A washed-out white night image with distinct glare patches almost always means IR light is bouncing straight back into the lens. There are four common variants.

• Too close to a surface: within 50 cm of a wall, eave or column, the IR beam reflects back and fogs the picture. Keep at least 50 cm of clearance to the side and never aim the camera at a wall straight ahead.
• Shooting through glass: behind glazing, IR reflects off the pane. Either move the camera outside the glass or use a white-light model.
• Soiled lens or LED cover: grease, water spots and dust scatter light. Clean with a microfibre cloth and lens solution rather than dry tissue.
• Over-strong illumination at close range: nearby targets blow out. Reduce illuminator brightness or enable smart illumination and anti-overexposure.

Re-check after dark: this class of problem is invisible in daylight.