Can't Add Your Canary Camera to the App?
Setting up a new Canary camera should be a straightforward process, but occasionally, you might encounter a snag that prevents you from adding the device to your location. Whether the app can't find the camera, the pairing fails, or it won't connect to your Wi-Fi, these issues can usually be solved with a few troubleshooting steps.
The Canary setup process relies on a sequence of connections: first, a Bluetooth link between your phone and the camera, and then a Wi-Fi connection between the camera and your home network. A failure at any of these points will halt the setup. This guide will help you diagnose and resolve the most common setup problems.
## Pre-Setup Checklist: Get Ready for a Smooth Installation
Before you even begin, ensure you have the following in place to prevent common issues.
- Check for Updates: Make sure the Canary app on your smartphone is updated to the latest version from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
- Enable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi: Ensure that both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are enabled on your smartphone. The Canary app will need permission to access both.
- Know Your Wi-Fi Password: Double-check that you have the correct password for your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. Canary cameras do not support 5 GHz networks for setup.
- Stay Close to Your Router: For the initial setup, place the Canary camera, your smartphone, and your Wi-Fi router within a few metres of each other to ensure a strong, stable signal.
## Troubleshooting Common Setup Failures
If you've followed the checklist and are still having trouble, work through these solutions.
### 1. The App Can't Find the Canary Device
If the app is stuck searching for your camera, it's likely a Bluetooth issue.
- Touch the Top of the Canary: On most Canary models, touching the top of the device for a few seconds will activate its Bluetooth pairing mode. You should see the light at the bottom of the device start flashing blue.
- Restart Bluetooth: Turn the Bluetooth on your phone off, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on. Then, try the pairing process again in the Canary app.
- Reboot Your Phone: A simple restart of your smartphone can often resolve underlying Bluetooth connectivity bugs.
### 2. The Camera Won't Connect to Your Wi-Fi Network
This is the most common point of failure. If you receive an error after entering your Wi-Fi password, try the following:
- Verify the Password: Carefully re-enter your Wi-Fi password. It is case-sensitive.
- Confirm 2.4 GHz Network: As mentioned, Canary devices only connect to the 2.4 GHz band. If your router broadcasts both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks under the same name (SSID), it can sometimes cause confusion. Try temporarily disabling the 5 GHz band in your router's settings during setup.
- Check for Network Restrictions: Some advanced network settings like firewalls, MAC address filtering, or network isolation (common on guest networks) can prevent the Canary from connecting. Ensure these are disabled for the camera.
- Reboot Your Router: Unplug your router from power for 30 seconds and plug it back in. Wait for it to fully restart before attempting the camera setup again.
### 3. The Setup Fails at the 'Activating' Stage
If the camera connects to Wi-Fi but fails to activate on Canary's servers, this points to an internet connection issue.
- Check Canary's Service Status: Visit the official Canary status page online to ensure there are no ongoing service outages.
- Ensure Internet Access: Verify that your home internet connection is working correctly on other devices.
- Power Cycle the Canary: If the light is solid white but the app is stuck, unplug the Canary, wait a minute, and plug it back in. It should try to reconnect and complete the activation process automatically.
If you've tried all these steps and still can't add your camera, it's best to contact Canary's official support team for further assistance.