So, I just installed two additional Cam v3’s today (my 4th and 5th total to cover full perimeter of house now) and one of them is giving me an issue.
First, for some context, I do not have a paid plan, just signed up for the zero-cost one. I’m doing continuous recording on all five v3’s to their own SD Cards. Night Vision is on Auto.
This is the side-yard one that’s giving me the issue:
You can see that the v3 is mounted close to the solar motion floodlight, and my old legacy Blink cam still in operation is well above up under the soffit.
Here is a zoomed out view of the same installation (cam and flood in upper right)
The problem I’m having (and it wasn’t discovered until after it got dark tonight) is that the solar light is staying on almost constantly now. It’s supposed to activate only when motion after dark is detected and then shut off 30 seconds after no more motion is detected. That’s the way it always worked until tonight, the first night with the new v3 cam installed right there. Now it stays on for about 2 minutes at a time, shuts off for about 5 seconds, and then goes right back on for another two minutes. This is constant now, non-stop since it got dark enough.
The obvious issue is that the v3 cam must be emitting something that is tricking/confusing the floodlight into thinking it should be turning on, and staying on continuously.
In case you’re curious, this is the floodlight that’s reacting to the new v3 cam. I can’t post the Amazon link, it’s discontinued so you just get the Amazon dog page (dead link page) when you try to click on it now.
Now, here’s the other thing…
I installed the other v3 today on the back of the house (right around the corner from the one acting up)
Here is a pic of the install:
Wide angle shot of same install:
You can see here I also have a solar motion detector floodlight (slightly different model but functionally exactly the same) and an old legacy Blink cam still in operation back there.
As you can see, back here I installed the new v3 cam well above the solar floodlight, the Blink is also well above the floodlight, and the problem I’m experiencing on the side-yard install does not exist back here tonight. The floodlight back here is not reacting to the new v3 cam at all like what’s happening with the side-yard cam.
So my takeaway from this is that I may have to do some side-yard repositioning and perhaps try to replicate the backyard set-up where the v3 gets mounted above the floodlight rather than even/adjacent to it like it is now. I do have some excess wire to be able to raise its position a bit if I have to, and I can also lower the floodlight a bit too if it helps.
If I make one or more adjustments and the problem persists between the floodlight and the new v3 cam, then one of them will have to go, and it will be the floodlight, because I think the night vision is so good on these v3’s that the side-yard floodlight is probably not even necessary there anymore. (I originally installed it there because the lousy Blinks needed the help!) I can always find a place to re-purpose the floodlight somewhere else in/around around the yard.
So, we’ll see what happens tomorrow when I get another chance to work the issue, unfortunately it might be in the rain, ugh. I can’t go out there now. After dark around here, the critters own the night, it’s not worth getting skunk-sprayed or otherwise accosted by something.
Just wanted to let others know, if you happen to have these types of solar motion floodlights and you are planning on installing cams in the area, apparently the positioning matters surprisingly more than you might think.
Have a good night everyone.