameras, and some have even mistakenly thought that IR cameras can be easily purchased in a Pan Tilt Zoom configuration.

As most people who have never used an Infrared CCTV Camera they have no concept of the product or how it can best be used.

To debunk a few of the myths listed above: IR cameras do not detect heat they simply see objects or spaces that are illuminated with a type of light called Infrared. The infrared light must be supplied from a source such as a bank or emitters built in the camera or an external bank of emitters in cases where large areas, and therefore lots of light, are required to be lit up.

IR cameras do not make good candidates for covert use as most IR emitters produce a visible glow that would attract attention to the camera. One other thing that people tend to overlook is that fact that when used outside in a warm climate that same glow at night will attract bugs. Additionally IR cameras by their very nature tend to be on the large size and therefore difficult to conceal.  

The final misconception mentioned above is that IR cameras can be found that will Pan Tilt and Zoom (PTZ). The problem with this idea is that IR cams of course need IR light that can only be supplied out to a very limited distance. A standard PTZ camera would quickly zoom to a point well past the range of the IR light. At night this would result in the loss of any usable picture for the cameral. So as you can image the physical limitations of the IR light source make the technology a bad match with PTZ.