Outdoor Camera Delay

@KCOC​ To preserve its battery life, the Outdoor Camera enters deep sleep when it isn't in use. Our engineers are aware that some cameras may experience a slow wakeup time when motion is detected, and they are working on improvements. They're currently working on a new feature to disable deep sleep when the camera is plugged in. Once this feature is ready to be rolled out, an update will be given in this thread. 

In the meantime, it may help to move the Base Station closer to your Outdoor Camera to improve their connection.

@emily_s​ moving the WIFI has nothing to do with this issue.  

@emily_s​ so what your saying is hard wired one way or another???

@ndrake6322​ they are grasping at straws. Instead of stroking people just say it is what it is for a non-wired camera from simpli safe at this time.

I feel the same way George.    I bought the cameras as I was so satisfied with the alarm.  I paid for installation and the installer did NOT inform me I really only needed 2 camera, not 4 as I'd had before.  I did need an additional at the front porch as SS doorbell camera does not have the range that Nest door bell camera does.   But I paid for 2 cameras that are unnecessary, but have already paid for the installation as all $$ and for the disappointment; I am aggravated at having chosen SS cameras.   All but one of my is wired.   SS says making headway.   From this thread, they've been "making headway" for a couple of years.    I love the alarm; hate the cameras.  Plus I order by phone with SS and was told I could have them on a monitor as I'd had before (NOT Possible).   I would have had better & faster coverage with a system of 5-8 cameras, bought a new monitor and paid a neighborhood handyman to install.  Would have certainly costs less!

@cooperspaulding​ As mentioned by Dlpsr, a weak Wi-Fi signal strength could result in slow camera wake times and delays. I would try running the Connection Check tool in the SimpliSafe mobile app to diagnose your Outdoor Cameras' connection. We list out the steps to run a Connection Check, and what your results mean in this Help Center article. We also provide additional steps to improve Wi-Fi signal strength here.

My connection passes each time I test and I still get 10 minute delayed notifications…it’s not the wifi it’s the poorly designed product. 

@emily_s​ No.  SS should have figured this out years ago and updated the hardware to include an external antenna port and a memory card slot.  Something to ensure nothing is lost.  And (on the next gen hardware) update the firmware to support a minimum delay.  Recording events is the priority.  Sending the recording is secondary.  These are basic requirements of any security cameras.

If I have an external power source or solar panel attached to my external camera, it should never go into deep sleep. Never. 

And on the next gen hardware front, what is SS working on?

Thank you for replying to our posts.

Jack

@emily_s​ Me again - Wanted to post a chat I had with the help desk.  The net is that the help desk is saying that the router is slower 30 feet away from the router. 

(Sat, 7 Oct 2023 12:47:58) SimpliSafe Assistant : Thank you for the clarification. Could you please confirm to us how far is your Outdoor Camera from your Wi-Fi router?

(Sat, 7 Oct 2023 12:48:13) Jack : About 30 feet

(Sat, 7 Oct 2023 12:48:45) Jack : Unbelievable. You are saying the camera doesn't work independently

(Sat, 7 Oct 2023 12:49:54) SimpliSafe Assistant : In that case, we would recommend a Wi-Fi Extender since the camera's most suggested distance from the Wi-Fi is 8-12 feet otherwise the camera itself will have a hard time performing.

(Sat, 7 Oct 2023 12:50:15) Jack : We've been through this.

(Sat, 7 Oct 2023 12:50:55) Jack : You are wanting your cameras on a pole outside with a wifi extender on the same pole.

(Sat, 7 Oct 2023 12:51:17) Jack : Does you boss know you're talking bs?

(Sat, 7 Oct 2023 12:52:07) Jack : An extender will add more latency than what is is now.

(Sat, 7 Oct 2023 12:52:09) SimpliSafe Assistant : We completely understand that, and we sincerely apologize for this inconvenience.

@jackemail​ The Outdoor Camera enters deep sleep to help maintain its battery life when it isn't in use, but our devs are working on a feature that disables deep sleep when the camera is plugged into AC or solar. When this feature is ready to roll out to users, an update will be given in this thread. I have no news on future product/hardware released, but when we have any we'll be sure to update the Community.

Regarding the distance between your Outdoor Camera and Wi-Fi router, the camera should still connect to a router that is 30 feet away. However, if there are any physical obstructions between the camera and router that absorb Wi-Fi radio waves, they can weaken the camera's connection.

If you're noticing your Outdoor Camera has a slow wake time, I would also troubleshoot the Base Station's placement, as the camera also relies on its connection to the Base Station to wake up. I would avoid putting the Base Station near any physically dense objects - like brick/stone walls and heavy appliances, and move it away from any wireless devices. This can help ensure that the Base Station has a strong connection to your devices.

This is a long standing complaint that isn't going to be fixed. 

I binned my outdoor cams and switched to Eufy at first. They are much better but had battery challenges in high traffic areas so I ebayed those and now I'm with Ring and have not looked back

That was part of my wishes in making my cameras wired (the other is I'm short and to charge the batteries I'd have to get on a tall ladder (I don't do those after falling at breaking the foot and ankle).   My still go to deep sleep and by the time wake up the person or incident has happened.  Recording doesn't seem to be immediate.   Makes me sad that I somehow missed true reviews

@KCOC​ Our engineers are working on improving the Outdoor Camera's time to wake up. They have made improvements in the past, but there is still more work to be done. Currently, they're working on a feature that prevents the camera from entering deep sleep when its connected to power.

