One of the most common security camera problems is the Security camera shows a Black Screen, a lot of homeowners don’t know how to fix it or check where the damage is.
On a black screen, there is more than one reason that can cause this problem such as
- No Signal is delivered to the TV monitor.
- The HDMI cable may be cut or bent if you have a wired CCTV system.
- An object blocks the camera lens.
- Someone Blind the camera with Clothes or Painting Spray.
- Maybe the light source around your camera is damaged.
These reasons and more can make your camera show a black screen but don’t worry. In this article, we dive into each reason and how to fix it.
What to Look for If the Security Camera Shows a Black Screen
Well, to fix security camera problems you should check some factors to ensure that your camera works normally or has a physical problem.
For the Security Camera Shows a Black Screen Problem, the loss of power or data signal may cause the CCTV camera to get a black screen issue. It happens when the HDMI or VGA between the Video recorder and the Display monitor is cut or disconnected, and when the power adapter of the cameras becomes loose and faulty. But Here is the checklist:
Step1: Check the Wired or Wireless Connections
The first thing you should look over is the wires and cables connections if you have a wired CCTV/PoE security system.
First look at the connections between security cameras and DVR/NVR.
For DVR and Analog Surveillance cameras, check the coaxial cables of the cameras that are linked to DVR.
On the other hand, for PoE IP cameras, you must test the Power Over Ethernet cables that are used between cameras and NVR.
Sometimes the cables between the Video Recorder and the cameras are cut by burglars or thieves to break into the houses.
Solution: You can purchase a Cable tester device from Amazon or other online markets, the device will allow you to check every cable before using it. Or, you can try to splice the security camera wires.
Step2: Scan the Optical Pathway
Another reason that leads to Security Camera Problems especially the problem of the CCTV Security Camera shows a Black Screen is an uncleared pathway.
If you have a CCTV camera that works normally with no problems but suddenly the camera shows a Black Screen.
In this case, the reason for this problem is someone blocked or Blind the camera lens, there are many methods intruders and burglars use to stop cameras from monitoring such as
- Disable Security Camera by Laser or Flashlight
- Blinding the Camera lens by using a piece of clothes or Tree leaves, and branches
- Use a security camera jammer to disrupt WiFi signals and Stop security cameras from recordings
These are the most common methods thieves use to make a camera show a black screen besides also cutting the cam wires.
Solution: Scan the camera pathway to ensure and remove everything you suspect that affects the camera Picture.
For camera jammers, you can use a device to detect and stop this device from disrupting your network signal.
Step3: Ambient Lighting Conditions
Light is an important factor that affects how you see things on a display screen, the more lights the camera has around it, the more footage details you’ll get.
So, if you have a camera that requires good ambient lighting conditions around it make sure that your light source doesn’t stop, especially at night, poor light may cause colors on security camera to be off issue.
You can install a security camera outside of your home and buy a separate spotlight and mount it near your camera to avoid a Black Screen Problem.
Solution: If you think that ambient lighting conditions cause this problem you can
- Get a Security Camera with integrated Spotlights such as Ring, and Reolink.
- Purchase a surveillance Camera with a Colored night vision feature.
The 2 solutions will be helpful for you to eliminate the Black Screen problem and see a clear image of your cam.
Step4: Technical Problems
Another Reason the Security Camera Shows a Black Screen problem is the camera or DVR has technical issues.
If you suspect that you may have a Technical problem the first thing to do is to check the camera user manual and see the different parts of the cam.
The user manual enables you to remove the camera’s plastic body and look at camera sensors and lenses that may be damaged for any reason.
The lenses and Sensors of the cam work like a human eye, if the camera senses a low light condition it will automatically open the lens to capture more details, and vice versa.
Moreover, the technical issues of the Video Recorder DVR/NVR cloud make your camera show a black screen.
Every DVR/NVR has ports and channels, if the port of the camera is damaged that means your camera footage will be black, the same also with displaying channels like HDMI and VGA.
Solution: in case you have a technical problem with your camera or DVR make sure you adjust the settings, then reboot it, if the problem is still the same contact your camera manufacturer support.
Step5: Power Damages
This reason is the last in our checklist to fix security camera problems and discover what makes the camera shows a black screen.
Power cables in wired security systems can be cut and make your camera totally stop recording new videos.
When you open your mobile app to show what happens in your home, you may find that most cameras are working and one is not and shows a black screen.
In this case, it’s probably a power problem that may be you forget to plug in the power cable of your camera or forget to replace or recharge the cam battery.
Solution: Make sure that you check the power cables of your system for cameras and DVRs/NVRs, and for wire-free or wireless cameras ensure that your cam batteries are fully charged.
Summary
At the end of how to fix Surveillance system problems the Security camera shows a black screen issue you should know the necessary fixes, and how to do hardware troubleshooting correctly by checking every piece of equipment.
Also, Update devices firmware is additional software troubleshooting that you need to do to stop these problems from repeating in the future.
Resource: lorextechnology, Reolink
