How to Fix a Canary Camera's Night Vision
When your Canary camera's night vision stops working, it leaves a significant gap in your home security. Being unable to see what's happening in the dark defeats a primary purpose of having a security camera. The good news is that most night vision issues are caused by simple configuration problems or environmental factors that you can fix yourself.
This guide will walk you through the essential troubleshooting steps for your Canary Pro, Flex, or View camera to get it seeing clearly in the dark again. Canary cameras use powerful infrared (IR) LEDs to light up a room, allowing them to produce a sharp black and white image even in complete darkness. When this fails, here's what to do.
## Step 1: Check Night Vision Settings in the Canary App
First, you need to ensure the night vision feature is actually enabled for your camera. It's possible for this setting to be accidentally changed.
- Launch the Canary App: Open the app on your iOS or Android device.
- Access Device Settings: From your location's dashboard, tap the gear icon (⚙️) in the top right corner.
- Select Your Camera: Tap on the specific Canary device that is having the issue.
- Verify Night Vision Mode: Scroll down and find the 'Night vision mode' option. Make sure it is set to 'Auto'.
- Auto: The camera uses its ambient light sensor to turn on night vision automatically when needed. This is the correct setting for most users.
- Off: Night vision is completely disabled.
- On: Night vision is forced on, even in bright conditions (useful for testing).
If the setting was on 'Off', changing it back to 'Auto' should solve your problem.
## Step 2: Clean the Camera and Check for Reflections
A clear image, especially with night vision, depends on a clean lens and no interfering reflections.
- Clean the Device: Use a soft, dry microfibre cloth to gently wipe the front of your Canary. Dust, grease, or fingerprints on the lens or the black ring surrounding it can block the IR light and cause a blurry or dark image.
- Avoid Window Glare: A very common mistake is placing a Canary camera indoors to look out through a window. The IR light from the camera will bounce off the glass and create a bright, washed-out image, making it impossible to see outside. If you need to monitor an outdoor area, the camera must be placed outside (like the Canary Flex).
- Check for Nearby Obstructions: Ensure the camera isn't positioned too close to a wall, shelf, or other object. The IR light can reflect off these surfaces and fool the camera's sensor, resulting in a poor-quality night image. Try repositioning the camera for a clearer view.
## Step 3: Power Cycle Your Canary Device
A classic reboot can often resolve temporary software glitches that might be affecting the camera's functions.
- For Canary Pro / View: Simply unplug the device from the power outlet. Wait for about 60 seconds to ensure it fully powers down, then plug it back in.
- For Canary Flex: Press and hold the power button on the back of the device for about five seconds until the LED ring turns off. Wait a few moments, then press the power button again to turn it back on.
Allow the device a few minutes to boot up and reconnect to your network. Then, test the night vision again once it gets dark.
## Step 4: Check Your Membership Status
Some advanced features on Canary cameras can be tied to your membership level. While basic night vision should work on all plans, it's worth double-checking that your subscription is active and hasn't lapsed, as this can sometimes affect camera behaviour. You can check this within the Canary app settings under 'Manage my plan'.
If after following all these steps your camera's night vision is still not functioning, it could point to a hardware issue. In this situation, the best course of action is to contact Canary support directly for further assistance.