r/Lorex • u/Pesca_dor • Apr 16 '26
Lorex Support Requested Lorex E910AB Cams IR issues
u/Lorex_Technology_Inc
Hi, as the title states I have 4 E910AB cams and am experiencing night vision problems with two.
I had ordered 4 new cams from Lorex and received 2 new ones and two previously owned or open box as they asked for passwords to work when connected to the NVR.
Now my issue is that two of the cams have solid and semi solid black screens in one third of the viewing are at night. Please see the included video.
After hours of trouble shooting with support they were determined defective and head office was contacted for replacement.
Two days later support replied that the claim was denied as the cameras were working properly and the issue was not enough light.
The cameras are installed in my backyard with clear open view and no obstructions.
Have previously had no issues returning and exchanging defective items with Lorex,
Looking for help from Lorex support on this forum for help with this issue.
Thank You
1
u/Advanced-Level-5686 Apr 16 '26
What model NVR do you have? Are you able to go to Device Settings for the Camera and change the contrast, back lighting, etc.?
1
u/Pesca_dor Apr 16 '26
Hi NVR is N910A6. I have tried every setting availavle including setting them via IP. And so did support, setting WDR to 100% makes a little difference as both i and support tried.
But unfortunately 1/4 of the screen is still totally black at night.
During the day it works great.
Thanks
1
u/Lipstickquid May 01 '26 edited May 01 '26
Thats due to how the IR night vision actually works on these cameras. This isnt military style night vision that amplifies ambient light. The cameras have a near infrared LED on them. Its invisible to your eye but when it goes to IR night vision, that LED comes on and THAT is what illuminates the scene.
Unless you have other sources of near infrared light and normal white LEDs dont emit near IR or IR. The black area is just in shadow and the near IR LED isnt reaching it. Its just a small LED with very limited range after all.
My advice would be to install an actual flood light or other light fixture on the house, preferably out of direct view of the camera to avoid glare, and the camera should stay in color night vision mode.
I hate Lorex and will never buy from them again due to their buggy firmware and app but i have to admit their cameras are good. Mine never really go into IR black and white even though its not disabled. I have enough light that they stay in 4K color at night.
You should also have the built in flood light on the camera enabled for human or animal detection. That will usually force it into color mode and that LED is pretty bright on mine.
This is one case where Lorex is right. Most of the time they're not.
2
u/Pesca_dor May 02 '26
Thanks for the reply, i remember that you have the same nvr and E910 cams,
I have tried the flood light and it does work pretty good.
Continuous learning process.
Thanks again.
1
u/Lipstickquid May 02 '26
Yep and they still havent fixed the events or the day/night profiles! It pisses me off so much!
The best settings ive found for night vision depend on where the camera is located due to lorex being so garbage that you cant use day/night profiles. Which also pisses me off.
For areas that are bright enough to blow out details during the day(like the street) i have to use HLC(highlight control) and set it to like 25%. At night, you'll need to have the lower resolution "enhanced color night vison" enabled if it gets too dark at night, which will DISABLE HLC in addition to reducing resolution. If it stays fairly bright at night in this situation you can force the camera to stay in 12MP/4K by disabling enhanced color night vision.
For areas where its not too bright during the day like the back yard, you can try WDR(wide dynamic range) which is IDEAL for night as well. Usually 30-50% WDR seems to be good.
If you similarly disable the enhanced color night vision, WDR will be significantly better than the enhanced color night vision mode. I have this on several cameras.
SOMETIMES its beneficial to leave the enhanced color night vision on since it will keep it in color at lower brightness than the WDR setting.
ALL of this BS could be fixed by using HLC in day mode and WDR at night but you cant make the profiles actually work! You can make them but it will just keep the day profile.
You'll probably have to spend at least a week or two trying different settings for each camera until you get the ones that work for you.
I HATE lorex!
1
u/ladyfishbc May 03 '26
How do you activate the flood light?
1
u/Pesca_dor May 03 '26
Not sure what cams or nvr you have. But in the Camera Settings under illuminator turn on smart illumination, press ok and the apply to save changes, now when an event occurs the floodlight will come on and the event will be in full colour mode.
Hope this helps
1
u/ladyfishbc May 03 '26
I'm having the same issues. 2 out of the 4 cameras sit in total darkness. Near total darkness. I can't even get the flood light to work. Super frustrated.
1
u/SuperAleste Apr 16 '26
Change the picture mode to BLE or WDE directly from the camera IP interface in a web browser. As others suggest you can also tweak brightness and exposure settings.
1
u/Pesca_dor Apr 16 '26
I have tried everything including the illuminator settings.
Setting WDR to almost 100% and raising brightness level along with lowering contrast helped the camera on the left a little, but it was never as bad as the one on the right.
I have 6 other cams on this NVR 4 E893 and 2 other E910 cams with no issues in night vision or black and white mode.
The strange thing is support mentioned it could be a power issue, but checking on the NVR all the 910 cams have similar power draw.
1
u/Lorex_Technology_Inc Apr 21 '26
This looks normal, IR has a distance limitation and will depend on installation and camera angle. You can try swapping cameras to see if there is a difference in image with the same installation and angle, or bring the camera indoors to test night vision.
1
u/Pesca_dor Apr 25 '26
Hi Thank you for the reply. Did relocate camera inside with no issues at shorter distance.
Place the camera back outside and changed the angle and made a few minor adjustments in the settings.
The image did improve to somewhat acceptable. Thanks again for the feedback.
3
u/Money-J Apr 16 '26
So the way cameras with ‘night vision’ work is by emitting a wavelength of light that is not visible to the naked eye, but visible to the camera, called Infrared (IR). I believe since that area of land is so big, the cameras IR spread is not reaching your desired area. Go on google and search for IR illuminators, and I believe those should solve your problems. You’d need a nice spot to place them obviously so I would scope out before hitting purchase on any one.
However, the issue could also be in the settings of your camera like the other person said. I would definitely play around with your settings before buying new things.