Netatmo Camera Not Recording? A Troubleshooting Guide
Your Netatmo Smart Indoor or Outdoor Camera is a powerful tool for home security, but it's only effective if it's recording events as they happen. If you've noticed that your timeline is empty or that motion is occurring without any new recordings appearing, there's a problem that needs to be addressed.
This guide will walk you through the common causes of recording issues with Netatmo cameras and how to resolve them, ensuring your property remains monitored. The key areas to investigate are the SD card, your detection settings, and the camera's power supply.
## Part 1: Investigating the MicroSD Card
Netatmo cameras store footage locally on a microSD card. If there's a problem with this card, recording will fail.
### Checking the SD Card Status
The Netatmo Security app has built-in diagnostics for the SD card.
- Open the Netatmo Security app.
- Go to the settings menu for your camera (usually by tapping the top-left menu icon, then
My cameras, and selecting your camera). - Look for an option related to "SD Card" or "Storage".
- Here, you can view the card's capacity and its current status. Pay attention to any error messages like "SD card faulty" or "SD card full".
### What to Do About SD Card Issues
- If the Card is Full: Your camera should automatically overwrite the oldest footage. If it has stopped doing this, a reformat can often fix the issue.
- If the Card is Faulty: A faulty or corrupted card is a common point of failure.
- Reformat the Card: The app provides an option to format the SD card. IMPORTANT: This will permanently erase all video currently stored on the card. Proceed with the format.
- Physically Reseat the Card: If formatting fails, unplug the camera from power. Carefully eject the microSD card, inspect it for damage, and then re-insert it firmly. Power the camera back on and check the status again.
- Replace the Card: If the card continues to show as faulty, it has likely reached the end of its life. Replace it with a new, high-quality microSD card of class 10 or higher, from a reputable brand.
## Part 2: Reviewing Your Alert and Recording Settings
Sometimes, the camera is working perfectly, but the settings have been configured in a way that prevents it from recording specific events.
### Check Your Smart Detection Zones
Netatmo's powerful feature is the ability to define specific zones for alerts and recordings.
- In the Netatmo Security app, go to the settings menu and find "Alert and Recording Settings".
- Here you can define specific zones for detecting people, cars, or animals.
- Crucially, ensure that the option "Record videos" is turned ON for the types of events you want to capture. It's possible to have alerts turned on but recording turned off.
- Review the zones you have drawn on the camera's view. If motion occurs outside of these specific zones, the camera will ignore it by design. Make sure your zones cover all areas of interest.
### Check the Monitoring Schedule
- In the settings, check if "Monitoring" is turned on. You can schedule when the camera is active. If an event happens when monitoring is scheduled to be off, it will not be recorded. Ensure the camera is set to be "ON" when you expect it to be recording.
## Part 3: Power and Connection Checks
- Reboot the Camera: A simple restart can solve many temporary software glitches. Unplug the camera from its power source, wait for 60 seconds, and then plug it back in. Give it a few minutes to boot up and reconnect.
- Check Power Supply: Ensure you are using the original power adapter and cable that came with the camera. An unstable power supply from a third-party adapter could potentially cause the camera to malfunction during the recording process.
By systematically checking the storage, reviewing your software settings, and ensuring a stable power supply, you can diagnose and fix the vast majority of issues that prevent your Netatmo camera from recording.