Imou Camera Not Recording? Troubleshooting Steps

Is Your Imou Camera Not Recording? Let's Fix It

An Imou camera is a fantastic tool for keeping an eye on your home, but its value is lost if it fails to record crucial moments. If you can see the live view but find no recorded clips, the solution is usually straightforward. Recording issues on Imou cameras almost always boil down to a problem with either storage or detection settings.

This guide will help you quickly diagnose the issue within the Imou Life app and get your camera saving footage again.

Understanding Imou's Recording Options

Imou cameras offer two ways to save video clips. You must have at least one of these active and correctly configured:

1. Local Storage: A microSD card (up to 256GB, depending on the model) that you insert directly into the camera.
2. Cloud Storage: A subscription to the Imou Protect plan, which securely saves your event clips to the cloud.

If you don't have either an SD card installed or an active Imou Protect plan, your camera will not record.

Common Symptoms of a Recording Problem

• You open the Imou Life app and tap on "View History," but it says "No recorded video."
• You receive a motion notification, but when you tap on it, there is no video clip to play.
• In the camera settings, the local storage status shows "No SD card" or "SD card abnormal."
• Your Imou Protect subscription has expired.

Step-by-Step Guide to Solving Imou Recording Issues

Let's start with the most common cause – storage problems – and then move on to settings.

1. Check Your Storage Status

First, let's confirm your camera has a valid place to save recordings.

For SD Card Users:

1. Open the Imou Life App and select the camera you are troubleshooting.
2. Tap the settings icon (the gear symbol) in the top right corner.
3. Scroll down and select Local Storage.
4. Check the Status:
   • If it shows "No SD card," power off the camera, carefully eject and re-insert the microSD card. If it's still not detected, the card may be faulty or incompatible.
   • If it shows "Abnormal," the card needs to be formatted. Tap on the storage status and select Format. Be aware, this will erase everything on the card. This is a necessary step for a new card.
   • If it shows it is full, ensure 'Overwrite' is enabled so it automatically deletes the oldest footage.

For Imou Protect Cloud Users:

1. Open the Imou Life App and tap the "Me" icon in the bottom right.
2. Select Imou Protect.
3. Verify Your Plan: Check that your subscription is "Active" and that the correct camera is assigned to the plan. An expired subscription is a common reason for cloud recording to stop.

2. Configure Your Detection and Recording Settings

If your storage is set up correctly, the next step is to ensure the camera is being told when to record.

1. Go to Camera Settings: From the live view, tap the settings icon again.
2. Select Detection: This is the menu where you control what triggers a recording.
3. Enable Motion Detection: Make sure the "Motion Detection" toggle is switched on.
4. Adjust Sensitivity: If the sensitivity is too low, it may not be picking up the events you want to capture. Try increasing it to a medium or high level.
5. Set Detection Region: Use the "Detection Region" feature to draw zones over the specific areas you want to monitor. If the area of activity is outside the active zone, it won't record.

3. Check the Recording Schedule

Finally, ensure the camera is scheduled to record when motion is detected.

1. Go to Camera Settings and find Recording Schedule.
2. Make sure that the schedule is enabled for motion detection. You should see a timeline that allows you to set when motion-triggered recording is active. Ensure it is set for the times you need.

By systematically checking that you have a valid storage location and that your detection settings and schedule are correctly configured, you can easily resolve most recording issues with your Imou camera.