Camera image problems split between lens, lighting, network bitrate, and settings.

1. Clean the lens

The single most underrated step. Even indoor cameras accumulate:

  • Dust on the lens cover
  • Smudges (someone touched it)
  • Spider webs around it
  • Bug droppings on outdoor units

Use a microfiber cloth — never paper towels (scratches). For outdoor units, a soft brush first to remove debris.

2. Lens cover scratches

If the lens cover is physically scratched, image quality degrades permanently:

  • A replacement lens cover is usually cheap and easy to install
  • Some camera models seal the lens cover; replacement is a service ticket

3. Focus

Most modern cameras auto-focus, but they can lose focus over time:

  • Many cameras have a "refocus" button in the web interface
  • Some have a focus reset
  • Variable focal length cameras need manual focus adjustment when first installed

4. Lighting

Image quality depends massively on lighting:

  • Daytime too bright — back-lit subjects appear silhouetted. Enable WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) in camera settings.
  • Night too dark — check that IR (infrared) night vision is on. Cameras have a day/night switch that may be set to "color only".
  • Mixed lighting — auto-exposure struggles with bright windows and dark room. Use IR for shadows or schedule a different sensor mode.

5. Night vision specifically

If night vision is broken:

  • Look at the camera at night — IR LEDs should glow red faintly. If they're dark, the IR cut filter may be stuck.
  • The IR cut filter (a small motor that switches between day and night sensors) wears out over years. A typical fix is camera replacement.
  • Some cameras have separate switchable lights for color night vision — check settings.

6. Image is washed out / overexposed

Daytime images that are too bright:

  • Reduce exposure manually (most cameras default to auto)
  • Enable WDR
  • Schedule different exposure for different times of day
  • Reposition the camera away from direct sunlight

7. Network bitrate

If recorded video is choppy or blocky:

  • The camera streams at a set bitrate; if your network can't carry it, frames drop
  • Reduce the camera's substream bitrate for recording
  • Check the network — see [slow Wi-Fi](/kb/slow-wifi) or [troubleshooting-teams-meetings](/kb/troubleshooting-teams-meetings) for bandwidth tests

8. Resolution mismatch

You set the camera to 4K but it streams at 1080p. Causes:

  • The camera is on the main stream but you're viewing the substream
  • The NVR is limited to a certain max resolution
  • The codec (H.264 vs H.265) may have a config issue

Check camera settings — both main stream and substream should be configured.

9. Compression artifacts

Blocky video, color banding, ghosting:

  • Bitrate is too low for the scene's complexity
  • Increase the bitrate (more storage used, but cleaner image)
  • Switch to H.265 (better quality at same bitrate, requires modern NVR)

10. Camera positioning

Some quality issues are physical:

  • Camera is too far from subject → image is fine but face recognition fails
  • Camera is too close → wide angle distorts
  • Camera is too high → only see the top of heads
  • Camera looking into a hallway → bright doorway at the end, dim hallway

Repositioning often fixes more than tweaking settings.

When to ticket

Raise a ticket if:

  • Lens cleaning and focus don't help
  • IR night vision is broken
  • Image quality has degraded suddenly (was fine, now bad)
  • You need new positioning or a different camera model

Include the camera asset tag, when you noticed the degradation, and ideally a sample image showing the problem.