How to Troubleshoot a Night Vision Camera Problem

When the night vision capability of your security camera doesn't work, you have a problem, especially if you rely on the captured images to keep you and your loved ones safe. However, you can resolve infrared camera problems yourself if the cause is something simple.

Before you start troubleshooting a night vision camera, it helps to understand how they work. The most popular form of night vision is accomplished through the use of small LED bulbs. These lights turn on in dark conditions and serve as a floodlight for the camera they surround without covering the entire area in light.

The cause of night vision not working on a security camera is often that there is too much light in the area surrounding the camera. The LED lights won't activate if the sensor detects it's a well-lit area. It may not be bright enough to capture the images in front of the camera, but it's also not dark enough for the camera to go into night mode.

If adjusting the lights near the camera doesn't repair things, you can take a few troubleshooting steps to find out why the night vision is not working on your security camera. First, go into the camera's settings and make sure the mode is turned on. It could be called "infrared mode" instead of "night vision."

If that doesn't fix your infrared camera problems, try powering the camera off and on again, as well as unplugging it and plugging it back in. If the camera itself has a switch for night vision mode, try toggling that on and off. You can also test it by moving it to a dark place and seeing if night vision kicks in to rule out environmental factors. If these measures don't work, check to see if your camera has any software upgrades by going to the manufacturer's website. Sometimes a fix for a known problem is added to an update.

If the infrared issue relates to the night vision mode on your baby monitor's camera, troubleshooting the unique features of a baby monitor may require additional steps.

If you're having infrared camera problems with a baby monitor, check the batteries. You could need to replace them. Try using a different power cord or plugging it into a different outlet. You can also reset the baby monitor's camera to default settings. Hopefully, one of these steps works for you, but consult the operating manual specific to your camera model if they don't.