Wireless Outdoor Security Camera Video and Audio Troubleshooting

Incomplete Recordings

Incomplete recordings are usually due to poor WiFi connectivity. You can try to troubleshoot your WiFi connection by following these steps. 

Delayed Live Streaming or Trouble Live Streaming

To optimize battery life, SimpliSafe Outdoor Cameras enter a “deep sleep” mode when not in use. When a live stream is initiated, the camera must first wake up and then connect to WiFi and start the stream. This process can take 10 to 15 seconds and is completely normal.

If you are concerned about this delay or are experiencing a delay longer than 10 to 15 seconds, you can try the below steps to troubleshoot your camera’s WiFi and system connectivity

1. Move the Base Station closer to the camera
2. Ensure your Base Station is connected to WiFi
3. Bring the camera and your internet router close together
4. If the Camera works in this position, there may have been too great a distance between the devices and you will need to install the camera closer to your internet router
5. You can also purchase a WiFi extender to extend the range of your WiFi
6. If the camera still does not connect when it is right next to your router, you may be experiencing WiFi connectivity issues; in this case, you can try to troubleshoot your WiFi connection.

Not Recording or Live Streaming

If your camera is not recording or live streaming, there are three main factors you can check for: battery charge, connectivity, and environment.

CONNECTIVITY

If you have ruled out both battery and environment issues, you can try to troubleshoot your WiFi connection.

ENVIRONMENT

The Outdoor Camera’s optimal temperature threshold is ​​-20° to 113° F. If the camera overheats from high-usage and its temperature rises above 145°F, it will shut down in order to protect the battery from damage or catching fire. Once the camera has cooled back down, it will turn back on and resume functioning.

BATTERY CHARGE AND INSTALLATION

1. Remove the battery from the camera
2. Connect it to power using the in-box USB charging cable
3. If the three lights on the battery do not all light up, it is not fully charged
   • The Outdoor Camera charges fully in just 5 hours for a battery life up to 3 – 6 months
     
     
     
4. Ensure your battery is into the camera with the three metal dots lined up with the metal lines inside the camera and the tab facing out
5. Check to see if the lens of the camera is aligned with the speaker facing down and tightened fully

Camera Does Not Detect People, Even When They Are Close to the Camera (10 to 20 ft)

The Outdoor Camera is optimized to detect motion when people walk parallel across its line of sight, as opposed to directly up to it. For best coverage, move the camera to a location where it can cover the entire area you’d like to capture while making sure that people aren't walking directly towards it.

Mounting tips for optimal motion detection include:

1. Mount the camera 6 to 8 feet from the ground 
2. Mount the camera with the speaker facing down parallel to the ground
   • The camera does have the ability to be mounted upside down, but its motion detection performance will be degraded by 50%
3. Angle the camera down 30°
4. Increase motion detection sensitivity in your camera settings

 

Two-Way Audio Is Not Working

The Outdoor Camera’s Two-Way Audio feature works with a simple tap of the speaker button, unlike the SimpliCam indoor camera where you hold the button while talking and release to hear. Holding down the Outdoor Camera speaker button will not allow the two-way audio to work properly.

In order to test two-way audio, you should stand far away or in another room from the camera and have someone else stand near the camera. This is because the camera will automatically detect and mute any echo it hears, including one caused by the sound looping between the camera and your phone’s speakers.

If your two-audio is not working on your camera, you can try the following:

1. Make sure the volume on your phone is turned up
2. Ensure that the mic and the speaker on the camera is not filled with dust/water
   • Remove the camera from the magnetic mount and gently shake it to remove any water build-up in the microphone and speaker
3. Check that the “Microphone” option is toggled to On in your camera’s settings
   • In the app, tap the three-bar main menu icon ≡
   • Choose “Settings” and then “Camera Settings”
   • Select the Outdoor Camera
   • Toggle “Microphone” to On
4. Make sure that you have allowed the SimpliSafe app access to your phone’s microphone and speakers in your phone’s settings (consult your phone’s owner manual for help adjusting these settings)

Videos Not Showing Up in the Timeline

Video recordings are only available to users who are subscribed to select monitoring plans. You can upgrade your plan at any time here if you’d like to be able to see these videos in your timeline.

If you do have a monitoring subscription and are not seeing videos from your Outdoor Camera in your timeline, you’ll need to ensure that “Motion Events” are On within Motion Detection settings:

1. In the app, tap the three-bar main menu icon ≡
2. Choose “Settings” and then “Camera Settings”
3. Select the Outdoor Camera
4. Choose “Motion Detection”
5. Toggle the “Motion Events” setting to On
   • You can also try increasing the sensitivity of your motion detection if you are still having issues with your motion event videos