Strong Signal Strength, Poor Performance
I put out a new Verizon GC-Z4Gb on Saturday, and with each photo I do receive, the signal strength on both the portal and app indicate either 4 or 5 bars. When I set the camera out I noticed the signal strength consisted of all the bars (I think that is 5). However, I am not receiving even 50% of the photos taken based on the filenames. Also, I have not received a single scheduled event, and there are three per day. I have been trying to update the firmware to the 9/7/18 version, but it has not been completed yet even though I have received three motion activated (deer) photos since I requested the update. Is there some problem going on with the server or is the signal strength indicated on the camera bogus? Or, do cameras just behave poorly after a newer version of firmware has been released?
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Steve,
Do you happen to be running photo + video, by any chance. If so, you’d expect to have skipped numbers because every other number is a photo and the ones in between are videos.
Firmware is often issued to address problems. The camera don’t “know” whether they are running the latest firmware or not, so there’s no way a camera will just start performing worse with older firmware. However, it may be that newer firmware addresses a problem that your camera is having (if it is having a problem).
Do you have any pending commands other than the firmware update? If so, please cancel them. It may take more than one contact with the server for the FW to update, especially if there is a signal problem. (I’m always skeptical of four or five bars in my area. My Z4G says 5 bars and works well but my phone barely gets 1X on a good day.)
I would also schedule a setting update just to be sure that your scheduled events are set. Do be sure that they specify Every day and what you want done. I’ve seen people not set Every day, but set the event and that obviously does not work. Just double check, please.
liz
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Yes I'm aware there are two filenames for every instance. I agree with your comment about signal strength of camera versus phone. While with the camera Saturday it showed 6 bars while my phone shows 1. However, I have a yagi mounted 12ft above and pointed at the signal so I assumed that was the difference. See picture attached. I first requested the firmware update yesterday and cancelled a short while ago and rescheduled. So, all of the photos received shown here were received with the request in. You can see many file names are being skipped; as well as status reports at 8:00AM and 5:00PM yesterday, and a photo event that was scheduled for 12:00 noon today.
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Definitely missing some pics. BTW, there are only 5 bars on the camera signal, so it was showing full bars.
I have two V4G that struggle in my area. One of them performs better with the directional antenna, the other with the paddle. I didn’t sit at the camera and spend time aiming the antenna, though, and if I’d do that, I might improve the situation.
Keep in mind that you are getting the status reports when you get the pictures. Signal fluctuates, so it may be less than 4 or 5 bars when it takes the pictures that it doesn’t send. I have an AT&T 3G camera that usually shows 1 or maybe 2 bars, but once in a while, it says it has 5 bars.
The firmware update is a pretty big file in trail-camera terms so it may be struggling in to download it.
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I second Johnny’s suggestion to try the stock antenna. You were dealing with a 3G camera vs. a 4G and it’s possible that the new stock antenna will work. I’d had to use a directional on a Verizon camera or two and was prepared to do the same on my Z4G but it showed 5 bars when I brought it up with the stock antenna and has worked beautifully for months.
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