‎Outdoor Camera Not Recording | SimpliSafe Support Home
 
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3 Messages

Thursday, June 1st, 2023 8:15 PM

Outdoor Camera Not Recording

I am not sure if my issue is related but it is similar. I realized recently that one of my cameras stopped reliably recording events. I reset the camera and the issues persists.  I just recharged the camera battery for one of my other cameras and it is now having the same issue. I can view live stream but get no recordings. When I stand in front of the camera, I see the blue flashing light as indicated in this issue. Please let me know if you need more information.

This post was created from this comment on different post

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1 year ago

Hi @jmc, 

This issue is a bit different from what users in the original thread are experiencing, so I've gone ahead and turned your comment into its own post. I see that you've already been in contact with our Support team, and after resetting your camera it started recording. If this issue comes up again, please let me know!

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@emily_s​ It is still a problem. It worked briefly after the reset but now it is no longer recording. This is the case for two of the three cameras. I see the flashing blue light when I walk in front of the camera but no recording.

3 Messages

Also, I reset the base station per the support person but this did not help.

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@jmc​ Since a reset of both the camera and the Base Station didn't help, it seems like your camera is having trouble with connectivity. Our Help Center article here has some troubleshooting steps that should help!

1 Message

1 year ago

@emily_s I believe I have the same issue. I noticed three of my five outdoors cameras stopped reliably recording events as well. I can see the blue lighting flashing when there is motion in front of the camera. Those three are connected to solar panels and fully charged. My other two cameras are wired directly to an outlet. I removed the three cameras, then reset and reinstalled them. They continue to not reliably record events. My cameras and base station are on the latest updates.

(edited)

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@KetchupTube​ Yes, I believe you have the same issue as well. I would check the Outdoor Camera's connection using the Connection Check tool in the mobile app to ensure that it has a strong signal. If it does not, this article in the Help Center can help with improving connectivity seed. I also forwarded yours and JMC's cases to our dev team for investigation. 

7 Messages

1 year ago

This same problem happened to both of my outdoor cameras.  It started for both at the same time, over a week ago.  The connection is fine, and I can view the live stream just fine.  They just stopped recognizing/waking up for motion events, despite the motion alerts being on.

Good connection, latest outdoor camera firmware, latest base station firmware.

In fact, I can even say that it must be that the cameras are not waking up at all... not that the notification is missing.  I've been having contractors over this past week, so if the cameras were waking up for motion, the batteries would have died days ago.  They still have decent battery life left.

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@steves​ I would try resetting your Outdoor Cameras to see if that helps them wake up during motion events again. To do so, press and hold the pairing button on the back of each camera for 16 seconds. When you release the button, the camera should reboot and enter setup mode.

2 Messages

1 year ago

We have the same issue on two cameras.  One will not wake up to record motion even though the blue lights flashes when motion is detected.  The second camera will record motion but not process an alert.  Both have been power cycled, reset, reinstalled, and connectivity checks are all very good.  Livestream works without issue.  Issues started this past weekend.  System is <1 month old.

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@LaurieL​ Since the connection check looks good and a reset didn't help, we may need to replace your cameras all together. If you get in touch with our Support team, they can help with that.

1 Message

1 year ago

I seem to be having this issue too. I can see the blue light flashing on my outdoor camera when there is motion, but no recording for notification.

I have tried resetting the camera and checked the connectivity and it is good. So not a problem on my end, something wrong with the hardware. 

Seems like these cameras have caused more problems than they are worth especially since they now don’t provide any security. 

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@nerdman26 ​ How far away is your Outdoor Camera from your Base Station? The camera needs to communicate with both the Base Station and Wi-Fi router in order to function properly. I would try moving the Base Station closer to the camera to see if that resolves this issue. If not, our Support team is here for live troubleshooting.

1 Message

11 months ago

I have same issue with two cameras and tried all the fixes above and nothing worked. Connection is fine.  Support no help. 

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@rksepe​ Do you receive notifications when those two cameras detect motion? Also, are they installed around the same area of your house, or are they farther apart?

I would also recommend checking the motion detection settings for these cameras in the SimpliSafe mobile app. If their sensitivity is set to Low, I would change it to Medium or High to see if that helps.

1 Message

11 months ago

I have the same issue. My 2 outdoor cameras just won't record or store anything, I don't get notifications either. My doorbell and indoor cameras record fine.

However, when I press the record button or the storage button the all says "unlock recordwd storage" when I click the "learn more" button it takes me to a page that then says "you have enough cameras on this plan to record, no need to upgrade". It won't let me do anything else from this page.

When I look at my plans, it shows I have Fast Protect, with 30 Days of storage. 

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@Rrankine​ It may help to remove these Outdoor Cameras from your account and then add them back. However, if that still does not help your cameras to record I would then recommend reaching out to our Support team for some additional assistance.

10 months ago

I wonder if the last update had something to do with this?!? Mine aren't working now either. I can stand in front of the camera and the blue light flashes ands the spotlight comes on but no recording. My wifi is fine and close to the camera. 

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@ballardjd1outlookcom​ If you haven't already, I would recommend removing your camera from your account and then add it back to see if that helps resolve this problem.

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I am experiencing this issue as well. Both my outdoor cameras pick up motion sensing and I get notifications, but there is no recording saved. The internet signal is “Good” as well.

I tried removing the camera from my account and adding it back and also reconnected the internet - which did not resolve the problem.

help please.

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@jsprite ​ Have any changes been made to your monitoring plan recently? Camera recordings are only included with the Self Monitoring or Fast Protect™ monitoring plans. If you are subscribed to either the Standard Monitoring or free Basic App Control plans, you be notified when a camera detects motion and can view a live stream, but the cameras will not film any recordings. 

1 Message

5 months ago

We’re having the same issue and by the looks of this thread, it’s an issue MANY people are having. We paid far too much into this system to have it rendered useless other than to tell us motion occurred. 

we pay for the subscription $29.99 and haven’t seen a recorded video, other than if we trigger it ourselves on the desktop site. 

I called support and was transferred twice. They told me my cameras looked to be working “perfectly fine” WHILE also confirming they had no idea why they don’t record when triggered by motion. 

one of cameras is a month old, so I assumed the doorbell wasn’t getting enough signal. We had our internet upgraded with mesh boosters located right inside the door so there’s no way it’s a connection issue. 

When we did this, we had to reset both cameras and it still won’t record on its own. 

support said someone could call me back on 3-5 days. WTH!?!? 

last week a solicitor walked up, and put his back to the camera so I couldn’t see when viewing live. This is a dangerous game you’re playing. Your system is FLAWED, this thread is proof you’ve known about it for at least a YEAR and you need to FIX IT or refund us ALL 😡😡😡

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Hi @AStidhum​, 

I'm sorry to hear about all of this trouble. I've requested a callback with our escalated Support team on your behalf. A senior agent will reach out to you very soon, so please keep an ear out for their call.

1 Message

@AStidhum​ did anyone actually help you fix the issue? I think we are experiencing the same problem. :(

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@JennyTaco27​ How are your Outdoor Cameras physically installed? The Outdoor Camera should be mounted 6-8 feet off the ground, as mounting it any higher up can negatively impact its motion detection. 

Its motion sensor is also most sensitive to lateral movement, so it should look to the side of the area you want to monitor opposed to straight on. This is to ensure that people walk across the camera's field of view instead of coming toward it head on.

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