What is a SWIR camera?

Government and military technology eventually seems to find it way to consumer markets- GPS and night-vision being two great examples.

There is a new technology in early development called SWIR, or Short Wave Infrared camera technology.

Users want to use camera to see in darkness, and the ubiquitous technology uses IR sensors (often arrayed in a ring surrounding the lens) to detect Infrared waves. Being outside the spectrum of visible light, these waves can be detected in darkness, but often with very limited range. A typical IR range might be 10-30 meters for a home camera, and IR detection tends to consume a lot of power.

Along comes SWIR which actually still uses IR, but at the fringe of visible light. Instead of detecting classical IR wavelengths (aka, HEAT), these detect reflected IR energies. They offer advantages in power consumption and perhaps even camera range. The technology is new, using GaAs detectors (which few semiconductor companies can produce).

Watch for SWIR technology to start finding it's way into consumer camera in the next few years!

IP and CCTV Cameras- What's the Diff?

What are the distinctions between a CCTV (Closed-Circuit) and an IP camera? (a) the data interface, and (B) the internal software.

The camera hardware, housing, mount, power and other features may have interoperability. And although an IP camera could have a CCTV type of connection (a BNC, VA, or composite connector), a CCTV camera would not have a CAT-V network (LAN) connector, nor would it have an internal webserver.

A CCTV camera is designed to provide an analog video and audio signal to a receiver such as a DVR, or a monitor, or both.

Modern interfaces may include some digital output as well such as DVI. Could a CCTV camera be interfaced to *look like* an IP camera? Yes, interfaced to a computer, a CCTV camera could image and audio signal could be hosted on a webpage. It's not easily accomplished, and requires a host computer which can *serve up* the camera image to a webpage. But that's STILL not an IP camera.

Could an IP camera be interfaced to act as a CCTV camera? Often, yes, since IP cameras sometimes offer other connections - BNC, RCA, etc. It has limitations however- such as a potential loss of PTZ functionality, or a degraded, noisy image due to lossy analog signals.

Clearly the world is going digital, and Camera technology, while perhaps not leading the way, is certainly in the mix!

What Uses do people find for IP Cameras?

Although most IP Cameras are for surveillance, many are popping up now for other purposes, and many of these are open!

Some are fortunate enough to live near a city or natural vista. Some locate a camera in such a locale. Here are some uses:

1. monitoring wildlife. Here is a good example.
2. traffic? dull but useful..
3. surf conditions, like this one
4. related to (1), bird feeder monitors like this
5. busy places, like harbors
6. party places have cams too!
7. city vistas can be interesting and beautiful
8. how about under water cameras?
9. migrating animal cams?
10. live stages

Outdoor? Indoor? Wired? Wireless? So Many Options!

IP Cameras are generally either for (a) indoor use, (b), outdoor use, or (c) both. Also, any of these types can be (a) WIRED, or (b) WIRELESS.

OUTDOOR use cameras are weatherproofed, and that capability will cost you. These have to be waterproof, UV resistant, wind resistant, and able to endure temperature swings. The wiring needs to be hidden or resistant to elements. The mounts tend to be sturdier. Some of the more expensive outdoor cameras even have built-in heaters for colder climes.

INDOOR cameras tend to be made of plastic, are lighter, less rugged, and are often less expensive than their outdoor cousins.


DUAL-USE cameras are actually outdoor cameras that can be ALSO used indoors. Presumably ALL outdoor cameras might be considered to meet this spec, but in reality that's impractical. For example, some DOME cameras (read about DOME cameras in a later entry, here) are specifically made to mount on a pole, and aside from a certain type of club (where in fact an IP Camera might be very popular!), most homes don't have poles indoors. Other outdoor cameras are bulky or unsightly for indoor use.

So generally you won't find a camera touted as *dual-use*. It would instead be an outdoor camera that you could bring indoors.

WIRELESS camera is a bit of a misnomer, since in truth, almost all IP cameras are wired to a power source (but send their data wirelessly to a router). Generally users choose wireless connection when they want mobility, such as for a tablet PC, a cellphone, laptop, etc. Yet many, perhaps even most IP cameras are in fixed locations, mitigating the typical wireless advantages. Yet wireless cameras are becoming common as wired are *yawn* old-school.


I believe most home users, including ME, choose wireless out of laziness, and the *coolness* of it. I even have one camera not more than 8 feet from a cat-V connection, yet it's wireless! 


Wireless cameras present challenges. They are far more difficult to set up, and they tend to be less reliable than their wired cousins (note- most wireless cameras can optionally be set up as wired).  Also, they are less secure, far more prone to interference, and transceive data at a much slower rate. 

But despite all the drawbacks, wireless is THE WAY TO GO.  In some locales, particularly outdoors, it's difficult to run CAT-V, or outside the range unless you add a repeater. And Cat-V may not cohabitate well with a 120v 60Hz adjacent wire, over a long run in conduit. Inductance would NOT be your friend :)

WIRED Cameras are common in the CCTV arena (see the next post for definitions), but not so common for networked cameras. They offer better speed, more stability, and more security, but all at the price of being tethered to a switch or router. And if you plan to install say 8 or more cameras, well most of us don't have that many open CAT-V ports.




Look at the next entry for a more detailed look at cameras types. 

What's so Special about a PTZ Camera?

For most surveillance perspectives, PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) Cameras have a distinct advantage over their fixed cousins. The biggest disadvantage? PRICE. But maybe not- read on..

A PTZ camera can pan across an entire room, pool, or even a yard, or parking lot. It could take 4, 10 or even 20 fixed cameras to see this much area! 

Panning means the camera ROTATES left-to-right or right-to-left. This feature allows views up to 340 degrees! Many camera interfaces on PTZ's also offer a SCAN function useful for continuous panning. Most also offer the ability to control the pan and tilt SPEEDS; for SCANNING, a very slow speed might be desirable. For monitoring an area with a lot of fast-changing scenes, like a casino for example, fast panning might be preferable.

PAN-and-SCAN are cameras that can pan, and have software to pan continuously (scan).

Tilt also rotates the lens, but top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top. Like panning, this feature offers a much broader view area. Often TILT is 0=90 degrees although some cameras like the Sony below tilt 120 degrees.

Combined with panning, and a good perspective, almost nothing can escape the camera's eye!

Zoom is zoom, nothing out-of-the-ordinary here.  Of course the more you zoom the smaller your viewing frame. Many PTZ cameras don't offer zoom, even though they might be considered as a PTZ class. More precisely they are PT cameras. Even cameras which Do zoom might only offer 3x in the under-$500 categories. But much great capabilities are available in the $1000-and-up models. This Bosch model MIC400STS is over $10,000!

Finally, there are many FIXED cameras offering zoom. Shop around.

Happy IP Camming!