Benchmark test the Clarius IR illuminator

Posted on by | Leave a reply

Benchmark are known as the best in the business when it comes to testing and reporting on CCTV and related products. Recently they tested the Claruis IR illuminator and we have re-posted their findings. Honest and to the point. It does however prove what robust products are produced within the Clarius range. Please read through the findings and order your HD CCTV lighting here at HD CCTV solutions.

“PROFESSIONAL TEST: CLARIUS IL-8100

Many years ago, infrared lighting for surveillance was the exclusive preserve of high risk sites. However, changes in manufacturing have resulted in costs falling, as well as maintenance needs being reduced. The result is cost-effective illumination for virtually all applications. The latest option is the Clarius range.

One of the most significant developments for video surveillance in recent years was arguably the introduction of surface mount LEDs. This development forced the cost of surveillance illuminators downwards, with the result that now, almost any application can benefit from true 24 hour video surveillance.

The subsequent growth in true day/night devices, coupled with affordable secondary illumination, has eradicated issues with around-the-clock surveillance, and that in itself is no small thing.

Whilst white light is still the preferred option for many (as colour detail is preserved), concerns about light pollution have seen the rise in use of infrared lighting, to the point where it is almost the first choice nowadays. As the majority of cameras are IR sensitive, there are no real barriers to utilising infrared illumination.

While the number of manufacturers offering infrared lighting has grown in recent years, demand for the products is still high, and HD CCTV solutions are a relatively new entrant to this area. The company offers the Clarius range of infrared illuminators.

Specification

Clarius is Latin for ‘more brightly’ … or it could be a reference to Apollo, who was God of light and the sun. Either way, it isn’t important to those seeking illumination.

The Clarius range is made up of short, medium, long and extra long range units, and also includes PoE options. Our test unit was the IL-­8100, a long range unit using traditional low power.

The illuminator is an 850 nanometre unit, which emits a red glow when in use. A more covert 940 nanometre variant is also available. Coverage is 100 x 50 degrees, with a total range of 48 metres.

The unit can be controlled via a telemetry input; it also has an integral photocell, with a photocell following contact to switch cameras to an appropriate mode as the illuminator turns on and off. The photocell is adjustable for sensitivity. The defaults allow the light to switch on at around 30 lux, and to switch off at around 70 lux. This differential is included to prevent the lamp flicking on and off during dawn and dusk periods, when light levels are at the switching threshold. The photocell can be disabled.

Power output can also be adjusted between 10 and 100 per cent. Both adjustments are via sideways-oriented potentiometers on the rear of the unit. There are no other adjustments. The illuminator is housed in an extruded aluminium housing, which is anodised with a black finish. The polycarbonate protective lens is billed as ‘vandal-proof’, which is a bold claim. The unit incorporates an integral mounting bracket.

The lens of the Clarius illuminator is treated with what the manufacturer refers to as a ClearLite coating. This is a self-cleaning coating, which is also claimed to make the surface of the polycarbonate cover more scratch-resistant. During the test we did replace a unit that had been outside for nearly five years with the new unit. Despite being in an exposed place, the lens of the older lamp wasn’t particularly dirty or scratched. Still, the coating is there as standard.

Connections to the unit are simple. The illuminator is fitted with a three metre six-core cable. The connections are for power input (12-32V DC or 24 AC), telemetry input and photocell following contact. The cable is pre-connected at the illuminator, eradicating the need for a specialist connection. Power consumption is stated as 39W.

The only other element of the illuminator is a pressure relief valve. This is a standard feature on most illuminators and doesn’t need any interaction.

Build quality is good, and the lamp is supplied with a brief but complete manual.

Performance

Once up and running, the Clarius IL-8100 worked as expected. We tried the unit using the photocell before shifting to our preferred method of operation using telemetry. A point to note is that some illuminators mount the photocell on the back of the unit. If mounted under roof eaves or in a restricted space, this can cause the unit to switch on well before it is actually needed. The Clarius unit has the photocell mounted on the top of the housing, which mostly eliminates mounting issues.

Switching using the photocell was consistent, and we didn’t experience any problems with the unit flickering during dusk and dawn periods. The degree of adjustment isn’t that wide, and whilst the unit switched on a tad early, there wasn’t that much in it.

