The ADT Doorbell Camera is an excellent addition to bolstering your home security. Utilizing existing doorbell infrastructure brings your doorbell into the 21st century!
The device includes a wide-field-of-view camera, facial recognition capabilities, night vision video, two-way conversational audio, and much more. In addition to these features, the Doorbell Camera is quite robust, featuring a solid weatherproof rating that gives you peace of mind for your investment regardless of outside conditions.
The video recordings are sent to the cloud, meaning you can access them at any time and anywhere, increasing that ‘tech-savvy’ feeling.
One thing worth noting about the ADT doorbell camera is that it is impossible to buy as a standalone device. Your Doorbell Camera needs to be part of a complete service plan, which comes with a device hub, motion detectors, professional monitoring, and more.
We always recommend that it is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to home security, so the requirement for additional devices isn’t necessarily a negative, just something to keep in mind.
Given this device’s vast benefits and features, the growing popularity of the ADT Doorbell Camera makes plenty of sense. Still, all home security devices and technology will sometimes face issues.
The good news is that we have put together a list of the 5 most common ADT Doorbell Camera issues and the steps you can take to fix them. We will have your Doorbell Camera and home security system back on track in no time!
1. My ADT Camera Is Offline
In this digital era, it is paramount that your devices are always connected, so if your ADT Camera is offline and lacking functionality, we understand your concern!
Per the ADT support team, there are two leading contributors to your camera potentially losing connection and access.
The first is that power was lost. This may seem obvious, but depending on your device’s power connection setup, something may have become dislodged or faulty.
Depending on your model, you can tell by looking at your ADT camera if the device is receiving power. There are LED lights to indicate power; however, you may have power issues if these are not lit up.
Start by checking the wiring to your camera. If everything looks good from the outside, the power transformer may have failed. If this is the case, it may be best to leave this one to an expert and get an electrician to come and take a look. Your electrician will likely be able to either replace the transformer if required or at least point you in the right direction for a suitable replacement. We will cover recommended transformers later in this article.
Another potential contributing factor to your ADT camera being offline is an issue with your WiFi connection. If you have read our other articles, you will know that we provide a few suggestions in this scenario.
We recommend you reboot all of the devices in your home WiFi network. You may just have a combined router and modem or separate boxes and additional devices such as WiFi range extenders. Power cycling (restarting) all these devices is a big step towards clearing any hidden issues within your home’s network.
ADT support also recommends rebooting your camera and ADT Gateway during this process.
Another specific step ADT suggests is reducing the distance between your Camera and Gateway. These devices can often have issues when communicating over longer distances, particularly if there are walls or other interruptions in the connection line.
If you are confident that the power to your device is not the issue and that you are experiencing no issues in your network or device range, there is a final troubleshooting step we can recommend. This one is a little bit more of a hassle, but it will often resolve issues where the previous steps did not.
We are going to reinstall the device to your ADT account. Log into your ADT Pulse Portal and remove the camera from your account. Then, follow the setup steps again as if you have just purchased the device for the first time.
Reinstalling and completing the setup process can make your device look and feel as good as new!
2. ADT Camera Solid Red Light
Your ADT Camera includes LED status lights to tell you how your device is doing. These can be in a number of different configurations, including red, green, and blue, as well as blinking or solid lines.
A solid red light on your ADT Camera indicates that your device is offline or not connecting. Suppose your device is showing this status on the LEDs. In that case, you must refer to Section 1 of this article, covering ‘My ADT Camera is Offline’.
While discussing your device’s different LED light statuses, we thought it would be a good time to cover the other scenarios you may experience as an owner.
As mentioned in the last section, if your device shows no LED light at all, it is currently powered down. This may be deliberate if you have chosen to switch it off, or it may be an indicator of a power supply issue, making it a key troubleshooting factor.
A solid blue light tells you that everything is great in your camera’s world —it is connected to the internet and ready to perform its full functionality!
A spinning green light indicates that your device is undergoing a firmware update. No action is required on your behalf here; ADT is simply pushing the latest features and functionality to your device. Your device will usually reboot after the firmware update is downloaded and installed. Don’t panic if you see it powering down and up!
Finally, you will know that your ADT Doorbell Camera is working well if you press the alarm button to ring and the LED light surrounding it pulses blue.
3. My ADT Camera Is Not Recording
There is arguably no feeling more frustrating than having your new piece of technology fail you, whether it is right out of the box or after years of flawless operation. Fortunately, you don’t need to panic if your ADT Camera stops recording—we know a few tricks that might help.
Like with most technology, we should first check that the device is receiving power. If you cannot see any colored light on the LED for your ADT Doorbell Camera, it is likely that the device is not powered on. You can double-check this in the ADT smartphone app to see the status of your registered device.
Confirmation of no power means you must target this troubleshooting area and are likely looking to replace the transformer. Suppose you installed the camera into the existing doorbell infrastructure, but it hasn’t worked. In that case, this is an example of when you should call an electrician to take a look.
If the device is powered OK, we can move on to the next stage of troubleshooting. Your ADT Doorbell Camera may be powered but without a connection to the internet. For an in-depth dive into this issue, we recommend reading Section 1 of this article on ‘My ADT Camera Is Offline’.
You might have made it this far and confirmed that your device is powered up and connected to the internet. The good news is that it should make any remaining issue easier to pinpoint and potentially fix!
