Category Archives: illuminator

Why buy the Clarius IR illuminator ?

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For many years, infrared lighting for surveillance has been defined by huge IR lights hanging off the bottom of a camera and generally beyond the realms of affordability to most. As a result it has only been used to enhance images where a site is considered to be of extreme high risk. Recently however LED lighting technology has advanced so quickly and as a result costs have plummeted. This means IR lighting is now available to pretty much anyone who realizes the benefits it can bring to your CCTV system. The Clarius IR illuminator range from Advanced lighting is a classic example of how a product manufactured here in the UK has been able to make deep inroads into the CCTV marketplace.

A whole new opportunity arose in this field when technology allowed the use of surface mount LEDs. The result was a unit capable of producing tremendous light output meaning we no longer have to rely on the cumbersome IR bulbs of the past. The advancement and wide usage in all areas of LED technology has ensured that the cost of surveillance illuminators has reduced rather dramatically in the last 3 years.

The main area of competition for The Clarius IR illuminator apart from other illuminator manufacturers is the bullet cameras with integrated IR LEDs. Often a cheaper option, many installers jump to put these cameras in rather that consider a camera and IR illuminator option. This often proves a very costly mistake. The reasons are simple. A spiders web spun on the housing of one of these cameras will effectively render it useless as all the IR simply reflects back into the camera and flares out the image. Trust us when we say that a Clarius IR illuminator and separate dual chip camera is the best way forward.

Clarius also produce a white light option and this is the preferred option when colour detail needs to be preserved. Another big benefit of Clarius white light illuminators is it can be used as a working light as well as enhancing our CCTV images and might be considered by some as a better option. However when used overnight issues such as light pollution do need to be considered at the point of survey.

The Clarius brand has in recent times been tested and compared to other similar products and it is to Advanced lightings’ credit that it is being mentioned alongside other market leaders such as Raytec and AXIS. The price also is extremely favourable against its rivals.

The Clarius range is extensive and illuminators are made up of short, medium, long and extra-long range versions. Perhaps though one of the most important features is the options that we can use to power the Clarius illuminators. As well as the traditional 12/24v option there is also the ability to power over the Ethernet better known as POE. In a world where IPCCTV is gaining more traction every day the POE option fits perfectly for a surveyors during the process of designing a CCTV system. Simple ,easy and cost effective.

The Clarius IR illuminators can be controlled via a telemetry input in addition an  integral photocell is included. To ensure the lights are not switching on and off at dawn and dusk the photocell is adjustable for sensitivity. If required it can also be disabled.

Another benefit we need to consider is that power output can be adjusted. This can be varied between 10 and 100 per cent.Add to this the fact that the Clarius IR illuminator is a good looking unit to boot as it is housed in extruded aluminium. The toughened polycarbonate protective lens is vandal-proof,  giving the unit the ability to be installed anywhere. Brackets are available or if you prefer your own design can be used.

One of the claims made by advanced lighting that makes them unique from others is the self-cleaning lens. When we consider that one of the big costs of lighting is ongoing maintenance this feature gives Clarius IR illuminator an edge in the market place that cannot be ignored.

Installation is made simple as the unit comes with a pre-made cable. This reduces installation time and eradicates any connection errors  The illuminator is fitted with a pressure release valve as standard and one of the features that separates Clarius illuminators from others in the market place is its excellent build quality. This is apparent as soon as you open the box.

The light distribution has been extensively tested and the spread is even and meets the specification. It is simple ,well-built and “does what it says on the tin”. Overall it is meeting the increasing needs of 24 hour surveillance on CCTV installations that may not fall into the high risk category but certainly needs the sort of quality images that the Clarius IR illuminator can help to provide.

Clarius illuminators If you need lighting that is going to work and last

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Why would you spend £150 on something that you could buy for £15 from B&Q?  That’s the question facing everyone who has or wants to have outside lighting around their homes or businesses.

What are we talking about you may ask?  Well we currently have our traditional halogen 500 watt light fitting. You will see these on just about every house and every industrial unit in the country. They have provided lighting for security, health and safety, deterrent and working light for all of us over the years.

Around 20 years ago the Tungstan halogen light was a hard wearing reliable piece of of kit. For around £45 you could buy a fitting that would last perhaps 5 years if subjected to “normal” working conditions. Although the fitting was of exceptional quality the bulbs themselves can only realistically be expected to survive a year or so. This meant annual maintenance and ongoing cost.

Then came the era of the ultra cheap halogen light fitting. This unit was manufactured to a low standard, it was cheap and it burnt out quickly. The nipples that spring onto the bulb disintegrated after just a few weeks or months. It made a very poor security light as it never seemed to work and the cost of replacing both the bulb and the fitting was prohibitive. Not such a cheap option in the long run. what was worse is it made the good quality halogen lights extinct!

Of course the problem with both the good halogens and the bad halogens is that however long they lasted they are very expensive to run. Half a bar of an electric fire for those old fashioned ones of you reading this and you could have several of these lights burning away all night long. Not efficient or very clever, add to this the  light pollution they cause and nobody is happy really!

So what is the solution? Well it’s simple. White light LED illuminators. This technology uses ultra bright LEDs to achieve the same level of brightness or LUX level as our old 500 watt halogen and at a fraction of the running cost. Yes currently white light LED illuminators are more expensive in the first place but you will get a return on your investment within a year and the lights can self clean and go un-maintained for up to 10 years so no more cherry pickers at £300 a time just to replace your bulbs.

 

White light LED illuminator Clarius

 

We strongly recommend the Clarius white light illuminator. With patented self cleaning lenses and high quality parts used in the manufacturing process, you don’t just get good value for money you also get a unit that looks atheistically pleasing to the eye and looks good on any building. With Heath and safety playing a major role in all business today the directional light satisfies the needs for working light, safe light, light pollution campaigners and those who foot the bills for cherry pickers (a real hidden cost for industry today). Add in the real money saver in the form of reduced electricity cost and it seems like a no brainer.

