Camera Environment Protection Ratings and Camera Care

Camera Environment Protection Ratings and Camera Care

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Affected Roles:  Installer, Owner

Last Edit:  March 17, 2021

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Hardware Protection Ratings

All Digital Watchdog cameras are IP-rated and IK-rated to determine the level of environmental abuse that the hardware can endure.

Additionally, Digital Watchdog's analog Star-Light Plus™ series and IP MEGApix™ camera series dome cameras are pretreated with CleanView™ protective coating.

This article will outline the meaning of the IP and IK protection ratings of camera hardware, as well as how to properly care for your camera and its protective hardware.

Supported/Affected Devices:

• MEGApix® IP Camera Series
• Star-Light™ Analog Camera Series
• Star-Light Plus™ Analog Camera Series

Ingress Protection Rating (IP)

Ingress Protection (IP) Rating is determined by testing a product against the infiltration of foreign objects or substances (such as insects, dust, water, etc.) into the electrical enclosure of the camera. 

The first digit in the IP-rating indicates the level of protection for the electrical and moving parts against the infiltration of solid objects (dust, insects, fingers, etc.)

The second digit of the IP-rating indicates the level of protection for the electrical and moving parts against the infiltration of liquids.

The higher the IP-rating, the better sealed at the seams and protected the camera housing will be for the internal parts.

Digital Watchdog cameras are rated at:

• IP66 Enclosure – IP-rated as “dust tight” and is protected against heavy seas and high pressure jets of water from any direction
• IP67 Enclosure – IP-rated as “dust tight” and is protected against total immersion for up to 30 minutes, up to depths of up to 1 meter of water
• IP68 Enclosure – IP-rated as “dust tight” and is protected against complete, continuous immersion for up to 30 minutes, up to depths of 1.5 meters

How to Care For Your Camera

When using a camera installation for an extended period of time, physical issues with your camera may occur simply due to age. It is the responsibility of the camera's owner and/or Installer to keep the hardware clean and well maintained.

Below is listed some of the ways that this can be done.

Camera Hardware

Each Digital Watchdog all dome cameras come pretreated with CleanView™ protective coating.  This protects the dome enclosures by repelling water and dust to maintain the camera's image quality.  This hydrophilic coating alleviates spotting and smudges that can affect the performance of the camera.

However, things like mud, cobwebs, and fauna, may affect the image of the camera (physically blocks image, distorts the focus, etc.).

Here are some of the ways that you can help to keep the hardware clean includes:

• DO NOT use any type of cleaning solution, spray, or substance (other than water) to clean the acrylic covering of the camera housing. This material is already treated with CleanView™ protective coating. The use of any additional chemicals with the acrylic may cause physical damage to the hardware.
• Instead of cleaning solutions, please use regular water. Depending on the camera's IP Rating (explained below), you can spray the camera with water from a spray bottle, or hose, to clear away most physical blockages. Physical blockages include cobwebs, insects, mud, etc.
• If you must clean any smudges off of the camera from fingerprints or otherwise, you may use a clean microfiber towel or cloth to wipe it away.

IP Camera Software

DW MEGApix® IP cameras may occasionally may require a firmware update. These updates may include patches to address discovered software issues, security features, or updated user features.

To learn how to update the camera manually, please read Updating MEGApix Camera Firmware. 

Network Connections

Both IP and Analog cameras are connected physically to the DW Blackjack® Server, DW VMAX® IP Plus™ NVR, or the DW VMAX® DVR at some point.  This includes cable connections and network switches.  It is the responsibility of the Owner to maintain these connection points and to resolve these issues:

• Network connection issues
• Network switch issues 
• Router issues
• Modem issues
• LAN/WAN connection issues 

DW Technical Support may assist installers with resolving some of these issues regarding any problems with a Digital Watchdog DVR, NVR, or camera.  It is requested that troubleshooting to be performed to attempt to resolve the issue or identify the source of the issue prior to contacting DW Support.

Impact Protection Rating (IK)

Impact Protection (IK) Rating is determined by the estimated amount of force from an external impact that the device can withstand.

Digital Watchdog cameras are rated at:

• IK09 – protected against up to 10 joules of impact (equal to the impact of 5kg of mass dropped from 200mm above the impact surface)
• IK10 – protected against up to 20 joules of impact (equal to the impact of 5kg of mass dropped from 400mm above the impact surface)

**NOTE:  At this time, Digital Watchdog does not offer camera models that are rated to withstand explosions or high-impacts caused by explosions.