Outdoor Cameras

Night Vision is a feature that allows your camera to use infrared technology to see in low-light conditions. The setting for this feature can be found in the SimpliSafe® App by navigating to camera settings:

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. Tap on the desired camera 

5. Select Night Vision

When On, the camera will always revert to using night vision regardless of the amount of light in the room. When set to Auto, the camera will intelligently switch between Night Vision and not depending on the amount of light in the room. In Off mode, the camera will only use available light to capture video and may result in dark video.  

The Outdoor Camera does not have an Auto setting, but it does have Spotlight. When turned on, this allows the camera to record in color at night. 

If the video quality is poor at night, we recommend trying the following steps:

• Verify the camera's Night Vision setting in the SimpliSafe® Mobile App and set it to On or Auto

  • If you have an Outdoor Camera, verify that its Night Vision setting is set to Standard or Spotlight

• Ensure the camera is not pointed near a wall, ceiling, or a flat surface underneath. Large surfaces like this will reflect the IR light and wash out the remaining video. We recommend repositioning the camera in these scenarios. (see image below)
  

• If the camera is on a shelf, place it near the edge to avoid any obstructions

• Make sure that the camera is not directly facing a wall or looking out a window

• Confirm that the protective film on the face of the camera has been removed

• [Outdoor Camera Only] Turn on the Spotlight to help illuminate areas around the camera

If the above steps do not resolve the issue, we recommend testing the camera in a second location. If the issue disappears, try taking the above steps again in the camera’s desired location.

Still Need Help?

If the issue persists, try resetting the camera by following the directions below. Note: resetting the camera will erase any videos that you have captured as well as all camera settings. Instructions on how to download any camera recordings first before resetting. 

• Wireless Outdoor Security Camera

• Outdoor Camera Series 2

• Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera

• Resetting the Video Doorbell Pro

• SimpliCam® Wired Indoor Security Camera

Once the camera has been reset, begin the setup process over again using your camera’s installation guide.

• Wireless Outdoor Camera Installation Guide

• Outdoor Camera Series 2 Installation Guide

• Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera Installation Guide

• Video Doorbell Pro Installation Guide

• SimpliCam® Wired Indoor Camera Installation Guide

If you find that your Wireless Outdoor Security Camera is detecting too much motion, there are some recommended placement and settings changes you can make to minimize the amount of motion it detects.

Adjust the Placement of the Camera

If your Outdoor Camera is facing a high traffic area like a busy street or sidewalk, we recommend angling the camera down to remove this area from its field of view, as seen in the image below.

Change the Camera’s Settings

If you cannot change the angle of the Outdoor Camera, there are settings you can adjust in the SimpliSafe® Mobile App to minimize the amount of motion it detects.

Sensitivity

By default, the Outdoor Camera’s sensitivity is set to Medium, but you can adjust this setting to Low to limit the amount of motion events you receive. 

You can adjust the sensitivity of your Outdoor Camera by taking the following steps:

SimpliSafe® Mobile App

1. Open up the SimpliSafe® Mobile App on your mobile device or tablet

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings from the list of available menu options

4. Choose the Outdoor Camera you’d like to adjust

5. Tap Motion Detection

6. Under Sensitivity, move the slider to Low

7. Tap Save in the top right corner to save this change

​

SimpliSafe® Online Account

1. Login to the SimpliSafe® Online Account using the browser of your choice

1. If you manage multiple properties, choose the location you wish to update from the list by clicking on the Base Station Serial Number or Property Address 

2. Select Devices from the navigation bar on the left side of the screen

3. Select the camera you want to update

4. A pop up menu will appear on the right hand side of the screen

5. Scroll down to Motion Sensitivity and move the slider to Low

6. When you are done, click Save Changes on the bottom of the pop up to save your selections

​

Motion Detection Type

The Outdoor Camera has two motion detection options: All Motion and People Only. When set to All Motion, the camera will record any motion it senses - which may cause excess motion events. However, if the camera is set to People Only it will only respond to people-shaped objects.

