You Can't Use Cheap Night Vision...

or can you...

I catch a bit of shit from time to time on my night vision setup.

Geowfii NVD mounted to a helmet for hands free use

A couple years ago I bought a pair of GeowfiiTech Digital Night Vision Binoculars… to use out at our Bushcamp for varmint hunting and was genuinely surprised with their function. They soon made their way into my patrol kit for use in OP/LP’s where they could aid in night-time observation along game trails and camp perimeters.

The above video was taken with the Geowfii NVD on a 3/4 moon night. For its intended usage it works pretty well.

Geowfii digital NVD

Now here is the thing, they are not Gen3 PVS-14’s nor do they pretend to be. They are an inexpensive digital NVD with a built in illuminator and have the ability to record video and take pictures. I firmly believe that folks who criticize them do so from a stand point of trying to compare them to top tier Gen3 units which they clearly are not. So our expectations should not be for PVS-14 performance. You're not going to be driving at night with them, you're not going to be performing direct action operations with them, and you certainly are not going to be able to see several hundred yards away with them.

So here are some considerations before knocking cheap, digital NVD's...

1. Even a cheap digital NVD from Amazon allows you to see other Infra Red (IR) active devices...at great distance. Even well trained folks routinely and accidently violate light discipline when they monkey about with their issue devices. They shine IR Illuminators when they shouldn't or have Negligent Discharges with both combat lights (either white or w/ IR covers) and IR laser targeting modules.

Someone scouting or approaching your property may shine a flashlight or trip their IR source while still hundreds of yards from their final objective (your place). Trained people will typically uncover their opaque lens caps when they reach their final position of cover and concealment (inside of 100 yards). Many times, someone will inadvertently already have their device turned on, emitting a steady or pulsing IR beam visible to a defender equipped with a passive device. A $100 NVD will allow you to see folks when they give away their position.

2. These days, many homes, businesses, gates, fences, property lines, and remote border crossing points are equipped with IR security systems that can be seen with a cheap device. Typically encountered are either emitting cameras (IR LEDs) or beams which alert if crossed (like those safety beams found at foot level in a typical garage door threshold). Basic burglar/intruder detection systems. Guys I know have crossed remote international borders at unguarded and closed crossing points, where IR devices were turned on at night after the normal daytime crew went home. Sometimes, very inviting holes, gaps, or game trails through a border barrier are cleverly covered by an IR tripwire or camera. A $100 NVD will allow you to see and avoid these little IR security alert devices and to detect IR security cameras.

3. Owning a cheap NVD (like the one shown above that has one of those integral but under powered little IR Illuminators) provides you with a handy means of marking friendly vehicles, positions, or personnel in the dark. In other words, an economical and mostly discrete means of signalling to avoid fratricide. Useful when two parties conduct a linkup in the dark or when friendly folks approach your defended location.

Let's say you sent out a local security patrol of two persons to scout around the BOL or BIL at nightfall. Everyone is tired, on ragged edge, and your guards are typically nervous. How to be sure that the folks returning from the darkness are YOUR folks (even if you have radio comms)?

Your patrol completes its rounds and appears at the edge of your observed perimeter. They stop (at the agreed upon time, direction, and place) and use an IR light to blink a signal (Hey! It's really us...we're coming in). Or they call you on a radio, give you a code word that means they are ready to come in...and then confirm their position by using that IR signal. Through your device, you can see their IR source. It remains invisible to the naked eye of other observers. Even if the patrol doesn't have a scope themselves, any low-powered visible light signal they use will be vastly magnified through your night vision device. A little LED key chain light will look like a flare. A tritium watch face or compass moved up and down will look like a bright flashlight when viewed through any night vision device.

The same thing can be done to mark and ID a friendly vehicle approaching your security entrance, checkpoint, or a prearranged link up point out on the road. Hmmn...I see two completely blacked out vehicles approaching slowly. I'm expecting 2 friendly pickup trucks at about this time and at this place. I turn on my trusty Chinese $100 NVD and I can see...two apparent pickup trucks (not clearly, but I can make out the profiles). More importantly, I can see someone in each vehicle shining an IR source towards my location from the opened passenger side windows (our previously agreed upon "safe" signal).

There are still some downsides. Whenever you emit IR...YOU are visible to any foe equipped with a night vision device. You'll look like a lit road flare to an observer viewing you dead on through their own passive device. But it's still more discrete than shining white light from your twenty year old D-cell Maglite (for the entire country side to see with the naked eye). Some of the cheap civilian NVD's emit a dull red glow from the lens of the integral IR emitter. However, this will not generally be visible to the naked eye beyond a few yards from your location. If an opponent also has passive night vision capability, your IR emission will look like a spotlight beam through their device anyway; that little button of red light is the least of your problems. Lastly, IR sources are incredibly visible to surveillance drones, aircrew flying on NVDs, or aircraft equipped with high magnification night vision targeting cameras. Use IR signalling capability judiciously.

Check out my full budget night vision build list here…

Just some thoughts that might cause you to keep (or buy) that inexpensive night vision device. Any night vision is better than no night vision...and even less than state-of-the-art devices have uses.

*Article contains Amazon affiliate links from which I may earn commissions on*