When wifi cameras go offline they require manual hands-on reboot, which I can’t do because I’m away from location for extended periods of time. I could plug cameras into smart plugs and when cameras go offline, I could remotely turn smart plug on, then reboot cameras (remotely). Will this work? Any specific smart plug you recommend? * I don’t care about Alexa, voice control, or turning off cameras remotely.
Hi @Baehrtime,
Yes, you can use a smart plug to simulate unplugging and plugging in the camera. In fact, others do this as well. I only have experience with the Wyze smart plug and they have been some issues with them that will hopefully be resolved soon. So I can’t recommend a plug myself but others may have suggestions.
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We use gosund it uses the smart life app, we have been using that wifi plug for over 18 monthsvand work great,we currently have about 88 of them in service in the cold country and hot parts of the US with no isses you can buy them in the 4 pack
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About $22.00 for a box of 4
Thank you for reply Rareapple3! Very useful.
Thank you kae4560. Very useful as well! 18 months is an eternity without cameras becoming unreachable remotely! So when your cameras lose wifi and become unreachable remotely, your smart plugs WILL RECONNECT WITH WIFI REMOTELY? Then, you can simulate unplugging and plugging remotely, to get the cameras online again?
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Yes these wifi plugs as soon as the power or internet is on your good to go we have had them for over 18 months a must have
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I know you have already got some great advice from the previous posters, so I will just pile on with more confirmation.
I have 12 cams in play… ALL on smart plugs. I wanted\needed small form plugs that will fit in tight spaces and take up as little space in the socket as possible. Many of the smart plugs block the second outlet when plugged in. I chose these:
Smart Plug Amysen - Alexa, Echo & Google Home – Only WiFi 2.4G (4- Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078K432TK/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_C58WY56H337JFKQSAF6V?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Price varies… Currently on sale @ $19\4
All use the Cloud Intelligence app and are Alexa and Google Home compatible. All automatically reconnect after an outage. I am on the road a lot and can power cycle any cam I want from anywhere so long as my phone has signal or WiFi.
Highly recommend smart plugs! Especially if you install cams where they are hard to reach.
Good luck!
Thank you! Vary helpful and to the point.
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How about the Wyze Lamp Socket? Can you also cycle power to a camera plugged into this?
Probably not since the camera controls the socket.
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The camera has power all the time there, so you can cycle power to the camera by physically flipping the switch that used to control the light socket, or by unplugging/plugging in the camera.
But there is no automated way to do so, unless maybe you replace the old wall switch with a Wyze switch.
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I got a set of those, which I plan to use for my cams while I’m away. I have one hooked up in the chicken run with their light. Sometimes the plug loses connection or something and I have to shut it off and on again. I have an extension cord running out there from the house that powers 4 cams and the light.
Sometimes when they go down I just unplug the extension cord in the house and plug it back in and that resets them. I actually had to do that this morning when the smart plug was offline again. So instead of using a smart plug for each camera (and light), I’m going to use the smart plug inside the house with each extension cord that powers the cams.
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That is exactly what I do. I used to have one plug per cam, but when the great expansion began, I started to put multiple cams on each plug. My plugs now control the cams in sections and areas and I run them to as close to the router as possible.
When I started this experiment in IoT, I was getting offline drops on my plugs, switches and cams (3 different ecosystems) more frequently than I would have liked. I upgraded to a better Mesh router and it helped. I added a Mesh Extender and it helped more. When I upgraded to full dual mesh, all drops ceased.
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Oh that’s good. Oh, well this morning a see that my light in the run didn’t turn off. I can see it from the kitchen window. I tried to turn it off with the app but nothing happened. Ugh. So I’m going to bring the smart plug in and hook it up today and use a timer with just the light.
I have a wifi extender but don’t know how to use it.
the WiFi Extender should have an install guide online to guide you thru setup. It is installed onto your network thru an app much like your Wyze gear.
Since you are running cams and smart plugs in what sounds like an area distant from the router, you may want to consider installing a Power line WiFi Adapter\Extender. These plug into and use your house wiring (the extension cord) as a wired LAN and deliver the internet signal to the WiFi adapter on the other end. You would have a WiFi access point in the Chicken Run.
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Good idea. Thanks.
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MESH router, extender, & full? Hmmmm. If I want to try, does any of that stuff work with DSL? Until Elon moves his Starlink along, we’re stuck w/ DSL.
Maybe I’m not even asking the right question. Our DSL is SSSLLLOOOWWW! We’re normally around 3-4Mbs. It is barely enough to stream video on TV. So I have every expectation that when I install several cameras, I’m gonna have a problem. Any thoughts?
Yes. It will all work w\ DSL.
BUT… Your network will only be as fast as your weakest link. In this case, you will be limited by the DSL in your upload speed and connection to the Internet and download speed when accessing the app.
You can test your internet download and upload speed:
- Go to Google.com.
- Search for internet speed test.
- Tap or click Run Speed Test.
There are users who do use DSL and can get by.
What a Mesh router or extender will do is strengthen, extend, and improve the reach of your local network coverage if that is a point of weakness for you right now. You can determine that by monitoring the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) of the devices on the network. Some routers allow you to do that. Some devices, like Wyze Cams, have a simple signal strength indicator in the UI (1, 2, 3 bars). If you don’t have issues with devices connecting or dropping offline, it might be an expensive upgrade to a problem that doesn’t exist.
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Is that download speed? What’s your upload speed? The upload speed is more important for cameras as they upload video to the cloud. I am on a 10Mbs down and 1Mbs up at my cottage. No issues with streaming Netflix, Roku and Plex from my home Plex server. Cameras however struggle. I have to keep them at 360p if I want to live view all three at the same time remotely from home. SD is fine one camera at a time. HD not so much. Viewing them locally at the cottage, no issues in HD, but notifications tend to come late, up to 20-30 seconds. As @SlabSlayer pointed, if your internal network is strong but the problem is your ISP, no point in wasting money on expensive mesh router.
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Oh, thank you so much!!! Got my V2 Outdoor yesterday. Setting it up was not too bad. Found the resolution setting, and playing with it now. Figure I’ll play with the one camera before I expand, though I think I saw the V3 Pros are available now. Thanks again! Great tip111
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