- The Environment: Estimate the conditions in which you plan to use the device. Does your property feature ample foliage for concealing intruders? Are the conditions extremely cold or foggy? In case, your locality features extremely cold temperatures, you might do well to consider investing in night vision devices. In contrast, if the conditions feature dense fog or foliage, opt for thermal cameras.
- The Levels of Light: Image intensification night vision typically requires some light for functioning. Therefore, if your property can offer this light, the night vision device will work as you want it to. However, if you cannot depend on providing even minimal levels of light, you will do well to purchase thermal cameras instead.
- The Price: Good night vision devices often cost only some hundreds of dollars. But, thermal cameras are even costlier. Some models have prices that run into thousands of dollars. If your budget is not too high, you will only be able to opt for night vision devices. Bear in mind though, that you will easily be able to find high-resolution thermal cameras for your Android phone too.
Experts opine that a combination of the two kinds of devices might be the best solution. This is because night vision devices are useful for recognising objects, but not as much for detecting them. In contrast, thermal cameras can detect objects, but not recognise them. Therefore, combining the two devices might be the best solution. For instance, hunters often use thermal imagers for scanning the field. Thereafter, they use night vision rifle scopes for shooting the object.