The VARIO Lighthouse Kit (VLK) from Raytec is a new extension to their family of award-winning VARIO illuminators. It provides a fully integrated lighting and camera housing solution as a high performance, all-in-one alternative to cameras with integrated LEDs.
VLK combines class-leading VARIO LED illuminators, available in Infra-Red, White-Light or Hybrid, along with the facility for up to two IP or analogue cameras of the user’s choice (not supplied) into one fully integrated, pre-wired and cable managed housing.
The all-in-one solution is easy and quick to mount and install and crucially it provides dedicated LED lighting that stands alone from the camera, thereby overcoming the known problems encountered with integrated camera/LED solutions.
Standing separate from the camera, the VARIO illuminators are fully thermal managed and run cool with no risk of the LEDs overheating. Alternative CCTV lighting solutions such as cameras with LEDs around the lens are not thermally managed and consequently can easily overheat. Critically, this can also attract insects which form webs over the lens, preventing the cameras from providing usable images and also causing an increase not only in false alarms but also the risk of failing to detect an intrusion. For this reason, the latest British Standards for remotely monitored CCTV sites (BS8418) states that ‘IR illumination should not surround the camera lens on external cameras’. In addition, stand-alone lighting produces much clearer and more evenly illuminated images with no risk of reflection back into the camera lens or glare in the image – a common problem with traditional integrated camera/LED solutions.
Users can integrate up to two cameras of their choice into the VLK unit which, with the associated VARIO LED lighting, can deliver excellent night time images up to 220m (722ft), for a variety of applications including CCTV, ANPR/LPR and thermal.
“The VLK addresses a void in the market for a high performance, integrated lighting and box camera solution” explains Tony Whiting, Raytec Managing Director (joint). “Installers can benefit from the easy to install, all-in-one unit, while operators and users benefit from a reliable system delivering good night time images, rather than worrying about the poor images, false alarms and undetected intrusions associated with traditional integrated camera/LED lighting.”
In addition, VLK facilitates much quicker and easier interfacing of lighting and cameras for combined operation. Its integrated ‘VLK Control Interface’ provides plug-n-play terminals offering access to multiple pre-set lighting configurations, for the highest level of flexibility and control to meet exact operational requirements, whilst ensuring outstanding 24/7 performance. Lighting configurations can include activation on demand via camera or external input (e.g. PIR, alarm or other external input), or autonomous operation from its integrated photocell. The integrated photocell can also be used to trigger switching of camera day/night mode in conjunction with the illuminators.
“VLK enables much easier and smarter lighting integration with your cameras via a convenient, integrated wiring platform”, Tony further comments. “Triggering lighting on demand via your cameras delivers real savings through reduced electrical consumption, and when using White-Light, can provide a powerful, visible crime deterrent”.
