How to Fix a Blurry Video Feed on Your Merkury Camera
A blurry image from your Merkury smart camera can be a major issue, preventing you from seeing the clear details you need. Whether the picture is slightly out of focus, hazy, or completely unrecognisable, it's a problem that needs fixing. This guide will walk you through the most common causes and solutions for blurry video on Merkury cameras, which are typically managed through the Geeni app.
Let's get your camera's picture back to being sharp and clear.
Step 1: Check the Basics - Lens and Placement
Start with the most frequent and easily fixable culprits.
- Remove the Protective Film: If your camera is brand new, make sure you have peeled off the clear plastic film that covers the lens. It's designed to protect the lens during shipping, but it will make the video look blurry if left on.
- Clean the Lens: A surprising amount of blur is caused by a dirty lens. Dust, smudges, and fingerprints can accumulate over time. Use a soft, clean microfibre cloth (the kind used for eyeglasses is perfect) to gently wipe the lens. Do not use paper towels or harsh cleaners.
- Check for Condensation: If the camera is in a location with high humidity or fluctuating temperatures (like a bathroom or near a window), moisture could be the issue. Try moving the camera to a dry, stable environment to see if the blurriness clears up.
Step 2: Improve Your Wi-Fi Connection
Your Merkury camera relies on a stable Wi-Fi connection to stream video. A weak or unstable signal can lead to a heavily compressed, low-quality video feed that appears blurry or pixelated.
- Check Signal Strength: In the Geeni app, go to your camera's settings and look for information about the Wi-Fi signal strength. If it's reported as 'Weak' or 'Poor', you've likely found the problem.
- Reduce Distance: Try moving the camera closer to your Wi-Fi router. Physical obstructions like thick walls, metal appliances, and mirrors can also block the signal.
- Minimise Interference: Other electronic devices, especially microwaves and cordless phones, can interfere with the Wi-tFi signal. Try to keep your camera and router away from such devices.
- Reboot Your Router: Sometimes, simply restarting your Wi-Fi router can resolve connection issues and improve performance for all your connected devices.
Step 3: Adjust Video Quality Settings in the Geeni App
The Geeni app often allows you to choose the streaming quality. It might be set to a lower quality to save bandwidth.
- Open Camera Settings: Launch the Geeni app, select your Merkury camera from the device list, and then tap the settings icon (often three dots or a gear symbol) in the top-right corner.
- Find Video Quality: Look for a setting named 'Video Quality', 'Streaming Quality', or similar.
- Select High Definition: You will likely see options for 'SD' (Standard Definition) and 'HD' (High Definition). Ensure that 'HD' is selected for the best possible picture quality. Keep in mind that streaming in HD will use more data and requires a stronger Wi-Fi connection.
Step 4: Power Cycle and Update
If the previous steps haven't worked, a quick restart or a software update can often fix underlying glitches.
- Power Cycle the Camera: Unplug the Merkury camera from its power source. Wait for about 30 seconds, then plug it back in. Give it a few minutes to fully reboot and reconnect to the network.
- Check for Firmware Updates: In the camera's settings within the Geeni app, look for a 'Device Info' or 'Firmware Update' section. If an update is available, install it. These updates often contain performance improvements and bug fixes that can resolve video quality issues.
By following these steps, you should be able to significantly improve or completely fix the blurry video on your Merkury camera. If the problem persists, there may be a hardware issue with the camera itself, and you should consider contacting customer support.