Testing the Infrared Sensitivity of Your Webcam

To see how well your camera's infrared filters block the infrared wavelengths of light, try any of the following procedures:

1. Start up your webcam and make sure it it functioning properly under normal lighting. Use a remote control from a television, cd/dvd player, VCR or other such device to send an infrared signal toward the camera sensor. If you see a change in the camera's output on your computer monitor, the infrared wavelengths are not being completely blocked by the camera's infrared filter.

For a further test, try illuminating an object in a darkened room or under a thick blanket using the remote control as a light source. Make sure that the camera is displaying the object correctly under normal light and that the screen image goes black in the darkened environment. Then use the remote control to illuminate the object. If you can see an image on the screen, then your camera is capable of creating an infrared image as it is.

See the step below for filtering out the visible light wavelengths so that you can create true infrared images using continuous light sources.