Outdoor Camera is Detecting Motion too Late

If your Outdoor Camera is detecting motion too late, there are usually two main factors at play: improper placement of your camera, or a poor wireless connection between it and the network.

We recommend reviewing each section below in the order they are presented to troubleshoot your camera. However, you may use the anchor links below to jump to a specific section.

• Using Outdoor Camera’s Connection Check Tool

• Reviewing the Placement of Your Camera

• Testing Your Outdoor Camera After Making Changes

Using Outdoor Camera’s Connection Check Tool

The Outdoor Camera can run a quick connection check between it and the Base Station to determine if any improvements can be made to the Wi-Fi connection. 

During the test, the Outdoor Camera will check the upload speed and the signal strength to paint a better picture of what the overall connectivity looks like. If you receive a fair or poor signal in any category, the app will walk you through some steps you can take to improve upon that connection. This could be steps as simple as moving the Base Station and testing the connection again, or more involved steps such as setting up a separate network for your SimpliSafe® System.

Reviewing the Placement of Your Camera

Placement is one of the most important factors for accurate motion detection for the Outdoor Camera. For accurate motion detection, it’s important to keep our mounting instructions in mind when placing your camera.

• Ensure that the Outdoor Camera is placed no lower than 6 feet from the ground, but no more than 8 feet high

• The Outdoor Camera should be angled down slightly, roughly a 30° degree angle

• If the Outdoor Camera is mounted upside down, the motion sensitivity is halved from ~30 feet to just about ~15 feet

• The Outdoor Camera is most sensitive to side-to-side motion, so the camera should be positioned towards areas where people will walk across its field of view, rather than walking towards the camera. 

You’ll also want to identify factors that could dramatically change in temperature or interference regarding the Outdoor Camera’s heat signature detection. For example, driveways that can get very hot in the summer, or a flag moving in the wind and causing a cool shadow.

We also recommend reviewing your Outdoor Camera’s Activity Zones to ensure that you are not blocking key areas of your property where motion may be occurring. 

You can change your Activity Zones at any time within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App:

1. Open the SimpliSafe® Mobile App on your phone or tablet

2. Navigate to the Cameras tab

3. Select the gear icon for Camera Settings in the upper right corner of the app

4. Choose your Outdoor Camera

5. Click into Motion Detection

6. Scroll down to view Activity Zone

7. Tap on the squares you want to include or exclude

8. Once done, be sure to select Save to save your selections

Testing Your Outdoor Camera After Making Changes

Once you have made any changes to your wireless network or the placement of your Outdoor Camera, it’s recommended to test the camera to ensure the changes are working.

To test your camera, first, give it a couple of minutes to go to sleep. Be sure that the camera is not detecting any movement during this time. 

Next, walk across the field of view of the camera in a side-to-side motion. After, check the app for the recording and confirm that the changes you made have solved the issue.

Still Having Trouble?

If you are still experiencing latency issues with motion being detected, placing your Outdoor Camera into Performance Mode is the next best option. This feature allows a camera plugged into a continuous power source to avoid delays in waking up and provides pre-roll to the beginning of the recording.

Need More Help?

If you wish to purchase an Outdoor Camera Power Cable or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact our support team directly for further assistance.