Arlo|Smart Home Security|Wireless HD Security Cameras
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scooter
Tutor
Tutor
My Arlo cam displays in black and white only. No more color in the preview, live feed, or recorded videos. Does anyone have any ideas on how to correct this?

Thanks,

Scooter
39 REPLIES 39
jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

Night vision is a setting for the IR illuminators - that's all.  The camera senses lighting thresholds and switches automatically from color to B&W to color so it would seem that your lighting is right on that threshold.  Increase lighting (exterior lights) and color will be seen.

CarleneD
Aspirant
Aspirant

I have two red cameras and 1 color as well.  Anyway to resolve this?

JamesC
Community Manager
Community Manager

CarleneD,
 
Please contact the Arlo Support Team to further investigate this issue. You will find several options for contacting support in the provided link. If you have any additional questions/concerns feel free to private message me. I would be happy to help.

 

JamesC

Rozy5165
Initiate
Initiate
Same issues. All 4 only show up in b/w. Brand new system as of 4/3/17. Not going to tolerate this being I see its a common problem. Will be packing whe 400 dollar system back up and returing to Amazon. Along with a 1 star review.
Rozy5165
Initiate
Initiate
 
jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

Or use adequate lighting.  I don't know of many (any?) devices that remain in color in low light. you can use suplemental lighting or reposition the cameras to a location where existing light is adequate.

G4RHL
Tutor
Tutor

Am a recent purchaser of the system and I have the same issue as others. I first set up an Arlo HD in the garden. No issues at all, it worked night and day with full colour during the day. As it seemed to eat batteries I changed it over with an Arlo Pro HD I had in the house. It worked fine itnitially and then within a few hours (full dalylight sunny) it reverted to black and white. Inside the house it has no porblem and I get full colour but in daylight outside it keeps reverting to black and white. I have night mode switched off. The battery version (Arlo HD) does not have this problem when installed in the same place and the Arlo Pro is fine in the house. Following guidance in these pages I have shone a torch into the camera and it has gone back to colour but for how long remains to be seen. There must surely be some other permanent solution to this?

jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

There does seem to be a difference between the original and Pro cameras for the threshold to switch between day and night modes.  There's nothing you can do about it other than to add external lighting.

 

The reason for the switch is due to the quality of the video relative to the light level.  Different sensors have different thresholds.  Whether it's too aggressive in the Pro cameras or is a limitation of the hardware is unknown.

G4RHL
Tutor
Tutor

Thanks for the reply. It is odd to have to add externnal lighting when it is a bright sunny day. As it is now wherre I am, yet it has reverted back to not quite black and white

jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

It's all about light level.  Shade may be anough.  Also, I've had an issue with the Pro cameras seeming to go to B&W but is really just a matter of excessive contrast.  It happens to me when in certain positions which are brightly lit - it looks like B&W but I can see color in certain objects.

G4RHL
Tutor
Tutor

Thanks, that is helpful. I'll try the camera in differfent positioins. I am a little limited as I use it to watch birds on my feeders! I'll consider a different locartion though where perhaps it is in a more exposed position. I'll report back in due coiurse.

manfredz
Hero
Hero

in your cams video settings you can turn your night vision Off.  See if having it in the off position helps

G4RHL
Tutor
Tutor

I have already tried that. I am going to move the camera to a more open position to see if that makes any difference.

jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

My Pro s both show this issue when pointed west. Neither shows it when pointed south although the view is significantly different.

G4RHL
Tutor
Tutor

Further to my posting on the 19th I moved the camera to a different positon in my garden, one where it faces a more open area. That appears to solve the problem and the reverting to black and white has stopped. In the previous position there was certainly lots of light and no need for the camera to go black and white but a short distance from it and to the side was/is a large shrub at a similar height. It may be the software in the camera interpreted that as darkness and triggered a black and white settting. Odd when at midday there was lots and lots of light. Moving it further away from this seems to have cured the problem.

 

I do not get the problem with the basic Arlo HD camera though. In the same positon as the Pro it works fine. I also note the quality of the picture on the Arlo HD is better than on the Pro but bring them both indoors and there is no difference.

 

Seems like Netgear need to do something with the software driving the processing in the Pro.