OP
OP
- Location
- Glasgow
Video doorbell stopped working after fitting new door *Solved*
- Thread starter Pat "5mph"
- Start date
-
- Tags
- fitting
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classic33
Leg End Member
Correct way round?
OP
OP
- Location
- Glasgow
Well, I didn't move them!
I'm off this weekend (for a change) will spend a few hours implementing all the suggestions above 🔧
classic33
Leg End Member
It weren't me, if that's what yer thinking.
OP
OP
- Location
- Glasgow
Everything to do with the new door!
I had some spare time this afternoon, so I did everything suggested above, apart from resetting the router, was going to leave that last.
Batteries reseated, cam uninstalled from app, app uninstalled, then both back on my phone.
Put it on charge, immediately it wanted to pair with the router, so I let it.
While it was charging, it was working perfectly, taking videos of the cat passing in front of the socket
sending alerts to my phone.After charging, I put the door bell cam back in its cradle already fitted to the door.
It stopped working immediately, I know this because I was making faces at it
No alerts on phone, cam comes up as offline on the app.A colleague at work had suggested fitting it to the door frame instead of the actual door, she was right, it works perfectly now.
Whatever is inside my new "fire door" (I think steel bars) or the material it's made of (composite, whatever that is), does not let the WiFi signal through.
Thank you all for the suggestions, much appreciated!
Fastpedaller
Über Member
- Location
- Norfolk
Glad you've got it sorted. Composite will usually be GRP (glass reinforced plastic - I very much doubt it's carbon fibre reinforced ) That shouldn't stop the signal
) That shouldn't stop the signal
OP
OP
- Location
- Glasgow
You are correct, I have just checked the manufacturer's site, it's glass reinforced plastic, with metal bars inside.Composite will usually be GRP (glass reinforced plastic - I very much doubt it's carbon fibre reinforced
I also did a wee Google, indeed metal is a WiFi blocker.
One learns something new every day!
Key Materials That Interfere with Wi-Fi
Metal: Metal is the most effective Wi-Fi blocker because it reflects and absorbs electromagnetic waves. Common examples include metal doors, filing cabinets, ductwork, foil-lined insulation, and metal studs inside walls. Even metal mesh can significantly reduce signal strength if the gaps are smaller than the Wi-Fi wavelength (about 12 cm for 2.4 GHz).
WiFi and mobile signals are bloked by metal. When I was working one of my colleagues was building a remote alarm that used a mobile signal to send a text message to the site manager it was self conttained with battery back up as the local ne'er do wells would cut the power to the site ( quarry ) and nick the copper cables. All the testing worked well, but everytime he closed the cover it ceased working. I let him fiddle with it for a bit then pointed out that he was using a metal enclosure which was acting as a Faraday cage once the door was closed. He transplanted the works into a GRP weatherproof box and all was well.
