Click from the list below to navigate to that section of this guide for more information.
IMPORTANT: For more detailed information specific to your model or if you do not see your issue listed below, please see your product’s manual on your Series support page.
To access your manual:
1. Visit Support.NightOwlSP.com and enter your Series (WDB-20) into the Search bar.
2. From your product’s support page, scroll down and click on “Manual.”
Troubleshooting:
- Can’t Connect to the Doorbell Hotspot
- Doorbell Is Not Powering On
- Doorbell Is Not Recording
- Doorbell Pairing Process Failed
- Factory Resetting the Doorbell
- Upgrading Doorbell Firmware
- Contacting Technical Support
NOTE: If you are still experiencing an issue after troubleshooting, please click on Contact Us from your product’s support page to reach our Technical Support Team via Live Chat or Phone.
1. Can’t Connect to the Doorbell Hotspot
If you are unable to find the doorbell hotspot and pair it to the Night Owl Connect App, please try the steps below before contacting technical support.
- Ensure the doorbell’s LEDs are white and rotating clockwise (the LED’s surround the ring button).
- Make sure the doorbell is properly powered on by connecting the micro USB cable to the USB port and an AC charger, as detailed in your product’s Quick Setup Guide.
NOTE: Your product’s Quick Setup Guide can be located on your product’s support page at Support.NightOwlSP.com. Please see the beginning of this article for more information. - When pairing the doorbell for the first time, make sure the doorbell and Smart Device are close together. Otherwise, the pairing process will time out and be unsuccessful.
- Ensure there is enough signal from your wireless network to connect the doorbell.
NOTE: If you cannot see the desired hotspot or Wi-Fi in the app, take the doorbell closer to your wireless network. - If using an Android Device:
- Make sure that your Smart Device Location feature is turned ON.
- Go back to the "Pairing the doorbell" screen and you should be in pairing mode.
- Press “Continue” to go to the "Pairing the doorbell" screen again and wait up to a minute to see the doorbell’s hotspot.
- If using an iOS Device:
- Check for the doorbell’s hotspot in the Wi-Fi menu.
- The name of the hotspot is DOORBELL-XXXXXX.
NOTE: “XXXXXX” is the first digits of the device's unique identifier (UID). - If the doorbell’s hotspot doesn’t appear, please close and reopen the menu or turn OFF/ON the Wi-Fi.
NOTE: If there are too many Wi-Fi hotspots near the user’s Mobile Device, the doorbell’s hotspot may not appear.
- If none of the above work:
- Turn OFF/ON the doorbell by removing the power cord connected to the micro USB port or by turning OFF the AC power that is powering the doorbell by removing the cables from the doorbell’s back or by turning OFF the breaker that controls the current that goes to the doorbell.
- Factory reset the doorbell by pressing the SYNC/RESET button for 3 seconds or until you hear Please be patient as doorbell restores its factory settings.
- Wait until you hear doorbell is in pairing mode and the LEDs are white and spinning clockwise, then try pairing the doorbell again.
2. Doorbell is Not Powering On
If you are having issues powering on the doorbell, please try the steps below before contacting technical support.
NOTE: Always take into consideration the doorbell needs to be left working for a while, even if it's already powered up, to see if it is receiving an electrical current. The doorbell has an internal battery that can allow the doorbell to stay powered for up to an hour if no direct electrical current is present. If you see that the doorbell is constantly getting a charge and then powering off, there may be an electrical short between the doorbell and the power supply.
- Using 5V/1A micro USB port:
- Connect the doorbell using the micro USB port (micro USB cable included with doorbell).
- Make sure the cable is connected to a power supply (USB power supply needs to be 5V and at least 1A output) that is connected to a power outlet.
NOTE: To verify if the power outlet is working properly, try connecting another device to the outlet and check if the device gets power. - Unplug the USB cable provided by Night Owl from the power supply and connect the doorbell to a computer or to another power supply that meets the minimum requirements.
- Verify if the doorbell’s LEDs turn ON. If the doorbell’s LEDs turn ON, the issue may be with the power supply. If the doorbell’s LEDs so not turn ON, check the steps below.
- If you have another USB cable available, connect that cable to the working power supply. If the doorbell’s LEDs turn ON, the issue may be with the USB cable. If the doorbell’s LEDs do not turn ON, the issue may be with the doorbell.
- Using House AC Cabling:
- If connecting to your home’s AC cabling, please follow the instructions in the Quick Setup Guide or contact a certified electrician to help with the connection process.
- Make sure there is power in the AC cabling.
- Check the breaker that controls the power to the cabling that goes to the doorbell. Make sure the breaker is ON.
- If the breaker is ON, there may be an issue with the cabling. Please contact a certified electrician to evaluate the situation.
If the doorbell is not recording when connected to your home network or compatible Night Owl Wireless Gateway, try the steps below.
- If Connected to Home Wi-Fi:
- Make sure the microSD card is inserted in the doorbell’s microSD card slot.
- Check the doorbells settings and verify if microSD is an available option.
