Concerned About Your Netatmo Camera Missing Recordings?
The primary purpose of a security camera is to reliably record events. If you've noticed your Netatmo camera is missing recordings—failing to capture a person arriving or a car in the driveway—it can undermine your sense of security. Fortunately, this issue is typically caused by a handful of solvable connectivity or configuration problems.
This guide will walk you through the common causes of missed recordings on Netatmo Welcome and Presence cameras, helping you restore their reliability and ensure no important event goes unrecorded.
### Pinpointing the Cause of Missed Events
When a Netatmo camera fails to record, it's almost always due to one of these four factors:
- Wi-Fi Connection: A weak or unstable signal is the number one culprit.
- SD Card Health: The local storage may be full, corrupted, or failing.
- Recording & Alert Settings: Your own custom settings might be telling the camera not to record.
- Detection Zones: The motion may be happening outside the area you've defined for monitoring.
Let's troubleshoot each of these areas step-by-step.
How to Fix Your Netatmo Camera's Recording Issues
Start with the first step and work your way through the list, as the problem is often related to the initial checks.
### 1. Strengthen the Wi-Fi Connection
The camera needs a stable connection to analyse and upload video clips.
- Check Signal Strength: Open the Netatmo Security app. Go to your camera's settings and look for the Wi-Fi signal strength indicator. If it's weak (e.g., one or two bars), the camera will struggle to stay connected.
- Improve the Signal:
- Move your Wi-Fi router closer to the camera.
- If you can't move the router, install a Wi-Fi range extender halfway between the router and the camera.
- Minimise obstructions like thick concrete walls or large metal appliances between the router and the camera.
- Reboot Your Network: A simple reboot can often fix temporary glitches. Unplug your router and your Netatmo camera from power. Wait 60 seconds. Plug the router back in first, wait for it to fully connect to the internet, and then plug the camera back in.
### 2. Inspect the MicroSD Card
The SD card is where your videos are stored. If it has a problem, recording will fail.
- Power Cycle and Re-seat: Unplug the camera. Carefully eject the MicroSD card, wait a few moments, and then re-insert it firmly. Plug the camera back in. This can solve issues with a poor connection.
- Format the SD Card: Warning: This will erase all existing footage on the card. In the Netatmo Security app, go to your camera's advanced settings. You should find an option to 'Format SD card'. This will wipe the card and fix any file system corruption.
- Replace the SD Card: SD cards have a limited lifespan. If formatting doesn't help, the card may be failing. Replace it with a new, high-endurance Class 10 MicroSD card from a reputable brand.
### 3. Review Your Alert and Recording Settings
Your own settings might be the cause. Let's check them.
- Alert Zones: In the app, go to 'Alert and recording settings' and then 'Alert Zones'. Make sure you have an active zone drawn over the area where the missed events are happening. Any motion outside of these defined zones will be ignored by design.
- Smart Notifications: Netatmo allows you to customise what gets recorded. For example, you might have it set to 'ignore' events for 5 minutes after a previous one. Review these settings to ensure they aren't too restrictive. You can also adjust the sensitivity for detecting people, cars, or animals.
- 'Do Not Disturb' Schedule: Check if you have a schedule set up that deactivates notifications and recordings at certain times of the day.
By systematically improving your Wi-Fi, checking your SD card, and fine-tuning your app settings, you can resolve the frustrating issue of missed recordings and trust your Netatmo camera to capture every important moment.