Traditionally, there have been two options for using surveillance cameras in the dark: flooding the scene with visible light, or alternatively using infrared (IR) illumination to discreetly light a scene – but only allowing images to be seen in black and white.
The success of your surveillance system at night depends on using the correct supplementary lighting to provide artificial illumination. Factors to be considered include whether or not you need colour images, the effects of light pollution, and illumination coverage distance.
Warm light can be used as a visual deterrent to illuminate a scene monitored by cameras, and provides general lighting to help pedestrians and drivers. It enables colour images to be captured but may contribute to light pollution in the area – something that has become an increasing concern in recent years.
IR illumination, on the other hand, does not cause any light pollution and provides discreet or covert illumination at longer distances than white light. The downside of IR is that it only allows the capture of black and white images and can only be used with monochrome or day/night cameras.
Smart Dual Illuminators technology
But many users need both white light and infrared to meet their needs. With dual-illumination cameras you can have the best of both worlds. So how do you ensure colour monitoring at night without any of the downsides of continuous white light, such as light pollution?
The answer is to use full-colour cameras equipped with Smart Dual Illuminators technology. These cameras use IR illumination as their default lighting solution, keeping a discreet watch over scenes. When pre-defined events occur – usually the detection of a person on the scene – the camera automatically switches from IR to white light illumination, enabling colour images to be viewed. Alternatively, the camera can be set to IR mode only – where supplementary white light is not required – or to white light only for settings that need continuous colour footage at night.
Dahua full-colour cameras use deep learning algorithms to accurately detect human or vehicle targets while disregarding other objects or animals, ensuring that white light illumination is only activated by targets of interest, avoiding false alarms. The illumination mode of the Smart Dual Illuminators can also be adjusted through the DMSS app with a single click, enabling users to remotely manage and view the monitored scene from anywhere at any time.
Illumination settings on the DMSS app
Other highlights of Dahua full-colour cameras powered by Smart Dual Illumination technology include:
• SMD Plus: Smart motion detection, equipped with a deep learning algorithm, focuses on people and vehicle detection, filtering out potential false alarms.
• Perimeter protection: This technology can accurately recognise human and vehicle targets. In restricted areas such as pedestrian zones and parking lots, false alarms caused by irrelevant objects can be reduced significantly.
• Quick search: Users can extract and classify human and vehicle targets from a massive amount of video data, making it easier for end-users to trace and analyse data history
• Smart codec: Dahua’s smart codec technology provides greater efficiency than H.265 and H.264 compression, providing high-quality video while reducing storage and transmission costs.
Example 1: Residential premises
Crimes are often committed at night, so a surveillance system must be able to capture colour images of events for investigation and as evidence. To do that, white light is necessary, but constant use of white light can be a nuisance to other residents. Smart dual-illumination cameras will provide the optimum solution for this issue.
Example 2: Park
Continuous white light illumination can disturb the environment and cause light pollution, but without it, clear colour images of events during darkness cannot be captured. The Dahua Smart Dual Illuminators camera enables targets to be viewed in full colour, while avoiding continuous white light illumination.
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