How to Troubleshoot and Fix Delayed Imou Notifications
Imou security cameras are designed to provide instant awareness of what's happening at your property. A critical part of this is the push notification system that alerts your phone the moment motion is detected. When these notifications are delayed, the effectiveness of your security monitoring is significantly reduced. An alert that arrives minutes late can mean missing the opportunity to act.
If you're experiencing a frustrating delay between an event happening and the notification appearing on your phone, don't worry. This guide will walk you through the most common causes and their solutions to get your Imou alerts back to being instant.
## Diagnose Your Network and Camera Connection
The journey of a notification starts with your camera and your network. A problem here is the most likely source of any delay.
### Check the Camera's Wi-Fi Signal
Your Imou camera needs a strong and stable connection to your Wi-Fi router to send data promptly.
- Open the Imou Life app.
- Select your camera and go to Settings (the gear icon).
- Tap on your camera's name or image at the top to access Device Details.
- Look for "Wi-Fi Signal" or a similar indicator. It should show a strong signal (e.g., more than 80%).
If the signal is weak, the camera will struggle to upload the event clip and send the alert trigger, causing a delay. To fix this, you can try moving your Wi-Fi router closer to the camera or installing a Wi-Fi range extender to boost the signal in that area.
### Reboot Your Hardware
A simple reboot can often clear up temporary network glitches or issues with the camera's software.
- Reboot your camera: Unplug the Imou camera from its power source, wait for 30 seconds, and plug it back in.
- Reboot your router: Unplug your Wi-Fi router, wait a minute, and plug it back in. Wait for it to fully restart before testing the camera again.
## Optimise Your Imou Life App Settings
Incorrect settings within the application can be another reason for delayed or missed notifications.
### Ensure Notifications Are Correctly Enabled
It's worth double-checking that everything is switched on as it should be.
- In the Imou Life app, go to your camera's Settings.
- Tap on "Notification".
- Make sure the main "Notification" toggle is on.
- Check the "Detection Schedule" to ensure alerts are active during the times you expect them.
### Adjust Motion Detection Settings
The sensitivity of your motion detection can influence alert speed. Under the camera's "Detection" settings, you can adjust the "Motion Sensitivity". If it's too low, it may take a more prolonged event to trigger the alert. Try setting it to a medium or high level and see if that makes a difference.
## Configure Your Smartphone Settings
Often, the delay is introduced at the very last step: your phone. To preserve battery, both Android and iOS employ systems that can delay notifications from apps that aren't actively being used.
### Disable Battery Optimisation for Imou Life
This is the most critical phone setting to check.
- On an Android device: Go to Settings > Apps > Imou Life > Battery. Change the setting from "Optimised" (or a similar restrictive setting) to "Unrestricted". This tells your phone not to put the app to sleep.
- On an iOS device: Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. Scroll through the list and make sure the switch next to Imou Life is turned ON.
### Check "Do Not Disturb" and Network Restrictions
- Do Not Disturb/Focus Mode: Make sure the Imou Life app is on your exceptions list so its notifications can come through even when the mode is active.
- Data Saver Mode: If you notice delays are worse on mobile data, check your phone's network settings for a "Data Saver" feature. If it's on, ensure you grant the Imou Life app unrestricted data access.
By methodically checking the camera's connection, optimising your app settings, and configuring your phone to prioritise Imou alerts, you can eliminate the frustrating delays and restore the real-time performance of your security system.