That the cable is pre-connected is a bonus, as some units are supplied with specialist sockets, and if delivered to site there’s always the issue of ensuring you have an appropriate connector. With the Clarius unit, all that is required is a straightforward cabling connection.

The quality of illumination is good, with consistent levels of light across the viewed scene. We’d always recommend that the range of illuminators is respected, but we did push the distance a bit to see how it coped, and there’s a bit more capability than specified. However, for the sake of quality, don’t try to under-specify the lamps.

The image showed no hot spots or faded areas of illumination, and light intensity was consistent up to the edges of the image. There was also no sign of pooling or other aberrations, even when objects were in the foreground and closer to the illuminator.

Switching using the telemetry was reliable, and the power adjustment also allowed the unit to be used in a number of differing environments without any issues of over-reflectance or glare from nearby objects.

Verdict

The Clarius IL-8100 proved itself to be a well built and designed infrared illuminator. It is, to be truthful, a work-horse more than a Derby winner. That’s not a bad thing. It lacks gimmicks and additional functions that won’t be needed in most applications, instead concentrating on consistent illumination.

That the needs of a site in the real world have been considered is reassuring. Along with that, light quality was good and there were no issues with coverage. As such, the IL-8100 achieves Recommended status”

Many thank to Benchmark for this report

Avigilon acquire VideoIQ

Posted on by

Well the big news this week in the world of CCTV is Avigilon’s announcement that they are buying out HD analytics experts VideoIQ. In a statement released yesterday a spokesman for Avigilon said:

“We are excited to announce that today we have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the video analytics company, VideoIQ, Inc.  Founded in 2006, VideoIQ has grown to become a leader in real-time intelligent video analytics solutions for security and business intelligence applications. This new acquisition complements Avigilon’s line of high-definition surveillance solutions and provides us with sophisticated and proven analytics technology supported by one of the leading development teams in the industry”.

Avigilon ACC-4.6 Range

Back in March 2011 we reported a synergy between the two companies now it seems they are one.

 

So why would Avigilon purchase videoIQ and what advantages does it bring to the installers and end users? Well firstly it brings powerful analytics into the Avigilon range. This will help installers deliver security solutions that now includes an intelligent method of detecting changes in the images that are needed for a proactive approach to security. Alarms generate a measured response and will prevent crime rather than just have the ability to watch it being played back after the event. A spokesman for Avigilon continued:

” Adding this technology to our HD video surveillance solution enables end-users to prevent crime proactively and to more effectively analyze large amounts of data for both security and business intelligence purposes. By adding VideoIQ’s advanced technology to the Avigilon solution, our customers will have the benefits of automated real time detection, real time alerts and post-incident analysis and forensic search capabilities, along with all of the other benefits that Avigilon’s end-to-end solutions deliver”

There is one other benefit that Avigilon may chose to exploit. Video IQ are well known for being pioneers of EDGE recording. It remains to be seen if this will be developed further by Avigilon but its always been a unique selling point for VideoIQ and something that should not be overlooked for the future.

So is this the end of VideoIQ ? For the moment we are led to understand that Video IQ will continue in its own right. It has a global user base and support will continue to be provided as before. Eventually though of course VideoIQ will be integrated fully into Avigilon’s products and eventually the two companies will be one.

It is certainly an exciting development that Avigilon should chose to take this step, an already powerful product will become an almost complete solution and this will give end users a huge choice as to how they are able to process and act upon activity taking place within their company. Avigilon will still be providing solutions to health and safety issues as well as monitoring production and increasing security but now with the benefit of high quality analytics on board.

Automated realtime detection in HD is now here and underpinned by technology developed by two of the most successful companies within the industry.

Are smart phones killing off CCTV monitoring stations?

Posted on by

As broadband was rolled out across the UK some 10 years or so ago, Central monitoring stations were rubbing their hands at the prospect of a surge of CCTV monitoring connections that looked to be coming their way. Broadband also signalled a rush of new start remote CCTV monitoring stations looking to get in on the action and why not? Each connection was worth a small fortune.

 

Until broadband took off ISDN was the only effective way of monitoring and one product led the way. This was ADPRO. Pretty much every central station ran the video central gold software and it seemed that there was little or no alternative. Many new products tried and failed to break the hold on the market but with limited success.

