Outdoor Camera not launching live view

I spent over 2k on this system and it's worthless. Nothing but issue after issue and customer service is worthless for any of them. 

@emily_s​ I am having same issue -- I've noticed that I can only connect through web app, but not the mobile app. However, I found that if my phone is connected to my home wifi then it will work, but not on network data -- what does that mean? I have already re-downloaded the app, and the issue affects all of my cameras so I do not feel that a reset of cameras is necessary since it is happening to all of them.. I've noticed the camera light flashing blue when failing attempt to connect.. not sure if that means anything?

@Jeff_M​ When the Outdoor Camera’s light is flashing blue that means that a livestream or recording is in process, so this is the behavior we want to see from the camera when trying to watch it live.

Do you see any type of error message on your phone when you try to livestream your cameras using network data? Also, how strong is your phone’s connection to the internet when trying to watch a livestream using data? When watching a livestream, the device does need to access to the internet. If the connection is weak, that can prevent it some successfully loading the livestream.

Hi @emily_s -- I appreciate your response, and apologize for the delay. For some reason I never received notification that your responded? My preferences are saved to notify.. but another problem for another day

I receive a cannot connect/camera disconnected error message when using network data, this happens for all 4 ext. cameras -- I have a 4g tower 2k ft from my home, so really good signal, but still won't connect to my cameras. WiFi to my phone is good, and I am not seeing 'poor connection' of 'disconnected' status from any of the cameras from the 'cameras' dashboard in the app, and also show 'good' for wifi signal/connection, yet still my phone can only view livestream if I'm connected to wifi.. Any additional ideas?

UPDATE: all cameras now connect livestream through the phone app whether I am on wifi or network data, typically in about 4sec; there was a post I read in that their issue was resolved once the cameras batteries dropped into the ~90% range. I believe that may have something to do with my situation? I have a camera installed in my kitchen with open range to the router; battery charge at 95%, exact same issue of only being able to view livestream if my phone is connected to wifi, but works very intermittently when using network data ('camera disconnected').

@Jeff_M​ The ability to view a live stream of your cameras should not be dependent of the camera's battery live, so this is very interesting. What the the model and operating system of your mobile device? I'd like to bring this to our engineers.

And do you happen to see SimpliSafe Community emails in your spam folder? If your notification preferences are set to send you an email whenever someone mentions or replies to you, the email may have incorrectly gone into the spam folder.

Me too

@jdshatswell ​ Have you already tried resetting your Outdoor Camera? If you haven't, you can reset it by pressing and holding the pairing button on the back of the camera. Once you release it, you will be prompted to reinstall the camera in the mobile app. 

The Outdoor Camera relies on its connection to the Base Station to record and live stream, so it can also help to move the Base Station a little closer to this camera to help with their communication.

There seems to be 2 levels or "resetting" the outdoor (and perhaps other) cameras.   I was having the same problem with 2 of my outdoor cameras after a 2 day power failure.   I was able to restore functionality of the cameras by the following.

1.   Remove the camera from the mobile app.

2.   Make sure the base station is connected to WIFI.   SimpliSafe has instructions for this.

3.   Add the camera from the mobile application and progress to the point where you are supposed to press the reset button on the back of the camera.   You should have a flashing white light at this point, however I always had a flashing blue light.   This is an indication that you need to do a hard reset of the camera.   This is accomplished by holding the reset button on the camera for approximately 30 seconds.    The light should switch from flashing blue to flashing white.   At this point you can continue the camera installation procedure...

Good Luck.  

@stevewcrass​ - Just replace it with a security system that actually works.  Simplisafe is junk.

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@dcdickson​ thanks for reporting. Just so we can eliminate some factors, there's a few things to consider:

• Have you already used the Connection Check Tool to help with diagnose connectivity issues? You can access the tool in the SimpliSafe app, under Menu > My System > Camera Settings > [your camera] > Connection > Connection Check.
• Have you already gone through troubleshooting for wireless or physical interference? As well as communicating with your WiFi router, your camera also needs to link with your Base Station. It might help to move either your camera or Base Station so there are fewer obstructions in the way.

Of course, our engineers are continuing work on the firmware side to optimize performance. Further updates are on the way soon!

Any updates for firmware? I got the system so it works for me, not for me to for the system! Cameras deep sleep is really annoying! 

@EPM​ If you haven't already, I would try resetting the camera that won't livestream. You can do this by pressing and holding the pairing button on the back of the camera for 30 seconds. 

If that does not help, I would move the Base Station and Wi-Fi router closer to this Outdoor Camera to improve their communication. 

Any updates? My backyard camera started doing the same recently. It still detects motion and alerts me in the Simplisafe app. But won’t upload video recordings and also won’t launch live view. 

Wifi connection is “good” and all my other Outdoor cams (4) work fine. 

@bojackson63044​ If you haven't already, I would try resetting your backyard camera. You can do this by pressing and holding the pairing button on the back of the camera for 30 seconds. Once the reset is complete, the camera will chime and prompt you to set it up again.

It may also be helpful to troubleshoot for interference. If the exterior of your home is made of dense material like brick or stone, it may interfere with the camera's connection to the Base Station. I would try to move the Base Station a little closer to it to see if that improves its connection.

Reset the camera and it works now. Hopefully not a recurrent issue. 

@tonyalewissmith​ You shouldn't be having trouble livestreaming on your phone while connected to the same WiFi as your cameras. That is, unless there's an issue with the WiFi router, or with the internet service.

Do you know both the upload and download speeds for your internet service? We do recommend at least 2mbps download to stream through your camera, and at least 2mbps upload for each camera in your system.

@tonyalewissmith​ I would kiss you if I could. I've been messing with this system trying everything suggested. Turning off wifi on my phone worked. So simlisafe, listen to tonyalewissmith and fix whatever the issue is with wifi vs cellular data instead of denying that is the problem. Thx again.

Incredible that there hasn't been a software update to fix this issue. The base station is not too far, the WiFi router is not too far. This is poor software... I guess I'll continue uninstalling and reinstalling my devices everytime there is a base station update, and randomly go open and close doors when I drop entry sensor connections, until I find a more reliable software. I'm shocked I didn't come here and see a solution after all this time