ADT's camera articles describe cameras that work with the ADT+ app and, for outdoor and doorbell models, a battery. An offline camera cannot stream or record, so check power and connection. For the outdoor camera, which has a built-in non-removable battery that comes partially charged, charge it indoors with the USB-C cable until the front LED is solid blue, since a low battery drops it offline. The doorbell camera also shows a solid blue LED when fully charged, and its battery version must be charged before setup.
The checks in more detail
The indoor camera needs an outlet within reach and its power adapter. Check your wifi: the camera and phone must be connected during setup, and a camera far from the router gets a weak signal, so ADT's placement advice is to install where the home's wifi is strong. Restart the router, move the camera closer to test and check the ADT+ app for its status. If it will not reconnect, remove it in the app and add it again. Check Notifications, Cameras, so alerts warn you when a camera goes offline.
If the Base is online but the camera is not, the fault is the camera's wifi or battery. Contact ADT chat if it stays offline. Photograph the camera's LED and the app's status before you touch anything, since the pair tells support the state at once. A camera that drops only at night may be losing wifi to a scheduled router restart, so check the router's schedule. Contact ADT chat with the camera model number ready.
ADT's articles use a solid blue LED to mean fully charged, so a camera that shows anything else after a long charge is telling you the battery or the cable is at fault, not the wifi. If only the doorbell is offline while the indoor and outdoor cameras work, look at the doorbell's battery or its wiring, since it has more ways to lose power than a camera on a wall outlet. Contact ADT chat before replacing a camera, since an agent can see whether the camera has checked in recently and tell you whether the fault is the battery, the wifi or the unit itself.
Differential
Likely causes of “ADT cameras and doorbell camera is offline or unavailable”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A drained battery
What separates it The outdoor camera or doorbell shows offline because its built-in battery is completely drained
How to confirm Charge the camera with the USB-C cable indoors until the LED is solid blue
- 2
A weak wifi signal
What separates it The camera keeps dropping offline because the wifi signal is weak where the camera is fixed
How to confirm Move the camera closer to the router or improve the wifi at that spot
- 3
No power to the indoor camera
What separates it The indoor camera is offline because it has no power from its outlet or adapter
How to confirm Check the outlet and the adapter, and plug the camera into an outlet you know works
- 4
A changed router
What separates it The camera went offline after the router or its password was changed at home
How to confirm Reconnect the camera to the new network through the ADT+ app
- 5
A stuck camera
What separates it The camera will not reconnect even though the power and wifi are fine
How to confirm Remove the camera from the app and add it again as a new device
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The color of the LED on the camera
- How much charge the battery has
- The strength of the wifi signal at the camera
- The model of the camera you have
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedCheck the LED
ReversibleCheck the LED on the camera, where a solid blue light means the battery is fully charged and other patterns point to other states.
Charge the battery
ReversibleCharge the battery with the USB-C cable indoors, because the outdoor camera and doorbell have built-in batteries that are not replaceable.
Check power
ReversibleCheck power to the indoor camera by testing the outlet with another device and checking the adapter is firmly plugged in.
Check wifi
ReversibleCheck the wifi signal at the camera, which should be strong, because a camera cannot stay online on a weak connection.
Restart the router
ReversibleRestart the router and the camera, leaving the router off for a short while, then let both settle before testing again.
Remove and re-add
ReversibleRemove the camera and add it again in the ADT+ app if it still will not reconnect, following the pairing steps.
Contact ADT
ReversibleContact ADT if the camera stays offline after these steps, and give them the model and the LED color.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Outdoor
- Built-in battery, USB-C charging.
- Indoor
- Plugged in.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If it stays offline after charging and re-adding, contact ADT through chat
- !If the Base is fine, check the camera's wifi
- !If a battery will not charge, contact ADT
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Outdoor camera setup and charging.
Doorbell setup.
Indoor camera setup and placement.
Notification troubleshooting.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Is the outdoor battery replaceable?+
No, the outdoor camera's battery is built in and not replaceable, so it is charged rather than swapped.
What charges the outdoor camera?+
The outdoor camera is charged with a USB-C cable, and it should be charged indoors, out of the weather.
Do I need wifi near the camera?+
Yes, the camera needs a strong wifi signal at its location, because a weak signal makes it drop offline or lag.
Can I re-add a camera?+
Yes, you can re-add a camera by removing it in the ADT+ app and pairing it again, which often clears a stubborn fault.
Does the doorbell come in wired?+
Yes, the doorbell can be wired to the existing doorbell wiring, or it can run on its battery.
Does the indoor camera need an outlet?+
Yes, the indoor camera needs an outlet, because it is powered from the mains through its adapter.
What app sets up ADT cameras?+
ADT cameras are set up with the ADT+ app, which walks you through pairing and placing the camera.
Does setup need Bluetooth?+
Yes, Bluetooth needs to be on for the phone during setup, because the app uses it to find and pair the camera.
What resolution is the indoor camera?+
The indoor camera gives 2K live video, so you see a sharp picture of the room in the app.