Taking in consideration that halogen lighting is in sharp decline (1000watt bulbs are not even made anymore) it makes.

thanks to HD CCTV solutions for this article 

 

How do IR illuminators work

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IR Illuminators are a form of special lighting that provide illumination in total darkness. The IR itself is invisible to the human eye but not for an IR sensitive camera. The camera is always in black and white or what those in the CCTV industry call mono mode. Mono is crucial to enable it to work. An IR illuminator will not work with a colour camera.

 

There are many high performance IR Illuminators on the market but Raytec and Clarius are the current market leaders. Their lighting is designed for both  internal and external applications and they offer a large range of options to give surveillance cameras excellent illumination in all types of conditions.

With the advent of HDCCTV an IR floodlight has now become even more important to incorporate into the design of a CCTV system. HD cameras need better lighting to work and night vision is critical in many situations. It really is no good having great pictures during the day only for them to become unacceptable at night. The Clarius and Raytec range of illuminators can provide CCTV images of up to 150 metres or more so they are a very powerful tool in providing effective 24 hour surveillance.

When considering the position of your cameras and IR illuminators always remember that trees and bushes absorb IR radiation. This means that lighting is lost in certain scenarios. A careful survey is recommended. We mentioned the light is invisible but  certain frequency IR lighting  can be seen if you look directly at the light itself. For a totally covert operation ensure the lights have a wave length of 940nm this is truly invisible to the naked eye.

To avoid shadows and dark areas mount the light as near to the camera as possible never point lighting towards another camera. Direct the light so it reflects IR at a predetermined distance. If it looks at anything too close it will reflect back into the light distorting the image

Do not go for the cheaper IR lighting you can purchase. When it comes to IR you really do get what you pay for. The wider the image you want to view the more diluted the light will become so it’s important you get the specification right before you buy or it will cost you in wasted service calls and the dreaded night time visits further down the line following the camera installation.

 

Raylux 300 white light illuminator

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The Raylux 300 is a high performance White-Light LED illuminator that provides class leading performance within its field. The Raylux white light illuminators primary purpose is to provide even illumination and excellent night time images for CCTV cameras. However they provide plenty of lighting solutions both inside and out the security industry. Deterrent is one option, bright lighting always helps to reduce crime. Health and safety benefits also spring to mind as well as good working light to improve employee efficiency. The Raylux 300 also benefits from long life expectancy, energy efficiency and zero maintenance.

The LED lights incorporate surface mount LED’s to ensure that the optical output borders on outstanding and offers second to none in terms of reliability. Trade-marked technology called Adaptive Illumination provides the flexibility to alter the angle of the light source in order to suit the required illumination and meet the  specification. An output of 110lm/W is present at the LED source, and an independently tested luminaire output of 7000 lm has been confirmed. Active LED Life Control is fitted to each unit to control the lighting  output. This ensures consistent illumination and  power and helps to provide an average working life of 10 years.

 

RAYLUX illuminators include control features on the power supply such as an adjustable power output together with a photocell and telemetry control. RAYLUX300 is also supplied with bracket and power supply and is  suitable for all low light installations up to 240m (787ft).

 

Benefits include:

 

DIRECTIONAL WHITE-LIGHT

ULTIMATE ADAPTIVE ILLUMINATION

LUX 300

Wide Angle light spread

 

 

• Quick Start

• LED technology

• 180° coverage up to 56m (184ft)

• 360° coverage with only 2 units

• Ultimate Adaptive Illumination™

• Various Angles (10° to 180°+)

• Fully Controllable Power Supply

• 10 year life

• Active LED Life Control

• Vandal Resistant

• Excellent Colour Rendition

• Even Output Illumination

• Low Running Cost

 

 

 

 

How important are IR illuminators when installing HD CCTV systems?

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Over the years CCTV as a product has managed to get itself a bad name. Sometimes this is due to trying to get too much out of the view meaning detail is lacking but mainly the problems start when specifiers refuse to advise their customers of the importance of lighting when installing their CCTV system. Ironically as technology has progressed and we now have HD images the need for correctly installed lighting has become even more critical. HD cameras are more light hungry than their analogue counterparts and the fantastic images we see during the day quickly deteriorates when the light starts to fade. The poorer image also has the effect of using more hard drive space as the noise on the screen is seen as movement and therefore worthy of recording.

So what is the answer? Well manufacturers have addressed the issue by integrating IR lighting into their products in the form of a ring of IR leds placed strategically around the lens. This can work well and certainly gives us better nighttime pictures but the biggest downfall of this method is the dreaded spider. We have seen several example of cameras that worked well until a spider decided to weave its web across the front of the camera . This has the effect of reflecting the IR back into lens and completely obliterating the images. The worse thing about this is that it can go unnoticed for many weeks and when the need arises to review the images they are are worthless.

Clarius - IS-8100

So what else can be done? Well good ambient light will help or sensor switched halogens are an option but these are expensive and what if the bulb blows? Sodiums burning all night perhaps but this is throwing money away. No the answer is more simple, it is IR LED lighting. An IR illuminator uses hardly any power they are reliable and effective and maintenance free. The level of investment is higher to begin with but ROI is swift and they solve the issue of picture quality. An IR illuminator is the only answer to lighting issues.

So what do we recommend. Well there are three main players in this market place. Raytec, Clarius and Iluminar. All make several models that can suit most scenarios taking into account distance and width of view. Advances in the manufacturing process have bought prices down dramatically so there is no excuse to compromise your CCTV systems for the sake of skimping on lighting.