How to Clean Security Cameras

(00:03):

So I get a call from a car dealership, and they say, "Hey, we need a new camera system. We've got 20 grand budgeted. Could you come out and see what you can do?" They're going, "Yeah, the picture is just not like it used to be. The cameras really have degraded, and we just want something new that gives us a better picture." So I said to them, I said, "Well, we can sell you a new camera system, but after looking at your cameras, why don't we just clean them?"

(00:29)

There are three things that cause problems with cameras over time: moisture, spiders and bugs, hard water spots, dust, and grim. How do you protect against those kinds of things? What you do is clean them. Twice a year is good, once a year is a minimum because it doesn't matter where you are. Whether you're in the mountains of Utah or in the swamps of Florida, you're still going to have to clean these cameras and keep them maintained.

(00:58)

Now this is a pan-tilt-zoom camera, okay? This is the lens here, and you can see the dirt and the grime that's accumulated here. Well, it's also on the lens here. See how that gets dirty? Well, it looks like the camera's not working well anymore, simply because of the dirt and the grime. So the answer is, twice a year clean your cameras, but what are you fighting against?

(01:20)

Spiders and bugs. Now, why do they matter? The infrared light that casts out for night vision has a tendency to draw moths and bugs and spiders to the cameras, so these bugs and spiders start to lay spiderwebs connecting the camera to the building and that kind of thing. The problem is the spiderwebs get in front of the lens, and the infrared light bounces off the spiderwebs right back into the lens, so you can't see anything past the spiderwebs. (01:46)

The next problem that we have is hard water spots. It's going to make your picture fuzzy, but you're not going to be able to clearly see the water spots, so you're going to be thinking there's something wrong with your camera.

(01:59)

The third thing is moisture. Now, if you buy Backstreet Surveillance cameras, you've already been taken care of. Our cameras have the ability to burn off moisture and humidity if it gets on the lens or inside the lens. All you have to do is go into the software and turn on moisture burn-off, and all it does is increase the temperature of the camera. The moisture evaporates, and the problem is solved. You didn't have to get on a ladder or do anything.

(02:24)

So what do we use to clean it? Right now you can use Windex. Anything that's water-repellent is good. Rain-X that they put on windshields, is brilliant. So if you can get a little Rain-X and just spray it on the lenses of all your cameras, you don't have to do much to them for a year or more simply because the water spots just don't accumulate. It's the spiders that'll probably come and get you and force you up the ladder to get it taken care of. So spray the camera with spider repellent, use Rain-X on the lens, and just wipe everything down twice a year and you're going to have crystal clear pictures. Your pictures won't degrade, and you'll be happy with your camera system.