One thing that is a problem for cameras is that they often have a wide field of view in the daytime but the built in IR illuminators that are on the cameras often are pretty directional and centered at the middle of the camera's field of view. So during the daylight hours you get a nice wide view, but at night you often get an illuminated center but all the outlying areas are dark. Adding some illuminators can expand your camera's night vision capabilities dramatically.
That said I found this Illuminator on Amazon for $65 and decided to write a review and then an updated review. If you need an illuminator this might be a decent choice for you. Link => [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZX1M88/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A4AJWF423TD0Q"]Amazon.com: CMVision IR110 - 114 LED Indoor/Outdoor Long Range 200-300ft IR Illuminator With Free 3A 12VDC Adaptor: Camera & Photo[/ame]
That said I found this Illuminator on Amazon for $65 and decided to write a review and then an updated review. If you need an illuminator this might be a decent choice for you. Link => [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZX1M88/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A4AJWF423TD0Q"]Amazon.com: CMVision IR110 - 114 LED Indoor/Outdoor Long Range 200-300ft IR Illuminator With Free 3A 12VDC Adaptor: Camera & Photo[/ame]
I have been playing with this IR illuminator on my property and its worth every bit of the $65 price tag but just like most IR illuminators the range is over-stated by a pretty good margin. For USEFUL illumination figure this is good out to 125 to 150 feet at best. Honestly that is what I was hoping for when I bought this unit as a test. I'm going to be trying some other units so I don't know if I will buy more of these or not, but I'm pretty happy with the value to performance from this IR illuminator. I have 2 IR-cameras looking over my drive and front door area and this IR illuminator was useful for lighting up the far reaches of those cameras along my woods. The distance is roughly 125' and while that is too far to identify anyone it is clearly was able to show movement along the tree line. At the swimming pool my pool shed is roughly 55' from the far fence line and I was able to totally light up that far line with this illuminator filling in the dark areas with IR light. Another fence is a bit over 100' from that same camera and when the IR illuminator was aimed that direction he results were less impressive but there was very little behind that fence to reflect the IR light so the camera had a much harder time 'seeing' the trees/bushes along that fence line.
Can I recommend this illuminator? Yes. Its good. And the price is right. $65 may not seem like a bargain but most IR illuminators are cheaply made and this one is well made. The housing appears to be rugged cast aluminum with a nicely painted (nearly automotive quality) finish. The mount is substantial and allows for a wide degree of adjustment and has hex screws to lock it firmly into place. It comes with mounting screws and everything you need. If you are looking to illuminate a modestly wide area out to about 125 to maybe 150' then this MIGHT be your IR illuminator. If your needs are for shorter distances then this will be a very good choice for you, it really lights up the fringes were the camera's IR lights are lacking and extends the night time usefulness of your camera. I'd recommend this IR Illuminator without any reservations to anyone who wants to light up an area out to 100'. Over 100' then you may need to go to a longer range IR Illuminator; you may find this useful if you have objects to reflect the IR light back to your cameras, but its probably a gamble to use this in areas where you want to see over 150'.
> === EDIT === EDIT === EDIT ===
>
> I've now purchased 2 more of these IR Illuminators.
>
> These are well made, and well priced. The bang for the buck factor is very high especially considering the quality of the construction of these units. If you need a weatherproof IR illuminator for illuminating a yard or parking area this is a good choice. BTW, the box claims its range is 80 meters (roughly 250 feet). The security company salesmen I deal with tell me to cut the "claimed" range by about 50% so as I wrote in my initial review this is probably good out to about 125 and maybe 150 feet.
Can I recommend this illuminator? Yes. Its good. And the price is right. $65 may not seem like a bargain but most IR illuminators are cheaply made and this one is well made. The housing appears to be rugged cast aluminum with a nicely painted (nearly automotive quality) finish. The mount is substantial and allows for a wide degree of adjustment and has hex screws to lock it firmly into place. It comes with mounting screws and everything you need. If you are looking to illuminate a modestly wide area out to about 125 to maybe 150' then this MIGHT be your IR illuminator. If your needs are for shorter distances then this will be a very good choice for you, it really lights up the fringes were the camera's IR lights are lacking and extends the night time usefulness of your camera. I'd recommend this IR Illuminator without any reservations to anyone who wants to light up an area out to 100'. Over 100' then you may need to go to a longer range IR Illuminator; you may find this useful if you have objects to reflect the IR light back to your cameras, but its probably a gamble to use this in areas where you want to see over 150'.
> === EDIT === EDIT === EDIT ===
>
> I've now purchased 2 more of these IR Illuminators.
>
> These are well made, and well priced. The bang for the buck factor is very high especially considering the quality of the construction of these units. If you need a weatherproof IR illuminator for illuminating a yard or parking area this is a good choice. BTW, the box claims its range is 80 meters (roughly 250 feet). The security company salesmen I deal with tell me to cut the "claimed" range by about 50% so as I wrote in my initial review this is probably good out to about 125 and maybe 150 feet.
