Outdoor Camera

Two-Way Audio is a great feature to have and use with our cameras, and can help deter potential intruders or bad actors. If you find your Two-Way Audio isn’t working, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot it.

Please keep in mind that Two-Way Audio works differently for some cameras when you are viewing a live stream. For the SimpliCam® and Video Doorbell Pro, you will hold down the speaker button when you want to talk and let go of it when you want to listen. For Outdoor Cameras and Smart Alarm Indoor Camera, simply tap the mic icon once to begin talking.

Step 1: Ensure the Microphone is Enabled for your Device

You will need to go into your phone or tablet’s settings for SimpliSafe® and ensure that the Microphone is enabled.

Using iOS:

1. Open your phone’s Settings app

2. Scroll down and select SimpliSafe®

3. Toggle Microphone ON

Using Android:

1. Open your phone’s Settings app

2. Click on Apps and scroll down to find SimpliSafe®

3. Select Permissions > Microphone

4. Set Microphone access for this app to “Allow only while using the app”

*Please note that steps may vary depending on your Android device. 

Step 2: Ensure you Have the Volume Turned up on your Device

Ensure that you have the phone or tablet volume turned up when viewing a live stream or watching a video recording

Step 3: Clean your Camera of any Dust and/or Debris

Dust or debris can cause the microphone or speakers to become clogged on the camera, especially on Outdoor Cameras where they are subjected to the elements. To clean the lens of your camera products, use a microfiber lens cloth or lens cleaner. If you notice larger debris, gently blow away the larger particles or use a soft brush before wiping clean.

Step 4: Make Sure That Mic & Audio is Enabled within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App

You’ll need to review your camera's settings and ensure that Mic & Audio is enabled within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App.

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. Tap on the camera you wish to manage

5. Scroll down to General

6. Toggle Mic & Audio ON

7. Select SAVE in the upper right corner of the app to save your selections

Step 5: Test your Camera’s Connection

The Connection Check Tool for Cameras is a great way to better understand your signal strength and upload speed from the router to where your camera is located.

To use the Connection Check Tool:

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. Choose your camera from the list of available cameras

5. Under “Connection” select “Connection Check”

6. Tap “Start Connection Check” to find your camera’s connection strength

What do my Results Mean?

A good signal strength and/or upload speed means that there is a strong connection between your camera and Wi-Fi network.

A fair or poor upload speed means that you’ll want to reduce your camera’s video resolution. You can do this within the Camera Settings page for your camera in the SimpliSafe® Mobile App.

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. Choose your camera from the list of available cameras

5. Tap on Video Quality

6. Choose a lower resolution

7. Select SAVE in the upper right corner to save your selections

It may also be necessary to upload your Internet package with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to improve upload speeds. We recommend reaching out to your ISP to learn more about their offerings.

A fair or poor signal strength means your camera may be too far away from your Wi-Fi router. We recommend moving them closer, if possible. If not, you can opt to install a Wi-Fi extender to help bridge the network connectivity gap between the two. You can also move SimpliSafe® to a dedicated network or guest network to alleviate congestion. To learn more about setting up a dedicated or guest network, contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or consult with your router’s manual.

Still Need Help?

If you still need help with your camera, don’t hesitate to contact our support team for additional troubleshooting or assistance.

The audio from the Outdoor Camera is designed to come in clearly through the SimpliSafe® Mobile App when reviewing timeline events or watching a live stream. If you find that the audio sounds muffled, dampened, or echo-like, there are a few steps you can take to try and improve your audio experience.

Ensure the Volume is Turned Up on Your Phone

An easy first step is to check the volume on your phone. If the volume on your phone is low or silenced, you may not hear the audio coming out of the Outdoor Camera’s feed when watching a recording or live stream.

Enable the Mic & Audio Settings for your Outdoor Camera

Another quick step to take is to ensure that Mic & Audio are enabled in the Outdoor Camera’s settings. 

You can do this at any time from within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App:

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

2. Navigate to the Cameras tab from the bottom of the app

3. Select the Gear Icon for Camera Settings in the upper right corner of the app

4. Choose your Outdoor Camera

5. Ensure that Mic & Audio is toggled ON

1. If it is not, tap the toggle to enable it

2. Then, click Save to update your selection

Rule out Echo Cancellation

Echo Cancellation issues can occur when your phone is located too close to the camera when recording or live-streaming video. 

To rule this out, we recommend placing the camera and your phone at least 50 feet away from one another, then try live streaming again.

Clean the Outdoor Camera of Dust or Debris

Occasionally the Outdoor Camera might have dust or debris build up on it. To clean the lens of your camera, use a microfiber lens cloth or a lens cleaner. If you notice larger debris, gently blow away the larger particles or use a soft brush before wiping clean. 

Using Outdoor Camera’s Connection Check Tool

Your wireless connection directly impacts the stream and sound quality of your camera. If you have a poor connection, you can encounter pixelation or audio drop outs when viewing recordings or initiating a live stream.

Your Outdoor Camera can run a 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.

Still Need Help?

If you are still experiencing poor audio quality after taking these steps, or hearing a crackling or buzzing sound on your live streams or recordings, don’t hesitate to contact our support team for further troubleshooting.

What is Two-Way Audio?

