Do Thermal CCTV cameras really have a place in the world of security today?

We have recently seen a rise in the number of companies starting to promote Thermal CCTV as a viable option to help end users protect their premises against crime and intrusion. This trend is currently a trickle but some in the industry seem to believe that Thermal CCTV really does have value and should be at the forefront of every specifiers mind. Difficult to believe when thermal cameras can retail from anything from £4000 to £25000 installed.

Thermal camera image

 

So let’s start with the different types of Thermal CCTV cameras on the market. We have a choice it seems. Thermal PTZ domes and Thermal statics. Some of the domes also combine a standard colour camera to compliment the thermal. The static thermal CCTV cameras tend to come with a variety of lens options and definition, the majority though concentrate on using lenses that mean the scene width will be narrow, feeling that perimeter protection is likely to be the main area where these cameras will sell.

 

At the fore-front of the industry we have the big manufacturers such as Flir, 360 Vision and Bosch. These giants of the industry have spent millions in development  but some smaller guys are starting to break through and this is encouraging. What makes these manufactures want to invest so much in thermal when as we said earlier the prices are seemingly high to the end user? To be honest it’s one of those things you need to see to actually make you release the power of thermal. These cameras can see in ZERO  light conditions, look through fog and rain, pick out movement in trees and bushes but most importantly they work brilliantly in conjunction with on-site security or high end analytics. The best until last though, the distance that they can realistically detect an intruder can be measured in Kilometres rather than meters and this makes them exceptionally cheap compared to their colour camera rival.

Thermal predator

 

We asked earlier if they have a place in the market . Recent research has predicted that the use of thermal technology could increase by up to 25% in the next 5 years. A growth that will have quite an impact and reward those who have spent lots of time and money researching and producing Thermal CCTV camera technology.

 

The sort of scenario where we expect these cameras to be deployed are wide open spaces on critical infrastructure sites where intruders can do untold damage to electricity, communications or military establishments. As we said earlier perimeter protection suits thermal quite brilliantly it gives the watching guard the sort of information they need to do their job,  lighting up the screen with a clearly defined image of an intruder in absolute darkness.

 

Central stations to are beginning to capitalize on Thermal CCTV camera technology to. With false alarms being a central stations biggest nightmare Thermal plus analytics is giving reliable alarm triggers and the clearly defined images leave the operators in no doubt if there is a human presence on site or not.

 

We have all seen the police camera action videos , so we all know just how good these images can be. Well now it’s not just the police who can apply this technology its actually the average business trying to protect its assets . That is good reason to belief then that Thermal really is the next big thing.