Before issue

  @Clancy87 

Hi there, 

Was just wondering if you managed to fix your camera at all with the infrared issue?

Just purchased 3 of the TC82 cameras for use at my mothers house and have experienced the same issue. That infrared view is terrible on all 3 cameras, that the view is mostly black (much like your screenshot) and nothing can be seen at night. 

Thought perhaps it was an issue with 1 but all 3 are the same, and all brand new only purchased recently. 

I have other outdoor wired Tapo cameras at my own home and none of them are this bad when it comes to viewing them at night. 

  @Tristen89 

Nothing worked, but I still have the issue. 

  @Clancy87 

Thank you for replying back. 

Ah that's a shame to hear, was hoping there might be a fix. 

I just posted on the main forum also requesting assistance with this. 

Having looked on Amazon at this model camera and others reviews and screenshots. Their screenshots look much like your original screenshot (before the issue started) where it's possible to see a lot better at night or an actual image rather than pitch black. The cameras I have are so bad at night that they don't pick up any motion whatsoever, even though during the day they work perfectly fine picking up everything. 

  @Tristen89 

I've the one with the issue set to colour nightvision mode now which just means it turns on a light which is handy in itself, the light is very dim but it's perfectly fine for the camera to see and to see where you're walking at night as there's not lights nearby if house lights are off.

So a lot of the cameras detect motion by the video, but these solar cameras have another infrared sensor to dected motion, then they turn on so if you've set that right and angled it right it should still detect motion but when the camera records with the normal nightvision it'll be dark. I've might to clour nightvision but even when I was trying to sort it the normal nightvsion still recored when I walked up to it. So that might be a seperate issue or just the angle you've the camera at. 

I did see someone saying that shaking it could sort it as there's a filter that moves in the lens to make the infrared work which might be stuck, which is why the suggestion of turning the nightvison on and off is suggested as that might free the filter. I've not tried that as the camera is about accessable enoguh to hit reset and turn it off/on but taking it down i'd need help as I put it up real high. 

Hi @Clancy87 

Thank you for your suggestion of using the colour nightvision mode on the cameras, I will hopefully be over to check on my mother later this week. So going to try the colour mode and also try moving the cameras around to see if they're angled correctly & whether it would help with the infrared problem. Also thank you for the suggestion of shaking the camera to fix the filter, going to try this also when I go over.

It does seem strange as I've got a Tapo C320WS at home and it's angled slightly to the wall in order monitor a side alley & the night vision is very good. I've got the TC82's at my mothers doing something similar, one is angled slightly at the wall to monitor front door and windows, another angled slightly towards the wall to watch rear garden, patio door and kitchen window, while the last one monitors a side alley and door. However for some reason it's so very dark in comparison to the Tapo C320WS, could say the difference is night and day between the two types of cameras.

However again thank you for your help & suggestions so far, appreciate it.

Will certainly write back to say how it went and if managed to resolve this issue with the cameras.

  @Tristen89 

When I said angle I meant for the detection, it won't effect the normal black&white nightvision image quality that'll stay the same.