18 Messages
Why do my indoor cameras keep "clicking" while the alarm is off?
Multiple times a day, while I'm home with the alarm off, my indoor cameras "click". They don't appear to be opening and closing the shutter (the reflective metal is still reflective), but what is it doing?
On christmas morning it did suddenly open the shutter and start recording our morning exercise though. I checked the timeline history in the app and could clearly see that the alarm was disarmed at 08:21, yet the living room started detecting motion and started recording at 09:56 (while also claiming to be disarmed via app. But of course that's impossible since the timeline shows it was already disarmed).
I feel like I want to turn my cameras towards the walls when I'm home, but of course then I'll have to remember to turn them back before I leave.
Edit: I have just experienced the clicking while staring directly at the camera from the front. It clicked four times within a couple of minutes.
They seemed to come in pairs. So after the first pair I suspected that pattern.
When it clicked again I stared at it until it clicked again, a few seconds later. The shutter was closed both before and after the click, so unless it's faster than the eye can see, it does NOT appear that the camera was actually uncovered, and the click instead is something else.
During this whole thing the alarm was in off mode, and had been since this morning. Time of event circa 2022-01-10 18:30 UTC.
Official Response
davey_d
Community Admin
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5.7K Messages
3 years ago
Hi @thomas_12282724218327284 and @werwulf
Yes, if it's not the camera shutter, then it might be the camera switching to night mode (or vice versa). You might even see the infrared illuminator turn on as well.
To be clear, after that switch, the camera is still not recording. It's just getting ready to record in the low-light mode. So it's behaving as intended.
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worthing
737 Messages
3 years ago
Take a look at https://support.simplisafe.com/hc/en-us/articles/360029594152-When-does-the-camera-record- and note that there are quite a few events that will force a camera to record (and, if the privacy shutter is down, open and make a click sound):
Is it possible one of the events above happened?
Edit: And this happens regardless of the state of your alarm. So even if it's off, the cameras will record when any of the events above happen.
(edited)
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taggart
35 Messages
3 years ago
I've noticed something similar. Even though my cameras are set to have shutters closed and not record when the system is off or in Home mode, they do often detect motion and record a short video right after the system status is changed, either turned off or set to Home. After that they do not record. I think the clicking noise is the shutter.
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gregter
64 Messages
3 years ago
I’ve noticed this once in a while as well.
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taggart
35 Messages
3 years ago
SImplisafe needs to address this invasion of privacy.
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thomas_12282724218327284
18 Messages
3 years ago
There was another reply (since deleted, it seems) that said that maybe one of these events happened. But no. This can happen when the alarm is off, and we've been watching a movie for an hour.
On Chrismas day the alarm got re-offed on its own (as described), and it did record. But outside of that for me the clicking is not associated with notifications of motion or recordings.
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rodroyso
3 Messages
3 years ago
Are cameras recording while system is off? Are they recording me while I’m home? How do I access my cameras while I’m away?
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thomas_12282724218327284
18 Messages
3 years ago
@rodroyso your questions seem unrelated. Probably best to start a separate thread.
In this post I want to find out why the cameras are clicking.
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werwulf
8 Messages
3 years ago
This isn't the shutter, it's the switch between night vision mode and normal. It happens even when the shutters are closed. One of my cameras faces the TV and and night it causes it to click. It's super annoying. There is no need for the camera to change mode when the shutter is closed.
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thomas_12282724218327284
18 Messages
3 years ago
@werwulf oh, that makes perfect sense! Not why it would do it, but that this is what it does.
So… is there any way at all to get SimpliSafe's attention at fixing that?
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worthing
737 Messages
3 years ago
@werewulf
Put it in the suggestion area! I absolutely agree, that's dumb if the shutter is closed.
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mstjjr
1 Message
9 days ago
I know this is an old post but just wanted to say they have a setting now to turn night vision completely off and hopefully that stops the clicking of the camera changing to night vision even when the system is off. We keep a light on 24/7 so it won't need night vision. Hopefully you're suggestions helped provide this option, so thanks!
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