The 9 Best Thermal Security Cameras (2024)

A thermal security camera reads heat from the infrared spectrum. These devices typically have two separate camera modules. One is for thermals and the other is for regular use on the visible light spectrum.

Thermal cameras are better suited for professional applications. They help distinguish long-distance objects based on the amount of heat they give out. They are also used to monitor temperatures in factories and other mission-critical facilities.

My top pick as the best thermal security camera is the Hikvision 4MP Thermal Camera Security Camera. Its major application is detecting fires. However, it also has a regular camera that records at 2688 × 1520.

My second recommended pick is the Flir E70354 M232 Thermal Camera Security Camera. This one has an IP67-rated enclosure. Additionally, it has a motorized pan feature.

The 9 Best Thermal Security Cameras (2024)

Our top pick is the Hikvision 4MP thermal security camera. (Otherwise known as the Thermographic Thermal & Optical Bi-spectrum Network Bullet Camera.)

The thermal module on this camera supports infrared wavelengths ranging from 8,000nm to 14,000nm (8µm-14µm). It has a thermal sensitivity of less than 35mK (milli-Kelvins) at 25℃ and uses uncooled Vanadium Oxide focal plane arrays for the image sensor. Also, the infrared FOV is 24.5° horizontally and 18.5° vertically.

Since these have a 15mm focal length and a 384x288 infrared resolution, these cameras are better suited for long-range industrial applications. (Such as monitoring wide areas in factories, power plants, farms, etc.)

The optical module i.e, the conventional camera system, includes a CMOS sensor with 2688 × 1520 maximum resolution with a 51.7° horizontal and 28° vertical FOV.

Our runner-up is the FLIR M232 pan & tilt thermal marine camera. The camera consists of a thermal module built from a Vanadium Oxide Microbolometer uncooled sensor. Thermal footage is recorded at a resolution of 320x240 and includes a FOV of 24° horizontally and 18° vertically. Unfortunately, the device does not incorporate an additional optical module. (For recording in color.)

The PT capabilities include continuous 360° panning and 110° tilting. There is no optical zoom feature; instead, it utilizes a 4x digital zoom. (Which is relatively effective considering the high resolution.)

The camera is built for marine vessels; hence, it includes a corrosion-resistant ASTM B117 coating, IP67 rating, and an operating temperature range of -13°F to +131°F. Also, the camera can detect human heat signatures from as far as 1,500ft (457m) and small marine vessels from a maximum distance of 4265ft (1500m).

The Dahua Thermal Network Bullet Camera is another reasonably priced alternative for recording thermal signatures.

The thermal system incorporates an uncooled Vanadium Oxide Microbolometer sensor with a maximum resolution of 400x300. The lens is a fixed-focus type (or, as Dahua like to call them: an athermalized focus-free lens) with three options for focal lengths ranging from 7.5mm, 13mm, or 25mm.

The enclosure has an IP67 rating and is meant for large-scale industrial applications such as power plants, airports, and farms to monitor intruders and accidental fires. The <40milli-Kelvin thermal sensitivity, fire detection, alarm interfaces, and ePoE support are just a few features that help this camera achieve such precision over long distances.

Axis’s Q1941-E camera is an add-on thermal security camera that’s supposed to be mounted on the AXIS T99A11 Positioning Unit (PT base).

The AXIS T99A11 PT mount supports continuous 360° horizontal panning with 135° ground-to-sky vertical tilting. The PT base includes RJ45 (Ethernet) and SFP (Fiber Line) interfaces for long-range wired communication. Also, it has a built-in heater that warms up the device when it’s freezing outside.

The Thermal camera (AXIS Q1941-E) utilizes an uncooled Micro Bolometer sensor with a thermal sensor resolution of 384x288. However, the exported footage is upscaled to a maximum resolution of 768x576. (Although this depends on the focal length of the thermal camera and the processing power of the PT mount.)

With a <70mK thermal sensitivity and a maximum focal length option of 60mm, the camera system can detect humans from as far as 1.7km (5820ft). Hence, the primary use-cases for these thermal cameras include on-land industrial applications such as airports, factories, and power plants.

The TNO-3010T is Hanwha’s alternative to a more budget-friendly and general-purpose thermal camera.

