Troubleshooting Poor Video Quality on Your Eufy Camera
You invested in a Eufy security camera for its clarity and detail. So, it's incredibly frustrating when the footage you see is blurry, pixelated, or just generally poor. The good news is that most video quality issues are not a fault of the camera itself but are caused by environmental or network factors that you can fix. This guide will walk you through the most common causes and solutions for poor Eufy video quality.
Step 1: Physically Inspect and Clean the Camera
Before diving into any settings, let's start with the camera itself.
### Clean the Lens
This is the most common and easily fixed cause of blurry or hazy video. Over time, the camera lens accumulates dust, dirt, pollen, and even tiny spiderwebs.
- Action: Take a clean, dry microfibre cloth (the type used for cleaning glasses or phone screens) and gently wipe the camera lens. For more stubborn grime, you can slightly dampen the cloth with water. Do not use harsh chemical cleaners or abrasive materials, as they can permanently damage the lens coating.
### Check for Obstructions
Ensure there's nothing blocking the camera's view or interfering with its light sensor, especially for night vision.
- Look for leaves, branches, or other objects that might be too close to the camera.
- At night, a nearby wall or soffit can reflect the camera's own infrared (IR) light, causing glare and making the rest of the image appear dark.
Step 2: Investigate Your Network Connection
A weak or unstable Wi-Fi connection is the leading cause of pixelated video and streams that drop in quality. When the camera doesn't have enough bandwidth, it aggressively compresses the video, sacrificing quality to maintain a connection.
### Check Signal Strength
- Open the Eufy Security app.
- Go to the settings for the camera in question.
- Select "Wi-Fi Connection". You will see a signal strength indicator.
- If the signal is weak (e.g., less than two bars or below -65 dBm), the network is likely your problem.
### How to Improve Wi-Fi Signal
- Move the Router: Try moving your Wi-Fi router to a more central location in your home, closer to the camera.
- Reduce Interference: Keep your router away from other electronics like microwave ovens, cordless phones, and large metal objects.
- Use a Wi-Fi Extender: If you can't move the router, a Wi-Fi extender or a mesh Wi-Fi system can significantly boost the signal in the area where your camera is installed.
Step 3: Optimise In-App Video Settings
The Eufy Security app gives you control over the video quality. It's possible your settings have been changed or are not optimised.
- In the Eufy Security app, go to the camera's settings.
- Select "Video Quality".
- Here you can adjust both "Streaming Quality" and "Recording Quality".
- Ensure "Recording Quality" is set to the highest resolution your camera supports (e.g., 2K, 1080p).
- For "Streaming Quality", you can set it to "High". However, if you find the stream lags or buffers, you may need to lower this to "Medium" or use the "Auto" setting, which adapts to your network speed.
Step 4: Troubleshooting Night Vision
If your video quality is only poor at night, focus on the night vision settings.
- IR LEDs: In the camera settings, make sure the Infrared (IR) LEDs are set to "Auto". This allows them to turn on automatically when it gets dark.
- Ambient Light: While Eufy cameras have excellent night vision, they work best with some ambient light. A small porch light or streetlamp can make a huge difference, reducing graininess and improving clarity. For cameras that support it, this can also enable colour night vision.
By methodically working through these physical, network, and software checks, you can resolve the vast majority of video quality issues and restore the crisp, clear picture you expect from your Eufy camera.