How to Fix Night Owl Camera No Signal?

Wondering how to fix Night Owl Camera No Signal? Keep reading!

Night Owl wired or wireless cameras allow users to view cam recordings via mobile app and DVR.

With the wired connection, our DVR sometimes shows a “No Signal” message, in contrast, the same can happen with our wireless cameras because of a WiFi issue.

Here’s what the solution includes!

A “No Signal” message appears on the Night Owl camera, because of a Power Outage, faulty input port or cable, or weak WiFi strength. Both wired and WiFi IP cameras can sometimes show “No Signal”, and the solution requires a thorough setup inspection!

Why Does My Night Owl Camera Says No Signal? 

Night Owl, both wired and wireless camera users, sometimes experience No Signal.

This is a well-known problem and can be caused due to a variety of facts. 

Here’s what’s causing the “No Signal” message on Night Owl cameras!

• Power Insufficiency
• Loosely Connected Cables
• Faulty Input Ports
• WiFi Signal Obstruction
• Software DVR Error

The solution is simpler than expected so let’s jump into the guide!

Night Owl Wireless Camera No Signal – Fixed

If you are having a “No Signal” issue with your Night Owl IP camera, then you may quickly resolve the issue by inspecting your Wireless Cameras Settings.

They include the WiFi, proximity, and other aspects that could be the source of the issue. 

Important: Connect the camera and source device to the same WiFi. The Night Owl technology requires the same IP for the Night Owl Connect app to hook up with the IP camera.

Solution #1 Improve Signal Strength

The issue of signal loss may frequently be caused by obstruction interference.

Any WiFi or Bluetooth device, signal, or physical object, such as a glass door or wall, might constitute an obstruction. 

Due to any obstructions, signals may not correctly transmit from the camera to the app device or the router to the camera.

This way, the communication link between the linked devices fell out, and you will get a “No Signal” on your screen.

Solution: Simply install the WiFi extender or relocate your Night Owl camera!

Use 2.4Ghz Network!

Assuming that your Night Owl camera is away from your router, connect both the Night Owl Connect app device and camera to the 2.4Ghz broadband of your router.

This network frequency travels better through walls and will prevent your camera from getting disconnected.

Solution #2 Limit The Range

There is a distance range limit to how far smart devices can communicate with one another.

Possibly, your application device is outside the range of your camera or WiFi, which is why the camera keeps showing “No Signal”.

All you need to do is close the proximity!

• Stay within 300 ft with the source device from your Night Owl camera! 

Important: The router has to be in a centralized location from the camera and source device!

Solution #3 Restart Connected Devices

It is common that smart devices sometimes experience glitches and start causing different types of issues.

The “No Signal” message on your Night Owl camera simply indicates that there has been a connection problem, and we’ll need to perform a power cycle on the entire setup!

Here is how you can restart your Night Owl camera-connected devices:

Recorder:

Unplug from power > Wait 20 seconds > Plugin back to power.

Camera:

Remove Battery/Unplug for Power > Wait 10 seconds > Plugin back to the outlet.

Router:

Unplug from power > Wait 20 seconds > Plugin back to power.

When your entire Night Owl & Network Setup has been restarted it’s time to perform a test. Simply grab your mobile device, open the Night Owl

Connect the app and check whether your camera is now showing the feed. In case you see “No Signal” proceed further!

Tip: Also unplug the Ethernet cable from your router to restore the connection to the DNS server!

Solution #4 Inspect Network!

Now that we’ve attempted, the last possible factor remains your internet connection.

With IP Night Owl cameras, the WiFi remains the primary factor for a successful connection so there are a few things that can be done at home.

• With Night Owl you need a constant 3 Mbps + internet speed for optimal performance!

You can Test Your Internet Speed For Free Online to determine if that’s the culprit.

Open the speed test website on your smartphone and stay where the Night Owl camera is located.

This is essential to measure the strength of your WiFi, at the camera’s location. 

Tip: In case your internet speed is slower than 3 Mbps, contact your ISP for help!

Solution #5 Re-Add Camera To App

When the camera shows “No Signal” even after all previous solutions, perhaps all we need to do is re-add the camera to the app to restore the connection.