The thermal module on this camera includes an Uncooled micro-bolometer sensor with a maximum resolution of 320x240 at a 2.7mm fixed focal length. Although these mixed specs do not qualify for most conventional (long-range) industrial applications, it is a more attractive solution for SMB (Small to medium-sized businesses) zones.

Also, the thermal sensitivity is slightly higher at <60mK with the thermal camera monitoring a wider 92° horizontal and 65.5° vertical FOV.

The camera system has an IP66 rating, IK10 impact protection, and a corrosion-resistant NEMA4X, making it a viable alternative for most on-land SMB sites such as workshops, farms, estates, and offices.

Vivotek’s TB9330-E is another thermal imaging camera with focal length options ranging from 8.8, 19, 35, and 50mm. The system utilizes an uncooled VOx sensor with thermal sensitivity of <50mK.

The resolution for the thermal camera is 384x256, while the upscaled resolution maxes out at 960x640. Also, the camera has a typical spectral range of 8-14µm.

Unlike many other thermal cameras on this list, the Vivotech TB9330-E has ePTZ functions with 5x built-in zoom and 4x additional digital zoom via the browser application (IE plug-in). Hence, maxing out at 20x digital zoom with electronic panning and tilting.

This thermal camera is better suited for long-range industrial applications such as electrical substations, farms, factories, etc., especially when considering the (relatively) high resolution and the mid-range focal length options (8.8-50mm).

The FLIR FB-695 O is a solid industrial-grade thermal camera with Long-Wave Infrared support. Therefore, this device can detect infrared radiation within the 8-14µm wavelength.

The thermal sensor is the well-known VOx Microbolometer with thermal sensitivity of <50mK. The camera has an athermalized lens with a 4.9mm focal length. Therefore, it is a relatively low-range thermal camera best utilized for SMB installations.

Also, it has an effective thermal resolution of 307x200 with a 12µm distance between each pixel. Regardless, the exported upscaled resolution value is 640x480.

The Bosch DINION IP thermal 8000 is another high-end option that utilizes an uncooled VOx sensor with a pixel density of 17µm. Also, its thermal sensitivity is <50mK and exports the final footage at 640x480 resolution.

The system is available for purchase within 9, 16.7, 35, and 65mm focal lengths and it supports a maximum framerate of 60fps with fixed 37.5° horizontal and 28° vertical FOV. Also, it can detect humans from as far away as 1033ft. (According to the DORI designation).

Considering the wide range of focal lengths and the resulting maximum distances it can detect objects, this thermal camera is a highly feasible solution for long-range industrial applications such as factories, substations, power plants, etc.

Avigilon’s H5A has significant improvements over its predecessor. For instance, it has an improved and more responsive object detection algorithm. This new feature can detect humans and vehicles as far as 1000 ft.

It’s IK10-rated, IP67, and has a further NEMA 250 Type 4X. This makes it resilient against harsh environments and debris.

It uses an uncooled VOx Microbolometer as the image sensor. Also, the thermal camera can record in QVGA (320x256) or VGA (640x512) resolutions.

What is a Thermal Security Camera

A thermal security camera relies on heat, or technically, infrared radiation, to detect objects and motion. Basically every object in the environment can emit heat; hence, they have some amount of infrared radiation emanating out from them. However, warmer objects tend to radiate significantly higher amounts of infrared radiation, making it easier to distinguish these objects.

This is where thermal cameras come into play. They utilize advanced sensors that passively detect these infrared radiations, differentiating between the warmer objects in the environment; hence, they can easily detect heat sources. (Whether it’s a human, vehicle or even a campfire.)

Thermal night vision technology differs from infrared night vision in two significant aspects. One of them being that the thermal cameras seek out higher wavelengths of the infrared spectrum. (specifically between 1,000nm to 14,000nm.) Consequently, they have more range (almost as far as 490ft) and can pass through smoke, mist, fog and light rain. (Although, they cannot detect heat through walls.)

Also, the other noticeable difference is that they have a passive process where they don’t actively emit infrared radiation and wait for it to bounce back. Therefore, thermal cameras are more precise and don’t need to rely on external light sources for better accuracy.

