Why Your CCTV Footage Looks Awful at Night 

Night-time CCTV performance is one of the biggest issues home and business owners across Lancashire experience. When the sun goes down, cameras are pushed to their limits. Blurry faces, bright white glare, pixelated shadows and near-total darkness are all symptoms of a system that isn’t set up correctly. The good news? Most night vision problems, with the right adjustments, lighting and maintenance can drastically improve your CCTV night vision.

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Below are the most common reasons your CCTV footage looks poor at night — and the steps that can dramatically improve clarity and performance.

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1. IR Glare From Walls, Soffits or Nearby Surfaces

Infrared light is designed to illuminate the scene at night, but if it reflects off brickwork, soffits, posts or even cobwebs, it bounces back into the lens and completely washes out the image. This is the number one cause of white haze and “foggy” night-time footage.

Fix: Reposition the camera away from reflective surfaces or upgrade to a turret-style camera that handles IR much more effectively.

2. Using the Wrong Lens for the Area

A wide-angle lens might give you a broad daytime view, but it will struggle to retain detail at distance when light levels drop. This leads to blurry faces, unclear vehicles and unusable evidence.

Fix: Choose the correct lens for the area you’re monitoring.

2.8mm – wide coverage, short detail range

4mm+ – narrower view, better detail at distance

Getting this right massively improves night performance.

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3. Insufficient Lighting

Even the best CCTV cameras need light. If an area is poorly lit, the system will rely entirely on IR, which can only do so much.

Fix: Add low-energy LED lighting, install IR illuminators or upgrade to full-colour night cameras such as Hikvision ColorVu. These provide bright, colour images all night with excellent clarity.

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4. Dirty Cameras and Spider Webs

Dust, rain marks and spider webs scatter IR light and create glowing fog across the screen. This is one of the simplest but most damaging issues.

Fix: Clean the camera glass regularly, remove webs and apply anti-spider spray to reduce build-up.

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5. Lack of Maintenance or Incorrect System Setup

Firmware, exposure settings, shutter speed, cabling quality and IR strength all affect night vision. If your system hasn’t been serviced for a long time, expect degraded performance.

Fix: A full system service restores image quality, updates firmware and optimises your night settings — often resulting in a major improvement overnight.

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Professional Night-Time CCTV Improvements – EES Can Help

At Elite Electronics & Security (EES), we specialise in improving night-time CCTV clarity across Lancashire. Whether you need better camera placement, upgraded lighting, new lenses or a full system service, we can restore your night footage to the standard it should be.

Contact us now – https://www.ees-electronics.co.uk/contact-us/

01254 427664