Advice on Night Vision Swann NHD-806 Problem

[SoundlessHero]

Hello everyone,

New to this forum. I was looking for some information to send over to a friend and I stumbled across this forum. I found a picture that someone had posted in a thread from a while ago that I can no longer locate. The picture was his camera with night vision on - you could see his car in the driveway and the whole street and the house across the street. My cameras don't look like that at all at night. :sad:

I was under the impression, after installing my system, that the night vision was just what it was - I didn't think it could be better. In fact, I added a new circuit breaker and motion flood lamps to light up the areas around the cameras so that a person may be seen clearly because the image was so dark. I have been doing extensive research the last few days and I just can't seem to find a way to solve this issue. I have the Swann NVR-7085 with 4 NHD-806 cameras. At night, I can see the red illumination on all three cameras (have yet to install the fourth) so I just assumed they always worked as best as they were going to. So far I have tried:

1. Unplugging 2 cameras to see if it makes the third better
2. Changing outlets (steady 120 V at all my sockets)
3. Got into the attic and hit the reset button on the cameras (These are POE)
3. Diving deep into the menus to see if playing around with the settings improved the night vision. (AGC, CDS, B&W and Auto)

None of these have helped. During the day the cameras are fantastic, really sharp and focused, but the night vision is horrible. I have the system set up with a dedicated monitor and I am using all materials that came with the system. Right now, I have a feeling they are drawing intense power causing them to be lackluster, but I am using the power cable and the 120v to 48v converter pack that came with it. I am not sure how I can draw more power to test my theory?

If anyone can help, I would greatly appreciate all advice (even if it's just to tell me my cameras suck and I just have to deal with it :redface-new

Here's a daytime and night time image from today (I pulled these remotely from work on the swann software on substream setting, so the daytime image is a little poor quality). And a fun one of the UPS guy tossing my package

Thanks,
SoundlessHero

 

[fenderman]

Welcome to the forum..The problem you are having is that the wall is reflecting IR light at night(this fools the camera into thinking there is enough light)...This is causing the rest of the image to display dark..you need to readjust the camera so that the wall is no longer in the frame. You will also benefit in that you will capture more usable area...

 

[SoundlessHero]

Hi Fenderman!

Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it. I thought about the IR reflection too, but check out my backyard cam (I just pulled them right now). You can see the motion light is on - it's one of those that sleeps at a low setting, but kicks in if it detects motion. The other light is coming from the screen door. My sister is over at the house right now and probably just let the dog out. At night, when the shutters are closed and the motion finally sleeps, it is pitch black - as in you can't even see shapes:

 

[fenderman]

The ir lights are not on on the camera in the second set of images...did you disable the IR?
There is no question that the issue you are having with the first camera images is the ir reflecting off the wall.

 

[SoundlessHero]

That's the thing!! When I go and look at them, they are fiery red! I just called my sister to stick her head out of the window to check. That's why I'm so confused about all this - if the IR lights didnt come on, I was just going to try returning the whole thing. The camera on the side, I can see the red lights from the street when I come home and pull into the driveway and the one in the back, you can see the red lights, even with the motion light on full blast all the way from the fence in the back of the image. That's why I was thinking maybe the cams on full IR aren't getting enough juice? Am I missing a setting or something? I feel like I've gone through all the troubleshooting steps. :sad2: I almost regret finding the other guy's image - ignorance really is bliss!

 

[fenderman]

The second camera may have a stuck ir filter..these are mechanical filters that if stuck will not allow ir light to pass..if you hit the camera a bit you may be able to get it moving...
The first camera is working fine, it just needs your adjustment...
Regardless if one is not working just return it and get something better...what did you pay for that kit?

 

[SoundlessHero]

Ok I will def. try gently taping it when I get home tonight - Im leaving work right now. I'll also try to take a vid of the red lights, too.

The kit was listed at 648.00 at bestbuy. I had a TON of reward points so it came out to just a little over 500.00. For black Friday, they had it 499.99

Good/bad deal? I had no idea that people could just buy the same systems directly from China. I must have spent a solid 3 weeks running around comparing systems, before I randomly saw this at the store. Really wish I had known about this site beforehand.

 

[fenderman]

Its a decent deal, but there are better 2 and 3mp cams vs the 720p of your system..if you can still exchange it i would...otherwise just get them to warranty it..

 

[SoundlessHero]

Fenderman - thank you so much! I got on the ladder and moved the cams away from the wall. Then I tapped them and heard them clicking for the IR. You were right, the backyard was stuck and the front and side were bouncing way too much IR. The NV is alot better now- A LOT. Im at a holiday party, so Ill throw up some pics tom and you can give me your opinion.

