If you are unable to initiate a live stream from within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App or Online Account, there are a few steps you can take to try and get things running again. 

Using the Connection Check Tool

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 upgrade 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?

Don't hesitate to contact our support team for additional troubleshooting or assistance. We're here to help!

The Wireless Outdoor Security Camera has a variety of settings that can be customised, such as Night Vision, Motion Detection, Picture Quality, and more, all within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App or Web App.

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. Choose your Wireless Outdoor Security Camera from the list of available cameras

Camera Behavior

You can customise your Outdoor Camera by changing the motion detection to coincide with your system’s arming state. For example, if you don’t want your system to record when the system is set to OFF but you do want it to record when it’s set to AWAY, you can now control these settings.

To change these settings, tap into either OFF, HOME, or AWAY and make the adjustments to Motion Detection and Motion Notifications. Then, choose SAVE in the upper right corner of the app to save your selections.

Motion Detection

Motion Detection settings control how your camera will respond to motion events, such as someone walking in its view or a car driving by. In this menu, you can use the slider to adjust sensitivity, as well as change the Motion Type to detect All Motion or People Only. You’ll also be able to filter motion detection further by creating Activity Zones, which allow you to exclude certain areas from motion events. This is great if you live near a busy sidewalk or street!

Video Quality

Video Quality manages what quality your streams and recordings will be at. For the Wireless Outdoor Security Camera you can adjust this to 1080p, 720p, or 480p. The higher the stream, the more bandwidth it will use on your network. So if you’re having trouble streaming at 1080p, you can try lowering the quality as a troubleshooting step on your end.

Flip Image 180

This option is available should you mount your Outdoor Camera upside down, such as on an eave. When mounting your camera upside down, you will actively decrease the distance that it picks up motion in half. Specifically, an upside down Outdoor Camera will pick up motion within 15 feet, as opposed to 30 when in a normal orientation.

Mic & Audio

The Mic & Audio setting allows you to hear audio from your camera, and also allows you to initiate two-way communication when viewing live streams.

Siren

Your camera has a built-in siren that will relay the siren from your system in the event of an alarm so that neighbors or nearby passersby know that you may need help.

Status Light

The status light for your camera will show you that the camera is online and functioning, at a glance.

CONNECTION ERROR

WHAT IT MEANS

If your Outdoor Camera is not responding, it’s likely due to either a low or dead battery or the camera is unable to connect to Wi-Fi. Please note that SimpliSafe systems and cameras require 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks.

HOW TO FIX IT

1. Remove the battery from the camera and charge it with the usb charging cord that came included with your camera to ensure your battery is fully charged.

2. Confirm that your camera is connected to the correct network and that the name and password for the network have been entered correctly. You can do this my accessing the camera's settings in the SimpliSafe mobile app.

3. Try bringing the camera and your internet router closer together, as too far a distance can weaken the internet connection to the device.

4. Restart your router and/or mesh access points and extenders.

5. Try bringing the camera and Base Station closer together, as too far of a distance between them can weaken the Outdoor Camera’s connection to your system and cause this error.

If this error persists, you may need to contact your Internet Service Provider to inquire about service availability and interruptions, and about upgrading your internet package and/or router.

You can click here to learn more about improving your upload speed, and click here to learn more about improving Wi-Fi signal strength. Please note that SimpliSafe systems and cameras require 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks.

WE’VE DETECTED AN ISSUE WITH THIS CAMERA

WHAT IT MEANS

A hardware issue was detected on your camera.

HOW TO FIX IT

​Contact Customer Support for assistance resolving this issue.

UNABLE TO CONNECT TO SIMPLISAFE

WHAT IT MEANS

SimpliSafe® is experiencing an issue, but there’s nothing wrong with your system.

HOW TO FIX IT

The issue should be resolved shortly, so please try again later. If you continue to experience the issue, please contact Customer Support.

Update Software

WHAT IT MEANS

The Wireless Outdoor Security Camera requires a Gen 3 Base Station with the latest firmware updates to run smoothly.

HOW TO FIX IT

Before setting up the camera, you will need to update the Base Station firmware via the Keypad.

Unable to Stream to Your Device

WHAT IT MEANS

Some Android devices are unable to support the video playback on our Outdoor camera due to their hardware configuration. 

HOW TO FIX IT

While we review the issue internally, please attempt to update your mobile devices operating system to the latest version. If that does not resolve the issue, please try using a newer Android device or the SimpliSafe® Online Account.

Overview

With the Wireless Outdoor Security Camera, enjoy advanced security from the outside, with 1080p HD video and a 140-degree ultra-wide field of view. Plus digital zoom and full-colour vision at night - so nothing slips by undetected.

Before Getting Started

Before you get started, let’s make sure you have everything you need to get up and running.