NOTE: If the button for microSD is unavailable, it is possible there is an issue with the microSD card. Try inserting the microSD card into another device to verify if it is working. - After going into microSD Card settings, if it shows "0.0 Bytes" in Total or Free, please format the microSD card.
NOTE: Before formatting, please save all information stored on the microSD card. Once the card is formatted, all information previously saved to it will be permanently erased.
- If Connected to a Night Owl Gateway:
- The doorbell does not need a microSD card to record if connected to the Night Owl Gateway. Please ensure that the Gateway has a microSD card inserted.
- Make sure that the channel is set to Record>>>Motion in the channel’s recording menu.
- Check the Gateway’s settings and verify if the microSD is an available option. If the button for microSD is unavailable, it is possible there is an issue with the microSD card. Try inserting the microSD card into another device to verify it is working.
4. Doorbell Pairing Process Failed
If you are having issues getting the doorbell to pair to the Night Owl Connect App, please try the following troubleshooting measures.
NOTE: Before beginning the troubleshooting steps, verify:
-
- Wi-Fi network is transmitting signals at 2.4Ghz band
- Wi-Fi Network Security Protocol is set to WPA or WPA2. This must be done prior to troubleshooting.
- If it is not set to WPA or WPA2, open the wireless router configuration and change the security protocol to reflect these settings.
- Pair/test the doorbell locally before final installation (if not already installed).
- If the doorbell’s LED status indicates a weak Wi-Fi signal (LEDs flashing white in the top half and blue in the bottom half) this means that you need to improve the signal the doorbell is getting.
- If the signal improves before the pairing process stops on the app side, the process can still be successful. If the signal does not improve before the pairing process finishes, you will have to factory reset the doorbell and start the pairing process again.
- If the doorbell's LED status indicates "No Internet Connectivity" and has not played the voice prompt of Woohoo, setup is now complete, the process may fail.
NOTE: If it fails, make sure there is an Internet connection in the wireless hotspot or router and then factory reset the doorbell to try again. - If the doorbell's LED status shows "No Wi-Fi Connection", the doorbell could have lost Wi-Fi connectivity entirely with the wireless network. If this occurs, place the doorbell closer to the router. If the issue persists, factory reset the doorbell and start the pairing process again. In some instances, the Wi-Fi signal could be weak and unstable, but a second try to pair the doorbell can help alleviate this issue. This could have happened because of the security protocol within the wireless network.
- If the doorbell’s voice prompt says Woohoo, setup is now complete, but the app displays the pairing process failed screen, that means that the app did not find the doorbell.
- Verify that your Smart Device is on the same Wi-Fi network the doorbell is on.
- If all of the above fails, please factory reset the doorbell. To do so, press the Sync/Reset button for 3 seconds or until you hear Please be patient as doorbell restores its factory settings.
- Reconnect your Smart Device to your Wi-Fi network and try again. If the issue persists, please contact our Technical Support Team for further assistance.
5. Factory Resetting the Doorbell
To reset your doorbell to the factory default settings, please follow the steps below.
NOTE: The doorbell needs to finish the booting process before it can be factory reset.
- When the booting process is complete the doorbell will display one of the following LED statuses:
- To factory reset the doorbell:
- Press the “Sync/Reset” button for 3 seconds or until you hear Please be patient as doorbell restores its factory settings.
- Once the reset process is complete, usually less than a minute, you will hear doorbell is in pairing mode and the LEDs will be white and spinning clockwise.
NOTE: Keep the doorbell connected to a constant power supply while performing a factory reset. This process should not be interrupted by powering off the doorbell. If interrupted, this can cause the doorbell’s firmware to break.
6. Upgrading the Doorbell Firmware
To upgrade your doorbell’s firmware, follow the steps below.
NOTE: Always make sure the firmware is up-to-date. Use the Night Owl Connect App to verify the firmware version. Check the settings of your doorbell within the app.
- Within the Night Owl Connect App, tap “Upgrade.”
- Don't unplug the power to the doorbell until the process finishes. If the power to the doorbell is disconnected before the firmware upgrade process is completed, this may cause the firmware in the doorbell to break rendering the device unusable.
- The doorbell needs to have a connection to your home Wi-Fi or the Night Owl Gateway to initiate and complete the download process. Depending on the connection quality, this process can take up to 15 minutes to complete.
- The doorbell's LEDs will be blue and white and spinning counter-clockwise when the firmware upgrade is taking place.
- Once the upgrade process begins, the doorbell’s connectivity will be lost within the app. The doorbell will play a voice prompt saying Please be patient as we upgrade your doorbell's intelligence.
- If the process fails, the doorbell voice prompt will say Oops, doorbell firmware upgrade failed. Try again later. and the LEDs will blink white and blue for a few seconds. If this prompt is heard, please try upgrading the firmware via the app again.
7. Contacting Technical Support
If you isolate the issue while performing the included troubleshooting measures, or if you cannot find out what is wrong, you may need to contact our technical support team. You have the option of choosing from Live Chat or Phone Support. To make initial contact:
- Go to your product’s support page on our support site.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the blue “Help” button.
Thank you for choosing Night Owl Security!