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Security Camera Blog

weatherproof security cameras

What Makes Security Cameras Weatherproof?

Security cameras can truly complete your home’s or business’s overall security system, and a comprehensive home security camera system is of course going to include outdoor security cameras.

These cameras come in a variety of styles, including bullet, dome, and PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom). In order for your outdoor cameras to be effective, however, they are going to need to be weatherproof. Here is a look at what exactly makes a weatherproof security camera weatherproof.

All-weather and waterproof casing

All-weather and waterproof casing is, of course, one of the most important features of a weatherproof security camera. Sealed camera housing, often made of sturdy aluminum or sturdy plastic, keeps rain, dirt, and dust out and away from the internal components of your camera—all while protecting it from the impact of heavy objects as well.

Sunshade

You’ll also notice that many outdoor security cameras—particularly bullet style outdoor security cameras—feature a sunshade that extends beyond the top edge of the camera to provide shading over the front lens of the camera. This sunshade helps eliminate glare caused by outdoor sunlight, and it can also help keep the lens clear at times when it’s raining.

Weatherproof rating

Weatherproofing is actually measured according to a standardized system called Ingress Protection (IP) Rating, and it can range from zero to complete protection from the elements. You can identify an IP rating with the abbreviation “IP,” followed by two numbers. The first number, which ranges from 0 to 6, indicates how resilient the housing is against solid objects. So a 0, for example, would indicate zero protection; a 1 would indicate protection against an accidental bump of the hand; a 4 would indicate protection against solid objects over 1 mm; and a 6 would indicate complete protection, even against dust. The second number in an IP rating represents how resilient the housing is against moisture. The number here ranges from 0 to 8. A 0 would mean no protection; a 3 could resist sprays of water when tilted up to 60° vertically; a 6 could more or less withstand strong jets from any direction; and an 8 could withstand long periods of immersion under pressure. So if you invest in a camera with an IP66 rating, that means that it offers complete protection against solid objects and can more or less withstand jets from any direction. For those looking for something highly durable for use outdoors, an IP66 or IP67 camera is typically your best bet.