This is a question of wavelength. Infrared remote controls and infrared data-transfer distances make use of wavelengths in the near infrared range (e.g. 0.85 µm or 1.55 µm), while thermographic cameras work within the so-called thermal infrared, i.e., beside the more rarely applied range of 3 ... 5 µm, usually at 8 ... 14 µm – exactly the range in which also bodies show their maximum irradiation at room temperature.