I’ve installed my new battery video doorbell this evening and so far I’m loving it! However, once it switched to Infrared Vision, the picture starts to show white rings.
After reading some other posts, I believe this could be “overexposure due to infrared bouncing off nearby walls/objects”, but I’m pretty sure I’ve mounted it about the best I can, given where the wires are. I could maybe scoot it over a quarter of an inch or so, but it wouldn’t look as clean, and I doubt it would help much, if any. Im already using the provided 15-degree angler.
I’m not sure if it’s due to all my neighbors and their outdoor lights, but obviously I can’t do much about that. With infrared turned off, it looks pretty good, but if my neighbors ever choose to not leave their outside lights on, it would probably be pretty useless at night. I also fear that someone walking up to the door at night will block the lighting from the neighbors, rendering footage absolutely useless.
Based on the photos below, is there anything I can do? (btw, the plastic covering is off, and I cleaned it just in case)
It indeed has to do with bouncing IR light. I bet it’s coming from the brick wall. I had the same problem though my bricks didn’t come out as far to the front as yours. I validated it really was the wall by putting black tape on it. Once I did that the rings were gone.
I ageee, it’s the proximity of a surface that reflects the rays, not a lot you can do about it without making your install look not so nice. Maybe there’s a matching paint that absorbs IR, but that sounds like work, the test that Rik said will confirm you can fix it at the cost of pretty.
The night color vision is far superior (you can see what people are wearing, color of cars etc.), I would put up a motion sensing solar flood on your drive to light it up so you don’t ever need night vision again (assuming it’s your property you want footage of).
I have one on my drive and it works well in conjunction with my garage cam, always records in color.
I also have a 9w led in my porch lamp which is on dusk-dawn setting so it’s always light enough to capture color footage in my target area.
Ditch the night vision if you can bear to let it go, I did and won’t go back.
In fact I’m testing 2 ring cameras right now with the Eufy ones, a pro and a 3 plus, the 3 plus doesn’t have color night vision, which is a huge mark against it and a step backwards.
Great advice, Topshelferok, and thanks for the confirmation! I had actually mentioned a smart bulb for our porch light last night to my fiancée, but didn’t think of one that would do dusk-til-dawn! I will definitely have to look into that and order one ASAP!
I initially looked into getting a Eufy Floodlight Cam got above our garage, but we don’t currently have one installed, so I’d have to drill a hole, install a junction box, etc. I wish theirs was wireless like Arlo’s, and I 100% would have gone that route. Maybe one day!
Great suggestions, and I’m happy I chose Eufy already! The community was an added bonus I wasn’t expecting! Thanks again!
My girlfriend complained about the tape right away, it’s one way to fix it but not an appealing one. If possible, try to increase the wedge angle or move it further forward from the wood it’s attached to while maintaining safety from water damage etc.
Pick up a spray can of black Plasti Dip. It costs about $5 at Home Depot or Lowe’s. It’s a spray-on rubber coating that’s weather resistant and will peel off easily if you don’t like it.
Spray a couple of coats on one side of an empty gift card or something around that size. After it’s dry, hold that card flat against the wall with the unpainted side facing the brick, butted right up against the side of the doorbell where they camera is. Move it around while looking at the camera’s live view on your phone to get an idea of the exact location and areas size of the brick wall that causes the reflection. Next, decide whether you think it will look better having only that area painted black or a larger area (like one entire brick or the entire area that aligns with the doorbell). Then, mask it off with newspaper and painters tape, and spray 4 coats of Plasti Dip on the brick.
If you don’t like it, peel it off. Use the remainder of the can on the outside of your other eufyCams (mask off the front, and after it’s dry x-acto the openings for speaker, charging port, mounting area, etc).
I got a 3 pack of ‘dumb’ dusk to dawns for about $16 for all my porch fixtures from Amazon, they come on at night and go off in the morning, witchcraft! You just have to make sure nobody turns off the porch light switch.
I’m trying out ring stuff now so I got a single ring a19 bulb for $15 which is now in my front porch, 3x the price The ecosystem is light years ahead though, everything links to everything else If you want, so I can have anything and everything start recording if a step light or path light with a motion sensor picks something up (yes, the step lights and path lights have motion sensors built in). Lights can be grouped to come on in sync and everything can be sent through Alexa, including live feed by voice and automatically for doorbells.
The picture quality of the 2k Eufy doorbell is the best I’ve experienced, it’s the lack of integration, reliability and HB sustainability that makes me sample other offerings.
The ecosystem is light years ahead though, everything links to everything else If you want, so I can have anything and everything start recording if a step light or path light with a motion sensor picks something up (yes, the step lights and path lights have motion sensors built in). Lights can be grouped to come on in sync and everything can be sent through Alexa, including live feed by voice and automatically for doorbells.