Common issues with IR Dome Cameras
This is a demonstration of issues you might find with IR Dome Cameras.
- If you noticed in this snapshot, you will see white spots around the image. This is caused when the lens is pointed straight up almost at 90 degrees. The lights are OFF and the IR’s are to close to the edge of the vandal dome housing. The light from the IR’s are bouncing back producing this issue.
Figure 1
Demonstration of camera been to closed to the edge of the camera dome cover
Figure 2
To fix this issue you must move the camera lens down to a point that the IR LEDs are not close to the edge of the dome cover. After you have the camera positioned away from the edge of the cover, the image should look like this:
Figure 3
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Another issue you might encounter after mounting this type of cameras are smudges and haze in the image. This issue is caused by having finger prints or dirt in the clear cover of the dome camera. This is an example of how it will look like when the dome is dirty:
Figure 4
I will be cleaning the surface of the camera with a microfiber cloth. It is recommended to use this type of cloth to clean the camera, because it will prevent scratches that might cause the IR’s to bounce back.
Right about to clean the camera
Camera image after cleaning the cover
There are many other issues that can cause IR reflection or bounce back. This includes:
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The dome cover is not bolted in tight enough.
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The rubber seal between the lens and the dome cover is not flush against the clear dome cover.
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Another IR camera is in the field of view of this security camera and is causing white out areas.
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There is a reflective surface above, below or in front of the security camera that is reflecting the IR light back into the camera.