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Camera Troubleshooting

Most issues are fixed in under 2 minutes.
Find your problem below and follow the steps.

① Check the power cable

Ensure the USB cable is firmly seated in both the camera and the power adapter. Try a different USB port or adapter — minimum 5V 1A required.

② Try a different cable

Charge-only cables will not work. Use a data-capable USB cable. If the light still doesn’t come on, the cable is likely the issue.

③ Hold reset for 10 seconds

With the camera plugged in, hold the reset button (small pinhole on the base) for 10 seconds until the light blinks rapidly, then release.

⚠️ Most common cause: Hotspot band set to 5 GHz. SriHome cameras only support 2.4 GHz.

① Force 2.4 GHz on Android

Settings → Hotspot & Tethering → Mobile Hotspot → AP Band → select 2.4 GHz. Turn hotspot OFF then back ON after changing.

② Check hotspot password length

SriHome cameras have trouble with hotspot passwords longer than 16 characters or containing special characters. Temporarily set a simple password (e.g. Camera1234).

③ Re-run Smart Config in SriHome

Delete the camera from SriHome → tap + → Smart Config → enter your hotspot name and password → hold your phone 20–30 cm from the camera lens while configuring.

④ Factory reset the camera

Hold the reset pinhole for 10 seconds. The camera will reboot and announce “Waiting for network configuration”. Then repeat Smart Config from scratch.

① Confirm your camera IP first

The RTSP URL uses your camera’s actual IP address on the hotspot. Use the Setup page above — the auto-detected IP will be shown when the camera joins the hotspot. Do not use the gateway IP (192.168.43.1) as the camera address.

② Use the correct stream path

Primary stream: rtsp://<camera-ip>:554/live/ch00_1
Sub stream: rtsp://<camera-ip>:554/live/ch00_0

③ Switch VLC to TCP transport

In VLC: Tools → Preferences → Input/Codecs → set RTP over RTSP (TCP). Restart VLC and open the stream again. This fixes most buffering and timeout errors.

④ Check your firewall

On Windows, allow VLC through Windows Defender Firewall → Private networks. Port 554 must not be blocked.

① Use the sub stream for lower latency

Switch to rtsp://<ip>:554/live/ch00_0 — this is the lower-resolution sub stream and responds faster over a hotspot connection.

② Move camera closer to the phone

Hotspot range on 2.4 GHz is typically 10–15 metres. Walls and interference cause packet loss which makes video stutter. Keep the phone and camera within 8 metres with line-of-sight if possible.

③ Reduce hotspot client count

Other devices connected to your hotspot (laptops, tablets) share bandwidth with the camera. Disconnect other devices while viewing the stream.

① Disable hotspot sleep / auto-off

Android: Hotspot Settings → Turn off hotspot automatically → OFF. Some phones shut the hotspot down after a few minutes of inactivity.

② Keep phone screen on (or use caffeine app)

When the phone screen locks, hotspot performance can drop on some Android models. Set screen timeout to Never while recording, or use a screen-on app.

③ Check phone battery saver

Battery saver mode restricts background processes including hotspot. Disable battery saver, or plug your phone in while the camera is running.

① Grant SriHome local network permission

iOS: Settings → SriHome → Local Network → ON. Android: Settings → Apps → SriHome → Permissions → Nearby Devices → Allow.

② Force close and reopen SriHome

Fully close SriHome from the app switcher, wait 5 seconds, then reopen. The discovery scan runs automatically on launch.

③ Confirm camera is on the same hotspot

The camera and the SriHome app must be on the same hotspot network. If your phone is the hotspot, both the app and the camera are on the same network automatically.

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Email us a description of your issue, your phone model, and what you’ve already tried. We respond within 2 hours, 7 days a week.

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