Possible Causes of Poor Night Vision

Night vision issues can be identified as imaging issues that only happen at night. While the daytime vision is good, the live stream image may appear with any of the following:

• Halo effects
• Overexposure
• Too dark images
• Light objects are too bright
• Cloudy/blurry at night
• Grainy vision at night

The following are the most common possible causes and workarounds you can implement to test or fix:

1. Dirty Lens
2. Camera is mounted behind glass
3. Camera is mounted with an object too close in view
4. The background area is beyond the camera's night vision range
5. Faulty infrared lights
6. Stuck or faulty IR cut filter
7. Incorrect OSD Setting of the camera

1. Dirty lens

This could either be a spider web/cobweb, oil stain, dust, or even water stains. Dust and stains from water droplets on the lens cause the camera’s infrared lights to reflect into the lens to create a blurry image. Resolution: Clean the camera’s lens or glass regularly with a clean cloth to prevent light reflections. Also check this link: How to stop insects and bugs from triggering my cameras?

If you see actual water droplets behind the lens, please call or chat Tech Support to assess the camera for "condensation" or "moisture" by submitting photos of your camera's view and the location of the camera's mount/installation.

2. Camera is mounted behind glass

Check if the camera is mounted or placed directly behind glass or a window. At night the infrared lights can reflect back toward the lens if behind glass.

Resolution: Check these articles:

• Can the Camera Detect Motion Through A Window or Pane of Glass
  
• Can the Camera See Through the Glass At Night
  

3. Camera is mounted with an object too close in view

Installing the camera too close to nearby objects (trees or shrubs) or surfaces (walls or eaves) will create a bright spot in the foreground. In the pictures, the camera’s infrared light is shining on the surfaces in front of the camera, causing the camera to adjust its lens based on the brightest part of the image and making the background very dark.

Similarly, installing a security camera too close to a light fixture can cause light to reflect into the lens at night and distort the image. The camera might not switch to night mode when a light is shining directly into the camera’s lens. See this link to know how infrared lights work: Why Is My Camera Feed Turning Black and White

Resolution: Adjust camera angle or mount the camera differently to reduce the area of overexposed objects in the picture. Make the wall/ceiling area or close objects out of view as much as possible.

4. The background area is beyond the camera's night vision range

Each Swann camera with infrared night vision has a night vision range. This range is the distance at which it can pick up clear video. Different models may have different specifications for night vision. For instance, the SWPRO-1080SQ has an infrared night vision range of up to to 130ft / 40m but it has a spotlight which can illuminate up to to 65ft / 20m. The SWPRO-4KMSFB has a farther infrared night vision range of up to 150ft / 45m but ambient light range can cover up to 200ft / 60m.

Resolution: Relocate or mount the camera closer to the desired area as possible to get a better view.

5. Faulty infrared lights

Here is an example of working infrared (IR) lights of an indoor camera. IR lights are usually a ring of red lights around the lens of the camera. It appears red to the human eye. In digital photos, it looks bright purple or white.

The camera's full features, which includes the IR lights, require sufficient power. If the infrared lights are off or partially on, test the following physical connections to see which is faulty. 

For DVR cameras:

1. The camera's cable was extended beyond the capacity of the current power adapter. Check the following:  
   1. Extended cables - power requirements  
   2. What power adapter should I use?
2. Check the camera's connections to power via this link: Connecting your DVR, Cameras, BNC or Coaxial cables, and Power Adapter (PSU)
3. Bypass the power splitter via this link: DVR Power splitter Troubleshooting.
4. Swap power adapters to determine if the power adapter itself is faulty. See steps via this link: Swap DVR Power Adapters (PSU) to confirm Video Loss
   

For NVR cameras:

The NVR cameras are powered either by the NVR itself or a switch, depending on your physical setup. The steps in this article are applicable to testing whether the cameras are drawing sufficient power or not: Video Loss Troubleshooting for NVRs (basic connections)

For wired SWIFI cameras with infrared night vision: 

This applies to SWIFI-2KICAM, SWIFI-2KOCAM, SWIFI-4KFLOCAM, SWIFI-PTCAM2, SWIFI-TRACKCM, SWIFI-ALERTCAM, SWIFI-SPOTCAM, SWIFI-FLOCAM2, 

Swap power adapters to determine if the power adapter itself is faulty. Check this link for the correct output rating: What power adapter should I use? 

For wireless SWIFI cameras (rechargeable)

This applies to SWIFI-CAM, SWIFI-CORECAM, SWIFI-COREPRO, SWIFI-XTRCAM, SWIFI-BUDDY.

1. Check the battery level of the camera when it is in Connected status via the Swann Security app. (Devices > select the camera's name > Device Information > Device Status and Battery (%).
2. Charge the camera for at least 4 hours if it is lower than 20%.
3. Check if the infrared lights will turn on by testing the IR cut filter (see below).

6. Stuck or faulty IR cut filter

A security camera has an IR cut filter that prevents infrared light waves from reaching the lens in daylight. This helps the camera show true colours in the daytime, but at night the filter has to be removed so the camera can use its own infrared lights for night vision. When the camera changes to night mode, it makes a click sound, and the image turns from colour to black and white. This is because the IR cut filter is moved away from the lens.

Test the IR cut filter during the day: 

Cup or cover around the camera lens to block any light from coming through. If the camera switches to night mode, you will hear a click inside the camera and see a series of red infrared bulbs turn on around the lens. If the camera does not switch to night mode, then the IR cut filter is stuck/faulty. A common effect of a stuck filter is grainy vision at night.

Resolution: If faulty, call or chat Tech Support to assess the camera by submitting a video of your camera's view and the location of the camera's mount/installation. See video below as an example: 

Visit this link to know why the IR cut filter can get stuck: Why Is My Camera Feed Turning Pink or Purple (Discolouration)

7. Incorrect OSD Setting of the camera

Some DVR and NVR cameras have their own image control settings, which can be configured to enable or optimize the infrared night vision view. To access the OSD menu, check the user manual of your camera or see this link: General Idea: On-screen Display (OSD) or Image Control. 

For NVR cameras with OSD control

1. Go to Menu > Display > Image Control.
2. Look for IR Cut Mode or Day & Night.
3. Choose Auto or B&W.

For DVR cameras with OSD control (such as PRO-4KDER and PRO-4KRQ)

1. Access the OSD setting.
2. Using the UP/DOWN buttons, navigate to 'Day/Night' then press the middle button on the PTZ controller to select it.
3. Set it to 'Smart' / 'Auto' / 'Ext'. Options depend on the camera model. The goal is to try other options except Color or B&W as it will also stay on color (which will be dark at night) or black & white all day.
4. Select 'Return' or 'Save-Exit' to save the setting.
5. Do not change the DIM and WARNING setting otherwise DAY-NIGHT mode will return to COLOR.

For NVR or DVR cameras without OSD control

Adjusting the brightness and contrast may help enhance the vision:

1. Login to Setup (Main Menu).
2. Go to Display > Live.
3. Click on the gear icon under Setup beside the camera you wish to configure.
4. Slide Brightness and Contrast for clearer vision. 
5. Click on Apply to save.