On a large private estate in Vancouver, on the west coast of Canada, UK lighting is at the heart of a 24-7 HD CCTV system for a residential client.
Colin Bradley, President of the audio-video integration company Coastal Integrated Technologies in Vancouver, was responsible for designing the system. He says: “From the outset we knew that high quality illumination was going to be a key component for this project. The challenge was making the installation look residential as opposed to institutional. We were really going for that non-prison look.”
The client did not want white lighting or any visible red glow to detract from the natural surroundings. Discreet 940nm lighting was called for. Pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) dome cameras were also chosen for a clean look with no visual moving parts. This meant illumination had to flood the entire property.
Wide angle covert illuminators from the lighting manufacturer Raytec were the choice for achieving full coverage over such a large area, with 360 degree illumination and up to 100m (328ft) from only two units.
The VARIO i8-3 triple panel illuminators were mounted on the lamp posts to create a halo of invisible light, allowing the Axis PTZ cameras to pan the property with optimal light in all directions. With its holographic lensing and ‘hotspot reduction’ feature, According to the makers, VARIO delivers even illumination allowing the camera system to provide best images at night.
Bradley says: “This is the only lighting product that gave us the performance and aesthetics to satisfy our engineers and architects.”
Besides the look, the VARIO i8-3 940nm LED panels were chosen for the ease of specification and installation. Bradley adds: “The VARIO interchangeable lenses are a huge plus. As much as we try to engineer projects beforehand, it is really nice to be able to switch the lenses in the field to adapt to real life or changing conditions. This simplifies our engineers planning and eliminates the risk of specifying lighting with the wrong beam. The Field Technician can adjust the light to suit the camera’s needs. Raytec was a great partner and greatly contributed to the success of the project. From the first day to the last, Raytec engineers were always on hand to speed our proposal through to project completion.”
For more on Raytec’s VARIO Illuminators, or if you are working on a project that requires lighting, contact Raytec Global at [email protected] and Raytec Americas at [email protected] or visit www.rayteccctv.com.
