One CCTV Camera Not Working? Find the Fault Fast

12 min read · Oct 20, 2026

If one CCTV camera is not working while the others on the same system are fine, the recorder, the router and your account are almost certainly not the problem. The fault sits somewhere on that one camera's path: its port, its cable, its power supply or the camera itself. The quickest way to find it is a swap test — move one part at a time to a known-good position and watch whether the fault moves with it.

This guide walks through that test in order, so you change as little as possible and never take a working camera out of service for longer than a few minutes. If every camera on your system is down, or you only have a single camera, start with the general security camera troubleshooting guide instead.

Why "only one camera" is good news

When a whole system fails, the cause can be anywhere: the internet, the router, the recorder, the app, the account. When just one channel fails, the working cameras have already proved most of the system for you. They show that:

the recorder or app is running and signed in to the right account;
the router and internet connection are up;
the shared power source, if there is one, is producing power.

So you can skip all of that and focus on the handful of parts that belong only to the failed camera.

Before you touch anything: write down the symptom

Spend one minute describing exactly what you see, because different symptoms point to different parts.

The channel says "No video", "Video loss" or "Offline". The recorder or app cannot reach the camera at all. Power, cable or port is the likely cause.
The tile shows a black picture but the camera is listed as online. The camera is connected but not producing a usable image. Lens, night mode or stream settings are more likely than wiring. The guide to a black CCTV live view covers that case in depth.
The picture keeps dropping and coming back. Often a weak power supply, a loose connector or a cable damaged somewhere along its run.

Also note what changed recently: a storm, a power cut, building work, someone cleaning near the camera, a new router. A recent change is often the whole story.

Step 1: look at the camera itself

Go to the camera, safely. If it is high up, use a stable ladder with someone holding it, and do not work on a roof or near mains wiring yourself — call a qualified electrician for that.

Check three things:

Is there any sign of life? Many models have a status light, and many night-vision cameras show a faint red glow from the infrared LEDs in the dark (some use infrared that is invisible to the eye, so check what your model normally does). If a camera that normally glows shows no light and no glow after dark, power is probably not reaching it.
Is the lens clean and unblocked? Spider webs, insects, dust and condensation inside the cover can all ruin the picture, and a spider web lit by infrared at night can look like a total failure.
Is the cable intact where it enters the camera? Look for chewed, crushed or water-stained cable, and for a connector that has pulled half out of its socket.

If you find an obvious physical problem, fix that first and check the channel again before going further.

Step 2: the swap test, one part at a time

The rule is simple: change one thing, then check the result before changing the next. If you change two things at once and the camera comes back, you will not know which part was faulty — and you may carry the bad part forward into the next job.

Work through the parts in this order, from easiest to hardest.

Swap 1 — the port on the recorder or switch

If your cameras plug into an NVR or a PoE switch, unplug the failed camera's cable from its port and plug it into the port of a working camera (temporarily unplugging that one).

The failed camera now works, and the working camera fails on the old port: the port is the problem. Use a spare port and leave the faulty one empty.
The failed camera still fails on a good port: the port is fine. Put both cables back and move on.

On a PoE setup, also check that the recorder or switch has enough power left for every camera. A system that has just had a camera added can run out of power budget, and the camera added last may be the one that drops. The PoE camera setup guide explains how to check the power budget on your equipment.

Swap 2 — the power adapter

If the camera has its own plug-in adapter rather than PoE, borrow the adapter from a working camera of the same type, or use a spare that matches the label.

Before swapping, check the label on both adapters: the voltage, the plug size and the polarity must match what your camera's label or manual asks for. Plugging in an adapter with a higher voltage than the camera expects can damage it permanently. If you are not sure, do not swap — get a matching spare.

The camera comes back on the borrowed adapter: the original adapter is faulty or weak. Replace it with one that meets the camera's rating.
No change: the adapter is fine. Put it back.

A failing power supply is a frequent cause of a single camera dropping out, especially outdoors. An adapter can still show a light while delivering too little power for the camera's night-vision LEDs, which is why a camera that works by day and drops out at night often points straight to power.

If several cameras share one power box or splitter, check that the failed camera's lead is firmly screwed in and that its fuse, if the box has individual fuses, has not blown. Switch the power box off before you open it.

Swap 3 — the cable

The cable is often the hardest part to replace, so test it before you pull anything out of a wall.

Short test lead: take a short network or power lead you know works, carry the camera down (or the lead up), and connect the camera directly at the recorder or switch. If the camera works on the short lead, the long cable run is the problem.
Check the connectors first. Before condemning the whole cable, look at the plugs at each end. A network plug that has taken in water, a joint wrapped in tape that has corroded, or a crimp that has worked loose is usually more likely than a cable broken in the middle.
A simple network cable tester is worth having if you do this often. It tells you in seconds whether each wire in the run is connected.

