Fix Blurry Unifi Camera Video: Troubleshooting Guide

Is Your Unifi Camera Video Blurry? Here's How to Fix It

A crystal-clear image is fundamental for any security camera, and it can be frustrating when your Unifi camera delivers blurry, pixelated, or out-of-focus video. This issue can compromise your security and make it impossible to identify important details. Fortunately, most causes of poor video quality are straightforward to diagnose and resolve.

This guide will walk you through the common causes of blurry video on Unifi cameras and provide clear, step-by-step instructions to restore your camera's sharp, high-definition picture.

Common Causes of Poor Image Quality

Before diving into solutions, let's identify what might be causing the problem. Several factors can degrade your camera's video quality:

• Dirty or Obstructed Lens: Dust, grime, fingerprints, or even spiderwebs on the lens are the most common culprits.
• Poor Network Connection: An unstable or slow Wi-Fi or wired connection can force the camera to stream at a lower, compressed quality.
• Incorrect Camera Settings: Resolution, bitrate, and focus settings within the UniFi Protect software might not be optimised.
• Infrared (IR) Reflection: At night, IR light can reflect off nearby surfaces, causing glare and a hazy image.
• Environmental Factors: Condensation or moisture inside the camera housing can lead to a foggy or blurry view.
• Firmware Issues: Outdated camera firmware can sometimes contain bugs that affect image processing.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide

Follow these steps in order to diagnose and fix the source of the blurriness.

1. Clean the Camera Lens

The simplest solution is often the most effective. Your camera is exposed to the elements, and a dirty lens is a primary cause of poor video.

• Power Down (Optional but Recommended): To be safe, you might consider powering down the camera before cleaning.
• Use a Microfibre Cloth: Gently wipe the lens dome with a clean, dry microfibre cloth. This is the same type of cloth used for cleaning eyeglasses.
• Remove Stubborn Grime: For more persistent dirt, you can slightly dampen the cloth with distilled water or a dedicated lens cleaning solution.
• Avoid Abrasives: Never use paper towels, tissues, or harsh chemical cleaners, as they can scratch the lens and cause permanent damage.

2. Check Your Network Connection

A poor network connection forces the camera to heavily compress the video stream, resulting in pixelation and a loss of detail.

• Check Signal Strength: In your UniFi Protect controller, check the signal strength for the affected camera if it's connected via Wi-Fi. A weak signal (less than 70%) can cause issues.
• Test Bandwidth: Run a network speed test to ensure your internet connection is stable and has sufficient upload speed.
• Wired Connection: For wired cameras, ensure the Ethernet cable is securely connected and not damaged. Try a different port on your switch if problems persist.

3. Optimise UniFi Protect Settings

Your camera's software settings play a huge role in the final image quality.

• Log into UniFi Protect: Access your controller via a web browser or the mobile app.
• Select the Camera: Navigate to the specific camera you're troubleshooting.
• Adjust Resolution and Frame Rate: Go to Settings → Recording Quality. Ensure the resolution is set to the highest available for your camera model. A frame rate of 24 FPS is usually a good balance between smoothness and data usage.
• Increase Bitrate: Still in the quality settings, you may see an option for the recording bitrate. A higher bitrate results in a clearer image but uses more storage. Try increasing it slightly to see if it improves the picture.

4. Adjust Focus and Zoom

Some Unifi cameras have an adjustable lens. If the focus is off, the image will be blurry.

• Access Camera View: Open the live feed for the camera.
• Find Focus Controls: In the camera's settings or live view controls, look for focus and zoom options.
• Fine-Tune: Make small adjustments to the focus until the image is as sharp as possible. It helps to have a detailed object in the centre of the view to focus on.

5. Check for Firmware Updates

Ubiquiti regularly releases firmware updates that can include bug fixes and performance improvements for cameras.

• Navigate to Devices: In your UniFi Protect controller, go to the Devices section.
• Check for Updates: The system will indicate if any of your cameras have a pending firmware update.
• Install Updates: Click the 'Update' button and allow the process to complete.

Conclusion

By systematically working through these troubleshooting steps, you can resolve the vast majority of issues causing blurry video on your Unifi security cameras. A regular check-up and clean of the lens can prevent many problems from recurring. If you continue to experience issues after trying all these steps, it may be worth reaching out to Ubiquiti support for more advanced diagnostics.