Imou Camera Not Detecting Motion or Sending Alerts? Here’s How to Fix It

Step-by-step fix guide | Imou cameras and doorbells

Try this first — Open the camera in the Imou Life app, check motion detection is turned on, then raise the sensitivity. These are the first two fixes in Imou’s UK camera FAQ.

This guide is for anyone whose Imou camera misses movement, sends no alarms or sends false ones. The steps follow Imou’s UK camera FAQ and, for battery cameras, Imou’s battery camera FAQ, in Imou’s order.

What This Problem Means

Imou’s UK camera FAQ covers three versions of this problem: no alarm after you turn on motion detection, false alarms from outside the detection area, and infrared detection that gives false alarms or doesn’t alarm. Most fixes are settings in the app. The rest are about where the camera is mounted and what it can see.

Common Symptoms

  • No alarm after you turned on motion detection
  • Alarms for movement outside the detection area you set
  • Infrared detection gives false alarms or doesn’t alarm at all
  • A battery camera keeps triggering on leaves or an air conditioner, and the battery drains faster
  • A battery camera detects nothing at all

Safe Checks You Can Try

1. Turn motion detection on

Imou’s first fix for a camera that gives no alarm is to “turn on the motion detection in the app”. Check it’s switched on for the camera in the Imou Life app.

2. Raise the sensitivity

Next, Imou says to “increase the sensitivity in the app”.

3. Check the detection area and schedule

Imou then says to adjust the detection area and “the validity period”, which is the detection schedule. Make sure the area covers the spot you want watched, and the schedule covers the times you need.

4. Set the memory card to read/write

If you record alarms to a memory card, Imou’s last fix in this answer is to change the memory card property to “read/write”.

5. False alarms from outside the area: turn off Human Detection

If you get alarms for movement outside the area you set, Imou says to “turn the Human Detection off”. Imou explains that you can only set the detection area for motion detection, not for human detection.

6. Check where the camera is and what it can see

For infrared detection that gives false alarms or doesn’t alarm, Imou says to avoid installing the camera in areas with rapid temperature changes, such as near air conditioners. It also says to clean the lens, remove obstacles from the field of view, and adjust the angle to avoid direct strong light.

7. Battery cameras: check the height and angle

Imou’s battery camera FAQ says to install the camera less than 2 to 3 m from the ground, pointing across the path an intruder would take rather than straight at them. Keep the PIR lens level for the best result.

8. Battery cameras: check the power mode and the view

In Ultra Power Saving mode, Imou says a battery camera “will not perform any detection”. Imou also warns that a camera facing leaves or an air conditioner is easily triggered, which can cause false alarms and drain the battery faster.

Detection Types Imou Lists

These are the detection types Imou lists for each camera. Remember that the detection area works with motion detection only.

Model Detection Imou lists
Ranger 2C Motion, human, configurable region, abnormal sound alarm (Imou’s global spec page; the UK page lists human detection and abnormal sound alarm)
Ranger 2C Pro Motion, human, pet, configurable region, abnormal sound alarm
Ranger Dual Motion, human, pet, configurable region, abnormal sound alarm
Cruiser Dual Motion, configurable region, human, vehicle
Cell PT PIR and human detection
Cell Go Motion, human, configurable region

When To Contact Support

If none of these steps fix it, contact Imou through Imou’s UK support page.