CCTV System Design Question - Backup Lighting/Night Cameras

[icknay 0]

We have just had one of our transport depots equipped with a March Networks DVR, 14 Day Night Sanyo 520TVL cameras, and 2 IP cameras.

The unit is equipped with a UPS good for about 5 hours. Could some kind of backup lighting be run off that?

 

My main concern is what will occur, if power is lost to the building, as the cameras do not record very well in the dark.

 

What is the best option to go for, if I want to capture activity in pitch black (there is minimal street or moon light).

 

Should I be looking at:

* Backup lighting by generator or solar ??

* Infrared cameras ??

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Nick

[phred 0]

Setting up IR lighting can be tricky as the light tends to be harsh and bleaches out detail, it really needs to be bounced of something to make it more diffuse. Works best with plain B&W cameras imo.

 

Often overlooked but worth considering is putting up some compact fluorescent lamps. CF lamps are still the most efficient form of lighting and you get a lot of light from a 9watt lamp or 24watt floodlight. I get nice clear recordings from my day/ night cams using this approach. Cheap to run, lamps last for years and backup power requirements are minimal.

[gthms 0]

We have done something like this with a march networks unit using 535 TVL day night before. We found lighting the area with metal halide on a photocell to give the best results. Cameras, lights, comms and DVR's were backed up to a UPS (2 hours) with a generator backup. Also used an Adpro FastVU transmitter linked to a monitoring station to monitor cctv footage and inform key holder in the event of a power outage, in case power outage was not accidental.

[rory 0]

You really need to flood the area with Infrared to get a decent image, in that case you would want something like the UF100 or UF500 from Extreme CCTV, and it costs alot.

 

Its always best to avoid Infrared if you can, and use regular lighting.

 

Whichever method, the more light, the better the image will be.

However too much light can be bad also.

 

Everyone uses Generators down here.

You could also look at the much larger versions of the APC UPS.

[phred 0]

gthms That's what I call a proper 'belt and braces' approach.

 

 

 

 

 

Have also used metal halides with very good results. High efficiency and give the best natural colour if you select appropriate colour temp lamps. Available in much higher power than CF if you have a large area to cover.

I also use auto switching via dusk-till-dawn photocells on the CF floods – nice to know you can light the place up all night without feeling guilty about cooking the planet.