A Comprehensive Guide on How to Fix CCTV Camera Issues

Nowadays, security has become fundamentally important in our life to ensure the overall safety and protection of individual possessions. Every commercial property like office buildings and retail outlets require careful consideration of integrated security measures. Though security guards provide an element of protection, CCTV systems can also play a crucial role in providing proper protection.

As no electronic equipment is completely free from technical errors, it goes the same for the CCTV cameras also. Often, customers complain that they find their CCTV camera not working or CCTV not recording as it should. So, if you’re also going through such CCTV problems, then don’t lose hope. This article will provide you with the right solutions that you can use to fix the CCTV issues properly.

Common Camera Issues that Occur on CCTV Systems

When it comes to your CCTV system, there can be a lot of things that may go wrong. Most of the times, the problems are related to the image itself. Although the issues might be serious, they are not that difficult to identify. Here are some of the frequent CCTV camera problems that people come across:

Sun Burn Issue
This problem occurs when direct sunlight enters the camera lens and affects the image sensor inside it. As a result, there will be distortions on the glass and you’ll see some awful video degradation. Starting from blurriness and changes in the contrast, you will ultimately find the CCTV camera not working.

IR Glare
If your CCTV camera is installed under a rim or overhanging roof and if the leaves get in the field of view of the camera, then IR glare will appear. If your camera has night vision, i.e. infrared IR LEDs, then this problem can be quite a headache to you. Due to this, there will be glares on the camera or the camera will change the electronic shutter to neutralize the glare. Thus, CCTV camera not showing picture issue will occur on your system.

Electrified Surface
Make sure that you don’t set your cameras on a metal surface because ‘bleeding’ electrical currents can hamper your device. When a device is wired poorly and that current is making contact with the conductive surface, then ‘bleeding’ generates. Often, you will encounter the CCTV camera not working when this unwanted current travels right into your camera.

Ground Loop
Ground loops usually generates when you see horizontal lines running across the camera monitor screen. Defective power cables or power supplies are the main culprits for ground loop issues. This can also arise due to improper wiring in the house or office complex.

IR Cut Filter
If the IR cut filter is not present in your CCTV camera, then you can’t use it outdoors. During this situation, the image on the CCTV monitor will appear very bright and adjusting the brightness settings won’t help you to solve it completely. And after some time, you will inevitably end up with the CCTV camera not showing picture.

Power Source
Your CCTV power supply can be affected due to many different factors. Specifically, the problem is related to ‘rolling lines’ that appear on your screen. These are basically horizontal lines across the camera screen moving from bottom to top and also the lines moving in the opposite. The captured image on the camera will remain behind the rolling lines which are quite frustrating to view.

How to Fix CCTV Camera Not Working Issue with Easy Tips and Tricks?

In the earlier section, we learned about some of the common errors related to CCTV surveillance systems. Now, we will move on to the troubleshooting part where you’ll find the ways to get rid of CCTV glitches correctly and quickly.

Solution 1: Check The Camera Power And Connection

First, you need to make sure whether all the connections of the CCTV system are properly done and the camera is powered up. Normally, you can do this by following the user manual instructions that come with the CCTV camera product.

For a wireless home security system, you need to check the WiFi connection via which your camera is linked. Check the network via a network cable and along with that, see if your router is functioning correctly or not.

In case of PoE security camera, confirm that the video signal and the power supply are transmitting properly. You should also verify whether the workable PoE injector or PoE switch is working precisely as they should.

Solution 2: Check The Camera Settings

If you haven’t set the CCTV camera in the right way, then there will be many issues regarding the CCTV system. This may include no motion sensor alert, failure to connect WiFi, CCTV not recording, and other relevant problems.

You can modify the security camera settings with the help of the user manual. Some of the features are enabled by default while others are not. Thus, you need to change the settings and enable the features you need to use.

Solution 3: Restart The CCTV Camera

Like other electronic equipment, you can try rebooting the CCTV camera to fix the problematic errors. By restarting the device, you can clear the camera cache and recalibrate the settings as well. It will also allow the connections to self-revise and solve the connectivity issues. While rebooting the CCTV system, plug out the power cord and wait for few minutes. Then, plug it back again to the camera.

Solution 4: Check For IP Conflicts

As CCTV cameras work using IP addresses, it is mandatory to have a unique IP address for the system. If there is an IP conflict on your CCTV system, then you are likely to encounter the CCTV camera not working. However, you can check it using two methods that are as follows:

Go to Windows Search bar and type ‘cmd’ to open the Command Prompt. Then, type ‘arp -a’ in the Prompt panel to check the IP conflict.

Otherwise, type ‘ping cameraIPaddress -t’ in the Command Prompt screen. Suppose your CCTV’s IP address is 192.168.0.999. Then, you should type ‘ping 192.168.0.999 –t’. If it shows ‘Unreachable’ or ‘Timed Out,’ then your camera can’t connect to the network. For resolving that, you have to change the IP address.

Solution 5: Update CCTV Firmware

Sometimes, the problem of CCTV not recording can be related to firmware issues. So, you can try updating the firmware software of your CCTV camera system. You can download the latest firmware updates from the manufacturer’s website and install them directly.

Solution 6: Update Client Software

If you’re having troubles connecting the camera via software, then it might be due to incompatibility between the software and firmware. Therefore, along with the firmware, you also need to update the software to eliminate the CCTV issues.

If you’re unable to change the CCTV video settings on software from your computer or can’t access the camera remotely via the mobile app, then surely you have to update the software.

Well, these are the best solutions that can help you to fix the CCTV camera not working issue properly. We hope that using the above procedures, you’ll be able to remove all the glitches from your CCTV surveillance system without any hassle.