Are SimpliSafe outdoor cameras bad at night?

Seeking Advice
1

Does anyone else have issues with the SimpliSafe outdoor cameras at night? The night view looks really bad to me, but this is my first home security system, so I’m not sure if this is normal. Are there better options, like Cove or other affordable systems, that have clearer night visuals?

2

Can you share an example picture? I don’t use SimpliSafe, but I’m curious to see how it performs at night.

3

Larry said:
Can you share an example picture? I don’t use SimpliSafe, but I’m curious to see how it performs at night.

I wanted to, but apparently posting pictures isn’t allowed on this board.

4

Larry said:
Can you share an example picture? I don’t use SimpliSafe, but I’m curious to see how it performs at night.

I posted it in the SimpliSafe group instead and included a picture there.

5

@PhantomFable
Wow, that looks pretty bad. I thought it might be the soffit reflecting the light, but it doesn’t seem like it. Maybe it’s a defective unit? Here’s an example of my Reolink camera in a similar setup.

6

@Larry
That looks SO much better! I live in a really dark, semi-rural area, so I wonder if that’s affecting the quality. You might be right—it could be defective. Thanks for sharing!

7

PhantomFable said:
@Larry
That looks SO much better! I live in a really dark, semi-rural area, so I wonder if that’s affecting the quality. You might be right—it could be defective. Thanks for sharing!

You could try adding some infrared (IR) lights to improve the scene brightness at night.