This guide is for anyone whose Imou camera keeps dropping offline in the Imou Life app or won’t stream. 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 two forms of this fault: a camera that goes on and offline frequently, and a camera that fails to stream. Both answers are network checks: the Wi-Fi signal, how busy your network is, Wi-Fi channels and network restrictions. For battery cameras, Imou adds that you can reset the camera if your network environment has changed.

Common Symptoms

• The camera keeps going offline and coming back in the Imou Life app
• Live view won’t load because the camera fails to stream
• The problem started after you changed your router or network
• The camera’s light is off or solid red

Safe Checks You Can Try

1. Check the Wi-Fi signal and clear the path

Imou’s first fix for a camera that goes on and offline is to “check the WiFi signal strength and keep the device and router unobstructed”. Move anything that blocks the path between the camera and the router.

2. Reduce the load on your network

Next, Imou says to “reduce the number of access devices and ensure sufficient uplink bandwidth”. Take devices you don’t need off the Wi-Fi, and make sure there’s enough upload bandwidth left for the camera.

3. Spread devices across Wi-Fi channels

Imou’s third fix is to “adjust equipment distribution to work in different channels”, so your devices aren’t all on the same Wi-Fi channel.

4. If it won’t stream: check your router and phone

For a camera that fails to stream, Imou says to check the network connection between the router and your phone, reduce the load on the router, and make sure the connection is normal.

5. Simplify the network path

Imou also says to “simplify the networking path of the device” and make sure the router the camera uses is connected to the internet.

6. Remove network restrictions

Imou’s last network fix is to “check the network configuration and remove the network restrictions of the device”.

7. Battery cameras: reset after a network change

If your network has changed, for example a new router, Imou’s battery camera FAQ says “you can reset the device”.

Press and hold the Reset button for about 5 to 10 seconds until you hear a beep. The light “slowly flashing green” means the reset worked. Then press “Add Again” in the Imou Life app to add the camera back. The full steps for both camera types are in how to reset an Imou camera.

8. Battery cameras: keep it 1 m from the router

Imou’s battery camera FAQ says to keep the camera at least 1 m away from any Wi-Fi signal source, such as a Wi-Fi router. Imou gives this as a placement tip in the FAQ’s motion detection section.

If the Camera’s Light Is Off or Solid Red

Imou’s UK camera FAQ has a separate answer for a camera whose light is off or solid red. It says to “switch to the original adapter”, and to make sure the camera is not powered off and stays connected during a firmware upgrade. If that doesn’t help, Imou’s last step is to “return to the factory for maintenance”.

When To Contact Support

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