Can You Place an IR Security Camera Behind Glass?

Infrared security systems are an excellent tool for security monitoring. One of the biggest concerns when adopting an infrared security system is wondering whether you can mount the camera inside and point it through a window to monitor the area in which you’re interested.

In a proper set-up, they provide excellent image quality and capture in all conditions. They’re able to withstand most environments. But the sophisticated nature of the sensors for both thermal reading and motion capture have special requirements in terms of how they’re positioned. Can you place an IR Security Camera Behind Glass? Read on to find out.

There are Challenges to the Set-Up

During the day, the cameras will probably work fine. But you may still have problems with glare from the sun. At night, window glare or other reflections may prevent the camera’s motion detection from activating. Additionally, sunspots or significant window glare will diminish your image quality with a white cast. You should test at different times of day to see if either happens, and you may need to choose another location if this is a persistent problem.

Troubleshooting Problems and Possible Solutions

If you continue to experience problems with the cameras behind glass, there are a few things you can try. However, some of them require additional purchases or disabling camera functionality, neither of which is ideal. Try these tips to find out if you can place an IR camera behind glass and make it work:

Place the camera closer to the glass. This prevents glare from getting between the window glass and the camera lens.
Turn off the status lights. If the camera lights create the glare and triggering motion capture, try turning them off and see if the problem goes away.
Use motion-activated lights. Light up the exterior of the area you’re monitoring.
Put it somewhere darker. Wherever the camera is needs to be the same or darker than the outside area it monitors.
Disable it. If nothing else works, you may need to disconnect the infrared function. This removes the functionality you wanted when you installed them!