Don't Miss a Thing: How to Fix Delayed Merkury Notifications
A delayed notification from your Merkury smart camera or doorbell can defeat its purpose. You rely on these alerts to inform you of activity at your home in real-time, but when they arrive minutes late, you're left looking at an empty scene. Whether it's a missed package delivery or a potential security concern, delayed alerts are a frustration that needs fixing.
This guide will walk you through the most common reasons for Merkury notification delays and provide you with clear, easy steps to get your alerts back to being instant.
Why Your Merkury Alerts Are Late
The problem is almost never with the camera itself. The delay happens in the journey the alert takes from the camera to your phone. Here are the usual suspects:
- Your Phone's Battery Saver: Modern smartphones aggressively manage battery life by "sleeping" apps that are running in the background. The Geeni app (used for Merkury devices) can be a victim of this, preventing it from receiving the alert from the cloud instantly.
- Weak Wi-Fi Connection: Your Merkury camera needs a strong and stable connection to your router to upload event recordings and send alerts promptly. If the signal is poor, delays are inevitable.
- Incorrect App or Phone Settings: Notification permissions may be disabled, or a "Do Not Disturb" mode might be active, silencing your alerts.
- Cloud and Network Latency: Sometimes, general internet congestion between your home, the Merkury cloud servers, and your phone can cause a brief slowdown.
Step-by-Step Guide to Fixing Merkury Notification Delays
Follow these steps in order, as they start with the most common and easiest fixes.
1. Adjust Your Phone's Battery Settings
This is the most frequent cause of notification delays for smart home apps.
- For Android users:
- Go to Settings → Apps.
- Find and tap on the Geeni app.
- Tap on Battery.
- Select "Unrestricted" or "Don't Optimise". This tells your phone to never put the Geeni app to sleep.
- For iPhone users:
- Go to Settings → General → Background App Refresh.
- Scroll down and make sure the toggle next to the Geeni app is ON.
2. Check Notification Permissions
You need to ensure the Geeni app is allowed to send you notifications.
- Go into your phone's main Settings menu.
- Tap on Notifications.
- Find the Geeni app in the list and make sure that all permissions for it to send notifications, show banners, and appear on the lock screen are enabled.
3. Strengthen Your Home Wi-Fi
Your camera's connection is critical.
- Check the Signal: In the Geeni app, go to your Merkury camera's settings. There is often a "Device Info" or "Network" section that will show the Wi-Fi signal strength. Anything less than 70-80% can cause issues.
- Improve the Signal: If the signal is weak, try moving your Wi-Fi router closer to the camera. If that's not possible, a simple Wi-Fi extender placed halfway between the router and the camera can significantly boost the signal.
- Reduce Congestion: Disconnect any devices from your Wi-Fi network that are not in use to free up bandwidth.
4. Reboot Your Devices
A classic tech support step that often works wonders.
- Unplug your Merkury camera from the power source.
- Unplug your internet router and modem.
- Wait for about 60 seconds.
- Plug the modem and router back in. Wait for them to fully connect to the internet.
- Plug your Merkury camera back in and let it reconnect.
This process clears out any temporary glitches in the devices that could be slowing down communication. By tackling these four areas, you can eliminate the frustrating delays and restore the real-time performance of your Merkury smart security devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my Merkury notifications arriving late? The most common causes are restrictive battery-saving modes on your smartphone, a weak or unstable Wi-Fi connection to the Merkury device, and incorrect notification settings within the Geeni app or your phone's operating system.
Could my phone's battery saver be the problem? Yes, this is the number one cause. Go into your phone's settings, find the Geeni app, and disable all battery optimisation or power-saving restrictions. This allows the app to run in the background and receive alerts instantly.
How does my Wi-Fi affect notification speed? A weak Wi-Fi signal will delay the camera from sending the event to the cloud. Use your phone to check the Wi-Fi signal strength right where the camera is placed. If it's weak, try moving your router closer or using a Wi-Fi extender.
How do I check the notification settings in the app? Open the Geeni app, select your Merkury device, and go into its settings. Find the 'Notification Settings' menu and ensure that the 'Alarm' or 'Motion Alerts' toggle is turned on. Also, check that a schedule is not active that might be silencing alerts at certain times.