There is often much confusion when it comes to low light security cameras. There are basically two options when it comes to day&night cameras. A true day night camera has the ability to automatically switch from color to black and white when the lighting gets below a certain point. A Day night camera can see in very low light conditions without the assistance of infrared illuminators. A day/night camera is ideal in low light, but if the cameras environment changes to complete darkness you will need an infrared camera that uses LED infrared lights built into the camera to see at night. The infrared light spectrum is not visible by the human eye, but can be seen by the camera.
Choosing the right camera is important. In certain circumstances it would be preferable to have a high quality day/night camera than it would to have an infrared camera. For example, if you wish to record motion only at night, the “noise” caused by some infrared cameras can be detected as motion by the DVR and cause false motion readings for the DVR. If there is any ambient lighting at all, it is likely that you will be able to find a day/night camera that can capture useful video in that environment.
