Everyone thought that the digital camera was the limit, but now we have thermal cameras. Once the domain of law enforcement, these devices are now available to the general public for home and office security. This Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera allows one to see what unassisted vision cannot.

Thermal cameras vary in weight, some are bulky and others are light weight. Almost all of them have excellent night time vision and can see in complete darkness. They can even see through dense fog and smoke. It is the camera’s ability to see through the dark that has made them a must for security. Once the camera is switched on, it generates a beam of Infrared energy which can pass through total darkness and produces live vision of the individual. This can allow the police to find criminals, firefighters to find victims and homeowner to see crooks in the middle of the night.

The cameras can be set up outside the home or office and connected to a video monitor or one can even connect them a to computer screen. The thermal imaging produces sharp images. Most thermal cameras have automatic imaging capability and focusing.

Thermal cameras offer the very best in home security. They can be permanently installed almost anywhere. Thermal imaging is one of the most powerful tools in the business of security as no one can hide.

Depending on the camera, the lenses may be narrow or wide. All thermal cameras can be used in a portable fashion and require AA batteries. A flash light is rarely required to capture images.

Some of the thermal cameras even come with motion detectors and all of them have excellent resolution producing sharp images. At night, there is no need for a flash light or any type of illumination to capture images.

When used for home security, the suspects can be seen vividly in total darkness without revealing the location of the camera. Because the camera uses very fine temperature changes to capture the images no amount of camouflage can help the suspect. Some of the cameras have fixed lenses and some used for home surveillance have a rotating frame to capture images in 360’.

The cameras are built of a sturdy frame and have high shock resistant capability. When used with batteries, the cameras will generate images for about 2-4 hours depending on the number of images obtained.

All thermal cameras today have one or two USB ports which allow hook-up to a computer. The camera is relatively simple to operate. For security reasons, most thermal cameras are only for use in the United States and it is forbidden to take them out of the country without permission. The price of thermal cameras is variable but starts at $5000 and can go as high as $ 20,000.