Installing security cameras around your home and property is a great way to increase your overall level of security. However, a common question that many homeowners often ask is: How can I improve my camera’s surveillance in the dark? While a basic security camera system will be able to capture fairly clear footage during the daytime hours, a lack of sufficient light will result in a significant degradation of your camera’s surveillance abilities.
How Cameras Improve Low-Light Video
Many security companies have taken advantage of advancements in technology to incorporate special features, which may improve a camera’s video capture ability in different levels of light. In general, there are three methods that are commonly used by many security camera systems which work to help improve the quality of video footage captured during periods of low light.
Black-and-White Video
During the night hours, many color surveillance cameras will switch to capturing black and white video footage. This results in an increase in the overall clarity of the video, as well as an increase in the sharpness with which the camera is able to capture moving objects.
WDR (Wide Dynamic Range)
Most cameras are designed to automatically adjust for small compensations in the level of light around them. However, this can result in low video quality, especially if you have a camera placed near a large window that faces an outdoor light. The camera will attempt to compensate for the bright light by darkening the image of the interior room. To help fix this, many camera companies are switching to WDR technology, which can help to capture higher quality images in both high and low levels of light. WDR cameras are able to accomplish this because they are fitted with two different CCDs (Charge-Coupled Devices). One of these CCDs is a high speed device, while the other is designed to operate at low speeds. This causes a camera to take two scans of a captured image (instead of one, like a traditional camera). Having two separate scans allows the camera to capture a much clearer picture, even in low-light conditions.
Infrared Technology
Though most night-vision cameras don’t operate purely off of infrared technology, it is incorporated into many high-quality security cameras. The infrared used to improve low-light imaging usually also utilizes a combination of Image Intensifiers (amplification of available light), Thermal Imaging (Infrared Energy Imaging) and other low light imaging tools.
Inexpensive Low-Light Video Improvement
If you are currently on a budget, you can still improve the quality of your camera’s video footage in low-light conditions without the purchase of expensive camera equipment. Installing your cameras and lighting fixtures in a tactical manner can ensure that you will capture any movement in key areas both inside and outside your home. However, it is essential that you place your camera in a way that will capture any movement within the radius of your light, without directly facing the light’s source. As mentioned earlier, if a camera does not have WDR technology, the quality of the image will be compromised if placed in an area with contrasting high and low levels of light.
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