Cameres showing offline

old thread BUT this is an old issue that I am really getting tired of… i have 6 wyzecam v3s and they ALL do this “offline” in the app thing from time to time and i have to power cycle them. clearly this is a software bug somewhere, thankfully the camera still works

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I have the same problem with 5 Cams, all go at the same time offline, I go through all the steps and I bring them on for a day and then again see all them offline, frustrating and tired.
at the beginning all cams were working just fine, I considered to subscribe and pay the yearly fee, but I notice that these 5 cameras from my outside door -to down the stairs till my garage.
did not get a motion or person events from cam 1 - cam 5 from me walking down.
I think the WYZE Software is not working right it has a bug, or WYYE try to force customer to subscribe to CamPlus… but it will be worse frustrating to pay and see your cameras offline after a day or two.

I have CamPLUS ! so yes i am paying for junk basically… i need to unsubscribe … i wish they would fix this problem !

The network connectivity of the cams is not in any way related to the user’s subscription status or lack thereof.

@ichefrain & @mrbluegrass, when the offline icon appears, can you still open the cam and load an active live view? If the answer is yes, Wyze has requested that users submit SD Card Logs so that they can pinpoint the cause of the issue. I can provide details if this is the case.

If, however, the cams cannot be reached and are truly offline, I would seriously recommend a network WiFi upgrade. Wyze cams require a very robust and persistent WiFi signal to operate. It has been shown here in the forums that many routers do not treat iOT devices as they need and regularly reassign IP addresses or drop devices thru prioritization or QOS protocols.

I experienced these same issues when I started with Wyze cams years ago and kept adding devices. Then I upgraded to a better router with an extender and I got a 90% improvement. Only my distant cams were dropping. Last year, I upgraded again to a dual node full mesh built for iOT. Have not experienced a single offline since and have 90+ devices on the network.

@SlabSlayer yes i can see live video even though the app says it is offline.
i did send in logs multiple times and i get the “reset this and that” answer every time…
here is the last one i did: Your log ID number is…

934834.

my cameras report good wifi signal strength and i have a good ASUS router and a 1Gbps fiber link. but…interesting

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The logs that are submitted thru the app are not the logs they want to investigate this issue. They are requesting microSD Card Logs:

Ok sooo… I take out the microSD card wait and put it back ? how do i get the log from that ?

as we speak I have 2 V3 cams “offline” in the app but they do not have microSD cards. the only way to rectify that is power cycle them.

when it happens to one of my other 4 cams with microSD cards I will take it out and look at it on my laptop and send it in.

I have to believe the developers have known about this issue for a very long time now… and its easy to duplicate

thanks
Mark

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Yes. You will hear a ding chime when reinserted while the cam is fully powered. This confirms that a log as been written. The log is only written when the card is inserted while already powered up. Do not power cycle them before inserting the card. They need data from the last operational period since the last restart. Also, pulling a card and reading it when it goes offline without reinserting it will not have the log file or will have the last log file from the last time a powered insert was done.

The log file will have to be retrieved from the card on an external SD Card Reader either in a computer or OTR Card Reader capable device and then emailed with the information requested.

You shouldn’t power cycle them to get the logs. They want the logs while it is showing as offline. You can use the same SD Card. Get the log for cam #1, copy it to your device\computer for email, wipe the card and insert into offline cam #2. Repeat for all cams affected.

As you can see by the date of the instructional post, it has been a known issue for some time. However it has not been reproducible in testing because testers and devs are on some seriously robust industrial strength network routers specifically configured for a massive number of cams and devices and don’t experience the issue at all. it is extremely difficult to fix an issue of unknown origin if it can’t be reproduced in a controlled environment. That is precisely why they need users to help and email the logs. Unfortunately, there are even less users who are affected who are willing to help find a solution.

@SlabSlayer ok got it. I will do this when the next cam goes “offline” if i catch it soon enough. I have a total of 6 with 4 of them having microSD cards. Also i always powered them off then on when it happened so didn’t know about that but i have seen the xxxxxx.log.txt files on the cards before.

As for reproducing it, seems like a good idea to set up a test bed with ‘typical home user’ setup of less than 10 cams and off-the shelf routers. I have to believe that is the most common use case but maybe wrong about that. also i would like to know what is telling the phone app it is offline anyways - the Wyze servers? the camera itself? somebody is telling the app the wrong thing even though live video is available. Maybe the Wyze servers have that info, Just wondering.
Im sure i will have a camera go offline at some point in the near future…
thanks

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I would say that is the most common use case and the users who would be valuable to the Beta Program. However Beta testing is a voluntary program. Those who do participate though, tend to be more advanced users, with more advanced equipment and networks, who don’t mind dealing with bugs and who are comfortable and experienced with troubleshooting, reversion, side loading, and work-arounds.

Exactly the question the Wyze developers reading those logs are asking. Why is it indicating offline when it is not? All app info on the cam comes from the server, but the live stream is a P2P stream that is only initiated by the server. Why is one working but not the other? :man_shrugging:

@SlabSlayer ok im a retired EE with many years background in firmware hardware WiFi and networking and would be more than happy to help out as beta tester is i am not already, at one time i thought i signed up for that but let me know what i can do

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and as matter of fact… one of my v3 cams is showing offline and it has a microSD card in it so i will perform that procedure now

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Here are the details to be a part of the Beta Program. This is for both Android App Betas as well as Firmware Betas.

All Beta App and Firmware release announcements, bug reporting, and tester discussion is done thru Topics created by Wyze in the #beta category of the forum.

It seems an improbable coincidence, but I think the Cam Imps have found me.

For the first time since upgrading to a Wyze Mesh Router Pro, I just experienced my first “Offline, but not really”.

I immediately forced a SD Card log and emailed it in.

:man_facepalming:

really…so funny

Wish I could get that to work. I finally realized that the noise the camera made was the “bing” - does not sound like a bing to me. But after removing the card, there has never been a new log file…

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Because I use 256GB cards, the ‘bing’ takes forever. And, because I don’t want to load that card externally (I read cards via Android OTG which adds extra OS folders to the card), I used a freshly formatted 32GB card that had no Wyze data on it whatsoever.

I found logs in two different directories although I suspect that the TUTK log is null given the size of the file:

I have let it go as much as 10 minutes. Finally realized that what sounds like more of a clunk must be the “bing”. Comes about 30 seconds or so (if I remember right) after plugging the 64GB card back in.

Mine is a definite double chime sound. 32GB card. The 256GB cards take much longer.

That’s the sound I’m hearing, but at least on yours there was a tiny little tone at the end. All I’ve ever heard is the click or clunk that is heard on your recording.
I will try again next time I have a camera “offline” that isn’t really…

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