How to Fix Pixelated Video on Your Abode Camera
A crisp, clear video feed is fundamental to your home security. When the footage from your Abode camera appears pixelated, blocky, or blurry, it can make it difficult to see important details, defeating the purpose of having a security camera. This issue is not usually a fault with the camera itself, but rather a symptom of a poor or unstable network connection.
This guide will walk you through the common causes of video quality degradation and provide clear, actionable steps to help you restore a sharp, reliable video stream from your Abode camera.
### Understanding the Cause of Pixelation
Pixelation (or macroblocking) is a form of video compression artefact. It occurs when your camera doesn't have enough bandwidth to upload a full-quality video stream to the cloud. To avoid dropping the connection entirely, the camera is forced to compress the video data much more heavily. This compression results in the blocky, low-resolution image you see on your screen. The root cause is almost always related to your Wi-Fi network.
Common symptoms of poor video quality include:
- The live video stream looks blocky, grainy, or made up of large squares.
- The video frequently freezes, stutters, or buffers.
- The footage appears to be in very low resolution, even in good lighting.
- There is a significant delay between real-world events and what you see on the stream.
- The video quality fluctuates, looking clear one moment and pixelated the next.
- Recorded clips are of a much lower quality than you expect.
Step-by-Step Guide to Improving Video Quality
Work through these steps to diagnose and fix the network issues that are causing pixelation.
### 1. Check Your Wi-Fi Signal Strength
The most common culprit is a weak Wi-Fi signal at the camera's location.
- Check Signal in the Abode App: The Abode app often provides a signal strength indicator for your connected devices. If the signal is listed as 'Poor' or 'Weak', this is likely your problem.
- Move Your Router or Camera: The simplest solution is to reduce the physical distance between your camera and your Wi-Fi router. Even moving one of them a few feet can make a significant difference.
- Minimise Obstructions: Wi-Fi signals are weakened by physical barriers. Each wall, floor, or large piece of furniture between the router and the camera reduces the signal strength. Materials like brick, concrete, and metal are particularly disruptive. Try to ensure the most direct line of sight possible.
### 2. Reduce Network Congestion and Interference
Your camera is competing for bandwidth with every other device on your network.
- Limit Other Network Activity: If someone in your home is streaming 4K video, downloading large files, or gaming online, it can saturate your available upload bandwidth, leaving little for your camera. Try pausing these activities and check if the camera's video quality improves.
- Check for Interference: Many common household electronics can interfere with Wi-Fi signals, especially on the 2.4GHz band which most security cameras use. These include microwaves, cordless phones, baby monitors, and Bluetooth devices. Try to keep your camera and router away from these items.
- Change Wi-Fi Channel: If you live in a densely populated area like an apartment building, your neighbours' Wi-Fi networks can interfere with yours. Log in to your router's administrative settings and try changing the Wi-Fi channel to a less crowded one (channels 1, 6, and 11 are generally best for 2.4GHz).
### 3. Test Your Internet Upload Speed
Your camera's performance is dependent on your internet plan's upload speed, not just the download speed.
- Run a Speed Test: Using a smartphone or computer connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your camera, go to a website like speedtest.net and run a test.
- Analyse the Results: Abode cameras typically require at least 2-4 Mbps of upload speed per camera to function optimally. If your test result is below this, your internet plan may not be sufficient to support high-quality streaming.
- Contact Your ISP: If your upload speed is consistently lower than what your plan promises, contact your Internet Service Provider for assistance.
### 4. Reboot Your Equipment
A simple reboot can often clear up temporary glitches.
- Unplug your Abode camera from its power source.
- Unplug your modem and your Wi-Fi router.
- Wait for 60 seconds.
- Plug in your modem first and wait for it to fully connect.
- Plug in your router and wait for it to fully boot up.
- Finally, plug your Abode camera back in.
By systematically addressing these potential network issues, you can resolve the root cause of the pixelation and restore the crystal-clear video feed you need to keep your home secure.