Fotric Fotric 226B vs Fotric 223B

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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Fotric has been a leading manufacturer of screening systems for elevated body temperature. Its 226B camera is used around the world, in applications from schools and universities, to restaurants, hospitals, businesses and more. TEquipment has sold thousands of the 226B, many of which have been in use since early 2020. Dependability, powerful software and ease of use have made it an easy choice as the first line of defense for many organizations.

At $4499, the 226B offers high performance and an outstanding value proposition. But Fotric also makes a second camera, the 223B, with many similar specifications for only $1995.

The 226B and 223B use the same software, have the same technologies, and even look the same. So how are they different? The answer is thermal resolution.

Thermal resolution

Thermal resolution refers to the number of individual pixels available for a thermal image and correlates to the camera’s sensor. As the number of pixels increases, so does the resolution. The Fotric sensors are as follows:

To find the number of pixels, simply multiply the two numbers together. The 223B’s sensor is 160 x 120, therefore it has 19,200 pixels. The 226B’s sensor is 384 x 288, making it 110,592 pixels.

So, what does this mean?

Each pixel represents an individual temperature measurement. When you are looking at a thermal image from the 223B, it has 19,200 individual temperature readings. A picture from the 226B has 110,592. Each of these individual readings is color coded by the camera according to whether they are hot or cold, and is what gives thermal images their appearance. The different colors on a thermal image represent differences in temperature, as can be seen in the image below.

Do I need the 226B’s extra resolution?

The answer to this question depends on how you use the camera, but the 223B is absolutely a functional alternative for many applications.

As mentioned previously, the 226B has more pixels to work with. In any image, it is taking 110,592 individual measurements, so in any area of the picture, there is a high density of pixels. This makes it possible to measure from longer distances – if the testing subject is 9 feet away, the camera is still sensitive enough to measure a small spot on the face. It can even measure entire groups at the same time, although the FDA does not recommend this and in a practical scenario with proper social distancing, it could not happen.

Therefore, in considering the 223B and its 19,200 pixels, it is important to consider how it will be used. The FDA does not recommend screening multiple people simultaneously, nor does it recommend scanning lines which are moving.

This leaves us with stationary testing subjects – people form a line at the entrance to a facility and are screened one at a time. The 223B is absolutely suited for this task, and its facial detection software helps to automate the process. It automatically detects when someone has entered the frame and beings to take their temperature. Screening personnel are able to maintain social distancing and are alerted in the event of a possible temperature abnormality. The 223B and 226B use the same powerful Artificial Intelligence and software package, providing the accuracy and dependability which Fotric users have come to expect.

Conclusion

The 223B is absolutely a viable alternative to the 226B in many scenarios and provides an outstanding savings and price to performance ratio. While the 226B is a very high quality camera, it offers a level of resolution which may be unnecessarily high for some customers, where a product like the 223B would be sufficient.

It may be helpful to think of this like buying a vehicle for routine driving – the choices are a standard car, and a high powered sports car. One absolutely can drive a high-powered sports car to the grocery store, however, for most people, the majority of the available horsepower will go unused. The sports car contains a massive engine, as was reflected in its cost. However, for driving the speed limit on local roads, the standard car performs the same task for a fraction of the price.

Test Equipment General Attributes

Model	Fotric 226B	Fotric 223B-Kiosk	Fotric 223B	Fotric 223B LAPTOP TRIPOD	Fotric 226B LAPTOP CART BB KIT	Fotric 226B LAPTOP CART KIT	Fotric 226B LAPTOP TRIPOD v2	Fotric 223B EDU
Product	Thermal Imaging System to Automatically Screen for Elevated Body Temperature - Rapid...	Fully Automated - Thermal Imaging - Elevated Temperature Screening System Kiosk	Automated thermal imaging system for elevated body temperature	Automated thermal imaging system for elevated body temperature – package...	Fotric 226B package – includes black body calibrator with tripod, rolling...	Fotric 226B package – includes rolling stand, Sharp PN-B501 50"...	Fotric 226B package - includes tripod, laptop with Fotric software pre-installed, 510k...	223B Education Package - includes camera, tripod, 10 social distancing floor stickers...
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Price
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Unique Features	Thermal camera for human temperature screening				Package with Fotric 226B, Nightingale blackbody calibrator from Santa Barbara Infrared, Sharp 50” commercial grade monitor, rolling stand, laptop with Fotric software pre-installed, medical grade IR thermometer, social distancing signage and more	Package with Fotric 226B, Sharp 50” commercial grade monitor, rolling stand, laptop with Fotric software pre-installed, medical grade IR thermometer, and social distancing signage	Package with Fotric 226B, laptop with Fotric software pre-installed, tripod, medical grade IR thermometer and social distancing signage
Warranty	1 YEARS				1 YEARS	1 YEARS	1 YEARS
Interfaces I/O	USB				USB	USB	USB
HTS/Schedule B Number	9027.50.4020				9027.50.4020	9027.50.4020	9027.50.4020
ECCN Number	6A003.b.4.b				6A003.b.4.b	6A003.b.4.b	6A003.b.4b
Calibration Included	None				None	None	None
Country of Origin	China				China	China	China