‎Do the Outdoor Cams NEED to be able to talk to the BASE after being set up? | SimpliSafe Support Home
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DBNet

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Sunday, June 19th, 2022 12:37 AM

Do the Outdoor Cams NEED to be able to talk to the BASE after being set up?

Ok, so I have gone around and around with this with support on a few calls so thought I would ask it here.

Do the Outdoor Cams NEED to be able to talk to the BASE after being set up and connected to Wi-Fi to work?

I ask, for I can setup a camera just fine, and it works (well, "Works" is not 100% right, as it misses 4 to 5 seconds of starting video, but that's another issue).  After I get it running I then take it outside and I can reach Wi-Fi WITHOUT ISSUE.  However, I know it can not reach the BASE. (Distence)

When I go to view a live camera I get Waking up, Connecting, Starting Stream but then it times out and offers a retry. (Same results)  The Waking Up and Connecting seems to always be about the same amount of time no matter where I am with the camera in testing it outside.  Almost like these are were adding into the app just to give it more time to do something.  If they actually do represent something, then I would have to assume that when it moves through the steps, it is in fact passing that step successfully or it would not move on. (Hope this is making sense.)  So it does WAKE, it does CONNECT, it just fails to start the stream when it surely has Wi-Fi as I can see it on my router and also it's signal.

HOWEVER, if I move closer to the BASE, it works!  Which leads me to think it needs the base. (Unlike the Doorbell Cam for some reason or the inside cams???)

My guess is it needs to be able to talk to the BASE as it is battery powered and thus using a low power radio to listen for a WAKE THE HECK UP, YOUR NEEDED message. Then it would connect to Wi-Fi and then be able to stream. 

HOWEVER, I have been told by support that it is only needed to be close to the BASE just to set it up and then as long as it is on Wi-Fi, it will work.  And this is what is needed as the outdoor cams may surely be far from the base and through walls etc. 

It is also good to note I am POWERING the cameras.  As such, IMHO, they should ALWAYS be AWAKE and connected to Wi-Fi ready for use. (And also should not have the 4 to 5 second delay in recording the start of a video seeing again, it does not need to wake.) 

Hope this all makes sense and someone may have the answer.  To think it needs the BASE when all of it is on Wi-Fi and talking does does seem to make much sense.

Thank you for your time.

David   

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2 months ago

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Official Solution

davey_d

Community Admin

 • 

5.7K Messages

2 years ago

Hi David,

The Indoor Camera and the Video Doorbell Pro are both standalone units that can work even if there is no Base Station at all.

The Wireless Outdoor Camera is on a newer platform that is much more tightly integrated with the main system. So the answer is yes, the Outdoor Camera needs to be set up for good communication with both your WiFi access point and the Base Station. Range is a big factor in that, yes. But mitigating interference - both wireless and from physical obstructions, can help significantly as well.

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craig_h

2 Messages

@davey_d​ 

I have the same issue at my work location.  Two of my outdoor cameras work as expected (close to the base station) but the other two are at the opposite end of the building (about 300 ft away) and won't wake up so no live streaming.  They will capture video if motion is detected.  I assume if I would try to stream live video at that moment then it would work since the camera is awake.  I would think SS engineers could send a wake up signal via WiFi once the cameras are setup.  This makes much more sense (IMHO) that to depend on signals from the base station.  I spent over $1300 on this system to protect my business.  I am very pleased with it except for this issue.  Please have your engineers look into this problem.

Thank you,

Craig H

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7 months ago

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davey_d

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

@craig_h​ the Base Station should be able to cover that range. And the fact that the cameras are still able to establish a link when there's motion is somewhat proof of that - the Base Station is involved in that communication as well.

There might be an issue with how your cameras are linking up. The good news is that we did include some improvements to the WiFi system specifically in the latest firmware update. Have your cameras updated to that version yet, and have you seen any improvements?

