Outdoor camera spotlight

@captain11​ holding the button down for 16 seconds and re-adding the camera

@captain11​ no QR on the outdoor models.  Camera has full signal and is 8 feet from router. Just very strange why the others show the current software version, and the one does not. Very puzzling

@davey_d​ No.. actually the one that is showing 99.99.99.99. Is working perfectly

@davey_d​ also, man, y’all have got to roll out something that will get the live feed off the ground quicker.  Takes forever to wake these cameras up.  It’s not a bandwidth issue.  With 380mb/sec of bandwidth, an alert at 3 am shouldn’t take 45-90sec to wake up and view these cameras.  Indoor cameras are almost instantaneous.  I’m starting to think I should’ve bought indoor cameras for outside.

@jculpepper73 ah, okay. The next thing that could be going on is that there might actually be something within view that the (so-called) problem camera is picking up. As a reminder, in Night Vision mode, the camera relies on infrared, so anything that generates heat (especially in contrast with the rest of the environment) could trigger it. And of course the cameras are designed to keep recording for as long as they detect motion.

Or it could just need a reboot. If you haven't already, I would suggest just power cycling by taking out the battery, leaving it for a couple of seconds, and re-assembling.

As for the time to activate - I'm with you. It's mostly not a bandwidth issue - though a higher latency in the connection might make it worse. The Outdoor Camera goes into a deep sleep to preserve battery life, and it can take a few seconds to wake. Our engineers are well aware of the delay, and are working on improvements in future firmware releases.

See comment below. Frustrated over no video due to the slow infrared, just black video when walking up to camera and then once out of camera view the crazy infrared kicks on and all you get is an empty yard. Help soon or these babies are headed back to you.

I'm having the same issue with one of my outdoor cameras, actually both of them, I really liked how they came on with a bright light for just a few minutes while there was someone there.... Should I just reboot, or remove it and? Or Is there a setting I'm just not saying in the menu?

 Thank you come on

-Ted

[edited]

Hi @MediumTed ,

First, just so you know, I edited your message to remove your email address. We advise you not to put any private info in your posts, as this is a public forum!

Regarding your Outdoor Camera, it is indeed designed to stay active as long as it's detecting motion. There's two ways that your camera can do that:

First, through the infrared sensor, which works by detecting a source of heat in contrast with the environment. So outdoors, the distance that it can trigger can vary slightly.

Second, once the camera is awake, AND if you have the People Only option enabled, it analyzes the image itself for any people-shaped objects moving around. If it's not picking you up, the camera's algorithm may just not be "seeing" what it's looking for. Perhaps it would help to move the camera to a lower position, so that it's able to pick up your shape even at closer distances.

My camera is at seven feet and I can be right under it and the light will come on then go right back off.

@jack_corbett​ When the Outdoor Camera stops detecting motion, the spotlight will turn off. So if you are standing right under it but stop moving, the spotlight should turn off. However, if you find that the spotlight turns off while there still is motion, I would echo Davey and consider bringing the camera a little bit lower - even just half a foot could help. 

You can also change the sensitivity of the Outdoor Camera's motion sensor in the SimpliSafe mobile app if the camera isn't detecting motion when it should. This can be done by navigating to the three bar ≡ menu > My System > Camera Settings > [your camera] > Motion Detection > use the slide bar to increase its sensitivity. 

@pennylytle1​ Have you tried resetting your Outdoor Camera? You can do this by pressing and holding the pairing button on the back of the camera for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, the camera should chime and will prompt you to set it back up to your system.

No, I have not done that.  I am elderly and the camera is accessible only by ladder.  If this can fix it for good, great, but this is not a solution I can do repeatedly, especially as it only happens at night.  Would like to know what caused it to behave this way.

@pennylytle1​ A reset isn't the only troubleshooting step we can take. The Spotlight turns on when the Outdoor Camera detects motion, so there might be something in the camera's view that its motion sensor is picking up on. Is your Outdoor Camera currently set to All Motion? It may help to turn on People Only to see if that makes a difference. 

I would also try toggling the Spotlight setting off and back on in the SimpliSafe mobile app to see if that prevents this from happening again.