Help with a Swann camera.

BMann

BMann

n3wb
Nov 30, 2018
20
2
Midwest
I think this is the right forum. Swann is a rebranded Hikvision??

I have one camera that a little while back started some kind of tunnel vision at night. During the daytime the picture is perfect. But when it gets dark it gets tunnel vision. My system is a Swann POE nvr8-7400. Is the camera dying? or??
I am using a separate I R light (that is what is giving the washed out area. I am pretty sure the tunnel vision started before that. Now that I am posting this, maybe I should disconnect the light and see if it makes a difference. But I may just get a dark screen. (Don't worry about the alien in the background, he is cool.)

tunnel camera.JPG
 
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BMann said:
I am using a separate I R light
Click to expand...
If using a separate (outboard?) IR emitter, have you not disabled the camera's built-in IR?
If not, try doing so to see if the image improves at night.
 
Aliens emit a lot of cosmic ray noise on the cameras CMOS.
 
BMann said:
I think this is the right forum. Swann is a rebranded Hikvision??

I have one camera that a little while back started some kind of tunnel vision at night. During the daytime the picture is perfect. But when it gets dark it gets tunnel vision. My system is a Swann POE nvr8-7400. Is the camera dying? or??
I am using a separate I R light (that is what is giving the washed out area. I am pretty sure the tunnel vision started before that. Now that I am posting this, maybe I should disconnect the light and see if it makes a difference. But I may just get a dark screen. (Don't worry about the alien in the background, he is cool.)

View attachment 203142
Click to expand...

Hi @BMann

Q: "Swann is a rebranded Hikvision??"
A: Older Swann models were often Hikvision OEM.
Swann went to another OEM a few years ago iirc.
 
TonyR said:
If using a separate (outboard?) IR emitter, have you not disabled the camera's built-in IR?
Click to expand...
I have not disabled the built in IR lights. Not sure how but will dig through the software.

Slow at replying... I don't get notifications.
 
Ok I unplugged the extra light. Besides the picture is darker (of course) There is a double ring. like a bullseye. Camera picture of my screen. I still have on board IR lights on.

Alien is still watching. Camera looks great in daytime.
camera 2.JPG
 
As others have said, that looks like the classic case of IR bounce. Looks like the seal around the lens has failed.

If you can turn the internal IR off, it will disappear.
 
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wittaj said:
As others have said, that looks like the classic case of IR bounce. Looks like the seal around the lens has failed.
Click to expand...
I might as well toss out questions. I cannot find anything in the NVR settings to turn off the lights in the camera. I am guessing taping off the lights would not help since it seems like an internal seal failure? Only other idea is to replace camera?

The camera is West facing so it does get a lot of afternoon/evening sun.

Thanks for the ideas.
 
BMann said:
I might as well toss out questions. I cannot find anything in the NVR settings to turn off the lights in the camera. I am guessing taping off the lights would not help since it seems like an internal seal failure? Only other idea is to replace camera?

The camera is West facing so it does get a lot of afternoon/evening sun.

Thanks for the ideas.
Click to expand...
Open the camera's webGUI to turn off its IR to see if it goes off.
If it does, it's likely the foam ring is out of place or missing.
Then you would have to remove the cam, open it up and note the ring's position.
Some on IPCT have made a new ring by cutting out a piece of foam to replace a missing ring.
 
TonyR said:
Open the camera's webGUI to turn off its IR to see if it goes off.
If it does, it's likely the foam ring is out of place or missing.
Click to expand...
OK, I gave the camera a once over... You guys got the answer... There is a tiny crack in the glass around the lens. Sounds like the problem.

For the rookie, how to you access the camera directly to shut off the IR lights?
 
BMann said:
OK, I gave the camera a once over... You guys got the answer... There is a tiny crack in the glass around the lens. Sounds like the problem.

For the rookie, how to you access the camera directly to shut off the IR lights?
Click to expand...
Since its connected to a POE NVR, try from the NVR's webGUI; use a PC on the same LAN as the NVR; enter the NVR's LAN IP in your browser.
Go to the camera page to see if there's a browser icon to click on and open the camera's webGUI.
 
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