Any security camera needs to be clear and sharp in order to identify any perpetrators or wrongdoing on the premises. Sometimes even though the camera should be high definition, the real image on the screen is kind of unclear or fuzzy.
There are many factors that affect your video quality, but what are the reasons that your Ring security camera’s video looks blurry and unclear?
The Ring video quality on the phone app can be blurry due to insufficient internet connection. Typically, a poor connection is caused by the Ring camera being too far from your internet source (WiFi router, access point) or due to slow/unstable internet speeds.
In this article, we will show different ways on how to avoid poor video footage on your Ring camera. Read the suggestions below to get rid of blurry videos and have a clear and sharp image on your recordings.
How to fix blurry videos on my Ring app?
As we said, most of the time the reason why the video is blurry or unclear is because of poor internet connection. If the internet is not strong or consistent, then the camera will struggle to generate the image, hence it looks blurry. There are two ways to resolve this issue and improve the overall Ring video quality.
Place the Ring camera close to the WiFi routers
The first thing you should do is bring the Ring camera closer to the WiFi router (or vice versa) and see if there’s any improvement in the video feed.
Once the camera is closer to the router and the image quality starts to get better, clearer, and sharper, it means that the camera is too far away from the router. You either bring them closer or upgrade the network to provide a stronger and wider wireless coverage.
Another way to add a WiFi extender in between your router and the camera is to boost the signal strength and increase the distance that your WiFi coverage reaches.
Improve your internet speed
If the internet speed is low, or unstable, then it may cause the Ring’s app video image to appear blurry. As per Ring’s requirements, you need at 2Mbps internet upload speed to optimal performance.
You may check the internet speed by doing a speed test in your network. Just go to google and search “speed test” and you should see a lot of options. Even the Ring app offers speed testing.
If the speed test indicated an upload speed of less than 2Mbps, you could try these tips to improve the internet connection:
- Restart your router
- Make sure the router is not placed in a spot that creates a shield for the signal such as a thick wall, or metal object. If so, relocate the router to a better spot.
- If the router is very old, it may be time to get another one. This is especially the case for old WiFi routers, that are not able to transmit high-speed WiFi (limited by their hardware specs).
- Contact your Internet Service Provider and let them check out why you’re getting such low speeds.
Why Ring camera is blurry at night?
A blurry video on your Ring camera at night may indicate that the camera is either struggling with too much light or there’s not enough light for it to function properly.
Too much light on the sensor
If your Ring camera videos are washed out, have lots of glare at night, or simply look too white, then your camera sensor is getting too much light exposure. To reduce the light exposure, try the following steps.
Angle the camera in a different way such as to avoid direct lights of the source hitting the sensor. You can even use a wedge kit or corner kit. The idea is to limit the light exposure on the camera.
- Turn off any light sources close to the camera just to see if there’s a difference
- Adjust your Ring camera night vision setting on the phone app. Lookup for the “Wall Nearby” option to limit glare coming from the light hitting the wall.
- Avoid pointing the camera at solid surfaces such as fences, walls, etc. Re-point the camera until the picture is improved.
Not enough light
The signs your camera is not getting enough light are dark or fuzzy video. If your video looks like 90% pitch black apart from certain spots, then most likely there’s not enough light in the location. Try the following tips to improve the nighttime picture.
- Add light sources in the area under surveillance to help the camera “see” better at night time.
- Adjust your Ring camera night vision setting via the phone app, set it to “Normal”.
- If your Ring camera is battery-powered, ensure that the battery is actually charged. The camera uses more power in low-light conditions.
- Add IR LED floodlights to illuminate the area using infrared light.
How to enhance Ring app video?
The current footage cannot be improved, it is what it is. But there are a few ways you can enhance the Ring videos for future recordings. Some Ring cameras offer the option of High Dynamic Range (HDR), which can help the sensor generate clearer images.
HDR is a technique that allows the camera to capture multiple videos simultaneously in various light exposure conditions and then combine this data to create a clearer video.
HDR videos can display both the darker shadows as well as the brighter highlights since multiple images are captured under different light conditions. This allows the image to have sharp details without dark or washout spots. If you have such a camera, make sure to enable the HDR option.
Note: HDR affects video recorded only during the daytime. It will automatically turn off in night mode as not enough light is present and it cannot generate images under different light levels.
Conclusion
There are many factors that can make the Ring video appear blurry or not clear. Most of the time it is related to internet connection problems such as weak WiFi coverage, unstable internet, or slow connection.
If your videos show quality problems at night time only, then you should adjust the light sources around the area under surveillance.
