Suffering from Delayed Tend Camera Notifications?
The purpose of a security camera is to alert you to events as they happen. When a motion notification arrives on your phone seconds or even minutes after the event occurred, it can defeat the purpose of having a real-time alert system. This notification lag can be frustrating and worrying, but it's often a solvable problem.
This guide will walk you through the common causes of delayed notifications from your Tend camera and provide clear, actionable steps to help you receive your alerts more promptly.
## Common Symptoms of Notification Lag
First, let's identify the exact problem you're experiencing. This will help narrow down the potential cause.
- Late Alerts: The push notification arrives on your phone significantly later than the actual motion event.
- Incomplete Recordings: The video clip that accompanies the alert starts late, missing the beginning of the event.
- Inconsistent Delays: Some notifications are almost instant, while others are severely delayed.
- Worse on Mobile Data: The lag is noticeably worse when your phone is on a 3G/4G/5G connection compared to Wi-Fi.
- App Sluggishness: The Tend Secure app itself feels slow when trying to load the event that triggered the alert.
- Seeing the Event Before the Alert: You might witness an event in person (like a delivery driver arriving) and only receive the notification long after they have left.
## Step-by-Step Guide to Fixing Notification Delays
Let's work through the potential bottlenecks in the notification chain, from your camera to your phone.
### 1. Check Your Network Connections (Camera and Phone)
The speed and stability of your internet connection are critical for timely alerts. A delay can be introduced at either end.
- Camera's Wi-Fi Signal: A weak Wi-Fi signal to your Tend camera is a primary cause of lag. The camera needs a strong connection to upload the video and send the alert signal quickly.
- Solution: Check the camera's signal strength in the Tend Secure app. If it's weak, try moving your Wi-Fi router closer to the camera or install a Wi-Fi range extender.
- Your Phone's Connection: Your phone also needs a fast, stable connection (either Wi-Fi or mobile data) to receive the push notification from Tend's servers.
- Solution: If you are in an area with poor mobile reception, connect your phone to a reliable Wi-Fi network and see if the notification speed improves.
### 2. Adjust Your Phone's Settings
Modern smartphones use aggressive battery-saving features that can delay notifications by putting apps to 'sleep'.
- Disable Battery Optimisation for the Tend App:
- On Android: Go to Settings > Apps > Tend Secure > Battery. Select 'Unrestricted' or 'Don't Optimise'. The exact wording varies by phone manufacturer.
- On iOS: Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and ensure it is turned ON for the Tend Secure app.
- Check Notification Settings: Ensure that you have allowed the Tend Secure app to send 'time-sensitive' or 'priority' notifications if your phone's operating system offers this feature.
### 3. Fine-Tune Tend Secure App Settings
While it may seem counter-intuitive, overwhelming the system with too many alerts can sometimes slow everything down.
- Lower Motion Sensitivity: If your camera is set to 'High' sensitivity, it might be sending a constant stream of alerts for minor events (like leaves blowing). This can create a backlog.
- Solution: Try lowering the motion sensitivity. This will result in fewer, but potentially more important and faster, alerts.
- Check for App and Firmware Updates: Make sure you are running the latest version of the Tend Secure app from your phone's app store. Also, check within the app for any available firmware updates for your camera itself. These updates often include performance improvements.
### 4. Reboot Your Devices
A simple restart can clear temporary glitches in your camera, router, and phone.
- Power cycle your Tend camera (unplug it, wait 30 seconds, plug it back in).
- Restart your Wi-Fi router.
- Restart your smartphone.
By systematically improving your network connection, optimising your phone's settings, and fine-tuning the app, you can significantly reduce or eliminate the frustrating lag in your Tend camera's notifications.