Yale Camera Showing No Video? Here’s How to Get It Back Online
When your Yale security camera stops showing video, it can be a real concern. An offline camera means a blind spot in your security setup, whether it's an indoor Wi-Fi camera, an outdoor model, or a video doorbell. The good news is that this issue is typically caused by a simple power or connectivity problem that you can resolve yourself.
This guide will walk you through the essential troubleshooting steps to diagnose why your Yale camera is offline and get it streaming live video again.
## Initial Diagnostic Checks
Before you start resetting devices, let's quickly check the most common culprits. These basic steps can often save you a lot of time and effort.
- Confirm Camera Power: Look at the camera for a status light (LED). If there is no light on at all, the camera is not receiving power. Check that the power cable is securely fastened to both the camera and the power adapter, and that the adapter is plugged into a working wall socket.
- Check Your Home Internet: Your camera needs a stable internet connection to stream video. Use another device, like your phone or a computer, to confirm that your home Wi-Fi is working correctly. If you can't get online, the issue is with your internet service provider or your router, not the camera.
- Check the Yale View App: Open the Yale View app on your smartphone. Check for any specific error messages displayed for the camera, such as "Device is offline". This confirms the app cannot communicate with your camera.
## Step-by-Step Troubleshooting for No Video
If the camera has power and your internet is working, follow these steps in order to re-establish the connection.
### 1. Power Cycle the Camera
This is the most effective first troubleshooting step. A reboot clears the camera's internal memory and can resolve many temporary software glitches.
- Unplug the power adapter for your Yale camera from the wall outlet.
- Wait for at least 60 seconds. This is crucial to ensure it fully powers down.
- Plug the power adapter back in.
- The camera will now restart. This may take a few minutes. Wait for the status light to stop flashing and, ideally, turn solid blue or green, indicating it has reconnected.
### 2. Reboot Your Wi-Fi Router
If rebooting the camera didn't help, the problem might be with your router. Rebooting your router can resolve network issues that are preventing your camera from connecting.
- Unplug your Wi-Fi router from its power source.
- Wait for 60 seconds.
- Plug it back in and allow it several minutes to fully boot up and re-establish your internet connection.
- Once your network is back online, your Yale camera should attempt to reconnect automatically.
### 3. Check Wi-Fi Signal Strength and Placement
A weak Wi-Fi signal is a common reason for cameras to go offline.
- The camera may be too far from your router. Walls, floors, and large appliances can all weaken the signal.
- Try temporarily moving the camera closer to your router. If it connects successfully, you have identified a signal strength issue.
- To solve this permanently, you may need to move your router to a more central location or install a Wi-Fi range extender or mesh system to improve coverage.
### 4. Reconnect to Your Wi-Fi Network
If you have recently changed your internet provider, router, or your Wi-Fi password, your camera will need to be updated with the new credentials.
- To do this, you will likely need to perform a factory reset on the camera. Look for a small, recessed reset button. You may need a paperclip to press it.
- Once reset, the camera will be in setup mode. Open the Yale View app and follow the instructions to add a new camera, connecting it to your new or updated network.
If you have tried all of these troubleshooting steps and your camera still fails to show video, there could be a hardware issue. In this case, you should contact Yale customer support for further assistance.