In order to successfully set up the Outdoor Camera, you will need the following:

• A Base Station and Keypad with the updated firmware (check for firmware updates on your Keypad)

• The SimpliSafe® Mobile app

• A screwdriver for mounting on wood or vinyl surfaces

• A 7/64 drill bit for mounting on brick, stucco or tile surfaces

• Compatible USB adapter ( 5V, 7.5W+, 1.5A+, not included)

• A 2.4GHz network connection

Note: the Outdoor Camera’s optimal temperature threshold is 20°C to 50°C

We also recommend fully charging the battery in your camera prior to beginning the installation process. It will take up to 6 hours for the battery to fully charge. You'll know it's charged when all 3 lights on the battery are illuminated, and not pulsing.

Watch the video below for a hands-on experience from our team of experts for the installation process

Troubleshooting​

• Why Does My Camera Keep Losing Its Wi-Fi Connection?

• ​Wireless Outdoor Security Camera Flashing Yellow During Setup

Related Articles

• ​Wireless Outdoor Security Camera Settings & Customisations

• ​How to Recharge the Wireless Outdoor Security Camera Battery

• ​How to Rename a SimpliSafe® Camera

A "Camera Connection Dropped" error means that during a live stream, SimpliSafe® stopped receiving video from the camera. This is often the result of poor internet connectivity between the camera and the router, causing the camera to be unable to upload video for viewing as fast as it is recording.

The video that your camera has already recorded but not yet been able to stream is stored in the camera's own internal memory. However, the camera’s memory is limited and may eventually be insufficient to hold the video backlog. If the camera's memory becomes full before it can upload the recordings, the video stream will end.

For more information on how to strengthen your camera's connection, please refer to the How to Improve Wi-Fi Signal Strength and How to Improve Upload Speed articles in the Help Centre.

If you are having trouble connecting your camera to Wi-Fi during a first-time setup, we recommend making sure that your home network is configured to meet our system requirements.

A short list of requirements can be found below:

• Your Wi-Fi network must be broadcasting 2.4GHz

• SimpliSafe® cannot connect to 5GHz networks

• Your SSID and password cannot exceed more than 31 characters each

• Your network must be configured as WPA2 or WPA3/2 Mixed Mode

• WPA3 only networks are not compatible with SimpliSafe® at this time

We recommend that you have your 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks separated and not merged together. Most routers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) by default will create a single network that broadcasts 2.4GHz and 5GHz at the same time. To separate the network, you may need to consult with your ISP or reach out to your router manufacturer for configuration assistance.

If your phone is currently connected to a 5GHz network and you have a 2.4GHz network available, please use your phone’s Wi-Fi settings to switch the network before trying to connect the camera to Wi-Fi again.

iPhone / iOS Wi-Fi Settings:

1. Go to Settings on your iOS device

2. Choose Wi-Fi

3. Select the 2.4GHz network from the list of available networks

4. Enter your password

5. Tap on Join in the upper right hand corner to connect to the Wi-Fi network

Android Wi-Fi Settings:

1. Go to Settings on your Android device

2. Navigate to Wi-Fi Network

3. Select your 2.4GHz network from the list of available networks

4. Enter your password

5. Save to connect to the Wi-Fi network

*These steps may vary depending on your Android device. Consult with your phone's manual for further directions.

Still having trouble connecting?

There are steps you can take if your camera keeps losing Wi-Fi Connection after setup. If you continue to have trouble after taking those steps, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Support Team for further assistance.

There may be a point where you need to rename a camera for your SimpliSafe® System. Renaming a camera can be done easily through the SimpliSafe® Mobile App, but you can also rename a camera using your Web App. You can select a name from the list of prepopulated names within the SimpliSafe® Mobile app, or choose your own custom name. If using a custom name, we recommend avoiding the use of apostrophes within the camera name - as this can impact the ability to download recordings.

The following article will walk you through these steps for each platform so you can pick whichever one is easiest for you.

SimpliSafe® Mobile App:

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

2. Navigate to the Cameras tab

3. Click on the Gear Icon in the upper right corner for Camera Settings

4. Tap on the Camera you wish to edit

5. Press the pencil icon next to your Camera to enter the editor

6. Choose from the list of preset names or select Custom Name to type in your own name

   1. Depending on your device, you may also need to tap SAVE before exiting to save your selections

Web App:

1. Log in to the Web App using the browser of your choice on a computer

   1. Select your property from the list on the Account Overview page, if applicable

2. Choose Devices from the left-hand navigation menu

3. Click on the Camera you wish to edit

4. A pop-up will appear to the right of your browser

5. Select the pencil icon next to your Camera’s name

6. Enter the new name you wish to use in the field

7. Select the check mark when done

8. Be sure to click on Save Changes from the bottom of the pop-up before exiting to save your selection