Fix Amcrest Camera Notification Lag & Delays: A Guide
A critical feature of any security camera is its ability to send you timely alerts when it detects motion. An Amcrest camera notification that arrives instantly can give you the precious seconds needed to react to an event. However, if there's a significant lag—where the alert arrives minutes after the event happened—the notification loses much of its value.
This guide is designed to help you understand why you might be experiencing notification delays from your Amcrest camera and provide you with a clear set of troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue and receive faster alerts.
What Causes Notification Delays in Amcrest Cameras?
Notification lag is rarely an issue with the camera hardware itself. Instead, the delay is almost always introduced somewhere along the communication pathway between the camera detecting motion and the alert appearing on your phone.
This pathway looks like this: Camera Detects Motion -> Uploads Data to Amcrest Cloud -> Cloud Server Processes Alert -> Server Sends Push Notification -> Your Phone Receives Notification
A delay can happen at any stage:
- Network Latency (Camera-Side): A weak Wi-Fi signal can slow down the camera's ability to upload the motion event information to the Amcrest servers.
- Server Processing Time: During peak times, the cloud servers might take a few extra seconds to process the incoming event and send out the alert.
- Push Notification Service Delay: The alert is sent via Apple's (APNS) or Google's (FCM) push notification services, which can sometimes experience their own delays.
- Network Latency (Phone-Side): A poor mobile data or Wi-Fi connection on your smartphone can delay the receipt of the notification.
- Phone Settings: Aggressive battery-saving modes on your phone can 'snooze' apps and delay their notifications to conserve power.
How to Troubleshoot and Reduce Amcrest Notification Lag
Let's systematically work through the potential causes to speed up your alerts.
Step 1: Check Your Network Speed and Stability
The network connection is the most common culprit.
- Test Camera's Wi-Fi Signal: In your Amcrest app, find the device settings for the camera in question and look for a Wi-Fi signal strength indicator. If it's listed as 'Weak' or 'Poor', this is likely your problem. The camera is struggling to send the data out quickly. Solution: Move the camera closer to your Wi-Fi router, or install a Wi-Fi extender or mesh node to improve the signal in that location.
- Test Your Phone's Connection: Run a speed test on your smartphone. If your connection is slow, try switching from mobile data to a strong Wi-Fi network (or vice versa) to see if notifications arrive faster.
- Reboot Your Network: Unplug your modem and Wi-Fi router from power for 30 seconds, then plug them back in. This simple step can resolve many underlying network issues and improve overall performance.
Step 2: Optimise Camera and App Settings
- Check for Firmware Updates: Ensure your camera's firmware is up to date. Amcrest often releases updates that improve connectivity and performance. You can check for updates in the camera's settings within the app.
- Update the Amcrest App: Go to the App Store or Google Play Store and make sure you are running the latest version of the Amcrest Smart Home or Amcrest View Pro app.
- Clear App Cache (Android): If you are an Android user, go to Settings > Apps > Amcrest > Storage & cache, and tap 'Clear cache'. This can resolve issues caused by outdated temporary data.
Step 3: Review Your Smartphone's Settings
Your phone might be deliberately delaying notifications to save battery. This is a very common cause of lag.
- For Android Users:
- Go to Settings > Apps and find your Amcrest app.
- Tap on Battery or Power management.
- Set the app's background usage to Unrestricted or disable any battery optimisation for it. This allows the app to run freely in the background and receive notifications instantly.
- For iPhone Users:
- Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
- Make sure Background App Refresh is turned on for the Amcrest app.
- Also, ensure your iPhone is not in Low Power Mode, which can delay push notifications.
Step 4: Reinstall the Application
If all else fails, a fresh start can sometimes fix deep-seated notification issues.
- Delete the Amcrest app from your phone.
- Reboot your phone.
- Go to the app store and reinstall the Amcrest app.
- Sign back into your account. This process re-registers your phone with the notification service and can often resolve persistent delays.
By following these steps, you can significantly reduce or eliminate the lag in your Amcrest camera notifications, ensuring you get the timely security alerts you need.