For more than 22 years, Surveillance Technology has been serving the surveillance needs of Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater and surrounding areas with the latest in commercial outdoor security cameras and equipment. One of the common problems we notice when we visit potential commercial clients is that their security cameras may be older and no longer able to adapt to changing surveillance needs. Below we discuss some of the recent changes to security camera technology and how you can tell if your system measures up.
Smart Infrared (IR)
The infrared (IR) emitter range determines how far a security camera can see in very dark environments. This is especially important for commercial outdoor security cameras, where you may be monitoring your property at night when it’s closed.
Smart IR automatically dims the emitters when a person approaches your security camera at night, allowing you to see greater detail. Without Smart IR, people seen by your commercial outdoor security cameras would come across as too bright, restricting the features and detail you can see (kind of like a glowing ghost).
Many security cameras today have some level of this feature, but the higher end cameras will often give you greater detail and longer IR emitter range than less expensive commercial outdoor security cameras.
Wide Dynamic Range
Having a wide dynamic range on your security camera allows the camera to compensate or even out variable lighting conditions such as a shadowed area in a sunny space. This is especially important when choosing commercial outdoor security cameras in Tampa and surrounding areas, because of the amount of sunshine, sun/water glare and trees that cause variable light conditions.
If your commercial outdoor security cameras do not have this option, the cameras must choose whether to open the iris and see the darker area or close the iris to see the brighter area. Wide dynamic range on your security camera means you can see both at the same time.
All styles of commercial outdoor security cameras can be purchased with this feature, but you’ll usually find a better picture quality as you look at the higher end versions of security cameras.
IP Rating (Weatherproofing)
When discussing commercial outdoor security cameras, we’d be remiss to not talk about the IP rating, or weather rating. In the Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater areas, we see a lot of variability in our weather. Between pollen season, hard summer rains and hurricane season with high winds, you’ll need to know your commercial outdoor security cameras are protected from dust and liquids. That’s where the IP rating comes in.
The international standard is called an Ingress Protection rating, or IP rating. We make sure our clients know that this rating tells them how their commercial outdoor security camera is protected from the elements, and which elements it is protected from. For example, in a rating of IP65, the “6”, measures protection from dust and the “5”, measures protection from liquids. Here is more detail on the scale:
Protection from dust:
0 – No protection
1 – Protects from solid objects over 50mm
2 – Protects from solid objects over 12mm
3 – Protects from solid objects over 2.5mm
4 – Protects from solid objects over 1mm
5 – Limited protection from dust
6 – Complete protection from dust
Protection from liquids:
0 – No protection
1 – Protects from dripping water
2 – Protects from sprays of water up to an angle of 15 degrees
3 – Protects from sprays of water up to an angle of 60 degrees
4 – Protects from water sprayed from all directions
5 – Protects from low pressure jets of water from all directions
6 – Protects from strong jets of water from all directions
7 – Protects from temporary water immersion
8 – Protects from long-term water immersion
Commercial outdoor security cameras are available with all kinds of IP ratings, but it’s important to choose one that fits the needs of your business and local weather, so your equipment doesn’t get ruined by the elements.
If you’re unsure whether your commercial outdoor security cameras are advanced enough to handle your business needs, Tampa-based Surveillance Technology provides free site assessments and can answer all of your questions. Simply contact us today to get started.
