Is Your Cove Camera Failing to Record? Here’s How to Fix It.
Your Cove security system is designed to provide peace of mind, and a crucial part of that is reliable video recording. If you've discovered that your Cove camera isn't recording events as you expect, it can be a significant concern. Fortunately, the problem is usually caused by a simple issue with connectivity, account settings, or recording rules.
This troubleshooting guide will help you systematically identify and resolve the root cause of why your Cove camera has stopped recording, ensuring your home remains protected.
Step 1: Check Your Cove Service Plan and Camera Status
Before diving into technical troubleshooting, let's confirm the basics are in order from an account perspective.
- Verify Your Subscription: Log in to your Cove account on the web portal. Navigate to your service plan details and confirm that your subscription is active and includes cloud video recording. Some legacy or basic plans might not include this feature.
- Check Camera Status: In the Cove app, look at your list of devices. Does the camera in question show a status of 'Online'? If it's listed as 'Offline' or 'Disconnected', it cannot communicate with the Cove cloud to upload recordings.
Step 2: Troubleshoot Connectivity and Wi-Fi Issues
The most common reason for a Cove camera to stop recording is a lost connection to the internet. Without a stable Wi-Fi connection, it has no way to save your video clips.
Interpreting the Camera's Status Light
The small LED light on your camera is your best diagnostic tool.
- Solid Green/Blue (model dependent): The camera is online and connected.
- Flashing Green/Blue/Red: The camera is trying to connect to Wi-Fi but is failing.
How to Fix Connectivity Problems
- Power Cycle Everything: This is the most effective first step. Unplug your Cove camera from the power source. Then, unplug your home's internet router. Wait a full 60 seconds. Plug the router back in first and wait for it to fully restart (all its lights should be stable). Finally, plug your Cove camera back in and give it a few minutes to reconnect.
- Check Wi-Fi Signal Strength: A weak signal can cause intermittent connection drops, leading to missed recordings. If the camera is located far from your router, consider moving the router to a more central location or installing a Wi-Fi extender to boost the signal in the area where the camera is installed.
- Verify Wi-Fi Password: If you have recently changed your Wi-Fi password, you must reconnect your Cove camera to the network using the new password. You can typically do this through the camera's settings in the Cove app, where you will find an option to 'Change Wi-Fi Network'.
Step 3: Review Your Recording Rules and Schedules
Your camera's behaviour is governed by rules you set in the app. If these are misconfigured, the camera might be working perfectly but simply following instructions not to record.
- Check Armed State Rules: By default, for privacy, many cameras are set to not record when your system is in the 'Disarmed' mode. They may only be set to record when the system is armed 'Home' or 'Away'. If you want the camera to record on motion at all times, you must create a specific rule for it.
- How to Edit Rules:
- Open the Cove app.
- Go to Settings > Devices > Camera.
- Select the camera you want to configure.
- Look for an option called 'Recording Rules' or similar.
- Review the existing rules. Ensure there is a rule that tells the camera to record based on motion and that it is active during the desired system state (e.g., 'Any').
Step 4: Check Motion Detection Settings
If your camera is online and the rules are correct, but it's still not recording motion, the sensitivity settings may be off.
- Sensitivity Too Low: The motion sensitivity might be set too low to detect the events you're expecting it to capture.
- Detection Zone Incorrect: You may have configured a specific motion detection zone that excludes the area where the activity is happening.
In the camera's settings within the Cove app, find the 'Motion Detection' settings. Try increasing the sensitivity level and ensure the detection zone covers the entire area you wish to monitor.
By methodically checking your plan, connectivity, and app settings, you can easily resolve most issues preventing your Cove camera from recording.