Frustrated by Lorex Two-Way Audio Delay?
The two-way audio feature on Lorex cameras is a powerful tool, allowing you to communicate with visitors, delivery drivers, or even deter potential intruders in real-time. However, this feature can become incredibly frustrating when there's a significant delay or lag, leading to awkward, broken conversations where you're constantly talking over each other.
If you're experiencing a noticeable gap between when you speak and when your voice is heard, or vice versa, you're not alone. This guide will explain the technical reasons behind audio delay and provide you with actionable steps to minimise the lag for clearer, more natural communication.
Why Audio Delay Happens: Understanding Latency
It's important to know that a small delay is completely normal. Think about the journey your voice has to take:
- Your phone captures your voice and sends it over Wi-Fi.
- It travels through the internet to Lorex's servers.
- The servers route it back through the internet to your camera.
- The camera plays the audio.
- The process repeats in reverse for the audio coming back to you.
This round trip takes time, a phenomenon known as latency. While a 1-2 second delay is acceptable, a delay of 5 seconds or more points to a bottleneck in the network that can often be fixed.
How to Reduce and Fix Audio Lag
The key to minimising delay is to improve the speed and stability of the network connections involved.
### 1. Strengthen the Camera's Wi-Fi Connection
The weakest link is often the connection between your camera and your Wi-Fi router. If this signal is weak, data packets (containing the audio) have to be re-sent, causing significant delays.
- Check Signal Strength: In the Lorex app, find your camera's settings and look for a 'Device Info' or 'Network Status' section. It should show you the Wi-Fi signal strength.
- The Solution: If the signal is weak (1-2 bars), you must improve it.
- Move your Wi-Fi router to a more central location, closer to the camera.
- Remove physical obstructions between the router and camera (like thick walls or metal appliances).
- Install a Wi-Fi extender or upgrade to a mesh Wi-Fi system to provide a stronger, more reliable signal to the camera's location.
### 2. Check Your Internet Upload Speed
While download speed is important for streaming movies, upload speed is critical for two-way talk. It governs how quickly your voice gets from your phone out to the internet.
- Run a Speed Test: Connect your phone to your Wi-Fi, stand near the camera, and use an app or website like
speedtest.net. Pay close attention to the UPLOAD speed. - The Solution: You need a minimum of 2 Mbps upload speed per camera for good performance. If your upload speed is low (e.g., 1 Mbps or less), your internet plan may be the bottleneck. Contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to discuss upgrading to a plan with higher upload speeds.
### 3. Reduce Network Congestion
Your home network can only handle so much traffic at once. If other devices are using up all the bandwidth, there's none left for your camera's audio stream.
- Identify Bandwidth Hogs: Are others in your home streaming 4K video, playing online games, or downloading large files while you're trying to use the two-way talk?
- The Solution: Try using the feature when the network is less busy. If this solves the problem, you've identified network congestion as the cause. Some routers have a Quality of Service (QoS) feature that lets you prioritise traffic to specific devices like your camera.
### 4. Update Firmware and App
Manufacturers often release updates that improve performance and connectivity.
- Camera Firmware: Check for firmware updates in the Lorex app's device settings.
- Lorex App: Make sure you have the latest version of the Lorex app from your phone's app store.
By optimising your Wi-Fi and internet connection, you can significantly reduce audio delay and make your Lorex two-way talk feature the responsive, real-time tool it was designed to be.