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janic3w86's profile

Wednesday, June 26th, 2024 3:16 PM

Doorbell camera foggy at night causing all motion to trigger

Just when I thought I’d finally have a fully functioning doorbell camera… well I was wrong. All of a sudden at night the camera got the foggy picture. It causes motion to go off only at night when it’s just cars. 

I looked at some of the other posts to see if there are things I can do to fix it. I cleaned the lens, and I’ve adjusted video quality settings. Nothing has worked. 

Do you recommend a reset? Or do we think something has gotten in the lens. Thing has been junk since purchasing new in January 2024. So frustrated with it. 

Community Admin

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3.4K Messages

6 months ago

Hi @janic3w86, 

Just so I have this right, the camera is only foggy at night? It clears up during the day?

Are you able to inspect the camera to see if there is dew or some other form of condensation on its lens? If there is, that could be the root cause of this foggy picture.

9 Messages

Hi @emily_s Up until 2 days ago I had no issues. Both day and night view was clear. Then around 8ish pm the motion notification continues to go off every 2 minutes. Except it’s street traffic with this glare. Each recording starts out normal then has this light flash and the video continuing as pictured. (It’s not letting me upload the video). Even without recoding, opening the front doorbell camera looks like pictured at night. I checked for condensation and cleaned with a dry microfiber just in case.  Nothing on the camera lens. During the day view from the camera is normal. (Including pic of what it looks like right now).

(edited)

1.4K Messages

6 months ago

Assuming it's outside and not looking thru glass? IR lights glare on glass. And assuming it sorta worked before? And this is a new problem?

No large white walls along side the doorbell?

I would try in camera settings, 720p, people only, medium, medium and flipping the night vision toggle from auto to off and save, then back again to auto and save. IR lights may be stuck off or something. Worth a try. Failing that a reset isn't out of the ordinary or replacement.

Daytime works ok?

It looks dark outside but if you have ambient outside light, porch light etc. I'd turn that on and test.

9 Messages

Hi. What was included was picture I pulled from the app and the view is looking out from the doorbell. It doesn’t normally look like this. On the right side of the picture is white stone on the house but not an issue. See pic of what it is during the day. 

Settings for the camera were already on the setting you suggested. Last night from other comments I read I changed night vision from Auto to On. Hit save. And then flipped it back, but I can try changing to Off and save. 

it works fine during the day. Night has good visibility usually. I’ll post a view of what’s typically normal at night compared to now.

1.4K Messages

6 months ago

Good luck, you'll have to work it out with Simplisafe. Possible replacement if problem continues.

1.4K Messages

6 months ago

One more suggestion/question, what do you see with night vision off?

9 Messages

@dlpsr​ turned of night vision and had no issue last night. With night vision on on or auto the fog and motion notification did go off. 

1.4K Messages

@janic3w86​ Can you see anything though at night with night vision off?

The cameras need ambient light. And if you stepped out in front of the camera in the dark, did you get a notification and viewable video?

I run both doorbells in auto, but my porch and lamp post lights are fairly bright.

Just want to be sure detection still works and vídeos are produced normally for security.

9 Messages

5 months ago

Update: technical support didn’t provide an answer for the issue. They did however provide a replacement doorbell. The replacement was a refurbished that didn’t turn on. They send a new doorbell and install went ok. The night vision issue persists. I changed night vision from “auto” to “off” so that I can try and at least catch some walking motion at night. No night notifications yet, but at least the camera view is visible in “off” mode. 

1.4K Messages

5 months ago

If night vision off works, and your getting notifications if you step out in front of it. I'd stay with that myself. Looks like enough ambient out there to leave it off.

If like me, it has to work correctly. Lol

I'll turn mine off and see what they look like tonight and function test.

Easy night test. In one photo, that white wall is bright white when it looks foggy photo. Tape a piece of dark paper over the wall to test so the camera only sees dark wall.

Put night back in auto to test.

Failing that.

Harder test. I don't know if this would even help, or if it's the cause, because I have porch lights on all night, both doorbells stay full color all night.

My porch lights are 8 feet away from each doorbell. Approximately.

That street lamp in one photo at the top, evening photo, "could" be driving the camera nuts.

Typically, SS sends an angle wedge in the box that might angle it down enough to remove the light from direct camera view.

It's a bit of pain as it will require removal and mounting the wedge and then doorbell on top of that.

Mine are in auto night vison, look straight out and never change even with porch light glare. And this may not help. I have had that pink stuff between light and dusk. But toggling from 720 to 1080 and then back again usually makes it go away.

Or to test just loosen the screws in the doorbell mounting bracket and let it dangle down a little.

About all I can suggest. At the moment.

1.4K Messages

5 months ago

What Google Gemini said. 😂 

A white wall can absolutely cause a foggy look in a doorbell camera's night vision footage if the IR light is reflecting off the wall. Here's why:

* **IR Light Reflection:** Infrared (IR) light is invisible to the human eye, but it's what doorbell cameras use for night vision. When the IR light hits a reflective surface, like a white wall, it can bounce back towards the camera instead of illuminating the area beyond the wall.

* **Blurry or Foggy Effect:** This reflected IR light can overwhelm the camera's sensor, creating a washed-out or blurry effect in the footage. It might appear foggy because the camera is picking up the bounced light instead of the actual scene details.

Here are some solutions to consider:

* **Adjust Camera Angle:** Try tilting the doorbell camera slightly downward so the IR light doesn't directly hit the white wall. This can help minimize reflection and improve night vision clarity.

* **Increase Distance:** If possible, mount the doorbell camera a little farther away from the white wall. This can give the IR light more space to spread out and reduce the chance of a direct reflection.

* **Consider Different Placement:** If adjusting the angle or distance isn't feasible, explore alternative mounting locations where the IR light won't directly hit the white wall.

* **Weatherproof Housing (Optional):** Some doorbell cameras come with weatherproof housings that have built-in visors or shades. These can help block the IR light from reflecting off nearby surfaces.

By following these tips, you can hopefully reduce the fogginess in your doorbell camera's night vision footage and get a clearer view of what's happening outside your door at night.

1.4K Messages

5 months ago

Just to follow up, I did test without night vision in auto and there's absolutely no difference for me. There is a tiny spot of glare probably from the bright lights.

I leave it in auto in case the LED porch light bulb fails, at least then it will have night vision, which isn't very effective in some cameras (these) 😆 and gets washed out at about 6-8 feet. I run all the outdoor cameras night vision off, this brand anyhow, with motion floodlights for full color.

12 days ago

I've had no issues with "the fog" for years until now. We just moved to a new house that had the exact same white wall barely in the frame on the right side and I suspect IR glare is the exact issue, like dlpsr suggested. I'm going to install the wedge and see if it helps! But I can't "move the wall" or "move where the doorbell is wired in the doorframe". Anyone know of good non-reflective white paint? Is that a thing?

1.4K Messages

@piratecannonsatthebeach​ Etsy sells SS doorbell mounts that swivel. Don't have any, so can't vouch for them. Don't know if they clamp in the selected swivel position.

There may be anti glare sheets available, not sure how theyd look. Try an Amazon search.

Mine are both hoaky if I forget to turn on the porch lights, occasional orange hue or stuck in night vison gray. I have to toggle resolution and save, revert, or toggle night vison, save and revert. PITA.

I self monitor now so it doesn't matter much. $169 doorbell ringers, X2. 😂

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