If you can, could you recommend a 2 mp/3mp cam system? My sister actually lives 3 doors down and wanted to get a system too. If there are bettter systems that are cheaper, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks again for your help!

Soundlesshero

 

[fenderman]

You wont find a better system for less than 500..
In the 500 range this is the best i know of..its a rebranded dahua system. http://www.samsclub.com/sams/qsee-4x4-secrty-sys/prod11570578.ip?navAction=
However if you use the 650 price you paid, this system here goes on sale from costco for 799 or less pretty often
http://www.costco.com/Swann-8-Channel-HD-NVR-Security-System-with-2TB-HDD-and-4-3MP-HD-IP-Cameras.product.100146086.html
or if you need more cams this is another option
http://www.costco.com/Q-See-8-Channel-HD-NVR-Security-System-with-2TB-HDD-and-6-1080p-Cameras.product.100128993.html

You can also build these systems on ali express you will have more flexibility about the cameras used....my favorite hikvision 2332 turret camera is about 85-95 on ali'
so 4 cams + nvr + hard drive will cost about 800 or so..
Also look at http://www.nellyssecurity.com/ http://wrightwoodsurveillance.com/ and LTS (member @milkisbad http://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php?257-Good-source-to-buy-Hikvision-items-at&highlight=source)

You can also just by the cameras and use hikvisions free vms software on a pc...but a dedicated NVR is more stable and generally maintenance free..
as an aside, whats in that box that the ups guy was tossing?

 

[SoundlessHero]

Hi Fenderman - Hope you had a great holiday. I have been meaning to come back and close this thread out, just been so busy with work!

The box just contained some tupperware - probably the only thing that wouldn't have broken. Also, thanks for the info on the higher res cameras. My sister's ex-husband is going to buy two systems, for himself and her house, so I passed along the info.

As for me, the camera's are in great shape. I'm still getting a little bit of IR reflection on the side and backyard, but If I move them too far away from the wall, I lose a key grid on the windows, which is where the thief broke in last time. I might have to re-mount them, but with my motion lights the resolutions is pretty dang good if someone's walking around at night.

I did have one issue though - since I last posted here, I noticed that the front camera has developed a goldish blob on the top of the screen. I am including the picture. If I move the camera completely up or completely down it seems to fade away. In the picture of the UPS guy, you can't see it all. Do you have any idea what this could be? During the day, you can see through it, but at night it glows a kind of transparent grey and pretty much obscures a person's face. There is a CFL outdoor light to the left of the camera, I thought that might be it, but when I turn it off, I still see the grey blob at night. This picture is from the evening, where it can really be seen after the sun goes down.

Thanks again for helping me out fix the IR situation, I appreciate it. eaceful:

 

[fenderman]

When you move the camera to the right or left does the blob follow the camera movement?

 

[SoundlessHero]

Hi Fenderman -

I finally got a chance to experiment with the camera last night after getting my ladder back. I moved the camera left to right and up and down and it turns out the blob doesn't actually go away nor fade. When I checked it last time, the blob faded into the color of my stucco, which made it hard to see.

I reset the camera and I cleaned the lens with a nice cloth towel, but it's still there. What do you think it is? I would just un-mount it and bring it in to test, but it's a huge PITA because I mounted all my cameras to the wall with bolts so that thieves can't fully unscrew them. I'd have to get a second person out to unscrew them while I sit in the attic with a socket on the other end.

 

[fenderman]

Does the blob move with the camera though? if you move the camera to the left does the blob move or stay in the same spot?

 

[SoundlessHero]

It definitely moves with the camera. After adjusting it last night, I've moved the center of the image a bit up and to the left and you can see the blob move with it. Here's what it looks like right now:

 

[fenderman]

If its moving with the camera and cleaning the lens is not solving it the there is something defective in the camera...

 

[alphapenguin]

I know this is an old thread, and it seems the OP already answered the question, but I found I was having issues with my Swan 806 cameras as well. The nightvision was horrible. I could not see a thing, and I could not find a way to configure the cameras, until now.
On the swann support site they mention how to log in and configure the cam. I am not sure if I am allowed to post links, all you have to do is:
1. Install the Swanlink Windows (or Mac) App. Make sure you are obviously on the same network as the cams
2. login to the cam (either input the IP address), user: admin, psswd is 12345
you can then log into the cam and adjust it. i just set the backlight to Dynamic Range, and the super dark night vision was resolved.
You can even adjust the ports etc.