Here’s how:

1. Download the Night Owl Connect App.
2. The app is available on Google Play & App Store.
3. Sign in to your Night Owl Account and tap Add Device.
4. Select Standalone Camera and tap “OK” on the prompt.
5. Hover your phone over the camera’s QR Code to scan.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to connect the camera to WiFi.

When the camera has been connected, you will now be able to see the real-time streaming footage from the Night Owl Connect App.

In case the camera still shows “No Signal”, perhaps the problem has to be sent to Night Owl Customer Support.

In case the “No Signal” message appears on your DVR, let’s find out a solution!

Wired Night Owl Camera No Signal – Fixed

If you see the “ No Signal” message on your wired Night Owl cameras, hence on the DVR recorder, then it is probably because of a wiring issue.

There is an easy way to inspect your setup and localize the problem so let’s jump into the solution guide below!

Solution #1 Investigate Camera & Recorder

Night Owl wired cameras DVR needs Ethernet & Power cable to operate.

The Ethernet cable has to be connected to the same router your mobile device uses to host the Night Owl Connect app.

This is essential for the setup, so let’s take what else is of great importance!

Here are the ways to investigate your Night Owl camera and recorder:

1. The Ethernet cable is plugged into the DVR and in a (yellow) port of your network router.
2. Use another video port to connect the DVR to the TV.
3. Switch the Power Source of your Night Owl DVR to avoid power fluctuations.
4. Remove any power strips or dividers from your Night Owl DVR setup!
5. Use a different (BNC) connector port to connect the Night Owl cameras.

These steps are all related to inspecting your Night Owl DVR and camera input.

In case the problem keeps occurring, then we should take a look at the Night Owl camera next.

Solution #2 Check Camera Power

If you have checked that all the connected cables and ports have no fault but still the camera has no signal, then you need to check for the camera’s power supply.

Sometimes the camera does not get power even though its power outlet is working fine. 

Here is how you can check Night Owl camera power:

1. Plug the camera into the outlet.
2. Cover the camera front sensor light with your hand.
3. The camera will go to Night Vision mode.

If you see a red light on the camera or a clicking sound that indicates the camera has got power.

Hence the device is not turned OFF, and we’ll need to look for the issue elsewhere.

Let’s continue with the next solution!

Solution #3 Check For Channel Covert Mode

Night Owl camera covert mode masks up the camera footage and doesn’t show you even if it is recording in the backend.

There is a possibility that the channel you used for your camera has a covert mode enabled and that’s why it is showing no signals for your camera.

Solution: All you need now is to disable the Covert Mode for the camera port channel.

Here is how you can disable the covert mode:

1. Go to your camera recorder Settings from TV/PC.
2. Tap on the Night Owl Camera.
3. Look for Covert from the menu.
4. Disable the mode.
5. Tap on Save to reset the settings.

Note: After altering the camera settings, reboot the recorder and camera by unplugging the device and waiting for 10 seconds.

Solution #4 Factory Reset DVR

Now that we’ve attempted everything, we can confidently say that the “No Signal” issue comes from your Night Owl DVR and not from the camera.

This is why next, we’re going to perform a Factory Reset on the DVR, to restore the signal from your connected cameras.

Here’s how to reset a Night Owl DVR in easy steps:

1. Navigate to the DVR’s Menu.
2. From there go to the Advanced Tab.
3. Next, select the Maintain Tab.
4. Click on Load Default.
5. Select “ALL” and click on Save.
6. Your Night Owl DVR will now reset.

You will know that the reset is over when the Night Owl DVR restarts, so you can then re-add your camera and start streaming.

In case the “No Signal” message is still there contact Night Owl customer service for more help.

Good Luck!

Quick Recap:

Thus, whenever your Night Owl camera shows a “No Signal” message, all you need to do is to make sure that the DVR and camera are working and connected. When using an IP camera, it’s important to connect both devices to the same WiFi for a working signal.

Wrapping Up:

In this guide, we have thoroughly discussed why your Night Owl camera no signal and how you can easily fix it without any complicated detailed steps.

Follow the guide completely and follow each step so you don’t skip out on the actual culprit. Good Luck!

Visit our blog for more Night Owl-related guides!