CCTV camera showing a black screen or "No Video"? Here's how to fix it

A black tile on your CCTV screen is worrying, but it is also one of the easiest faults to narrow down. The trick is to notice the pattern first.

Which one do you have?

• One camera is black, the others are fine: go to section 1.
• All cameras are black, or there's no picture on the monitor at all: go to section 2.
• A camera is fine by day but black at night: go to section 3.
• An IP camera shows "Offline" or a broken link icon: go to section 4.

1. One camera is black

1. Power. Most cameras run on a 12 V adapter or PoE. Check the adapter's light, or try a known good adapter. On PoE recorders, a dead port or an overloaded PoE budget can switch a camera off.
2. Connectors. Look at both ends of the cable. Loose or corroded BNC connectors on coaxial cable are a classic, especially outdoors after rain or AC condensation.
3. Cable damage. Rodents, AC technicians and gardeners all cut CCTV cables. Check any cable that runs through a ceiling, trunking or the garden.
4. Channel switched off. In the recorder's camera settings, make sure that channel is enabled and not set to hidden.
5. Signal type (analogue cameras). HD analogue cameras speak different "languages" (TVI, AHD, CVI). If you fitted a different brand of camera, the recorder may not recognise it. Many cameras let you change the output type with a button or menu.

2. Every camera is black, or the monitor shows nothing

1. Is the recorder on? Check its lights. If it beeps or keeps restarting, its power supply or hard disk may be failing.
2. Shared power supply. Some systems run all cameras from one power box. If it fails, every camera goes dark at once.
3. The monitor. Try another HDMI cable or another screen. If the recorder's output resolution is higher than the monitor supports, you'll see "No signal" even though cameras are recording. Check on your phone app: if the cameras show there, the problem is only the monitor.

3. Black only at night

The camera sees by day but its infrared lights (the red dots around the lens) don't switch on at night.

• Cup your hand over the camera in daylight. The picture should turn black and white, and you may hear a click. If not, the night sensor has failed.
• If the picture turns white and washed out at night instead, the IR is reflecting off a nearby wall, eave or the dome cover. Re-angle the camera or clean the dome.

4. IP camera shows "Offline"

1. Check its network cable and the switch or PoE port.
2. If someone changed the camera's password, the recorder can no longer log in. Update the password in the recorder's camera list.
3. Two devices with the same IP address will knock each other offline. Your installer can fix the address.

When to call us

Call if the camera has power and a good cable but stays black, if several cameras died after a power cut or storm, or if cables run through places you can't reach.