How to Fix Poor Video Quality on Your Avigilon CCTV System
A state-of-the-art Avigilon security system is only as good as the video it captures. If you're experiencing blurry, pixelated, or grainy footage, it compromises your security and the effectiveness of your surveillance. This guide provides a structured approach to troubleshooting and resolving poor video quality issues on your Avigilon cameras.
## First Steps: Physical Camera Checks
Before adjusting software settings, it's essential to rule out physical problems with the camera itself.
- Clean the Lens: The most common cause of blurry video is a dirty or smudged lens. Dust, fingerprints, and water spots can accumulate over time. Gently wipe the camera's dome or lens with a clean, soft microfibre cloth.
- Check for Obstructions: Ensure there are no physical obstructions, like tree branches or cobwebs, directly in front of the lens.
- Inspect for Moisture: Moisture or condensation inside the camera's housing can cause a foggy or hazy image. If you suspect this, the camera's seals may need to be checked or replaced.
- Physical Focus Adjustment: For varifocal or PTZ cameras, the focus may need to be adjusted manually. This might require accessing the camera's physical controls or using the focus adjustment tools within the Avigilon Control Center (ACC) software.
## Optimising Settings in Avigilon Control Center (ACC)
Your camera's configuration in the ACC software plays a huge role in the final image quality. A misconfigured setting is often the culprit behind poor video.
### Resolution and Compression Settings
- Step 1: Log in to the ACC client with administrative privileges.
- Step 2: Navigate to the specific camera in the site tree, right-click it, and select Setup.
- Step 3: Go to the Compression and Image Rate tab.
- Step 4: Resolution: Ensure the camera is set to its highest native resolution. A lower resolution will inherently produce a less detailed image.
- Step 5: Image Quality & Bitrate: Avigilon cameras often have an 'Image Quality' setting. Setting this to a higher value will increase the bitrate, resulting in a clearer image with fewer compression artifacts (pixelation). Be aware that this will also increase storage and bandwidth usage.
### Image and Display Settings
Navigate to the Image and Display tab within the camera setup. Here you can fine-tune the image itself.
- Focus: Use the 'Auto-Focus' or 'Fine Focus' buttons to ensure the image is as sharp as possible.
- Sharpness: Increasing the sharpness can make details clearer, but setting it too high can create an artificial look with harsh edges. Adjust this setting in small increments.
- Exposure and White Balance: If your video colours look washed out or incorrect, adjust the exposure and white balance settings. Often, leaving these on 'Auto' works well, but manual adjustments may be needed for challenging lighting conditions.
## Addressing Network and Bandwidth Issues
A high-quality video stream requires sufficient network bandwidth. If your network is congested, it can lead to choppy or pixelated video, especially when viewing live streams.
- Check Site Health: In the ACC client, use the Site Health Report tool. This provides detailed diagnostics on the network status, including packet loss and latency for each camera, which are direct indicators of network problems.
- Primary vs. Secondary Stream: When viewing video, especially on a mobile device or over a slow connection, ACC may default to the camera's lower-quality secondary stream to save bandwidth. Ensure you are viewing the primary, high-resolution stream when assessing image quality on a local network.
## Solving Low-Light and Night Vision Problems
Grainy or noisy video is a common complaint in low-light conditions.
- IR Illuminators: For cameras with infrared (IR) capabilities, ensure the IR LEDs are working and not blocked. Also, check for nearby surfaces (like a wall or soffit) that might be reflecting the IR light back into the lens, causing a bright, washed-out spot and making the rest of the scene dark and grainy.
- Sufficient Lighting: A camera's low-light performance can be significantly improved with even a small amount of ambient light. Consider adding a motion-activated security light to the area.
By methodically checking these physical, software, and network factors, you can dramatically improve the video quality of your Avigilon system and ensure you are capturing the clear, detailed footage you need.