With ever-rising reported cases of car thefts, we all must keep an eye on our toys these days. MyQ cameras and garage door openers are among the leading smart devices to protect our garages. If the camera is online, you can monitor your garage and get motion notifications when triggered.
The camera must remain online and hooked to a solid network for remote access and motion detection to work. Opening the MyQ app and finding the camera labeled as offline is a cause of alarm.
MyQ cameras fall offline when disconnected from the network connection and out of sync with the cloud servers. This could be due to power disconnection, a poor signal, improper network settings, etc. To get it back online, check your network status and power cycle your devices.
Here are the potential reasons why your camera is offline;
- Power disconnection or prolonged power outages
- Poor network signal on the installation point or complete lack of internet access
- Improper network settings – changing your network password or settings, AP Isolation, Band steering, Signal interferences, etc.
- Outdated device firmware or app
- Serve outages
- Faulty device or corrupt firmware files
You must identify and address the cause to get your camera back online. In cases of repeated offline instances, it indicates a persistent causal agent – most likely a network issue.
Primarily, you want to see a solid green LED indicator on your camera – indicating the camera is online and receiving juice from your router. If this is the case, but you have an offline error on the app, try power cycling your devices.
How Do I Get MyQ Camera Back Online?
Before diving into the troubleshooting, confirm the camera is receiving power. It could be a case of a tripped outlet or a damaged adapter. The presence of an LED indicator (any color will do) means your camera is receiving power.
Conversely, if there isn’t any indicator of power, take the camera down and hook it to a different outlet or try a different cable.
Again, keep your app and device firmware up to date. Check on your respective app store for any available updates.
With that said, try these troubleshooting solutions to get your MyQ camera back online;
Check Your Network Settings
MyQ cameras and devices are compatible with the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi frequency band. The first step should be to confirm whether your router broadcasts such a network and whether you have internet access.
Connect your phone or any other device and check whether you can access the internet. If so, your network is on point. Otherwise, contact your ISP for a solution.
If your router broadcasts 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands on identical SSIDs, you are better off separating them into different entities to avoid conflicts.
Depending on the network setup, various settings could affect the device’s connection, including;
- Band steering in Mesh networks steers traffic to the strongest node and could cause the offline issue – Turn it off under your router’s advanced settings.
- Deactivate AP Isolation if available in your settings
- Keep the Wi-Fi network channels 1, 6, or 11 to cab interferences
- If you change your Wi-Fi settings, update them to your connected devices by reconnecting.
Received Signal Strength
By the nature of the installation, you probably have your camera in the garage. You should account for the distance between the camera and your primary router or closest node.
A poor signal, insufficient to sync to the cloud servers, will render your camera offline occasionally. Remember, increasing the load (connected devices) lowers the signal strength.
So, what is the signal state in your garage? Are you receiving a strong signal on your mobile device?
If you have a bar on the Wi-Fi signal, you may have poor signal coverage in your garage.
To boost your received signal strength,
- Move your Primary rooter closer to the Garage
- If you have a MyQ hub, ensure it’s well-connected
- Upgrade to a Mesh network topology – have a node in the garage.
- Install a Wi-Fi extender to boost your signal coverage.
- Reduce the number of connected devices
Power cycle your Devices
A simple reboot could get your camera back online by clearing IP conflicts or temporal errors.
A power cycle involves completely disconnecting the device from power, letting dissipate any residual charges, and reconnecting it.
Restart all your network and MyQ devices to refresh and reinitiate the network connection.
Once the devices reboot and connect, refresh the app and check if the camera is online.
Reset The Camera
Factory resetting the camera clears known configuration and restores the default setting. This is handy when dealing with corrupt firmware files or incomplete upgrades.
First, remove the camera from the app under Device Management.
To factory reset, use a paper clip to press the reset hole for 10 – 15 seconds. The camera should reset and enter paring mode with a flashing blue LED indicator.
Once reset, reconnect the camera anew via the MyQ app. Remember to turn on Bluetooth and location in your mobile device during setup.
A successful connection brings the camera online, thus clearing the offline error.
Contact MyQ support
We have run out of wits if the camera isn’t connected at this stage. It would be wise to escalate the matter and have the technical team look into it.
Therefore, try reaching out to the MyQ support team for guidance. They usually come in handy when dealing with faulty devices.
