‎Solar Panel Troubleshooting Guide | SimpliSafe Support Home

Solar Panel Troubleshooting Guide

Updated 

The Solar Panel is designed to maintain your Outdoor Camera’s battery life, not to recharge it. If you find that your Solar Panel is not keeping your camera battery topped off, there are a few steps you can take to try and resolve this.

As mentioned above, the Solar Panel will maintain your battery's current level. If your Outdoor Camera’s battery is too low, the Solar Panel may have trouble keeping it topped up. You’ll want to charge the battery for your Wireless Outdoor Security Camera or Outdoor Camera Series 2 for at least 6 hours, to get it to 100% battery. You’ll know it’s fully charged once all 3 lights are illuminated and no longer pulsing.

After it’s charged, you will also want to ensure that you are replacing the battery in the correct orientation. Placing the battery into the Outdoor Camera incorrectly will result in it not powering on. Additionally, the Solar Panel will only work with a charged battery inserted - it is not designed to solely power the camera.

Once your camera is powered back on, you can try using the Solar Panel and seeing if the battery stays topped off or depletes. If the battery is still depleting from there, move on to step 2.

The cable must be placed securely into your Outdoor Camera in order for the Solar Panel to work. This does require some light force to secure the connection, so you may need to use both thumbs, or the palm of your hand to apply even pressure to lock it into place. Failure to create a proper seal can expose your Outdoor Camera’s charging port to the elements - and has the potential to damage the camera and Solar Panel.

The Solar Panel must receive at least 3 hours of direct sunlight a day to maintain your current battery level. The Solar Panel comes equipped with a 13-foot cable, so you can use it in a location that gets more sunlight versus mounting it directly next to your camera.

Dust, debris, water, and snow can impact the performance of the Solar Panel. If you notice that your Outdoor Camera’s battery is depleting, we recommend wiping the Solar Panel with a clean, dry cloth.

The Solar Panel is designed to maintain your camera’s battery level between temperatures ranging from 32 degrees Fahrenheit to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The Solar Panel will not charge outside of that temperature range.