One contributing factor to your ADT Doorbell Camera not recording might be solved in settings by checking the motion detection option. If this is turned off, your camera won’t record video even if it can clearly detect a person (or animal) coming for your front door! Using your ADT control app, navigate to the device settings and ensure you turn motion detection on.
Is this not a motion detection issue? How about the field of view of your camera? If there has been particularly wild weather in your area, leaves or debris may have entered the camera’s operating space, obstructing the view. If the camera can’t see, it won’t be able to record effectively, so you should check the physical area around your camera next.
One final recommended step is to ensure your cloud storage has enough space to record. If your cloud storage is full, the camera won’t record as there is nowhere to send the video files. Log on to your ADT Control application on your smart device and check the storage status.
If you have followed all of the above steps and have been unable to resolve your issue, it may be time to contact ADT. Your device may need replacement if their support staff cannot resolve your problem.
4. How to Reuse ADT Cameras?
The beauty of the ADT Doorbell Camera is that its neat plug-and-play installation design isn’t limited to just one installation!
The ADT Doorbell Camera can be installed anywhere there is existing infrastructure for a doorbell. In other words, you want to ensure you already have a mechanical chime and a transformer providing power. If you do not have these because your property never had a doorbell or you are moving into a new property, you will want to contact an electrician to assist with the essentials.
Suppose you are moving from one property to another with the same infrastructure. In that case, you will be able to reuse your ADT Doorbell Camera. Simply undo the steps you took upon installation, including connecting the device, and then install it again at the new location as if it were brand new.
While this will cover the physical installation, we recommend that you factory reset the device if you are moving it to a new location. Often, a change in location will bring different requirements and context, such as field of view, weather, lighting, and more, so it is best to treat your camera as if it is new and run the setup process again in your application.
Beyond the Doorbell model, there have been several reported success stories of users repurposing their old ADT cameras, which they had rendered obsolete with newer purchases.
One user on the Home Assistant forum was able to bring his older ADT Pulse Camera into today’s day and age, allowing for integration with smart home systems such as Google Home or Amazon Alexa.
Whilst this might be a bit beyond your capabilities or ambitions, it serves as a reminder that it is always possible to reuse and repurpose old cameras, and as such, you should think twice before throwing them away!
5. What is the Best Transformer for an ADT Doorbell Camera?
Suppose you aren’t familiar with electrical terminology. In that case, you might be confused when you stumble upon talk of transformers regarding doorbells. Rest assured, you don’t need a car that turns into an Autobot like Bumblebee!
You will need a device that ‘transforms’ the voltage of your house’s wiring to the doorbell. Typical household wiring can be over 100 volts, whereas your doorbell needs only a fraction of that. If you were to simply wire it straight in, your poor new doorbell would be fried, and wouldn’t work.
Suppose you live in a property with existing doorbell infrastructure. In that case, you might want to check to see which transformer you already have. The usual suspects for location include the basement or attic near any electrical panels, the garage, under a stairwell, and any other cupboards or storage areas. If you can’t do it yourself, an electrician can help you locate yours.
However, you may need to purchase a transformer, either because your existing one has stopped working or because you are moving into a new building. In this instance, you will want to ensure you buy the right transformer that covers the essential functionality while keeping your place safe and not compromising your budget.
The good news is that a purchase like this is quite common, and as a result, all top retailers will have multiple options with reviews. Amazon has an entire section of top-selling doorbell transformers, and we will highlight a few of these that we believe will work well with your ADT Doorbell Camera.
The first we will cover is the Newhouse Hardware 30TR Door Bell Transformer. This model is available in various volt-amps, ensuring that you will have an adequate power supply regardless of which doorbell you are installing. It also has extra safety features, including a thermal cut-off switch in the case of high temperatures, making it the best option for us.
The second best option among the best-selling transformers is the Maxdot Thermostat and Doorbell Transformer. This comes with less flexibility than the previously mentioned Newhouse Hardware edition, as there is only one voltage available. However, the device still has all the compatibility you would expect from a doorbell transformer and can easily be used with a number of modern doorbell devices, including the ADT Doorbell Camera.
The third and final transformer we recommend for your ADT device is the Auspow Doorbell Transformer. This device meets all the standards and compatibility of the previous Maxdot device, but it is slightly higher priced.
Ultimately, the transformer you choose will likely do the job just fine. Suppose you will have an electrician install the transformer anyway, which would be advised unless you are confident with wiring. In that case, it may be best to ask the expert for his opinion on the above options.
Summary
The simple doorbell has come a long way in the last decade. From the days of not hearing it ring because you were too far away, we are now in an era where you are never more connected to what is happening outside your front door.
Thanks to the ADT Doorbell Camera, you can unlock a wealth of features, including facial recognition, nighttime video recording, conversational audio, and more.
These devices aren’t always flawless, so if you encounter any issues, let us be your first port of call for troubleshooting.
Following the above steps should help you get on top of the most common issues with these devices!
About Author
Hi, there! I’m Vince Justiniano, a life-long tech hobbyist, tinkerer, and writer.
My diverse experience in video production, as well as content and fiction writing, allowed me to develop storytelling skills and attention to detail, combining my interest in tech with helping others. In my spare time, I enjoy practicing speed typing on mechanical keyboards as well as reading post-apocalyptic fiction.
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