180 Degree Security Camera Review

Posted on October 22, 2018July 30, 2020 by Mike Haldas

Security cameras with 180 degree lenses are extremely popular at CCTV Camera Pros. I am regularly asked “What is the best 180 security camera available?”. In this article, I will review our two best selling models and explain why both DIY installers and professional installers love them so much.

July 30, 2020 UPDATE! Since I wrote this article, we started carrying 4 megapixel 180 cameras in addition to the 1080p / 2 megapixel models that I reviewed in this article. The 4mp models look just like the bullet and dome models that you see below. You can all model 180 security cameras on this page now. You can also see a 4mp vs 1080p comparison video here.

These are the two camera models that will be reviewed.

The specification and performance of HD-D180 dome style 180 camera and AHD-BL25 bullet style 180 camera is almost identical. For most customers, the choice comes down to a preference in the housing style and black or white color. Both cameras support 1080p / 2 megapixel resolution in HD video modes and 960H resolution in analog CCTV mode.

180 Degree HD Video

The first reason that the HD-D180 and AHD-BL25 are favorites among our customers is because of the crystal clear 180 degree HD video that they both capture. Watch these videos to see demo video surveillance footage captured with each of these cameras connected to an iDVR-PRO HD surveillance DVR. Each video shows the color / daytime capability of the camera and the infrared night vision modes. Both videos show the ultra wide angle of view that the 180 lens of each camera provides.

HD-D180 Demo

If you are watching this video from a desktop computer, please select 1080p resolution by clicking on the gear icon in the YouTube video player. You may also want to enable full screen.

AHD-BL25 Demo

If you are watching this video from a desktop computer, please select 1080p resolution by clicking on the gear icon in the YouTube video player. You may also want to enable full screen.

Compatible with Analog CCTV and HD Surveillance DVRs

The next reason why these two cameras are so popular is because they are compatible with just about every analog CCTV and HD-over-Coax type DVR. This is because they support 4 video modes: analog CCTV, AHD, HD-TVI, and HDCVI.

Sometimes referred to as 4-in-1 HD-over-Coax security cameras, they have a small joystick attached to the camera’s video / power cable. Installers can very easily select which video format they want the camera to use by holding the joystick up/down/left/right for five seconds. This allows the camera to be used with older H.264 analog CCTV DVRs as well as the latest “HD-over-Coax” DVRs. HD-over Coax DVRs typically support one or more of the following video formats: AHD, HD-TVI, or HDCVI.

This selectable video function is also very convenient for people that have an analog CCTV DVR now, but plan to upgrade to an HD DVR in the future. Users can leave the same cameras and cabling in place and simply switch the camera’s video mode to one of the HD formats when their new HD DVR is in place.

Infrared Night Vision Surveillance

Another reason why these two cameras are among the best 180 cameras that I recommend is that both have excellent infrared night vision. The infrared surveillance is accomplished with the camera’s built-in IR LEDs that automatically switch on when light levels are low. The camera’s infrared mode captures a black and white image in low light and zero light environments.

HD-D180 IR Mode

Here is an infrared video surveillance image captured with the HD-D180 connected to an iDVR-PRO DVR. All of the lights are off in the office where we tested.

AHD-BL25 IR Mode

This IR surveillance image was captured with the AHD-BL25 connected to an iDVR-PRO DVR.

Indoor / Outdoor Weatherproof Housing

Both of these surveillance cameras are enclosed in an IP66 weatherproof camera housing. The IP66 weatherproof rating means that the camera is safe to use in both indoor and outdoor applications. The official IP66 rating is worded as follows.

Dust tight – No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on air flow.
Powerful water jets – Water projected in powerful jets (12.5 mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. Test duration: 1 minute per square meter for at least 3 minutes. Water volume: 100 liters per minute. Pressure: 100 kPa at distance of 3 meters.

HD-D180 Indoor Installation

This is what the HD-D180 looks like mounted indoors to a ceiling tile.

AHD-BL25 Indoor Installation

This is what the AHD-BL25 looks like mounted to ceiling tiles indoors.

Remote Mobile App View

When these 180 cameras are connected to an iDVR-PRO HD surveillance DVR, they can be remotely accessed from the mobile apps for iPhone and Android. These mobile apps allow the user to view their security cameras live and also playback video recorded on the DVR’s hard drive.

iPhone App

You can learn more about the iDVR-PRO security camera viewer app for iPhone here.

Android App

You can learn more about the iDVR-PRO security camera viewer app for Android here.

Simple Installation

The last reason the users love these 180 cameras is that they are easy to install. Wiring HD-over-Coax cameras is easy (similar to connecting a DVD player to a TV). I have helped hundreds of DIY and professional installers with support when installing CCTV and HD security cameras. There are installation options using pre-made cable and spools of cable. I wrote these installation / wiring guides to help.

Learn More / Ask Questions

You can learn more about the HD-D180 and AHD-BL25 180 security cameras here. You can learn more about iDVR-PRO surveillance DVRs here. iDVR-PRO was the type of DVR that these cameras were connected to in order to capture all of the videos and images for this article.

If you have any questions about this article or anything related to video surveillance system, please email me at mike@cctvcamerapros.net.

About Mike Haldas

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Mike Haldas is the co-founder and managing partner of CCTV Camera Pros. Mike works on product research and development for the company. Before starting CCTV Camera Pros, Mike worked as a software engineer in the web hosting industry. CCTV Camera Pros is a veteran owned business as Mike proudly served in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) from 1993 to 1997. Mike can be contacted for questions about this article and anything related to video surveillance systems at mike@cctvcamerapros.net.