This guide explains how advanced thermal security camera systems detect heat signatures to enhance security in challenging conditions like complete darkness, and extreme weather.
From “Predator” and “Robocop” to “Silence of the Lambs” and “Zero Dark Thirty,” screenwriters love a climax—and a Hollywood ending—that characters with the power of heightened ocular observation can deliver.
A villain’s ability to see what the naked eye can’t elevate moviegoers’ cinematic experience. However, for asset protection professionals, thermal security cameras illustrate the classic trope of good triumphing over evil. From shedding light on mysterious, shady activities to preventing natural disasters, thermal images help tell a compelling story even in complete darkness.
Here’s why adding thermal security cameras to your company’s cast of surveillance characters will help create a tale as old as time: a winning strategy posts impressive metrics.
Unlike traditional security cameras that need light to function (just like human eyes), thermal cameras detect infrared radiation. The heat that every person, warm-blooded animals, and objects emit appears on a user’s screen as bright, color-blocked shapes against a cool background, with warmer objects appearing more prominently. (That said, if you’re tracking snakes, either on a plane or in the Florida Everglades, capturing thermal images of a cold-blooded creature is a different story and scientific method.)
The difference between a thermal camera’s heat-sensing ability and a standard security camera’s imaging is lighting. Most traditional security cameras depend on optimal conditions, from a sunny day to fluorescent or LED bulbs, to catch a predator, thief, or potential natural disaster. Since thermal cameras seek heat, a criminal who uses the cover of darkness quickly discovers their cloak of invisibility compromised.
Thermal security cameras act as Peter Parker to your existing security camera network, offering a sixth sense—but with more features than Spiderman’s night vision.
Thermal security cameras keep watch over all scenes, no matter the conditions, unlike the human eye (and standard security cameras) including:
Since thermal imaging technology detects differences in temperature, a person or object is revealed in a low-light, pitch-black, or otherwise entirely dark environment.
A wide-range thermal security camera works in a variety of situations, including:
Other uses for thermal images include public health initiatives, evidence collection, and prevention of deadly accidents, including:
While standard security cameras require adequate lighting to capture useful footage, thermal security cameras can operate in complete darkness by detecting heat signatures. However, most thermal cameras on the market only offer thermal imaging, while most day/night cameras lack thermal capabilities.
LiveView Technologies provides both.
Its bispectral enterprise mobile security camera combines multiple sensors, both thermal and day/night, in one device and integrates pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) capabilities. This means asset protection teams have access to thermal and color images, which makes detection much easier and allows them to collect and share solid evidence with law enforcement.
“Most bispectral cameras on the market are too large and draw too much power,” said LVT Senior Product Manager Dave Baker. “LVT’s bispectral line of thermal cameras is perfectly suited for mobile surveillance units because they are smaller, draw less power, and in turn, our clients experience considerably higher uptimes.”
These features, combined with AI-powered analytics capabilities embedded in the LVT Platform®, deliver the best of both worlds in thermal security camera technologies.
Since thermal optic internet protocol (IP) cameras operate by detecting an object’s emitted heat, LVT’s bispectral cameras provide reliable surveillance despite adverse conditions. While other cameras stop working, either in complete darkness or direct glare, as well as when smoke, light fog, and storms arise, LVT thermal security cameras completely withstand these potential visual obstructions.
When weather conditions, low-light environments, or far-flung locations are a security concern, LVT’s bispectral thermal security cameras are up to the challenge. Our cameras are industry agnostic, defending our clients’ perimeters from potential crimes and flagging false alarms.
LiveView Technologies’ mobile security cameras are built to weather the toughest conditions. Our customers deploy them to secure their properties because LVT Units®:
Our customers include organizations in:
Enel Green Energy builds and maintains critical infrastructure, including a hydropower site on the Merrimack River in Lowell, Mass. Shortly after deploying LVT thermal security cameras, the team thwarted a potential crime and deterred potential vandals in minutes.
“It was a Friday night, and I started getting these alerts on my phone. So, I checked it out,” the head of security said. “When I looked at the thermal streams, I saw some figures running through the fence. I turned on the 5500-lumens spotlight, activated the trespassing alert, and saw the figures quickly scurry away. Mission accomplished.”
Ready to learn why our customers trust LVT to protect billions of square feet of property around the globe? Contact our team today for a demo.
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