This video device troubleshooting guide addresses common troubleshooting steps for a video device installation or service call.

Video device installation troubleshooting

Camera’s LEDs are various solid/blinking colors

For more information about video device LED patterns and what they mean, see What does my camera's LED light mean?.

Camera LED does not turn solid green using Ethernet

1. Verify that the Ethernet cable is connected properly to the video device and router while the camera is powered off.
2. Verify that the network meets the minimum bandwidth requirements for all of the video devices. For more information about bandwidth requirements, see What are the internet service and bandwidth requirements for Alarm.com video devices?.
3. If the camera has a blinking green LED, verify that the router has an internet connection by connecting to the same router with another internet device. For more information about troubleshooting a blinking green status LED, see Camera LED is blinking green.
4. Try using another Ethernet port on the router.
5. If the camera is connected to a network switch or bridge, connect it directly to the router temporarily.
6. Swap out the Ethernet cable with one that is known to work.
7. If the user has turned on a firewall that blocks UDP or VPN traffic, the firewall might need to be adjusted for the video device to connect. For more information, refer to the customer's Internet Service Provider or an IT professional.
8. If MAC Filtering is enabled on the router, the MAC address of the camera will have to be added to the router’s list of allowed MAC addresses. For further assistance with adjusting the router settings, refer to the router's user manual.

Camera functions in wired mode but not wireless mode

The video device's Wi-Fi network settings must be configured to the customer's network. For more information about configuring a video device's Wi-Fi network settings, see Change a video device's wireless network settings.

If the Wi-Fi network is configured properly, but the video device is still not connecting wirelessly:

1. Verify the Wi-Fi network name (SSID) is correct.
2. Verify the encryption type and encryption key are correct.
   
   Note: Scanning for the wireless network using a mobile device is often the easiest way to ensure that the SSID is spelled correctly and has the correct encryption settings.
    
3. Remove the Ethernet cable from the video device, then remove power.
4. Wait 2 minutes, then reapply power to the video device.
5. The video device may be out of range of the router – verify that the camera is as close to the router as possible.
6. If the wireless network does not give a strong enough signal at the desired location, it is possible to connect the camera using one of these approaches:
   • Relocate the existing router to a more centralized location that provides better coverage.
   • Add a wireless range extender. For more information about a recommended range extender, see Netgear PowerLine Range Extender.
   • If the customer's router only supports 802.11b/g, recommend upgrading to an 802.11n router because they have better range.
   • Use an Ethernet cable (if the camera supports it) to connect the camera to the router.

For more information about signal strength requirements, see What are the internet service and bandwidth requirements for Alarm.com video devices?.

Camera WPS setup is failing

If the video device's LED status reverts to solid red after triggering WPS, the WPS network setup failed. For more information about troubleshooting a failed WPS network setup, see Video camera is not connecting with WPS.

If the LED is solid blue, the camera is in Privacy mode and not WPS learn mode. To turn off privacy mode and put the video device into WPS mode:

1. Press and hold the WPS button for 1 full second (but not more than three) to turn off privacy mode. The LED should change to a color other than blue.
2. Press and hold the WPS button for 5 seconds/until the LED starts blinking blue to enter WPS learn mode.

D-Link router encryption key troubleshooting

Some D-Link routers allow encryption keys with 64 printable characters for WPA and WPA2, but the customer should only use 8–63 printable characters or a 64 hexadecimal character encryption key.

Customer Video page troubleshooting

This section addresses common troubleshooting steps for after installation when the customer is unable to use the Video page properly.

Enrollment direct link

If the following message appears when navigating to www.alarm.com/addcamera, the account settings might need to be adjusted.

1. Verify that the desired video service package is enabled for the customer account.
2. Verify you are using the primary account login or some other login that includes full video privileges to install cameras.

Customer is unable to view live video feed or recorded clips

Customers are often unable to see live video due to their browser settings or network connection. For more information about troubleshooting the live video stream, see Unable to see live video from a camera.

If the video device appears to have an intermittent connection, see Video device has intermittent network connectivity.

Customer can see live video feed, but no video clips are uploaded

For more information about troubleshooting clip recordings, see Video device is not recording clips.

To verify the camera's recording rules are configured correctly:

• The video device triggers clips.
• The day/time rule is currently active.
• The recording rule toggle switch is enabled/blue. For more information, see Pause or resume a video recording rule.
  
  Note: Recording rules are automatically disabled if the monthly clip upload quota is exceeded. For more information about clip storage and upload limits, see How does video storage work with Alarm.com cameras?.
   
• Video Motion Detection/Video Analytics is configured correctly.

Customer continuously reaches their video clip upload limit

The customer's video recording rules might need to be adjusted to reduce the number of recordings that a camera triggers.

To adjust Video Motion Detection settings on a customer account:

Adjust the Video Motion Detection (VMD) settings (window sizes, locations, sensitivities and/or target sizes) for cameras that are uploading too frequently. Using three smaller windows with a higher target size is recommended.

For more information about configuring a Video Motion Detection recording rule, see Configure Video Motion Detection (VMD) settings for a video device.

Other possible solutions:

• Change motion-triggered recording rules from 24/7 to only the hours that are really needed.
• Increase the “delay between uploads” variable on some or all motion-triggered recording rules.
• Re-position the affected camera to move false-alarm triggers out of the scene’s immediate foreground or background.
• If the customer's cameras support it, create a Video Analytics recording rule instead.

To adjust Video Analytics settings on a customer account:

Video Analytics uses machine learning to detect specific types of objects and movement. For more information about how to set up and use Video Analytics, see Configure a Video Analytics rule.

Additional troubleshooting tips

For network and other settings to update fully on video devices and routers, it is necessary to reboot them.

Most troubleshooting involves rebooting a video device and possibly factory resetting it.

After factory resetting a camera to its default settings:

1. Remove the video device from the customer account. For more information, see Delete a video device from a customer account.
2. Reconnect the video device to the network.
3. Re-enroll the video device to the customer account.
   
   Note: For more information about reconnecting a video device to the network and the customer account, see Enroll a camera or video device to a customer account.