In the meantime, there are other troubleshooting steps we can take until this feature is rolled out. The Outdoor Camera relies on its connection to the Base Station to wake up, so moving the Base Station closer to the camera can help with wake up time.

@KCOC​ Thank you for your response!  It's sad that their customer service is not responsive. 

Because I am experiencing delays in both my front and back yards - and that's where the majority of issues would arise - I will be looking around as well.  Thanks for the lead on Ring - I will check them out.  There will be sunk costs due to Simplisafe, but I am willing to pay for equipment with better security features. 

Thanks again! 

@emily_s​ Emily - do you know when that feature will be implemented - the one in which deep sleep is disabled if the camera is connected to power?  This will help my decision to keep Simplisafe or look for something else.

Thanks!

@jszalewski​ we're not able to give those details just yet, but we'll keep you updated as soon as we have more info!

LOL Same old response. After all these years with this same problem do you think simpliunsafe is going to fix anything? They will just take your money and when you complain tell you they are working on a solution. LOL

Is there an update on this? To answer your question, The update is the same since the cameras came out a few years ago........ We are working on it. lol Nothing is going to change and if, that's a big if, they come out with a new camera the people who have the old ones are sol. 

@lasabatinos​ Everything works with home internet, EXCEPT, the outdoor cameras that are battery ans solar operated.  I am not an engineer but it seems to me it has nothing to do with base station or wifi router.  Kind of funny they are working on a way to plug them in, which totally defeats the whole reason for buying the camera.

""""Currently, they're working on a feature that prevents the camera from entering deep sleep when its connected to power."""

That means we all bought bricks instead of cameras.

it does have to do with router and base station.

The base station has to wake the camera up from deep sleep, at least that's the way that it was explained a number of times over the period of time the outdoor cameras have been available...

Then the Camera has to transmit the video to SimpliSafe using the WiFi LAN and whatever WAN is in use.

IMO an update that would keep the camera from entering deep sleep if powered by either AC or solar would be a step in the right direction.

They do seem to communicate with the base over normal installation distances, the speed of the wake is the primary issue.

Then why are they doing a mod on the power supply end and not the wifi end?  I bought mine because I don't want to have to hard wire it, or jerry rig extension cord rig the camera.  THATS THE REASON I BOUGHT IT.

I can't answer that.

Presently hard wiring it does you no good because it doesn't change the way the camera works. (IE Deep Sleep) However if the behavior is changed it could help he folks that can or do presently have the ability to hardwire. 

They cant just stop them from going into deep sleep because that will slash the battery life, which isn't good already IMO.

@matt1031​ There probably won't be any solution anytime soon, if there is you can bet, they will charge you for it.

At this point it seems a class action lawsuit may be in order.  If nothing else they would have to come clean and those that bought the system/camera as stand alone and no wiring required would be refunded their investment.

@matt1031 , thanks so much for the feedback. Optimizing time to livestream is a big priority for our engineering team, and we've made big progress over the past few firmware updates. We know we've got a bit more to go, but the work on that continues.

The major factor in the lag time though is that the Outdoor Camera goes into a deep sleep in order to preserve battery life. Part of waking up the camera from that sleep involves sending the signal from the Base Station - which is why we troubleshoot the local radio link between the Base Station and your camera (and not just the WiFi). It really helps to move the Base Station closer to the side of the house where the camera is located, and to have fewer obstructions (like dense walls or heavy appliances) in the way.

"""....a big priority for our engineering team, and we've made big progress over the past few firmware updates."""

REALLY??? My  Camera is just as slow waking up..

@KCOC​ Our engineers have made improvements with the Outdoor Camera's wakeup time, but they know that there is still more work to be done. 

In the meantime, it can help to move your Base Station closer to where your Outdoor Camera is, as the camera relies on its communication to the Base Station to wake up and begin recording.

Found this link, it's 2 years old but read the link at the bottom and camera seems pretty good

GuamerJohn

•2 yr. ago•Edited 2 yr. ago

The argus 2 is 1080p that you can purchase their solar attachment. It will wake up in about 1 sec after motion and save to a microSD, store on a 7 day free cloud, mobile push notification, and send an email. I have had my Argus 2 with solar outside for 2 years on my front door with a custom warning siren to any one who approach. I recommend it for its durability to Chicago weather.

This link is the Argus 3 pro which is 2K and has AI PIR for person and vehicles, with motion spotlight deterrent. Again you can add the solar attachment. The argus 3 pro will be smart enough if the motion is a person. And other upgrades compared to the Argus 2.

https://m.reolink.com/us/product/argus-3-pro/

@hollywoodsafe​ How far away is this camera from the Base Station? When the Outdoor Camera is not is use, it enters a deep sleep to help preserve its battery life. In order to wake up and begin recording, the Outdoor Camera relies on its connection to the Base Station, so bringing these two devices a little closer together can help strengthen it.

We have also just launched a new feature called Performance Mode which prevents the Outdoor Camera from entering deep sleep if it's plugged into a power source - like the Outdoor Camera Power Cable. This results in faster wakeup times and more complete recordings. You can learn more about Performance Mode in this Help Center article.