To minimize the amount of motion your Outdoor Camera detects, you can change its motion setting to People Only by following these steps:

1. Open up the SimpliSafe® Mobile App on your mobile device or tablet

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. Tap the Outdoor Camera you’d like to adjust

5. Choose Motion Detection

6. Under Motion Type, select People Only

7. Tap Save in the top right corner to save this change

​

Activity Zones

By setting up Activity Zones, you can block unnecessary sources of motion from the camera’s view, like tree branches, sidewalks, or busy streets.

To create Activity Zones, take the following steps:

1. Open up the SimpliSafe® Mobile App on your mobile device or tablet

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. Tap the Outdoor Camera you’d like to adjust

5. Choose Motion Detection

6. Under Activity Zone, tap the boxes in the frame where you do not want your camera to record

7. Tap Save in the top right corner to save this change

Additional Troubleshooting

If you’re still getting too many motion alerts when your camera is set to People Only mode, we recommend trying the following tricks:

• Change your camera’s motion detection setting to All Motion

• Turn your camera’s sensitivity down to Medium or Low

• Set up Activity Zones around the perimeter of the camera’s field of view

This error can occur within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App when the camera has been partially removed from the Base Station but failed to fully remove itself from the mobile app.

As a first step, we recommend tapping on Finish Setup and see if it allows that camera to connect. If that step fails, the best path forward would be to remove the camera from your system using the Keypad.

Using the Keypad

1. Press the Menu button on your Keypad

2. Enter your Primary PIN

3. Scroll to devices and press Open on the right

4. Scroll down and locate the camera in question

5. Select your camera by pressing the arrow to the right

6. Choose Remove by pressing the arrow to the right to delete this camera from your system

Once the camera has been removed from the Keypad, you’ll need to refresh the SimpliSafe® Mobile App. To do this, open the mobile app on your phone or tablet and pull down from the top of the Camera’s tab to refresh the information presented. You can also force close the app on your phone or tablet, and relaunch it to refresh the app.

Push notifications for your camera are a great way to know when there is motion detected, or when someone rings your Video Doorbell Pro. To ensure that you will always receive push notifications for your camera(s), you’ll want to make sure that critical alarm notifications are enabled on your device so SimpliSafe® can deliver notifications even if your phone is on silent. Finally, if you have a work profile or focus mode enabled, push notifications may not work. You’ll want to consult with your phone’s manual for further configuration details in these modes.

Confirm that you are logged into the SimpliSafe® app

You will only receive push notifications if you are logged into the SimpliSafe® app. Open the app on your phone and log into your account if you are not already.

Enable Push Notifications for SimpliSafe® on your Smartphone

On iOS:

1. Go to “Settings”

2. Click “Notifications”

3. Find the SimpliSafe® Mobile App, and make sure notifications are turned on

On Android*:

1. Tap Apps > Settings > MORE

2. Tap Application Manager > DOWNLOADED

3. Tap on the SimpliSafe® Mobile App

4. Select or clear the check box next to Show Notifications to enable or disable push notifications

Steps may vary depending on your Android device. Please refer to your phone’s manual to identify where App Notifications may exist.

*Note: enabling Android Private Space for the SimpliSafe® Mobile App can prevent you from receiving push notifications. If you want to receive push notifications about your SimpliSafe® system, do not enable Android Private Space.

Ensure camera notifications are turned on

1. Open the SimpliSafe® app on your phone or tablet

2. Choose the My System tab on the bottom navigation bar

3. Choose Camera Setting, then the camera you wish to enable alerts for

4. Tap into Motion Detection to adjust your motion event notifications

   1. Please note that the SimpliCam® and Smart Alarm Indoor Camera will only receive motion alerts when your camera has its privacy shutter open

Make sure your phone is not on Do Not Disturb

If your phone is set to Do Not Disturb, you will not be notified of any activity regarding your SimpliSafe® system. If you do want to receive notifications for your system when your phone is set to Do Not Disturb, take the following steps.

