Why Is My Kasa Camera Turning On & Moving On Its Own? 

Kasa cameras are an excellent choice for smart home security, but sometimes they exhibit strange behavior like turning on or moving unexpectedly.

I’ve had this happen to me, and while it can be alarming, you needn’t worry, because there are several common reasons for this. 

Your Kasa camera might move by itself due to motion tracking or even glitches. And in rare cases, it may be due to unauthorized access.

So, keep reading to find out the troubleshooting steps to fix this issue and secure your home again.

Is The Kasa Camera Designed To Move On Its Own?

No, the Kasa Camera isn’t designed to move on its own without a specific trigger or command. It may move due to certain settings like motion auto-tracking, scheduled recordings, software glitches, third-party integrations, or even if it gets hacked by an outsider.

Don’t worry; I’ll help you walk through these possible reasons one by one and provide the solution for each, so let’s get into it. 

Fix Kasa Camera Moving On Its Own 

1. Motion Detection Settings

A key feature of the Kasa Camera is its ability to detect motion. Like many smart cameras, the Kasa has a built-in motion sensor which, when activated, detects changes within its field of view and triggers the Kasa camera to either record or send an alert.

With this turned on, it’ll automatically pan and tilt to follow moving objects. If you don’t need this feature, you can turn it off entirely. Otherwise, you can adjust the sensitivity settings. 

Based on how high your sensitivity settings are turned up for Motion Detection, your camera might start moving and recording in ways that may seem unexpected to you. 

The Kasa camera offers sensitivity settings for motion detection (a slider with 10 values) as well as for sound (with 3 options). 

Needless to say, the higher the sensitivity, the more prone the camera will be to detect minor changes like light shifts, billowing curtains, and distant noises. This can lead to false alarms. 

Adjusting the motion and sound settings of your Kasa Camera is quite easy:

• Launch the Kasa app and navigate to the camera’s Device Settings.
• Go to Privacy and Sensitivity. 
• Look for the Motion Sensitivity slider, and reduce it if it’s set too high. A value of 6 or 7 may work well, but you’ll need to test this based on your usage. 
• Check the ‘Record Motion That Lasts At Least’ slider and set it to 2-3 seconds. Anything shorter will likely set off more false alerts, but you can also set it longer. 
• Next, check the ‘Sound Sensitivity’ settings and set it to ‘Less Sensitive’. If you don’t need it, you can turn it off. 

It’s always a good idea to monitor for a day or two and then re-adjust to ensure you’ve found the right balance. Also, it might be worth changing the placement of your camera to avoid any false triggers. 

If you’re using the camera to monitor areas inside your home, keep the camera away from windows to reduce triggering from passing cars or sunlight. 

For an outdoor system, low sensitivity is ideal since you only want it to record considerable movements like a delivery person or any visitor.

Make sure your camera is on a stable surface to prevent it from activating due to vibrations or other wobbling. Also, ensure your camera is away from heaters or other temperature-controlling systems since they can cause changes in the environment and lead to false detections.

2. Scheduled Recordings

Scheduled recordings are a fantastic feature in the Kasa Camera, allowing you to automate when the camera starts and stops recording. However, these scheduled recordings could be the culprit if your camera seems to be turning on at specific times.

If you’ve set a schedule and forgotten about it, you might be surprised when your camera turns on, even if there’s no motion detected. For instance, if you’ve scheduled your camera to record every day from 7-8 AM, it will turn on, even if there’s no activity in its view.

So you should check your scheduled recordings:

• Tap on the camera’s Device Settings > Schedule. 
• Check the schedules, if any, and modify or disable them if you don’t need them. 
• Next, go to Smart Actions and check if there are any actions involving your camera here. If there’s anything you don’t use anymore, turn them off. 

3. Software Glitches or Bugs

Your Kasa Camera can face unexpected hiccups if your software isn’t up to date. TP-Link often releases software and firmware updates to remove any bugs or glitches within the camera. Updating your camera’s firmware might solve the issue and also keep it running smoothly.

These updates are also critical for security issues, as I’ll discuss later in step 5. 

To check for firmware updates:

• Open your device’s app store and search for the Kasa app. If there’s an update available, download and install it.
• Next, launch the Kasa app and select your camera’s Device Settings.
• Look for a firmware update option. If there’s an update available, follow the on-screen instructions to update your camera’s firmware.

Sometimes, simply restarting your Kasa Camera can resolve minor software glitches. Unplug the camera’s power source, wait for about 30 seconds, and then plug it back in.

If you’re still facing issues, try uninstalling and then reinstalling the Kasa app. This can resolve any conflicts or issues that might have developed over time.

