Three of five cameras keep going offline

[DaKidz]

This is driving me nuts.  I keep syncing the cameras and they stay on-line for anywhere from 1-3 hours and then go off again.    Just put in brand spanking batteries again and without doing anything (system was disarmed for three days) I'm down to 68% battery strength.  It's always the same three cameras.  One of them less than 3 feet from base station.  If I open battery case and close it again, they come back for 1-3 hours... I tried lifting the prongs on the battery connectors.  That didn't solve anything either.  None of these have been in outside environment, not have they been heavily used during the last three months.  Have switched batteries three times thinking they were the culprit.  Also reset the base station.    Base Station is running 1.9.8.0_16666 firmware, cameras are running 1.2.16720 firmware...  Any help appreciated.  Really don't want to invest another $300 in cameras since these were rarely used.

[brh]

@DaKidz

Try moving the cameras further away from the router and base station. I think there is some interference going on that is garbling your communications between the base and the cameras.

Brian

[jguerdat]

The usual cause of this sort of thing is either positioning and/or interference. While some have had luck with moving the base further away from the router, I have two bases that are in very close proximity to high-powered routers and extenders with no problems.

Positioning can be an issue if something is blocking the signal, such as walls, mirrors, ductwork or even house construction (stucco is a known issue due to the wire mesh used to hold the stucco). Mounting on metallic surfaces can also be an issue.

Interference is caused by any 2.4GHz device, WiFi or not. If close enough to the base or the signal path(s) to the cameras, this can interfere with the base/camera connection.

Both of these can cause rapid battery depletion due to the camera trying hard to maintain a connection. Swapping "good" cameras with "bad" ones may help detrmine if it's a problem with the camera itself or the location of the camera. Also, try to visualize the straight line path the signal has to travel between the camera and base and think of what's inside walls or attached to them. Also remember that spec battery life is for 5 minutes or less of live view and recording per day, just in case that may be an issue.

[DaKidz]

The same three cameras.  Can't be interference, as one camera is sitting less than two feet above the router and it is open air between them.  Also, they work.  For an hour or so, and then go off-line.  I could see interference being an issue if they never worked.  But they do. For an hour or so.  I even started them and placed them right next to the router.  Same thing.  Start and then go off-line.

I've played the shuffle game.  They have always worked.  Until about 3 months ago when all this started.  I'd hate to think that these are designed to fail after a certain period. These are the first three purchased.

There should be no reason that the battery went down 35% in that short of time.  No videos are scheduled.

[jguerdat]

I would try a total reset and start fresh. Remove all devices from Settings, My Devices. Use the Add Device button on the Devices tab to claim the base. Sync the cameras. If firmware updates are noted, do so. If still no good, open a case with support here.