CCTV Camera Not Working at Night [3 Checkpoints]

CCTV cameras are truly a blessing to many people. These are the reason behind tension-free sleep at night. 

That’s why more and more people are installing CCTV cameras in their house. An interesting feature of CCTV camera is its night time recording. In other words, night vision CCTV cameras brought in such a new craze that this became a must in security cameras. 

Nowadays, security cameras include motion sensors and many other features. But this night vision or infrared lighting feature is the main thing in these cameras. 

However, these cameras give out some common problems at the time of use. And one of the most common problems is the CCTV camera not working at night. 

Here's the thing-

There are several reasons for this issue. It's important to know what's the reason in your case. 

So, let's not waste any more time and jump right into the details-

CCTV Camera Problem and Solution

Here we won't go all-in with every type of CCTV camera problem. Rather we will focus on how to make CCTV better at night.

For that, we have prepared this whole piece on a checkpoint-based structure. With each checkpoint, you'll know about a criminal that might be responsible for your CCTV camera malfunction. 

So, let's begin-

Checkpoint 1: See if your camera is actually night vision

Some of you might think that this point is ridiculous. But it’s actually super serious. Many of you might buy and install a so-called night vision CCTV camera. But in reality, it’s just a camera. 

So. How to know if your CCTV has a night vision or not? 

It’s simple. Connect the camera with a power source and take it to a dark place. You could wrap up a sheet around the camera too for this test. 

The goal is to make the camera operating environment dark. Once you’ve managed a dark area, it’s time to move forward. Check carefully if the camera lens is emitting any sort of red light. If yes then congratulations, you’ve passed the first checkpoint. 

Now, if your camera doesn’t emit any red light, then go and order up a better-branded camera. 

Checkpoint 2: Look at the footage to pinpoint the problem

Now that we know about your camera type, we can go deeper. Here the main idea is to examine your CCTV camera night time footage. Based on the footage quality, we can determine what’s actually wrong with your camera.  

So, let’s begin-

CCTV Camera not Clear at Night

Is your security camera blurry at night? 

If yes, then your camera might have 3 types of problems. However, it’s up to you to determine what type of problems is your camera facing. 

In short, IR reflection makes the security camera foggy at night. What’s this? Well, your night vision camera sees in the dark because of 

 But this can happen due to 3 reasons. And these 3 reasons are our 3 problems. These are-

1. Dust or Scratch on the camera glass. Infrared camera dust can act as reflectors inside the camera. So, some of the IR light rays reflect from the inside of the camera dome without even going out. As a result, you get blurred footage. 

2. Close by objects can also act as reflectors. IR light can reflect back to the lens from close by tiles, metal, glass, etc. materials. These reflections interfere with the actual reflection coming from faraway objects. As a result, you get a blurred vision. 

3. Rubber ring problems can also cause IR bleeding in a night vision CCTV camera. These rings have one job to do. And that is to protect that camera lens form any sort of irregular infrared input. These can get damaged while installing. Or in some cases, these might not be properly installed. As a result, you’ll get foggy footage. 

 Now that we know the problems it’s time to explore the solutions.

How to Stop IR Reflection

For each of those problems, there is a solution. Here we’ll explore the solutions one by one. 

1. Clean your camera protective glass. You might find dust, grease or even fingerprints on it. So, just take a cloth or a microfiber towel, and rub the glass. 

2. Try to avoid installing the camera on tight corners. Also, move away reflective objects from the front of the camera. For extra security, move away from any plant that’s in front of the camera. 

3. Open up the glass and reinstall the rubber. If you’re not sure about this, then call on an expert. 

CCTV Camera Flickering at Night

This can happen due to 3 reasons. We will go straight to the reasons without wasting time in here-

1. Inappropriate lighting conditions is the number one issue here. Your infrared video recording might get hampered because of additional light sources. The camera is supposed to use infrared in low light. If there’s an imbalance in lighting, then you might get flickering footage. 

2. Damaged connections and cables can hamper in power supply and data transfer. As a result, you’ll get a flickering output. 

3. Camera aging is an issue that we overlook most of the time. Sometimes, it’s the age that’s having a toll on the camera performance. 

Solution

For each of the reasons, we have prepared solutions. Let’s look at these-

1. Move away regular floodlight or headlight from the camera coverage. 

2. Check the whole wiring system. If any part is damaged, replace it. 

3. Give those cameras some rest and order new ones. 

Security Camera Night Vision Grainy

Your night vision footage is supposed to be a bit grainy. But if you think it’s too much then there might be 3 reasons. These are-

1. Power interference or malfunction

2. Wiring problem

3. DVR issue

Solution

For the power problem, you have to take the help of an expert. The same goes for the DVR issue.

Checkpoint 3: Look for CCTV Monitor Issues

Sometimes, the CCTV monitor is the main culprit. Some people use OC monitor as a CCTV monitor. This could be the issue. 

Sometimes, a lack of good CCTV monitor can be the issue. 

Bottom Line

We believe by now you know how to fix night vision camera. To be more specific, now you know all about the ‘CCTV camera not working at night’ problem. 

Now that you know where to look and what to do, it’s time to get to work. Good luck.