What happens when a wireless home security camera loses its Internet connection?

One of the main concerns people have with wireless home security cameras is connection. As you know, Internet connections can sometimes drop, and also at the most inopportune times. One of the most common online searches is: my camera keeps dropping the connection. The biggest question people have is what happens next, once the connection is reestablished. Well, the answer depends on your cameras, settings, and the reliability of your internet connection in general.

When the connection is interrupted

Different security cameras have different alert functions. If in doubt, see the alert options in the user guide. If you haven’t purchased your security cameras yet, read on. There are a few things you may want to keep in mind that will notify you of 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:

1. Motion detection: triggered by motion (motion) in the camera’s field of view (FOV)

2. The power-loss camera should continue to operate on its backup batteries.

3. The downstream internet camera should keep recording to its internal memory (microSD card)

Regarding that last point, the camera will only continue to record with a device that has a continuous recording setup. In all of the above scenarios, your camera’s security system should send you a push notification alert to inform you of these events.

Follow-up alerts

With power lost and internet connections down, there should be a second alert. This time they inform you when the power and Internet connection are reconnected and your system status is “working” again. However, not all cameras offer the same functions, so it is 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. Not only will the alerts bombard your SMS or email inbox, but you’ll feel helpless because your settings aren’t working the way it should. When checking your cameras, you will probably see a status similar to these:

• Connecting …

• Could not connect

• Connection time timed out

• Other similar status updates

All modern security cameras have a built in feature that you should continually try to reconnect your cameras at regular intervals. Your camera must continue to record to its internal memory if it continues to record. If you don’t, there will be gaps in the recording between dropping and reconnecting.

Why does my internet keep dropping?

Many times it is not the real Internet that is going down. It could simply be that your security camera is disconnecting from the network even though the internet is connected.

There are several potential causes for this.

• Camera firmware is out of date and needs to be updated

• The camera has inadequate hardware that cannot maintain a good connection

• The 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 appear strong, but it is not actually 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:

1. Download and install the latest camera firmware and try again

2. Connect your cameras with the Ethernet cable (included) and try again

If updating the firmware doesn’t solve 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 end of the camera. If the problem persists even with the Ethernet cable, the likely cause is your camera hardware. If the camera is under warranty, you will want to inform the manufacturer of your diagnosis.

A weak WiFi signal

If you’ve identified a weak WiFi signal, here are some things you can try:

• Place your router higher up if you can, such as on a shelf or on top of a closet

• 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 furthest 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.