The EXIR cameras are offered by Hikvision as the best solution for monitoring dark areas where is necessary to use infrared illumination. Bit if you are looking for information on such technology probably your questions is What is EXIR camera?
In this article, I will explain what the EXIR camera is, and how the technology behind it can help you to capture clear images during night time.
Security cameras with better night vision
Security cameras are very popular now and everybody wants to have them to monitor homes, small business and all kind of properties.
People want to pay a reasonable price for a good security camera that can bring good quality at day and night and that's the reason many manufacturers are trying to develop the best infrared illumination to use with such cameras.
Hikvision is a Chinese manufacturer that is ahead of a technology that improves the way a security camera can capture videos at night time, the EXIR technology.
What is EXIR technology?
EXIR stands for EXtended InfraRed, a technology that improves the security camera visibility in dark environments. It reduces the centered brightness of the images and creates a rectangular pattern with even light distribution.
Cameras with EXIR 1.0 technology
The EXIR 1.0 technology was invented by Hikvision in 2014 to solve the problem with the conventional DIP (Dual In-Line Package) IR LEDs.
The original idea of the technology was to manufacture an LED with a rectangular pattern that is very different from the ones used by Hikvision competitors.
Cameras with EXIR 2.0 technology
The original idea of using the IR with the rectangular pattern was good but could be improved and this was what Hikvision engineers found out.
So, the EXIR 2.0 technology was created and since then it's widely used in security cameras all over the world.
Let's talk about the benefits of the EXIR cameras...
EXIR 1.0 vs EXIR 2.0 - The Advantages
Higher IR Utilization with Lower Optical Loss
The EXIR 2.0 technology is more efficient to focus the infrared lights.
Version 1.0 used to lose 10% to 30% of the light emitted by the LEDs due to some technical problem with reflections, that doesn't happen with version 2.0
EXIR 2.0 Has Better Heat Dissipation
A technology to help dissipate the IR LED heat was implemented in the version.
The previous version of the technology used to have a reduced conductivity and a a higher thermal resistance. All those issues were addressed in the new version.
Longer Lifespan
The new technology has a longer lifespan compared to the old version.
EXIR 1.0 lifespan was around 20,000 to 30,000 hours and that was increased to 30,000 to 40,000 hours in the EXIR 2.0.
Components Miniaturization
The components used to direct the infrared lights were reduced in new technology which needs only one lens to work properly.
With the component reduction, the IR LEDs form factor is also smaller.
Better For Mid-Range Infrared Monitoring
With the technology improvements, the infrared distance was increased to up to 80 m which is ideal for cameras that are sold in the market today.
Easier And Cheaper to Manufacture
With fewer components, the EXIR 2.0 infrared LEDs became easier to produce, since there's manual labor involved in the manufacturing process, the reduced number of components automatically reduce the labor costs.
Advantages over the DIP IR LEDs
Better Weather and Temperature Resistance
In the old DIP LED technology, an epoxy resin is used for weather sealing, but this type of material can have a premature degradation compared to the silica gel that is used for the EXIR 2.0, which has a better weather and temperature resistance.
Improved Production Process
Due to the use of epoxy resin in the encapsulation process used in the DIP LED technology, it's not possible to guarantee the components gluing uniformity.
This happens mainly because the epoxy resin has a low-temperature resistance.
Higher Luminous Efficiency
The components are more efficient and can produce more illumination with the same power which means they are more environmentally friendly.
They also produce better light for practical use of the LEDs.
Better Luminous Power
The optical radiation is much better which improves the luminous power.
EXIR 2.0 LED power is around 350 mW while the DIP LED is around 25 mW and this difference makes the new technology 14 to 16 times more efficient.
Evenly Infrared light distribution
The new technology is much better to distribute the light evenly.
Instead of having the light focused in the center, it's evenly distributed to achieve a better image. The picture below shows the difference between the technologies.
As you can see the light distribution is much better with new technology.
Conclusion
Security cameras resellers use the term EXIR cameras to let consumers know that they are selling the product with this new Hikvision Infrared technology.
Make sure you are purchasing the correct camera for your application before getting excited about the infrared illumination since other factors need to be considered.
I recommend you to read my the Home Security Camera Buying Guide and also learn How to Choose The Best Security Cameras for Small Business.