Video
What is an IR Illuminator? How Infrared Light Enhances Security
An explanation of infrared illuminators, how they provide invisible light for compatible cameras, and their role in night vision, surveillance, and security.
Video summary
This explainer describes an infrared illuminator as a light source that floods a camera’s view with infrared light that people cannot see. With a compatible camera, the speaker says it can make a scene visible in complete darkness; a tested setup was discussed at a range of roughly ten metres on a dark trail.
The video explains that ordinary cameras use an IR-cut filter to block infrared light, while a camera without that filter can produce a useful black-and-white image when paired with illumination. For Hawkeye, it proposes testing a separate infrared camera and illuminator alongside the visible-light camera for night performance.