Spotlight camera won't record (black screen) and can't go live. Why?

Products Security Cams
#1

My spotlight camera will not properly save video recordings. Every recording is a 30 second black screen. I also can’t go live.

I have read the other posts here and have tried everything. Reset my router and reset my device. This week I bought a $270 wifi mesh system to bring an access point closer to the camera. There is now a router closer to the camera than it is to my doorbell. Yet I am having no issues with the doorbell.

My signal strength is consistently between RSSI - 47 and RSSI - 51.

I consistently get upload and download speeds well above 2 Mbps (upload is around 8).

This makes no sense. What is wrong and what do I do?

#2

I am having the exact same issue. Has been happening for the last 2-3 weeks. Very annoying. My wifi signal is also showing as weak, but my front door bell has had no issues…

#3

Hey there, neighbors! Check out our status page to see if any recent updates are relevant to these recent concerns. As you will see there, any events have since been resolved. If not related, video connection concerns are often related to wifi, mobile device, or Ring app communication variables. Great job checking your Device Health, as this will let you know of any signal interference. Check out our Community post about RSSI for more tips on optimizing this signal strength.

Removing and reinstalling the Ring app is a quick way to ensure it is up to date and optimally integrated with your mobile device. On your mobile device, try testing video on wifi only, and then on data only, to see if either connection is more efficient.

It is unusual to hear this is happening, while your Doorbells are operating as intended, and that recordings are also not loading. If this concern persists despite checking the above variables, please perform a reset on your Camera by holding the setup button for 20 seconds. Once done, complete a setup or reconnect the Camera in the Ring app, and test video. I hope this helps! :slight_smile:

#4

Has anyone tried what they suggest? Mine has been doing it for awhile now and I have even added a range extender which is no more than 10 ft from my cameras and maybe 3ft from my doorbell

#5

I had tried the suggestion but it didn’t help me. I’m convinced its just because I have a crappy signal back there. I haven’t been having issues lately but it still does it now and then.

1 Like
#6

Ok thank you. We have better internet out our house now than we did at our previous house, but our cameras never went out at the old house.

#7

This problem has persisted for me over the last few months. If I reset the device it works for a few hours or a few days if I’m lucky. Then it goes back to black recordings. Is there anything else I can do? It’s honestly quite ridiculous that I am paying to save black recordings. Upload/Download speeds and Device Health have no indications of any issues.

#8

Hi neighbors! If the previous solutions suggested by Marley are not helpful in resolving this black recording concern for you, please give our support team a call at one of the numbers available here. They can take a deeper look into this for you and offer more advanced troubleshooting support. We’re taking additional steps to protect our team and help reduce the spread of COVID-19, so this has resulted in longer than normal wait times. If you are outside of the US, please read our response to COVID-19 here to see how to contact support. :slight_smile:

#9

the camera is defective …they will replace it and send you a new one

#10

I have reset everything I have new router and my spotlight with solar is black on live mode it records normal but can’t see live ?? Also I have the ring wifi extender and the at& t extender and they are in the same place they always were when this was working normal

#11

Hi @Pokerluvr. We have this Help Center article here for troubleshooting issues that can cause black video. If you’ve tried these steps to no avail, try reaching out to our support team to look into this for you.