You’ve finally had security cameras installed in your property and you couldn’t be more excited about it. However, your joy is cut short when you realize the beauties flicker at night.
Although it can be frustrating and demoralizing, this is one of the common problems with security cameras that can be fixed with relative ease. Thus, before you freak out and call the experts, you might want to see if you can fix things on your own. To help you, we have described a few causes and solutions for flickering in security cameras.
1.Weather Issues
The weather has a direct impact on the reception of your camera. Bad weather causes poor reception of the image which is transferred to the monitor. To know if this is the cause, check the image on the monitor. If you notice any flickering, look through your window whether the weather is calm and clear or not. If things are a little windy and stormy, there’s a likelihood that the flicker is caused by the bad weather.
Solution: Simply wait it out for the weather to clear then check the image once more.
2.Video Input Problem
If the weather is good enough but your camera won’t stop flickering at night, check its video input. More precisely, confirm if the video going to the output monitor is a complete loop through. If there’s any disconnection on the output, the camera might not be able to drive a video tape recorder.
Solution: Confirm if the video output is terminated with a load of 75 ohm. Chances are, the video circuits are on an overdrive in which case the flickering may be caused by the AGC circuits of the monitor.
3. Power Issues
Like other equipment, loss of power or reception of inadequate power can make your security camera to underperform. If you experience flickering of images when assessing your feed at night, this could be an issue at your power source. Essentially, a security camera utilizes infrared light to capture images in conditions of low light. This means that if the cameras are running on low battery, the lights may not have sufficient power to operate optimally.
Solution: Check your power input to see whether your system is using a power splitter or a dedicated power supply. The former is bound to reduce the amount of power to your camera.
4. Faulty Cables
Another possible cause for flickering is damaged cables and connections. Damaged equipment leads to data transmission and power issues that ultimately affect the image quality of the camera.
Solution: Check all the connections of your cameras for any loose or corroded wire. If you find any, replace them and install them in a weatherproof box to prevent exposure to elements.
Hopefully, by now you know what to do when your security cameras flicker at night. If you try the above tips and somehow your camera still flickers, consider calling in security camera installation experts to get to the root cause. Some of the issues are too complex for you to handle.