If the cable is at fault, replace or re-terminate it, and seal outdoor connectors properly so the problem does not come back with the next rain.

Swap 4 — the camera

If the port, power and cable all test good, swap the camera itself. Mount (or simply connect) a working camera of the same type at the failed camera's position, using the failed camera's cable and power.

The working camera works at that position: the original camera is faulty.
The working camera also fails there: something on that position is still wrong. Go back over the cable and power, because one of them passed a test it should not have.

Before you write a camera off, try it in a completely different position on a short lead. If it works there, the camera is fine and the fault really is in the wiring at the original spot.

Step 3: check the settings for that one channel

Sometimes the hardware is perfectly fine and the channel itself is the issue. These checks take a few minutes and need no tools.

On an NVR: open the channel or camera management screen (the name varies by recorder). Look at whether the failed channel is enabled, whether it still shows the right IP address, and whether the password the recorder uses for that camera is still correct. A camera that was reset, or whose password was changed, will disappear from the recorder until you update the details. If your Yoosee camera is connected to a recorder over the network, the NVR connection guide walks through re-adding it with its local IP and device password.

IP address conflicts: if a new device on your network, such as a phone, TV or a second router, was given the same IP address the camera was using, the camera can vanish from the recorder while everything else works. Setting the camera's address as a fixed reservation in your router settings prevents this.

In the Yoosee app: if you watch the cameras in the app rather than through a recorder, open the device list and see whether the camera is marked offline. Pull down to refresh, then close and reopen the app. If it stays offline, check whether it is connected to Wi-Fi rather than a cable. A Wi-Fi camera placed at the edge of the signal, or behind a new metal door or wall, can be the only one that drops. Moving the router, adding a range extender or changing the camera's position are the usual fixes. Menu names may differ slightly depending on your app version.

Step 4: restart only the failed camera

Once you have checked the parts and settings, restart just the failed camera — unplug its power (or its PoE cable), wait about half a minute, and plug it back in. Give it a few minutes to boot and reconnect before deciding it has not worked.

If nothing has worked, a factory reset of the failed camera is the last step before replacing it. A reset removes its settings and its link to your account, so you will need to add it to the app (and to the recorder, if you use one) again afterwards. Check your model's manual for where the reset button is and how long to hold it.

When to get help

Stop and get help rather than carrying on when:

the fault is in wiring inside a wall, ceiling or roof space you cannot reach safely;
you find signs of water inside the camera, a burnt smell or a melted connector;
the power box, a fused spur or anything connected to mains wiring needs opening — that is a job for a qualified electrician;
the camera fails the swap test but is still new, in which case contact the seller about a replacement rather than opening it.

When you contact the seller or installer, tell them exactly which swaps you made and what happened after each one. "Camera works on a short lead at the recorder but not on its own cable" saves a site visit's worth of guessing.

Install or resell cameras?

If you fit multi-camera systems, a single dead channel is a familiar call-back. A few habits make these calls short:

Label both ends of every cable with its channel number, so a swap test does not start with tracing wires.
Keep a short known-good network lead, a spare adapter of each type you install and a cable tester in the kit.
Leave a little power budget spare on every PoE recorder or switch, so the customer can add a camera later without the last port dropping.
Reserve each camera's IP address in the customer's router and note it in the job record, along with the device password and the account used.
Seal every outdoor joint on the day; a connector that has taken in water is a frequent cause of repeat faults at one position.

If you install or resell cameras and want to work with Yoosee directly, see the Yoosee dealer program.

Frequently asked questions

Why would one CCTV camera stop working when the others still work?

Because the parts that are unique to that camera — its port, cable, power supply and the camera itself — can fail on their own. Everything the cameras share is clearly working, so the fault must be on that one camera's path. A swap test, moving one part at a time, finds which one.

Can one bad camera affect the other cameras on the system?

Usually not, but there are exceptions. A camera with a short circuit can pull down a shared power box, and a PoE switch that runs out of power budget may drop more than one camera. If other cameras start failing after you connect the faulty one, disconnect it and check the shared power.

Why does my CCTV camera work in the day but not at night?

Night mode switches on the infrared LEDs, which use extra power. A weak adapter, a long thin power cable or a corroded connector can supply enough for daytime but not for night vision, so the camera restarts or drops out after dark. Try a known-good adapter or a shorter cable first.

Is it worth repairing a single failed camera, or should I replace it?

Check the cheap parts first, because the camera itself is often not the faulty part. If the swap test shows the camera really has failed, a replacement is usually simpler than a repair. Contact the seller first if it is still new, since opening the camera yourself can affect any after-sales support.

My CCTV camera is not working after I moved it. What happened?

Moving a camera often disturbs the connectors or puts strain on the cable, and a Wi-Fi camera may now sit in a weaker signal spot. Check that every plug is fully seated, then compare the Wi-Fi signal in the new position. If you also changed which port it uses on the recorder, check the channel settings there.