With this data, you will be able to accurately evaluate the quality of the beam spread and it will help you to understand how to reliably compare the angle output of different lighting products.

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In addition, Raytec can provide testing of third party products in accordance with the POWERS standard, so where there is no published information available, Raytec will measure the product and provide the relevant information.

Based on decades of practical industry experience “POWERS” tackles the issue of calculating illumination angle head on. With POWERS we’re proud to tell you what WE recommend as an industry benchmark and how you can use this to calculate how wide your illuminator will TRULY shine.

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This has always made it virtually impossible for consultants, installers and end-users to specify surveillance lighting with confidence, reliably compare products, and achieve a consistent level of performance.

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When looking at an illuminator, customers ultimately want to know: how far and how wide does it shine, is it efficient and reliable, what features does it have and what level of warranty, certification and technical support will the manufacturer provide?

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But in the absence of any accepted industry standards and testing methods the calculation of Width/Angle has historically been left open to the interpretation of the manufacturer – leading to varying performance claims.

Raytec quote our angles based on 50% of the peak power. The Raytec POWERS standard provides information on the angles achieved at BOTH 50% and 25% of peak power to offer more data for specifiers.

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Want to be sure that your illuminator is going to deliver what it promises? Ask us for POWERS Specification Data for our VARIO2 illuminators and specify your lighting installation with confidence.

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Explore our complete range of VARIO2 Infra-Red and White-Light illuminators here – or drop us a line to speak to a Raytec expert about POWERS, your current lighting project, or any other lighting matter. We love to talk lighting!

FWHM determines maximum width/ angle by measuring the point at which lighting power has dropped to 50%, either side of the centre beam point.

Surveillance lighting standardisation is a highly detailed and very topical subject. However, this article only focuses on the ‘W’ of POWERS which proposes a scientific approach to calculating the width/angle –a crucial element in determining your illuminator’s true performance.

How tocalculate light beamspread

Whilst the manufacturer on the left could technically claim that their illuminator does actually provide light throughout the full scene, we can clearly see that the image on the right is far superior, evenly covering the full width and depth of the scene with no dark or bright areas.

It is well-known in many traditional lighting industries and this is the approach adopted in the POWERS standard. It takes the peak power reading in the centre point of the beam and then records the angle at either side of centre at which lighting power has dropped to 50%. This measurement helps to provide an understanding of the beam angle provided by the illuminator.

We guarantee that every Raytec illuminator delivers a minimum of 0.35μW/cm2  (Infra-Red) or 3 lux (White-Light) power on scene at our maximum quoted distance – ensuring the best image quality every time.

Until now there has been no standardised way to evaluate performance claims of different illuminators. And crucially, there have been no standardised testing methods for manufacturers to adhere to. As the world leader in LED surveillance lighting Raytec have taken the lead in publishing the industry’s first Lighting Standard for Video Surveillance – POWERS.