Honeywell IMMIX

Just when things were looking good for all involved in the CCTV industry along came the recession . This by its very nature cut the number of new connections and depleted those that already existed. In an effort to cut costs customers looked elsewhere,  they were also prepared to take the inconvenience of monitoring systems themselves on their home PC,s rather than pay for monitoring. This habit persisted throughout the recession but as smart phone technology took off so it became easier for an end user to monitor his own CCTV from anywhere.

 

Now this form of monitoring is not safe. It also does not have an audit trail associated with it, you can’t monitor it when you are asleep. To be fair from a security perspective it’s a pretty ineffective way to monitor CCTV and protect your premises. The problem for genuine CCTV monitoring stations is that there is nothing driving end users to use their services. Not insurance companies nor CCTV installers either. Yes bigger organizations will still insist on “proper monitoring  but they are rare and the market is getting fragmented. So are the smart phones winning?

 

Most in the industry will probably tell you that for the time being yes! They are a big part of the sizzle at the point of sale and what salesman is going to push remote monitoring when he can tell the end user he can connect for nothing.

 

A short sighted approach all round though. It means there is no ongoing revenue and a customer that has in effect been left with a system that in reality will just show him what happened yesterday night and not prevent a crime taking place as it is happening.

 

Remote CCTV monitoring is proactive but smart phone monitoring is inevitably reactive. New advances in CCTV mean big companies such as AVIGILON are now talking to software development companies such as IMMIX as they try to bring HD CCTV monitoring to the world. This is exciting for the future. Powerful Avigilon software and HD images mean that remote CCTV monitoring will go to a new level.We anticipate this happening once the economy gets back to normal meaning remote CCTV monitoring will recover its place in the market where it truly belongs. Until then it seems everyone is just happy to fly by the seat of their pants!

 

 

 

What is the point of analogue? HD CCTV is the only way.

Posted on by | Leave a reply

Police issue CCTV appeal over rail station bike thefts

12:57pm Wednesday 4th December 2013

The man police would like to speak to in connection with the theft of the mountain bike from Trowbridge railway station

Police have issued this blown up still of a CCTV image captured by an analogue camera following the theft of a bike from a train station in Trowbridge in Wiltshire. Frankly its embarrassing . It makes the industry look ridiculous . This is why we must push HD CCTV solutions for all new installations.

Who is the market leader for HD CCTV?

Posted on by | Leave a reply

HD CCTV has been around now for at least 7 years but how has it developed and who can be considered the market leader in the field of HD CCTV today?

 

In the beginning there were two main contenders of note. This was Arecont and Avigilon. Both these manufacturers used the development of IP technology to advance their products. Of course early attempts at HD CCTV were thwarted by lack of bandwidth, it meant that no matter how good the cameras were the systems were only as good as the available bandwidth. IT departments were a constant barrier to HD CCTV. This did not stop our friends at Arecont and Avigilon from developing ever more powerful cameras though. Arecont came up with their 10MP version only to be out done when Avigilon produced a 16 megapixel camera that blew the socks off those who saw the images. There was no doubt the cameras and the software on offer were incredibly impressive but was there a real market place for it at the price these cameras were coming in at?

 

Much thought was being given to this conundrum by all involved and the consensus seemed to be that HD did not have to reach the heights of 16 MP, even 10mp was considered over the top when to most a 2MP camera satisfied the needs of most applications in the market place. This was where the likes of Brickcom and March networks felt they needed be. So the market seemed to know what it wanted but how were the end user going to decide what to buy ? would it be price driven or product driven?

 

All and sundry put their efforts into developing user friendly software and the market split somewhat. There began to develop a distinction between enterprise level equipment and cameras and software that were just HD. Hikivison and Brickcom decided to compete on price whereas the likes of Panasonic ,Bosch and Avigilon went for high end enterprise level equipment.

 

Just as this competition reached a peak,  on to the scene came HDcctv over coax. An HD product that worked over coax. The idea being that coaxial infrastructure was in place in many installations so why not use it. Everfocus pioneered this approach and to this day in the field of HDcctv over coax they are the current market leaders.

 

So back to HD over IP and the race goes on. If you had to choose the market leader right now you would have to pick Avigilon. Overall the cameras are the best value for money and the software is second to none and the variety of cameras covers from 1 MP to 29MP,  by far the greatest range of any manufacturer. Many are hard on the heels of Avigilon but right now for enterprise projects it would be wise to go Avigilon, for anything else, value for money is served best with Hikivison.