One of the main concerns people have with wireless home security cameras is connection. As you know, Internet connections can sometimes drop, and at the most inopportune times too. One of the most common searches online is: my camera keeps losing connection. The biggest question people have is what happens next, once the connection is restored. Well, the answer to that depends on your cameras, settings, and the reliability of your internet connection in general.
When the connection drops
Different security cameras have different alert functions. If in doubt, see the alert options in the user guide. If you haven’t bought your security cameras yet, read on. There are a few things you may want to be aware of to be notified by certain events that violate your security preferences. One of them is to send an alert when the Internet connection is lost.
Common camera alerts can include the following three options:
- Motion detection triggered by motion (movement) in the camera’s field of view (FOV)
- Loss of power: the camera must continue to operate on its backup batteries
- The internet downstream camera should continue to record to its internal memory (microSD card)
As for that last point, the camera will only keep recording with a device that has a continuous recording setting. In all of the above scenarios, your camera security system should send you a push notification alert to inform you of these events.
Tracking Alerts
With power loss and internet connections dropping, there should be a second alert. This time, they tell you when the power and internet are back on and your system status is back to “working”. However, not all cameras offer the same features, so it’s important to check. With most security cameras, you can also customize the settings to suit your needs. You may have the option to turn alerts on and off, along with other things, so be sure to check your user manual for guidance.
WiFi cameras that keep losing connection
It’s frustrating when a WiFi security camera keeps losing its connection. Alerts will not only bombard your SMS or email inbox, but you will also feel helpless because your settings are not working as they should. When reviewing your cameras, you’ll likely see a status similar to the following:
- Connecting…
- could not connect
- connection timed out
- Other similar status updates
All modern security cameras have a built-in feature that should try to reconnect your cameras at regular intervals. Your camera should continue recording to its internal memory if it has continued recording. If you don’t, there will be gaps in the recording between the drop and the reconnects.
Why does my internet keep going down?
Many times it is not the real Internet that is going down. It could be that your security camera is disconnecting from the network even though the internet is active.
There are several potential causes for this.
- Camera firmware is out of date and needs updating
- The camera has poor hardware that is failing to maintain a good connection
- WiFi signal is too weak, at least at the camera end
It is worth noting that a security camera needs a stronger signal to work than, for example, a home PC, laptops and tablets, etc. At first glance, the signal strength may seem strong, but it’s actually not strong enough to maintain a constant connection with your cameras.
The solutions
Although each situation is unique, here are two possible solutions to these common problems:
- Download and install the latest camera firmware and try again.
- Connect your cameras with the Ethernet cable (included) and try again
If the firmware update doesn’t fix the problem, it’s time for plan B. This time, connect your camera to the network using the Ethernet cable. If this fixes the problem, you have a weak WiFi signal at the camera end. If the problem persists even with the Ethernet cable, the likely cause is the camera hardware. If the camera is under warranty, you’ll want to let the manufacturer know of your diagnosis.
A weak Wi-Fi signal
If you have identified a weak WiFi signal, here are some things you can try:
- Put your router higher if you can, like on a shelf or above a cabinet
- Try moving the camera closer to the router or vice versa
- Move the camera away from electrical devices such as a microwave or cordless phone
- Change the channel of the router to the one that is farthest from the current channel
- Add a repeater or router that has a stronger signal
For all these common problems there are solutions. The key here is to diagnose your problems using the removal process above.
