Dahua outdoor camera - IR fault?

[Bothwellbuyer]

I have a Dahua 8 channel DVR and 6 Dahua cameras. Since fitting in 2017, they work well. However the camera at the front which is fitted to a side fence to cover my front door is great during the day, but hopeless at night. I can see the IR lights on it at night, but all I get is a blurred image of the door 10 feet away. The camera is, I think a 4MP model. Its wired 30m from the DVR using Cat5e cable. Yesterday I tried swapping the cable connectors to a Swann SWPRO bullet camera to see if that would work better. Its model number may be N3960. I got a clear daytime image - quite impressive. Nighttime was just as hopeless, so maybe I am expecting too much from the cameras? This morning, after a gale during the night, the Swann is just showing a fuzzy grey picture so I wonder if its got wet or if its really an internal camera (I have a box of them from somewhere)

I have tried to swap the Dahua camera, but the eyeball fitting is corroded/stuck on the screw fitting to the base plate, so would need to prise it apart...I can't find a wrench big enough try unscrewing it.

Another Dahua camera has developed condensation inside the body obscuring the lens that covers the driveway - first time this has happened. The last external camera has no output but I have fixed it once before as a bad joint in the joint box below it.

Any ideason the IR issue, and am I wasting time with the Swann? (I have read some of the sticky notes on IR limitations)

 

[wittaj]

We have to see a picture in order to diagnose it as it could be anything - IR blur getting into the lens, IR reflection from something, dirty lens and IR bounce.

Add a screenshot and we can better help you figure it out.

 

[Bothwellbuyer]

I've attached pics of the system I have, with a pic from the Swann today (sunlight) and then from the Dahua covering the front door in sunlight today. I will search a pic of the IR picture of the same camera. I played around with camera 1 connections and the 12v is ok....and with some shuffling, I got camera 1 to work (badly) soI think its the co-ax connection is faulty.

 

[wittaj]

So pictures of a monitor can distort things due to refresh rates of the monitor, but it appears that you have analog cameras and are getting interference by electrical wires that the BNC cables are crossing.

But we need to see what it looks like at night to confirm what the issue is with IR.

 

[Bothwellbuyer]

Hmm. The DVR is close to a bunch of electric circuits, hence are the BNC cables. The Cat5e cable going out to camera 6 is in a conduit with a lighting cable which is now unused, but I'll need to check the route. I have attached a screenshot from playing back camera 6 at night earlier this week. You might just be able to pick out the railings.

 

[wittaj]

That is the classic example of IR bounceback from an object just outside the field of view. Looks like something just to the right.

Any camera put in that same location with the same limitations will have that as well.

But it also could be some IR bleed thru the camera getting into the lens. But you won't know if that is the case until you move that camera around and see it it continues.

 

[Bothwellbuyer]

That is the classic example of IR bounceback from an object just outside the field of view. Looks like something just to the right.

Any camera put in that same location with the same limitations will have that as well.

But it also could be some IR bleed thru the camera getting into the lens. But you won't know if that is the case until you move that camera around and see it it continues.

Thanks. The camera is fixed to a post 3 feet tall - no other option. There is no front fence; but I will turn camera towards the house in case its picking up site of the edge of the post....the IR could be catching the post I guess. Never thought of that! Thank you.

 

[Bothwellbuyer]

I adjusted the camera slightly towards the house, realising from the comment above thatthe camera was catchingthe edge of the camera securing ring. Result ! Thank you very much !!