More Detail in Error Warning Voice Prompts

Anyone know, how does one know that Simplisafe even saw this submission?

@EMHOK Thanks for the details, and for reaching out. I can certainly pass along your feedback and request to our development team to identify which device is causing the issue.

In the mean time, I'd be happy to troubleshoot the issue further with you here. This issue could be the result of wireless interference. If we start with the camera that is furthest away from the Base Station, are there any wireless devices between them, such as a Smart TV, game console, etc.? How far away is the camera that is furthest from the Base Station? 

Thanks for reaching out, Alexandria. 

It is almost certain that there will be other wireless devices between the base station and the furthest camera (and every camera for that matter). The house is full of wireless devices (there are anywhere from 30-60 devices online at any one time). I cannot recall anything new being added since the cameras were installed. It has been different cameras that have done 'Offline' when I get such a notification, but about 80% of the time it is the same outdoor camera running off battery in the home. I am fairly new to SS, having just installed the system in February this year. While researching systems the one operational issue that was the impetus for my switching all my cameras to SS was the assertion by SS sales person that it was the proximity of the camera to a WAP and not to the base station that was the critical functional factor. Was this not true? This camera is indeed the furthest from the base station (and no way to improve upon that), but it is the closest of all of them to a WAP. Whenever I assess it, both the Upload Speed and Signal Strength here (always) 'Good' (12.6 MBPS & -44 dBm at present), yet it continues to be a 'Not Responding' offender.

The link you provided states that "If you are subscribed to a camera recording plan, your cameras will turn on and record during this period." I am, so as long as it is capturing video when motion is present, the issue is not as great. Still, it would be nice to have it not recur with such frequency. 

I appreciate your attention to this issue. 

Cheers.

The error "Warning - Camera is not responding" is a general error that means we're not getting any response from the camera. It could be due to the range of the camera from the WAP/Router, interference, the result of a dead or close-to-dead battery, etc. 

You mentioned that the Outdoor Camera is running out of battery. We could begin to troubleshoot the motion zones for the camera or look over the settings to see if there's a better option for it, such as setting it to People Only. You can find a list of the Outdoor Camera settings here. 

If the battery is charged and the issue is still occurring, that means it might be an issue with range, or with wireless interference. Did the issue just recently start happening, or has it happened since you've owned your system? It's worth noting that the Outdoor Camera does connect to both WiFi and the Base Station. It uses WiFi for footage-related items but does require a quick connection back to the Base Station for system-related commands, such as arming or disarming the system. 

Thanks, Alexandria. That aids in my understanding (that ALL WiFi devices also need to communicate with the base station), but this was not disclosed when I was making my purchase. I wish I had known. I did inquire about that very issue. Perhaps my question was misunderstood.

The issue is not the battery charge (my reference was to its power source: 'running off battery' = powered by battery). I purchased a spare battery so that I can swap them out whenever it needs charging. The issue has been occurring since I installed the system. The camera has been set from the beginning to medium sensitivity and 'People Only'. I have Motion Notifications off. Can you please confirm that it will still detect motion and record as usual during the periods it is "not responding" to the base station?  Confirmation of that basic understanding will help in my further approaches to trouble shooting. 

Thanks, Alexandria. 

Thanks for those details @EMHOK. When the camera is outputting the error 'Warning - Camera not responding', that simply means that it's having trouble communicating to the Base Station. The Outdoor Camera will still record during these events, as it's still connecting to your WiFi.