Infrared (IR) thermometers are also known as pyrometers and non-contact thermometers. These are used to measure the temperature of things that would be difficult to measure with conventional thermometers. An important feature that is standard on most instruments like these is a laser pointer. This assures that the correct point is measured particularly with instruments with a large spot ratio. These are especially useful when measuring temperatures of car engines, circuit breaker boxes and even hot spots at a fire location.
