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Wi-Fi cameras rely on infrared (IR) for night vision.
Here’s how to get a clear image.
One or more IR LEDs blast out as much light as possible, acting as a floodlight.
This completely defeats the point of even having a security camera.
you’re free to use either traditional outdoor lighting or IR lighting.
You must also either turn off or cover the camera’s built-in IR lighting.
The best thing to do, of course, is to use an outdoor camera.
An outdoor camera will bypass issues with glass and still benefit from most of these suggestions.
Traditional lights are the simplest way to accomplish that goal.
Josh Hendrickson / How-To Geek
If you have a porch light, leave it on.
you’re able to then turn off night mode on your camera.
The options here vary from camera to camera.
Some cameras, like theWyze Cam, only let you turn off everything.
When night mode is off, the IR lights won’t turn on.
Depending on the camera, your video may be in color.
But this has an obvious downside: You’re using electricity all night and potentially annoying your neighbors.
Motion-activated lights are a better solution.
you might find battery-operated lights that are easy to attach to your door or wall, likethe Overlight.
Or you could consider a powered solutionwith floodlights.
A floodlight on its own can be more effective than a porch light.
Combined, they can make for crystal clear video.
If that’s the case, a little electrical tape will do the trick.
The excess light will drown out the reflection of your camera as well.
Darker cameras, like theSimplifSafe camera, are better than the bright white Wyze Cam.
Turning off the IR lights improves the picture even more.
Even an angle of five degrees will help.
Instead of Traditional Lights, Use an IR Illuminator
Traditional lights aren’t always the best option.
And, while traditional floodlights will work, anIR illuminatoris an even more effective solution.
The picture above shows IR illuminator turned on.
But, when you look at the gadget in person, all you’ll see is dim purple lights.
The idea here is to replace the built-in IR lights of your security camera.
As far as your camera is concerned, you’ve effectively mounted an extremely powerful spotlight.
To the human eye, there may appear a curious set of dim purple lights.
Noticeable, but easy to ignore.
In the image above, the IR illuminator is pointed at the sidewalk, making that the brightest point.
You should test exact placement and positioning before permanently mounting the unit to your house.
The above photo uses all the methods discussed above.
The Wyze Cam sits as near to the glass as possible, with its IR LEDs covered.
The IR illuminator aims for the sidewalk, and something triggered the motion-detecting floodlight above the garage.
If your camera uses its IR sensors for motion detection, you won’t get any alerts behind glass.
Your camera can’t detect any motion.
Pixel-based motion detection doesn’t have this issue and can work through windows.
