Outdoor camera won’t connect to wifi

I had to get a timer that reboots my router every day at 3am since SimpliSafe doesn't care to correct this issue. 

I have Ubiquiti as well and had tried that previously, but didn't work for me.  My theory is the radio on these cameras are either underpowered or just plain horrible.  It's laughable that the admins reply to reset the cameras, like anyone hasn't already tried that.  Then they tell you to contact support, which tells you the same thing.  I wasted too much time with these things, hopefully anyone considering these cameras will see these posts first and avoid them all together.  SimpliSafe needs to immediately stop selling these cameras.

The inside cameras work like a charm though!

Hello Roby, I am very surprised that this didnt work for you. You only need to turn off Group Key Interval in the 2.4 wifi signal. The cameras are considered IoT devices and will never connect to 5g signal. I left Group Key Interval turned on with the 5g signal. Also, my security protocal is WPA2, I am not sure if you are using stronger security. I left all other settings default. Let me know if you want to see screenshots of specific settings. I know I spent months on this issue and I always took photos when making changes in case I had to revert back. 

I appreciate it, but I've moved on to cameras that work, lol!  I have a completely separate wifi, 2.4 only and WPA2 strictly for simplisafe equipment.  Only these outdoor cameras won't connect, everything else simplisafe works great.

@marvinsanchez42788​ Is your Wi-Fi network configured to WPA2 or WPA3/2 Mixed Mode? The Outdoor Camera requires routers to be configured to one of those two settings, so if it isn't I would recommend setting that up.

If your router is set to WPA2 or WPA3/2 Mixed Mode, I would recommend setting up a 2.4GHz guest network on your router and connect only your SimpliSafe devices to it.

This article in our Help Center can also help to further troubleshoot your camera. It has additional tips to get your camera connected, and mentions a diagnostics tool that will pinpoint what could cause network connectivity issues.

Move on to other cameras that work, I went with Ring.  The SimpliSafe admins on this forum can only do what they're told, which is point to network issues.  The cameras themselves are the problem and need to be recalled or replaced with something that actually works.  The Ring cameras I replaced them with work fantastic in the exact same spot on the exact same WiFi.  Again proving it's the cameras that do not work.

@marvinsanchez42788​ The only thing that worked was changing the routers internet protocol from 802.11 ax to 802.11 b/g/n. Once the camera connected we were able to change it back. 

@SBAdams​ If you haven't already, I would recommend resetting the Outdoor Camera by pressing and holding the pairing button on the back of the camera for 30 seconds. Once you release the button, the camera should reboot and you will be prompted to set it up in the SimpliSafe mobile app again. 

If you have already tried a reset, I would then check your camera's connection to your router using the Connection Check tool in the SimpliSafe mobile app. This will run a scan of your camera and provide additional troubleshooting steps to help improve its connection to your Wi-Fi network. We list out the steps to use the Connection Check tool in this Help Center article.

Lol read the room Emily. Your suggestions are less than helpful. 

Actually we did have issues with our indoor camera after having to adjust the wireless settings. It's all working now but what a pain in the a$$

@angelopro1​ 

Finally determined what the problem was.  Here it is:  the base station was only working using cellular, not wifi.  Without wifi, it would not connect camera.  So, after replacing base station that fixed it.  I suggest you call them and have them test the base station signal.  Why the folks from Simplisafe don't know this remains unclear and frustrating.  Good luck!

@Pdx​ Does your Wi-Fi network's SSID and/or password exceed 31 characters? Our devices cannot connect to networks where the SSID or password are longer than that, so if it is I would recommend shortening it. 

If your SSID or password are shorter than 31 characters, I would recommend following the troubleshooting flow in this Help Center article for further assistance.

@brochild​ Is your router closer to your garage than the Outdoor Camera's current location? Since your camera was able to connect to Wi-Fi when you were testing it, I would recommend adjusting the placement of the router to move it closer to the camera.

@dfdabney​ Something else that could help is to set up a guest Wi-Fi network locked at 2.4GHz and connect only your SimpliSafe devices to it.

And when you say forgetting and reinstalling the camera, did you perform a reset on it by holding its pairing button for 30 seconds? Or did you remove it from your account and then add it back in? If you did not reset the camera, I would also recommend doing so by following the steps in this Help Center article.

I recently referred two different people to simplisafe but if they don’t address this I won’t be recommending it anymore. So bush league that they haven’t addressed this when people have been complaining literally for years about this specific problem.

I’m thankful for this thread, it’s saved me from pouring any more hours into a problem with no solution 

@PaulH​ making sure that your home is secure is our whole mission, and that includes ensuring that your cameras are reliable.

That being said, WiFi connectivity is complex, so there could be a few different reasons why your cameras may have trouble connecting or staying connected. Or to put it another way, there isn't a single "problem" that we're troubleshooting for; this thread even presents several, from compatibility issues with your WiFi router and network, to interference and range issues.

We are of course constantly pushing out updates to significantly improve connectivity and responsiveness for your Outdoor Cameras. The latest version that has been rolling out for the past couple of weeks brings Performance Mode, which kicks in automatically when your camera is connected to a power source to significantly boost response time. And we also have a step-by-step guide on our Help Center that can take you through troubleshooting environmental and other issues.

If you still need help, we can even request a call from our Support team, so we can go even deeper into troubleshooting to get your cameras back online.

Having this same issue. Have been trying to fix this for over a year with no luck. Tried restarting the camera, base station, uninstalling/reinstalling the app, and everything else mentioned in the app. Created a 2.4 ghz WPA2 network for only SimpliSafe devices and this is the only one that won't connect. This is beyond frustrating. 

@stevejaker​ How far away is the Outdoor Camera from your router? I would recommend bringing it inside, about 5-10 feet away from the router, to see if that helps it establish a connection.

@emily_s​ the outdoor camera is around 15 feet from the router, however, it will not connect no matter how close I bring it to the router. 

@bmichael123​ are the support people humans or just AI bots?

@datavortex​ You're not alone.  After nearly a year of fighting them, and support, I bit the bullet and chunked them.

@datavortex​ The 2.4GHz network you created, is your Base Station connected to it as well? We recommend having all SimpliSafe devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network, or is could cause connection problems. 

Also, if you haven't used our in-app Connection Check tool on your Outdoor Camera yet, I would recommend trying it. This tool will scan the camera's connection to your network and provide additional steps to help improve it. We list out the steps to use this tool here in our Help Center.

However, if that does not help I can also get you in touch with our Specialist team for some additional live troubleshooting to get to the bottom of this.

@roby​ I have thrown mine in the trash where they belong