Sandia Tests Security Cameras in Fog and Rain

Sandia National Laboratories researchers are evaluating commercially available cameras in a controlled fog and rain chamber to measure how visibility affects performance.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Current Conditions

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a row of camera housings facing a drifting white fog bank in a netted chamber, conveying visibility testing. — Sandia National Laboratories researchers are testing commercially available security cameras in a fog and rain chamber to measure how degraded visibility affects their performance. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Department of Energy national security laboratory, tested commercially available security cameras in a controlled fog and rain chamber. Maria Primavera and her team installed six cameras, including a thermal camera, and synchronized their recordings.

Why it matters

Security systems often must operate in degraded visibility, and benchmark data on how cameras perform as conditions worsen can inform equipment selection and monitoring reliability. The work also supports evaluating machine-learning tools that detect people and objects in poor visual conditions.

The test chamber produces fog through 64 nozzles and rain through 16 nozzles, with rainfall reaching 12 inches per hour. Sandia has not yet reported how each camera performed under these conditions.

The players

Sandia National Laboratories

Sandia National Laboratories is a U.S. Department of Energy national security laboratory with principal locations in Albuquerque and Livermore, Calif.

Maria Primavera

Maria Primavera led the team that installed and tested the commercially available cameras in Sandia's fog chamber.

The details

Water from ceiling nozzles collects on layers of netting, forming larger droplets before falling through the chamber. Researchers combine transmissometer readings, which measure transmission at visible, shortwave-infrared and thermal wavelengths, with particle-sizing data to characterize fog and compare it with camera performance.

Article on the testing was published November 5, 2026.

Seasonal Patterns

Sandia's fog and rain chamber, which uses 64 fog nozzles and 16 rain nozzles, offers a repeatable way to simulate degraded visibility that natural weather cannot reliably reproduce on demand. The test provides controlled benchmarks rather than a historical comparison of regional weather records.

Anyone responsible for security cameras in foggy or rainy environments should check manufacturer specifications for low-visibility performance before purchase. Monitoring systems in degraded conditions may need supplemental sensors such as thermal imaging.

The takeaway

Camera performance in fog and rain is not always reflected in standard product specifications, so independent testing under controlled conditions can help organizations choose equipment for low-visibility environments. Benchmark data from such tests can also guide the training of detection software.