Since their inception for use by the U.S. military in the forests of Korea, infrared cameras have been put to use in any number of industries - from medicine to geological surveys. They've also grown into a pivotal tool in home security surveillance, rendering security systems complete in a way never before thought possible.

There's a fair amount of confusion regarding infrared security cameras, as many people erroneously associate the term with so-called 'night vision' security cameras. Night vision cameras utilize the World War II technology of night glasses, which use a large diameter objective along with numerous lenses to amplify light up to levels six or seven times greater than would normally be perceived by the human eye. Alternatively, some of them use so-called 'active infrared', whereby the camera is equipped with a torch which provides illumination just below the wavelength visible to the human eye, while the camera's lens is a CCD lens sensitive to light on this wavelength.

Both these designs are known for producing images of inferior quality. Much of the time, the resultant footage is monochromatic, fuzzy and about as clear as the imagery you'd expect from a video game console in the 1980s.

Enter the infrared security camera. This vastly more sophisticated machine makes us of a microbolometer, a device capable of detecting the black body radiation of objects. Black body radiation exists in direct proportion to the heat a creature or object produces, and thus can be viewed entirely regardless of any source of illumination. The imagery that results, while it ordinarily won't allow you to create a particularly detailed picture of the intruder, will help you to find things such as their body structure, gender, and where in your home they might have left fingerprint evidence. If you go the extra mile and get wireless infrared surveillance cameras, not only will you not have to bother with running wiring all over your house - you'll also be able to ensure that the footage captured by your home security surveillance system is beyond the reach of intruders, sent instantly off to a storage cluster or private website for later viewing.

Thus you'll no doubt agree that wireless security cameras in general and infrared security cameras in particular can be a truly invaluable addition to any home security surveillance system. This is doubly the case for those living in homes with poor external lighting.

The thing to guide you in your decision as to whether to purchase what can be a rather expensive piece of audio-visual equipment (thermal cameras from FLIR, the major producer of the technology, start at around $2000) should really be need. External infrared security cameras will be totally unnecessary in neighborhoods with well-lit streets, as they will be on porches or driveways with motion-activated lighting.

Lest I paint too dark a picture, however, you should know that infrared security cameras can help you save money on some fronts. For instance, if you properly programmed, they can render the need for smoke detectors null and void. If set to raise the alarm when ambient temperatures exceed certain safe limits, infrared cameras can act as very serviceable fire detectors.

For more useful tips on Home Security Surveillance be sure to check out www.Home-Security-Pro.com.