Two-Way Audio is a feature that works on all SimpliSafe® Cameras. While using the SimpliSafe® Mobile App, Two-Way Audio allows you to hear audio from your camera and speak through it while viewing live streams.

How to Turn On Two-Way Audio

To enable Two-Way Audio, you’ll need to ensure that the Mic & Audio setting is toggled on for your camera, in its respective camera settings.

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. Tap on the camera you wish to manage

5. Scroll down to General

6. Toggle Mic & Audio ON

7. Tap SAVE in the upper right corner to save your selections

How to Use Two-Way Audio

Outdoor Cameras and Smart Alarm Indoor Camera

To use Two-Way Audio with your Outdoor Camera and Smart Alarm Indoor Camera, simply tap the speaker button. If you press and hold the speaker button like you would with the SimpliCam® and Video Doorbell, Two-Way Audio will not work.

SimpliCam® and Video Doorbell Pro

To use Two-Way Audio with your SimpliCam® and Video Doorbell, press the microphone button in the SimpliSafe® Mobile App while talking and release it to hear what is being said. If you hold the microphone button while someone is speaking to you through the camera, you will not be able to hear them.

Related Articles

• Two-Way Audio Troubleshooting

Overview

The image of your Outdoor Camera Series 2 or Outdoor Camera can be rotated to 180 degrees, in the event you mount the camera upside down. This can be done within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App by navigating to your camera’s settings.

Supported Cameras

The following cameras support this functionality:

• Outdoor Camera Series 2

• Outdoor Camera

Using the SimpliSafe® Mobile App

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings from the list of menu options

4. Tap on the Outdoor Camera you wish to manage

5. Scroll down to the section titled General

6. Toggle Flip Image 180 degrees ON or OFF as needed

7. Don’t forget to tap SAVE in the upper right corner to save your selections

Overview

Night Vision is a feature that allows the camera to use infrared technology to see in low-light conditions. This setting is especially helpful for capturing camera footage at night, or if your camera is located in a low-light setting such as a basement or darkened room.

Supported Cameras

• Outdoor Camera Series 2

• Night Vision is locked to Standard when the camera is enrolled in SimpliSafe® Active Guard Outdoor Protection

• Wireless Outdoor Security Camera

• Video Doorbell Pro

• Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera

• SimpliCam® Wired Indoor Security Camera

Turn Night Vision On or Off Using the SimpliSafe® Mobile App

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. Tap on the camera you wish to manage

5. Choose Night Vision

6. Adjust the Night Vision settings as needed

7. Select SAVE in the upper right corner to save your selections

Camera Placement Tips for Night Vision

We recommend ensuring that your camera is not pointed towards or near a wall, ceiling, or flat surface underneath. Large surfaces like this reflect IR light and wash out the remaining video (see the image below for an example of this). If the camera is on a shelf, place it near the edge to avoid obstructions. Additionally, confirm that the protective film has been removed from the camera lens. This should have been done during the installation process, but sometimes this step can be missed and interfere with your camera capturing footage adequately!

Related Articles

• Night Vision Troubleshooting for Cameras

In a normal state, a blinking or flashing blue light indicates that the Outdoor Camera is sending data, specifically actively livestreaming or recording to your timeline.

In very rare instances the Outdoor Camera may become unresponsive after reconnecting its power cable or recharging the battery. You may see the LED on the camera start to flash blue - indicating that the unit is actively attempting to send data - but in-app behavior will highlight that it’s not allowing live streams or sending recordings to your timeline.

To troubleshoot this, you’ll need to remove your camera from your SimpliSafe® system, then factory reset it. Once reset you’ll add the Outdoor Camera back to your system. We also recommend that you ensure that your battery is correctly installed in your Outdoor Camera before proceeding, as well. 

Note: It’s important to download any recordings from your SimpliSafe® App before taking the steps below.

Removing the Outdoor Camera From Your System

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. Tap on the Outdoor Camera you wish to remove from the list of available cameras

5. Scroll to the bottom and choose X Remove Camera

Resetting Your Outdoor Camera

1. Locate the pairing button on the backside of the Outdoor Camera

1. This is the smaller, circular button on the backside of the camera

2. Press and hold the pairing button firmly, using both thumbs if possible for 30 seconds – or until the camera chimes

   1. If the camera does not chime at any point during the 30 seconds of pressing the button, let go and hold and press the button again for another 30 seconds

      

3. You’ll know that these steps were successful as the Outdoor Camera will begin to flash white

Reinstalling Your Outdoor Camera

Once the Outdoor Camera has been reset, you'll need to reinstall it using the steps below.

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

2. Choose the three-bar menu in the upper left corner of the app

3. Select Add Device or Camera

4. Choose Outdoor Camera from the list of available products

5. Follow the in-app prompts to add your Outdoor Camera back to your system

Still Need Help?

If you are still having trouble after performing a reset on your Wireless Outdoor Security Camera, please contact our support team for further assistance.

You can remove a camera from your system in a few easy steps within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App.

We recommend that you download recordings from your system's timeline before removing the camera from your system, to ensure you preserve any video you may need in the future.

Remove a Camera from the SimpliSafe® Mobile App:

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. Tap on the camera you wish to remove from the list of available cameras

5. Scroll down and choose X Remove Camera