On iOS:

1. Open your phone’s Settings

2. Select Focus

1. This can be found in the second cluster of settings

3. Click through each of the Focus Modes to check if notifications are silenced 

4. Click through each of the Focus Modes to add the SimpliSafe® Mobile App as an Allowed Notification

On Android:

1. Open your phone’s Settings

2. Select Modes and Routines

3. Check to see if an existing Mode or Routine is on

4. Add the SimpliSafe® Mobile App to allow notifications during Do Not Disturb

These steps may vary depending on the model of your device. If you have any questions regarding the steps to take, please refer to your devices owner’s manual.

Situations where you will not receive push notifications

Even if push notifications are enabled properly, there are two situations where you will not be notified of camera motion events.

If the SimpliSafe® Mobile App is open on your smartphone or running in the background

Push notifications, by design, alert smartphone users to look at an app by tapping into the notification. Due to this, if the SimpliSafe® Mobile App is active on your device, push notifications for camera motion detection will not be sent.

If there was a previous motion detection less than a minute ago

To prevent you from receiving too many notifications, all SimpliSafe® cameras have a quiet period. After a camera detects motion, you will not receive any other motion notifications from your camera for one minute. 

During this quiet period all of your cameras will still detect motion and record as usual, and each motion detection event can still be seen in your timeline.

Further troubleshooting

If your notifications are set up correctly, then try closing the app and re-opening it.

If you still are not receiving notifications, try deleting the app and re-installing it.

Live stream delays can occur for a variety of reasons, most commonly stemming due to the camera’s “deep sleep” state it enters when not in use. When a live stream is initiated, the camera must first wake up and then connect to Wi-Fi to start the stream. This process can take up to 10 seconds.

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 Wi-Fi and system connectivity

• Move the Base Station closer to the camera

• Ensure your Base Station is connected to Wi-Fi

• Plug your camera into a continuous power source using the Outdoor Camera Power Cable. Doing this will enable performance mode, allowing your camera to remain awake and responsive

• Bring the camera and your internet router close together

  • 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

• You can also purchase a Wi-Fi extender to extend the range of your Wi-Fi

If the camera still does not connect when it is right next to your router, you may be experiencing Wi-Fi connectivity issues; in this case, you can try to troubleshoot your Wi-Fi connection.

What it Means

An "Unable to Stream Video" error means that the app was unable to download and display the streamable video. As this is likely an issue on the app end, our team is notified of these errors and investigates promptly to ensure your video is back up for streaming as soon as possible. You can try streaming this video again later.

Is There Anything I Can Do?

As mentioned above, this is likely due to an error on our end. In the meantime, you can also check your Wi-Fi connectivity strength and speed as that can affect your camera's ability to stream and record video. You can learn more about improving your connectivity speeds on our Help Center.

If your Outdoor Security Camera Series 2 ever encounters an error that can’t be fixed through normal troubleshooting, performing a factory reset* of the camera may be necessary.

*Please note that you cannot reset the Outdoor Camera remotely. You must be physically at the location of your system and with your camera to reset it.

First, you’ll need to remove the Outdoor Camera from the SimpliSafe® Mobile App.

To remove the camera:

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

2. Choose the My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. Tap the Outdoor Camera you wish to remove

5. Scroll to the bottom and select Remove Camera

To factory reset your Outdoor Camera:

1. Ensure the camera is within 30 feet of the Base Station

2. Locate the pairing button on the back of your Outdoor Camera

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

3. Press and hold the pairing button firmly, using both thumbs if possible, for 30 seconds - or until the camera chimes. You will hear the BS announce “Camera removed” 

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

4. When you release the button, the camera should reboot and begin to flash white

   1. For some cameras you may also notice it make a sound

Once the factory reset is complete, you will need to add it to your system again using our Installation Guide.