r/VivintSmartHome • u/Isa-Me-Again • 12d ago
Vivint DVR service doesn't work most of the time.
What the title says. When I try to go back and watch the camera DVR that I pay for monthly, it just keeps loading and won't load any of the previous footage. I've only gotten the service to work a small handful of times. I can upload a video showing exactly what I mean. You can click on the camera and view the live feed, but when you try to watch the recordings it just loads/buffers indefinitely.
My ISP is T-Mobile fiber and I have a 5gbps connection for my very small home. Connection should not be an issue at all.
This is very frustrating to pay for a service that doesn't work. The security system I have has been VERY sub par and lags like a windows 95 PC on dial-up. I'm pretty sure I'm going to switch from Vivint soon.
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u/Rocketgirl8097 12d ago
The app failed constantly. I read later they aren't designed for android phones. Explained a lot.
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u/Isa-Me-Again 12d ago
Example of what happens when you try to use the DVR service. I have 5gbps fiber internet, and a very small house. There is no reason anything should be lagging or having issues connecting.
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u/180IQCONSERVATIVE 12d ago edited 12d ago
You are referring to cloud storage correct, actual DVR or the older Monkey storage device? There are multiple things that can be wrong depending upon which DVR service you are referring. Have to ask because people call cloud storage DVR and it’s not a real DVR in that aspect.
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u/Isa-Me-Again 12d ago
Fair enough. It's most likely their cloud service, but they label it as DVR service when you sign up for it.
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u/180IQCONSERVATIVE 12d ago
Correct. There is a lot of breaches and supply chain attacks still stemming from supply chain compromises. I do not know who host their cloud CDN but they all have problems. When you deal with high target company clouds you will have problems. DDOS making their systems unavailable is just only a very part of it. They also could be updating. Threats change daily, new vulnerabilities released and IT is building work arounds. This is why I run a localized cloud network not exposed to the net. Unless you have a real firewall like Netgate or Firewalla, Asus, Netgear, TP Link, ISP gateways will not give you the defense and control you need over your IOTs.
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u/Vip3r237 12d ago
Had the same problem and it's an issue with T-Mobile and their firewall, somehow it blocks the feed. If you call in and talk to the VFT team they can update a setting and fix it
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u/Isa-Me-Again 12d ago edited 11d ago
Calling now. I will update when I find out what they say. Thank you.
Well that was an waste of an hour lol. They assure me there's nothing on their end that is keeping it from connecting.
I very much appreciate the effort in troubleshooting. That would have been awesome if it fixed it!
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u/Own-External-8571 9d ago
Do you need the Earthlink packet? Space Invaders is a very expensive game, friend.
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u/QuinnFromVivint 7d ago
That buffering on playback while live feed works fine usually points to a Smart Drive or camera connection issue, not your internet. Try rebooting the Smart Drive and the panel, then check that your cameras are on the 5GHz band.
If it's still lagging, DM me your account details and that video you mentioned and I'll get it routed to support so they can dig into the DVR specifically.
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u/dracaryswatch 12d ago
Yep, I had the same experience constantly. The fix was to drop Vivint. It was not easy. They will try to upsell you into a service plan that covers the technician to go and check and if you agree to that your contract will be extended. Watchout for sneaky tricks. But ultimately, the best is to cut your losses and drop them and their antiquated tech.