Outdoor view delay

@dmedwick I called support to ask the same question. They advised that due to the battery architecture these were necessary steps. Not being an electrical engineer like my father was (I know which end of a screwdriver to hold, however :-) if there is another power source like my two AC adapters for my cameras, I would think there would be a way to by pass that. Confident other, much smarter folks than I will explain the challenges.

On the plus side, the outdoor cameras are definitely getting faster to start streaming after each firmware update. And, for comparative purposes, the Simplicams were very slow when first released, but now are only a second or two.

I would really like the camera to stay awake if plugged in to AC, especially since the cable was $50…

It would seem that at the very least, if the charge of the battery is sufficient, the circuit to SS should be sustained, in the same way it appears to be for the powered doorbell camera, or perhaps a variation of that so that a new circuit between the camera and SS doesn’t have to be initiated.  

What I don’t understand is if a trigger sends a notification and a video to SS which is accessible to a client app in a matter of a second or two, why does it take so long to establish a real-time connection? All the prep for establishing the circuit should have been done. Where’s the holdup?

I can tell you that currently the slow reaction of the camera at night is the reason I will be sending my system back. It's almost worthless. You can see motion is being picked up as the status light blinks blue, but I have already walked 50ft and on the porch before it records any visible video. So evidently, the updates are not adequate to say the least. For $890 I expect way more than this.

So fed up with SimpliSafe. Replacement outdoor camera now also does not wake up and record. First the doorbells now the cameras. All firmware is up to date. The cameras just stop working for no reason.

@dmedwick unfortunately, at this time that's how the outdoor camera works. Many, including me, have asked SS to update the firmware that if there is an AC adapter or solar panel in use it would skip the wakeup step and just stream like the other cameras.  They say it isn't as simple as coding "if AC or solar then skip...." but since I am not a programmer, well, you get the idea..:-)

I was a programmer for 40+ years. I'm not buying it, there's more to the story. Maybe the programming is outsourced, or by the actual manufacturer (same as outsourced). Either way I hope they can get it resolved quickly. If not relatively soon I may dump the entire system, some of the cheaper cameras available send a notice almost instantly, so it can be done.

The lag is a problem....I just had a person knock on my door as a prank and I could not see who it was...how can I get a refund on the camera?

I just had someone break into my house over the weekend and my cameras didn't record a single thing until they were halfway out the backyard into my neighbors yard. They literally walked directly in front of 2 cameras. I'm so disappointed in Simplisafe. I'm paying for a service that they are not providing. 

I likewise am disappointed in the lag time.  Also, half the time, after waiting 15 or 30 seconds to connect, I'll get an alert that says  "Camera Disconnected - Your camera is disconnected from the internet."  How do I check to ensure my hardware and software are the latest?  I have invested too much into SimpliSafe to have this minor issue happen.

For those with external power, wakeup needs to be under a second.  Otherwise a second or two.  As is, the camera is not doing its job.  We need a management response here.

write a firmware update so the camera senses that it's plugged in to house power so the camera will wake up faster.   Other than that, this is a waste of $150.  

You guys should try arlo that I used to have, they took forever to load up but the only good thing g was you got the video in your cloud within 10 seconds after the camera shuts off but yes I do agree the wake up time is killing me lol 

The worry - where we live, a car could be stolen or the cat converter sliced out in the time that this takes to start recording or go live.  Absolutely defeats the purpose.  We also have a doorbell camera which wakes up very quickly, but it does a lousy job of covering the driveway.

What I don't get - this complaint about the cameras - ones with external power, goes back quite a while, more than enough time to fix.  PLUS - delays ought to be controllable by the home owner, a concept Simplisafe is quite familiar with.