Tired of Delayed Lorex Notifications? Here’s How to Fix It
A security camera's value is tied to its ability to alert you to events as they happen. When you receive a notification for someone at your door five minutes after they've already left, the system isn't providing the security you need. Notification lag is a common and frustrating problem, but it's often solvable.
This guide will help you diagnose the root causes of your Lorex notification delays and provide practical steps to make your alerts arrive faster.
Step 1: Analyse Your Network Connection
The journey of a notification from your camera to your phone is complex, and the first point of failure is often your local network.
- Check Wi-Fi Signal Strength: For Wi-Fi cameras, the connection to your router is critical. Open the Lorex app and go to Device Settings. Look for a "Device Health" or "Wi-Fi Status" section. The signal strength should be strong. If it's weak or poor, the camera will struggle to send data out quickly.
- Solution: Move your Wi-Fi router closer to the camera, or install a Wi-Fi mesh system or extender to provide a stronger, more stable signal.
- Test Your Internet Upload Speed: Your home internet's upload speed is what matters for security cameras. Run a speed test (you can find many free tools online) from a device connected to the same network. For a system with several HD cameras, you'll want an upload speed of at least 5-10 Mbps. If it's too slow, the video data can't leave your network quickly, delaying the alert.
- Solution: Contact your internet service provider (ISP) to enquire about upgrading to a plan with a higher upload speed.
Step 2: Optimise Camera and App Settings
The settings you choose within the Lorex app can have a significant impact on notification speed.
- Adjust the Sub-stream Quality: Your camera sends a lower-quality video stream (the sub-stream) for remote viewing and notifications to save bandwidth. Lowering this can speed things up. In the camera's settings, find the "Sub-stream" or "Remote Viewing" video settings. Change the resolution to a lower setting (e.g., from 1080p to 720p) and slightly lower the bitrate. This creates a smaller data packet that can be sent and processed much faster.
- Refine Motion Detection Zones: If your camera is constantly being triggered by irrelevant motion (like trees swaying), it creates a queue of events that can slow down genuine alerts. Go to the motion detection settings and draw precise "Activity Zones" around the areas you care about, like your walkway or driveway, while excluding the busy street or your neighbour's garden.
Step 3: Check Your Smartphone's Settings
Sometimes the delay isn't at the camera's end, but on the device receiving the notification.
- Disable Battery Optimisation for the Lorex App: Modern Android and iOS systems use aggressive battery-saving features that can delay notifications from apps that aren't actively in use.
- Android: Go to Settings > Apps > Lorex. Find the "Battery" or "Power usage" section and set it to "Unrestricted" or "Do not optimise".
- iOS: Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and ensure it is enabled for the Lorex app.
- Check Notification Permissions: Ensure that the Lorex app has been given full permission to send you notifications, including "Critical Alerts" if the option is available on your device.
By methodically checking your network, camera settings, and phone configuration, you can identify the bottleneck and take targeted steps to eliminate frustrating notification lag from your Lorex system.