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7 months ago

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craig_h

2 Messages

I will check for the update status for the two cameras that are giving me issues.  These two cameras are outside of the building (metal building) and approximately 300 ft from the base.  Will they be able to update without me moving them closer to the base?  I'm assuming not.  I just tried to look at a live view but the camera is not waking up.  

Looking on my app, the software version shows 1.34.2.177.  Is this the latest?

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2 months ago

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dlpsr

1.4K Messages

@craig_h​ User here. It is indeed 1.34.2.177, so they're up to date.

You're WiFi must be penetrating the metal building walls if the base is inside and cams are outside and 300 feet away.

Updates and detections are probably just WiFi, and waking for live view requires an RF signal from the base station.

How are they powered? Batteries only? Solar charging? Power cable charging?

At 300 feet through a metal building I doubt they'll ever wake up. Kind of a faraday cage.

You can test that. Hook the base to an extension cord, step outside with it and try a live view in open air with a camera in eyesight view. Dry weather of course.😉

(edited)

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2 months ago

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DBNet

26 Messages

2 years ago

Thank you for the reply.  It was sadly what I was thinking and just yet another shortcoming of the camera system. This makes a lot of the outdoor locations useless when you have a larger home. 

While you can expand Wi-Fi, as people do, you can not extend the limited 400 feet (on a good day) on the 433 mhz transmitters you use.  You all should come out with a repeater for the BASE then so issues like this might be able to be resolved.  Same hold true for my shed, can't put a sensor it as it too far.  Yet I can with other systems without issue. (That also use low freq) 

Such a shame that SS has been short sighted in the cameras. From not even a time/date stamp on the video, to missing 4 to 5 seconds of the start of an action and the need for someone to CROSS the from left to right to really trigger it for walking towards it, for get it. No trigger.  You know all this as it seems that people have been complaining for quite some time, yet here we are.  I wish I would read this community before I purchased. 

So sad.

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davey_d

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

@DBNet​ thank you for the feedback. You are right, the Base Station's local radio currently cannot be extended. But to be clear, the max range is actually more than double of what you said - at 800ft+. Dense walls and other wireless signals interfering will decrease that range, but it can go pretty far in a typical home.

As for the speed of the triggering - you might already know, but our engineers are well aware, and continue to work on boosting performance. We've made some progress in the last couple of firmware updates, and there will be more on the way. Though yes, for the built-in Motion Sensor to trigger at all, it's best to set up the camera so that subjects walk across the field of view. This is how all infrared motion sensors work - even the standalone Sensors that are part of the main security system.

Finally, you mention timestamps. We haven't been seeing the request very often, but we have a thread about it here.

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2 years ago

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mcoon147

15 Messages

I wish this was apparent in advertising. Unless you have a tiny home, the outdoor cameras are worthless. Definitely wish I would have known before I spent close to $1,000 buying a system and hours installing it. Waste of money.

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2 years ago

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mcoon147

15 Messages

I will be recommending people DON'T buy the system every time they ask about it. Complete garbage. 

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2 years ago

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markf

1 Message

2 months ago

I have the same issue regarding the need to have the outdoor camera within the range of the base station. Where the base station is I have one wireless router that connects fine and the base station connects. There, I was able to configure the camera and it worked fine. However, I have an outbuilding (shop) that I connect to the network through an ethernet bridge (transmitter/receiver antenna pair) and another wireless router in the shop. Of course, you can set the camera to connect to the other network (while close to the base station) and run to the shop network for it to connect to the shop network before the scan times out. But since it is out of the base station range, it will not work.

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emily_s

Community Admin

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3.4K Messages

@markf​ The Outdoor Camera does need to be able to communicate with both your Base Station and network in order to function. Unfortunately if the camera is out of range from the Base Station, it will not connect.

In your case, I would recommend moving the Base Station to the side of your house that is closest to your outbuilding to see if that helps its connection to the camera.

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2 months ago

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