Decision Factors when Choosing a Thermal Security Camera

Spectral Range

Spectral range denotes the infrared wavelengths that the thermal camera can detect. Most industrial-grade sensors have a spectral range of 8µm to 14µm, which generally implies a temperature range of -4℉ to 302℉ (-20℃ to 150℃). So if you are going through the specs, we highly recommend making sure that your preferred thermal camera system meets this range.

Camera Range

If you have a specific requirement, say detecting humans from a kilometer away (3280ft), you will need to check for the effective DORI ranges in the camera spec sheet. Most brands will give you a comprehensive list of the human and object DORI ranges (detection, observation, recognition, and identification). However, if no such information is provided, you will have to rely on external sources. Fortunately, the bulk of thermal cameras on our list offer several lens options ranging from 7mm-50mm. (Which is the industrial-grade standard for long-range detection.) 

Field of View

Since horizontal and vertical FOV angles change with focal length (and most brands offer thermal cameras with different focal length options), it’s not accurate to say that a certain model has an exact FOV value. Therefore, it’s best to check the spec sheet for the FOV that matches the focal length. Typically, for low to medium-range video surveillance, we recommend going for cameras with a horizontal FOV that averages at 50° and a vertical FOV that sits around 45°. Lower FOVs are used for extreme-range telephoto applications and are not common in thermal security camera systems.

IR resolution

Similar to conventional optical resolution, the thermal resolution also gives us an accurate value on the number of pixels the thermal camera can record. Higher resolution will always imply more pixels and greater accuracy. However, most thermal cameras (especially ones without a bi-spectrum lens configuration) will upscale the resolution to a higher value, such as 640×512, for better readability. Therefore, make sure to note down the effective infrared resolution apart from the resolution that the footage is exported in. (Typically, this is almost half of the upscaled resolution value.)

Thermal Sensitivity (NETD)

Thermal sensitivity, otherwise referred to as the Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference, denotes the minimum temperature difference you can observe through the thermal camera. The smaller the NETD value, the more sensitive your thermal camera is going to be. (Regarding temperature changes in the scene.) For most surveillance applications (detecting intruders, fires, and abnormal temperature changes), a NETD of <40mK is more than adequate.

Common Questions related to Thermal Security Cameras

Can thermal cameras work in sunlight?

Yes, thermal cameras can work in daylight without any issue because they look for heat instead of light.

Can thermal cameras see through smoke?

Yes, as infrared waves emitted due to heat can easily pass through smoke, rain, mist, and fog, thermal cameras can easily see through smoke, making it very versatile over short-wave conventional infrared night vision.

Can thermal cameras see through walls?

Unfortunately, walls are where thermal cameras draw the line since heat/infrared waves will not be able to pass through walls effectively.

Do thermal cameras record footage in color?

No, thermal cameras cannot record footage in full ambient color. Instead, they utilize several preset color palettes, with the black and white scale (White Hot) being the most commonly used for video surveillance. Other well-known palettes include Ironbow and Rainbow (the red, yellow, and blue palettes). However, the available color palettes change with the brand and model of the thermal camera. However, most of them default to the White Hot palette. 

Can I use thermal cameras for my home?

Although we haven’t listed many of them on our list, there are thermal cameras that are dedicated to the SMB and the residential consumer sector. These usually have low focal lengths (less than 7mm) and include lower effective resolutions (typically averaging at 160×120). Nonetheless, they are still more expensive than the usual low-wavelength infrared night vision cameras, and their high-range capabilities will be underutilized. 

How do I size up a thermal camera?

Thermal cameras are mainly categorized according to their maximum detection distances. More often than not, thermal cameras with focal lengths of 2mm-10mm are recognized as short-range devices. These are typically used for SMB locations where the maximum range need not exceed 328ft (100m). Cameras with greater focal lengths (ranging from 7mm-50mm) are used for industrial applications, with maximum detection distances peaking at around 3280ft (1km).

Conclusion

Thermal security cameras can help spot distant objects based on their heat signature. They can also be used to check temperatures and alert against fires from far away.

My main recommendation is the Hikvision 4MP Thermal Camera Security Camera. It’s best for fire detection and supports 3D DNR for improving the footage clarity.

My second pick is the Flir E70354 M232 Thermal Camera Security Camera. It’s designed for marine applications. Also, it includes 360° continuous panning for extra coverage.