Reolink Snapshot Not Working? Your Troubleshooting Guide
The snapshot feature on your Reolink camera is a vital tool, providing a quick, clear image of what triggered a motion alert. When you receive an email alert without this crucial picture, it can be frustrating and diminish your security. Whether your snapshots aren't being captured, saved, or attached to emails, this guide will help you resolve the problem with professional, clear instructions in British English.
Checking the Camera's Configuration
Most snapshot issues originate from the settings on the camera or NVR itself. You'll need to access your camera's settings via the Reolink app or web interface.
1. Enable Snapshots for Motion Detection
First, ensure the camera is actually set to take a snapshot when it detects motion.
- Navigate to your camera's 'Settings'.
- Go to 'Detection Alarm' or a similar menu.
- Under the 'Action' or 'Schedule' for motion detection, make sure that 'Capture' or 'Take Snapshot' is enabled.
2. Configure Email Alert Settings Correctly
This is the most common reason for receiving emails without images.
- Go to the camera's 'Network Settings' and then to the 'Email Alerts' section.
- After entering your email server details, look for an option labelled 'Attach Image' or 'Attach File'.
- This box must be ticked. If it is not, the camera will send a text-only notification.
- You can often choose an 'Interval' for how frequently snapshots are attached. Set this to '1 image' or your desired frequency.
Addressing Email and Network Problems
If the camera settings are correct, the issue may lie with your email provider or network connection.
Test Your Email Settings
The Reolink interface has a built-in test function.
- In the 'Email Alerts' settings page, after configuring everything, click the 'Email Test' button.
- If the test fails, the problem is with your SMTP server details, username, password, or port numbers. Double-check these with your email provider.
- If the test succeeds but you don't receive an email, check your spam or junk folder.
Could Your Email Provider Be the Cause?
Some email services have security features or limits that can interfere with alerts.
- Spam Filters: Your email provider might be stripping the attachments or flagging the emails as spam.
- Sending Limits: If your camera is in a busy area, it might be trying to send more emails than your provider allows per hour or day.
- App Passwords: Services like Gmail often require you to generate a specific 'App Password' for devices like cameras, rather than using your main account password.
The Importance of a Stable Network Connection
To send an email with an attachment, your camera needs a stable internet connection with adequate upload speed.
- Check Wi-Fi Signal: If your camera is on Wi-Fi, ensure it has a strong and consistent signal. A weak signal can cause the image upload to fail.
- Reboot Your Hardware: Try rebooting your Reolink camera and your internet router. This can clear up temporary network glitches that might be preventing the snapshot from being sent.
Storage and File Size
Finally, consider where the snapshot is being saved and how large the file is.
- SD Card: If you are saving snapshots to an SD card, ensure the card is not full or corrupted. A faulty SD card can prevent images from being written, and therefore they cannot be attached to emails.
- Image Quality: In your camera's video settings, check the resolution for snapshots. A very high-resolution image creates a larger file size, which is more likely to fail during an upload over a slow connection. Try a lower resolution to see if that resolves the issue.
By systematically working through your camera's settings, email configuration, and network stability, you can pinpoint the reason your Reolink snapshots are failing and restore this essential security feature.