Cameras Keep Going Offline? Your Router Might Be the Reason

Your cameras worked fine. Then they started dropping offline — sometimes for a minute, sometimes longer — and you can't figure out why. Restarting the router helps, but a day later it happens again.

This article walks through a 60-second test that tells you whether your home network is the culprit, and a concrete fix if it is.

Does this sound like your situation?

Multiple cameras going offline around the same time
Live view gives you a "Streaming Unavailable" message, then comes back on its own
Flipping the wall switch fixes it briefly, but it comes back
No obvious trigger — it just happens

If so, keep reading.

Run this quick test — no login required

Open this link on your phone or computer:

https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat

It runs in about 30 seconds and gives you a letter grade — A through F — for how well your connection handles busy traffic.

Grade A or B: Your network looks healthy. This article probably isn't your fix — use the Contact us button below.
Grade C, D, or F: Keep reading. Your router setup may be hurting your cameras.

What a C/D/F grade usually means

In a typical home, you have a modem (the box your cable provider gave you) and a router (the box that spreads WiFi around the house — maybe an Eero, Google WiFi, or similar).

Here's the problem: many cable providers ship a box that acts as both a modem and router at the same time. If you then plug an Eero into that box, you end up with two routers back to back. Every piece of data gets routed twice — and that stacks up when LightCam is streaming video and uploading clips simultaneously.

Both boxes work fine on their own. The combination creates a traffic jam your cameras notice first.

The fix: put your modem in "bridge mode"

Bridge mode tells your modem to stop routing and just pass traffic through to your Eero (or other router). One router does the routing, not two.

Step 1: Find out whether you own your modem or rent it.

Check the bottom of the box for a "Property of [ISP]" sticker.

If you rent it: Call your cable provider and ask them to put it in bridge mode. Tell them you have a separate router and need the modem to pass traffic through. This is a routine request most ISPs handle over the phone.
If you own it: Do it yourself. Open a web browser on any device connected to your home WiFi and go to:

http://192.168.0.1

That's the default address for most Arris cable modems. If it doesn't load, check the sticker on the bottom of your modem for a different address. Look for a setting called "Bridge Mode," "IP Passthrough," or "Disable Router Mode" — usually under Internet or Gateway settings. Enable it and save.

Heads up: Your internet will go out briefly while the change takes effect. Give it 2–3 minutes to come back.

After the fix: run the test again

Go back to https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat and run it again. You should see an A or B.

If the cameras were dropping because of this, the pattern should stop within 24 hours.

Still a C/D/F after bridge mode?

Then the issue is likely on your provider's side — a line problem or congested network in your area. Call your ISP and ask them to run a line test. Let them know you got a D/F on a bufferbloat test even with a single router.

Still stuck? Use the Contact us button below, or email support@lightcam.com, and tell us what grade you got and what modem you have. We'll figure it out from there.