Cameras & doorbells

[Rajalia]

I've discovered this issue on both the wired indoor and outdoor model cameras. I did politely argue the fact that it wasn't a hardware issue but Roku STILL insisted on replacing all of my cameras. Same issues. I work in IT as a Level 3 Engineer... trust me when I say my network is DEFINITELY never the problem nor are my ISP speeds. And the cameras could possibly have a stronger wireless signal.

This is DEFINITELY a flaw on ROKU's end that definitely needs to be fixed/patched.

[Missjess23]

I agree. I have other cameras (not by Roku) which are much farther away from my router/modem and I am not having any issues. And the fact this is intermittent shows that it’s something with the cloud. I can have whole days where it works fine then only 1 out of every 10 records show up. I had planned to replace all my cameras with Roku cameras since they are made for the outside but if I can not play back full records from my SD card without having to remove it and watch them in a computer and I can not even see the 12-15 second records that are in the cloud it isn’t good for me. It’s a safety concern at this point. 

My cheap indoor cameras that I’ve been using outside allow me to play back as much as I want from my SD card and I never have issues with the cloud upload or signal. I like the Roku camera as the view is better but only if I’m just sitting watching the camera at all times. 

There are to many issues with to many people for it to be everyone’s modem/router so Roku needs to look at their cloud and their hardware to figure out what could be causing this. 

[WayneFugate]

Roku, may we suggest you reboot YOUR router and if that doesn’t help please contact your internet provider to have the check your speeds. If that isn’t the issue, may we suggest you upgrade your cloud storage capacity so that subscriber’s videos are able to be saved and viewed according to the subscription plan we pay for? The problem is likely lack of cloud storage capacity, that only seems to work itself out when users delete unwanted recorded videos.

[Rokcuz1951]

@Rajalia I have an advanced degree in Information Technology. The issue here is Roku, not you.

I worked directly with Nick B. from Roku (Executive Level), who was able to replicate each and every problem I presented to him. Unfortunately, months later, it appears that promised firmware update has never materialized.

1. On the Floodlight, the method in which the video and audio are encoded and muxed is a non standard format. Therefore, you wind up with a video file, but no audio, because nothing supports playback. How no one noticed this issue is confounding - Verified by Nick B.

2. The random cloud still image problem where instead of clips, you get a single image - Verified by Nick

There were other issues, too.

I'm disappointed because the Roku Floodlight is a WONDERFUL problem if the bugs get hammered out. For now, I discontinued Cloud Storage and run the camera with a MicroSD Card....

3. To which I don't understand, your intentions are to have a camera mounted on a building, but you don't make that SD card accessible without having to eject it?

I discovered this and much more in a weeks worth of testing.  I'm not sure if Roku ever put the product through Beta Tests or Debugging, but someone dropped ball.

[Rokcuz1951]

@WayneFugate 

Nothing on the consumer side will resolve these issues. The lack of audio on recorded video (MicroSD) can only be resolved via firmware.  The inability to access the MicroSD without ejecting it would again be a firmware and software update.

The still image problem via the cloud is more complicated. It COULD be a lack of space, a software glitch in their cloud network, or a million other causes.

[EdLetts]

I've been evaluating the indoor cameras for a week now and one of them is doing this almost all time. As I can see from the posts here I'm not the only one and also Roku does not have an answer. Glad I didn't cancel my nest account yet.

[Rokcuz1951]

@EdLetts 

Your guess that Roku has yet to find solution or continues to troubleshoot is my assumption, too. The fact Roku has yet release any firmware update that fixes the missing audio or the cloud upload failure only seems to reaffirm these suspicions.

[LoneWanderer]

Seriously, do not even try to contact Roku. When I was actually able to get into contact with someone they quite literally asked me "Did you try turning it off and on again?" It baffles me that I don't have to pay for just one BUT TWO subscriptions for TWO cameras that don't even work most of the time. They either don't care to fix the problem or the place is run by senior citizens who don't even know what a "bug" is. I unfortunately have to keep paying because my car was broken into and need to keep watch hoping that if it does happen again it actually captures it. Roku don't rip off Wyze cameras if you can't even get it to probably record motion events. The fact that they don't even respond or talk about this situation more just tells me they do not absolutely care at all. We all deserve a refund for months of our subscription not working. 

[Rokcuz1951]

@LoneWanderer 

I spoke directly to Roku Executive Staff and Engineering Team. I pointed out several flaws that were then later verified.  This was back in January.  Three to Four months later, nothing has come of my concerns.

To Roku's Credit, I did get a second camera for free to "Test" and "Verify" the Flaws existed on both cameras during the Process in which Roku was working alongside me.  However, I did purchase my first camera. So like everyone here, I spent money and have basically come to accept the problems I've identified are either unresolvable or Roku has yet to devise a solution.

What discourages me the most is that I have a background in Information Technology, and I immediately identified various issues within a few days of ownership.  Roku either didn't beta test the product prior to launch or the engineering team didn't bother to verify the product worked prior to launch.

[EdLetts]

Apparently we are the beta testers. I too have been in IT more years that I care to say.  I purchased one camera and expected that there would be time before the missing functional features would be there. I was impressed with the picture quality and detection abilities so I purchased 3 more for my home in NJ to test before going to Florida next month and changing over there. Almost immediately the flaws in the expected functionality became obvious. I'll be keeping the nest setup down there and probably will reinstall and activate the nest cameras in NJ before I leave because these came are useless as security cameras. In the end I'll probably be looking for a better solution and taking the loss on these 4 cameras.