ADT Doorbell Camera video is blurry, dark, frozen or delayed

The checks in more detail

If it does, the signal at the door is the cause, and the fix is a nearer access point, a mesh node or a router moved closer to the front of the house. If the picture is poor everywhere, the link may be fine and the camera or its settings are at fault. Next look through the lens. A film of dirt, rain spots, a spider's web or a smear from a finger blurs everything, and a web catches the infrared light at night and fills the picture with glare. Wipe the lens and the surrounding window with a dry microfibre cloth, no cleaner. Then consider the light.

A doorbell that faces a bright sky sees visitors as dark shapes, while one that looks at a porch with a single dim bulb gives grainy night video; a steady light on the visitor helps more than any setting. At night the camera switches to infrared, which reflects off a light-colored wall or a glass door close to the lens, so tilt the doorbell a few degrees with its wedge bracket if the mount allows. Finally check the video quality option in the app, because a lower resolution may have been chosen to save bandwidth, and ADT's guides suggest restarting the doorbell with a power cycle if it behaves oddly.

A picture that stays poor on a strong signal with a clean lens and good light points to a faulty camera, which the installer should replace. ADT's doorbell video is also affected by the account's video settings, which are managed in the ADT portal and not only in the doorbell. Check the video quality and clip length settings there, because a plan or an option may cap the resolution, and a camera that looks soft on the phone may simply be set to save bandwidth. Compare a clip viewed in the portal on a computer with the same clip in the phone app, to see whether the difference is the doorbell or the phone's viewing path.