How to Fix a Pixelated or Blocky Video Feed from Your Yale Camera
You've installed a Yale smart security camera to provide clear oversight of your home, but the video you're seeing is pixelated, blocky, and far from the high-definition quality you expected. A pixelated image can make it difficult to discern important details, undermining the effectiveness of your security.
This issue is almost always related to data transmission. Your camera is capturing a high-quality image but is struggling to send the complete data to your device. This guide will help you identify the cause and fix it for a sharper, clearer picture.
What Does Pixelated Video Look Like?
Pixelation can manifest in several ways, and identifying the symptom can help diagnose the problem:
- Blocky Image: The video looks like it's made up of large squares, especially during motion.
- Grainy or Fuzzy Picture: The image lacks sharpness and fine details are lost.
- Freezing and Pixelating: The video plays for a moment, then freezes into a heavily pixelated still frame before continuing.
- Low Resolution: The overall quality looks like an old, standard-definition video rather than modern HD.
- Colour Distortion: The colours might appear incorrect or banded together in blocks.
Key Steps to Fixing Pixelated Video on Yale Cameras
Let's work through the most common solutions to improve your camera's stream quality.
1. Analyse Your Wi-Fi Connection
A weak or unstable Wi-Fi signal is the primary cause of pixelation. The camera reduces the quality of the stream to prevent it from disconnecting completely.
- Check Signal Strength: Go to your camera's location with your smartphone. Check the Wi-Fi icon on your phone—do you have a full, strong signal? If you only have one or two bars, your camera is struggling.
- Minimise Distance and Obstructions: The further your camera is from your Wi-Fi router, the weaker the signal. Thick walls (especially brick or concrete), large metal appliances, and even water tanks can block or interfere with the signal.
- Move Your Router: If possible, try relocating your Wi-Fi router to a more central position in your house. Even moving it a few feet can make a difference.
- Use a Wi-Fi Extender: If you cannot move the router or camera, a Wi-Fi range extender or a mesh Wi-Fi system is the most effective solution. Place the extender halfway between the router and the camera to boost the signal to the camera's location.
2. Verify Your In-App Video Quality Settings
The Yale View app (or relevant Yale app for your model) allows you to adjust the streaming quality. It's possible it has been set to a lower quality to save bandwidth.
- Open the Yale App: Launch the app and select the camera experiencing issues.
- Go to Settings: Find the settings or configuration menu for that specific camera.
- Find Video Settings: Look for an option labelled "Video Quality," "Resolution," or "Stream Quality."
- Select High Definition: You will likely see options for "SD" (Standard Definition) and "HD" (High Definition). Ensure that "HD" is selected for the clearest possible picture.
3. Reduce Network Traffic
If many other devices in your home are using the internet at the same time, it can cause network congestion, leaving insufficient bandwidth for your camera.
- Identify Bandwidth Hogs: Activities like streaming 4K video on a TV, online gaming, or downloading large files consume a lot of internet bandwidth.
- Test the Stream: Try viewing your camera's live feed when other internet activities are paused. If the pixelation disappears, network congestion is the problem.
- Router QoS Settings: Some routers have a "Quality of Service" (QoS) feature. This allows you to prioritise internet traffic to specific devices. If your router supports this, set your Yale camera as a high-priority device.
4. Update and Reboot
Finally, ensuring your software is up to date and performing a simple reboot can resolve underlying glitches.
- Update Firmware: In the camera's settings within the app, check for any available firmware updates and install them.
- Power Cycle: Unplug your Yale camera from its power source. Wait for 30 seconds, and then plug it back in. This simple reboot can often fix temporary streaming issues.