If you’ve got the Kasa app on multiple devices, there might be synchronization issues. If the app was recently updated on one device but not another, this could cause some unexpected behavior. So be sure to update the app on all your devices. 

4. Third-Party Integrations

While one of the charms of having smart home automation is integrating them with third-party apps like Google Assistant and Alexa, sometimes this can cause unexpected problems. Also, apps like IFTTT, which allow custom tasks, may cause your Kasa Camera to activate suddenly because of incorrect set-up or erroneous scripts.

Make sure that your third-party integrations with the Kasa Camera are set up properly:

• Open the Kasa app and navigate to the camera settings. Check any linked platforms or services. Ensure that they’re all ones you recognize and have authorized.
• If you use platforms like IFTTT for custom automation, review your set-up rules, and adjust any that might be causing your Kasa Camera to activate without your direct command. There may be some wrong triggers or an incorrect condition.
• Check your Google Home/Alexa/Apple settings to check if there are routines that are causing the camera to move. You can remove the camera from these. 
• If you’re using Home Assistant or any other smart home management, then check that too. 

If multiple family members or housemates have access to control the camera through their devices, their actions might be causing unintended behavior. Perhaps they’re checking the camera feed, moving the camera, or adjusting settings without informing you. So make sure they understand the best practices for using the camera securely. 

5. Unauthorized Access/Hacked 

If you’ve checked everything so far, the likely culprit may be a hacker. Unauthorized access to your Kasa Camera is not only a privacy threat but can also lead to other cyber threats. 

Home security cameras are a common target for hackers, and weak or default passwords make it easier to gain unauthorized access. Common signs of hacking include:

• Your camera is randomly moving in different directions as if someone was manually controlling it to observe every part of the field of view. 
• There are voices coming from the camera’s speaker, sometimes faint whispers or music.
• You get an email from TP-Link that an unknown device was logged in from a new location. 

If you suspect it has been hacked, immediately unplug the camera from its power source. After that, here are a few basic steps you can take to secure your Kasa Camera:

• Change your password. Create a unique, strong password combining letters, numbers, and symbols, and don’t forget to change it periodically. You can consider a password manager to help you remember complex passwords easily.
• Enable two-factor authentication. Unauthorized users won’t be able to access the camera without the second verification step, usually a code sent to your phone or a 2FA app like Authy.
• Check your third-party integrations for any security leaks. Sometimes the issue may be due to a compromised password on your integrations, rather than the Kasa app. 
• Update your Camera firmware. If you haven’t updated it yet, this is critical. There have been several reports of Kasa Cameras having security flaws in the past, so firmware updates are necessary to fix these. 

Remember to also check and change any other login or service that is using the same password. Because a hack means that this password has been compromised, so bad actors can try and target your accounts on other websites. Always try to use unique passwords for each account and website. 

Also, consider restricting the number of devices that have access to your camera feed. Revoke any guest or temporary access the moment it’s no longer needed.

6. Reset the Camera

If you’re sure your camera hasn’t been hacked, and none of the other steps fixed your problem, it’s best to just reset the camera and start afresh. 

The Kasa Camera reset process varies from model to model, so check this official guide by TP-Link to find your model and follow the instructions. In most cases, there’s a RESET button on the device that you can press with a pin to factory reset it. 

7. Contact Customer Support

If factory resetting does not help and your Kasa Camera is still moving erratically on its own, it’s time to contact customer support. 

You can raise a request through the app and let them know you’ve already done these troubleshooting steps. If it’s still under warranty, you may be able to get a replacement. 

Important Notes About Kasa Camera Moving On Its Own

• Physically Secure Your Camera: Ensure your camera is placed in a secure location where it can’t be tampered with or stolen. For outdoor cameras, consider using tamper-proof mounting brackets.
• Backup Regularly: While Kasa Care is a great subscription, it can get compromised if a hacker gains access to your account. If your footage is important, you should make backups on your local hard drive every now and then. 
• Network Security: Ensure your home network is secure. A strong, unique password for your Wi-Fi, a secure firewall, and regularly updating your router’s firmware can prevent potential hackers. A vulnerable network can be an entry point for hackers to access not just your camera but other smart devices in your home.

FAQs

Conclusion

The Kasa Camera is generally a reliable device to bolster home security. But like any tech gadget, it’s prone to errors, misconfiguration, and hacking. By knowing why your camera might move on its own, you can take a proactive approach and keep your home protected.

If you ever encounter unexpected behavior from your camera, don’t panic. Go through the troubleshooting steps methodically, and more often than not, you’ll find a solution.