FAQ | Sentry
Troubleshooting
If your Sentry doorbell is completely unresponsive, i.e. no lights, no sound, and cannot be reset, regardless of whether it’s powered by USB or doorbell wires, please read ahead. Otherwise, you can try resetting the doorbell.
This issue is most likely to happen during or after a firmware update. If the Sentry video doorbell lost power or the voltage was not stable during the update, then the update will fail, resulting in a “bricked” state.
To resolve the issue, simply manually update Sentry’s firmware. Important Note: Please only use a 5V 2A micro USB adapter to power the Sentry doorbell during the manual firmware update.
Please first make sure that the Aegis door lock and the Sentry doorbell are paired. See this FAQ. Note that both devices must be registered under the same account and the same family, and that they’re no more than about 15ft apart, as their connection is Bluetooth-based.
Assuming that at least one fingerprint has been added, please try scanning your fingerprint and check the fingerprint reader’s indicator light at the bottom:
- If the light flashed red once, then the fingerprint was not recognized. Please make sure that the fingerprint has been registered and there’s no water or sweat on the fingertip or fingerprint scanner.
- If the light did not flash, then either the fingerprint was not scanned at all, or fingerprint was recognized but no action was set. Please make sure that your finger fully touched the scanner, and also make sure that the “Unlock” option in fingerprint settings was enabled.
- If the light flashed blue once, then the fingerprint was recognized and the unlock command was issued. Please make sure that the lock is not far away from the doorbell.
The most common cause of frequent disconnection and/or shutting down of the Sentry video doorbell is insufficient power. Sentry doorbell requires a 8-24V AC transformer without a chime, and it’s recommended to use a 16-24V AC transformer when a chime is present. The transformer should have at least 30VA (volt-amps) of power, and the higher the better (e.g. 40VA).
Common symptoms of insufficient power include:
- Device frequently restarts
- Cannot watch live view
- IR (black-and-white) night vision flickers
- Device shut down and won’t power up again
- Device shuts down when doorbell button is pressed
- Chime does not ring when doorbell button is pressed (assuming that the “Doorbell Chime” option is enabled)
If you encountered one of these symptoms, please check the voltage and power of your doorbell transformer. If you have a multimeter, you can measure the voltage on the Sentry Video Doorbell to make sure it’s at least 8V. Try upgrading your transformer if the voltage or power is lower than the requirement.
Additionally, you can also check that there is a stable Wi-Fi coverage at the Sentry’s location. A weak Wi-Fi signal can also cause the Sentry doorbell to sometimes drop connection.
Make sure that the “Doorbell Chime” option is enabled.
If “Doorbell Chime” option has been enabled, it might be caused by insufficient power, please see this FAQ to troubleshoot.
In order to pair Aegis with Sentry, both devices must be registered under the same account and the same family, and they must be no more than about 15ft apart, as their connection is Bluetooth-based. If they’re not under the same account, please follow this FAQ to move one of the to the other account. If they’re not under the same family, please follow this FAQ to add the one not in the family to the family.
Short answer: you may need to install a resistor (recommended 10Ω(Ohm) 0.5W) across the terminal screws on your mechanical doorbell. See below for example:
Long explanation: It is not uncommon to hear the chime buzz after installing a video doorbell. The reason is that before you installed Sentry, the doorbell button acted as a switch for the electric circuit, so when the button was pressed, the circuit was closed and the chime rang. Sentry video doorbell requires constant power, so the circuit is always closed. Depending on the power consumption of the chime, there might be enough residual current in the circuit to cause the chime to buzz. Installing a resistor across the terminal screws dissipates the current through the chime, thus reducing the buzzing sound.
If the camera does not scan the QR code on your phone during the setup process, please try the following:
- Make sure that you heard the camera say “waiting for connection” at least once. If not, reset the camera.
- Place your phone about 4 inches in front of the camera lens, holding it upright and stationary for at least 3 seconds. If you do not hear “WiFi connecting,” move your phone closer or further away from the security camera lens and hold it again.
- Turn your phone’s screen brightness to 100%.
- Make sure that the WiFi name and password are not too long. It is recommended to keep them under 16 characters. Longer text makes the QR code more complex, and due to the camera’s distortion, it may not recognize a complex QR code.
If the issue persists, please contact customer support.
(1) On the QR code scan page on the Bosma home security app, use the camera lens to scan the QR code on your phone. Make sure that you have heard the camera say “WiFi is connecting” before tapping the “I heard ‘Wi-Fi is connecting’” button.
(2) Ensure that the WiFi hotspot you selected is 2.4Ghz. 5Ghz WiFi is not supported.
(3) Ensure that the WiFi hotspot uses WPA or WPA2 security
(4) Double check that the password is correct.
If the issue persists, please contact customer support.
"How" & "What"
Your Aegis smart door lock can use the Sentry video doorbell as a gateway to connect to the internet (if you purchased just the Aegis door lock, there should be a separate gateway device that serves the same purpose). You can also use the fingerprint reader to unlock the door lock.
First, ensure that your Sentry doorbell has the fingerprint reader module. The module is included if you purchased the Aegis Smart Door Lock + Sentry Video Doorbell bundle.
Install and set up both your Aegis and Sentry. Note that both devices must be registered under the same account and the same family, and that they’re no more than about 15ft apart, as their connection is Bluetooth-based. If they’re not under the same account, please follow this FAQ to move one of the to the other account. If they’re not under the same family, please follow this FAQ to add the one not in the family to the family.
Then, go to Sentry home page –> Settings (⚙️ button at the top right corner) –> Fingerprint Reader, and add your Aegis door lock under “Paired Devices.” Don’t forget to enable “Unlock” under “Fingerprint Actions” so that fingerprint scans can unlock the Aegis door lock. You can then add new fingerprints under “Fingerprints.”
There are two types of voice messages for the Sentry video doorbell.
- No Answer messages: Voice message played when you do not respond to a doorbell ring on the Bosma app in time (about 20s).
- Ignored messages: Voice message played when you selected to “Ignore” a doorbell ring on the Bosma app.
You can manage the voice message settings in Sentry Home Page -> Settings -> Voice Message. To add a new voice response, tap the “+” button at the top right corner. To allow visitors to leave voice messages, make sure the “No Answer Auto-response” and “Ignored Auto-response” options are enabled (if these options are disabled, visitors will not hear a voice message and cannot leave a voice message).
There’s also an “Away Mode” option on Sentry’s home page. If this option is enabled, when someone rings the doorbell, you will not receive a notification and the Sentry video doorbell will play the “No Answer” voice message automatically. You can use this option when you do not wish to be disturbed.
Yes. You can power the Sentry Video Doorbell with a 8-24V Low Voltage Transformer directly.
Warning: If you do not have a doorbell chime connected to the transformer, please do NOT enable the “Doorbell Chime” option.
Yes. If your doorbell wiring is connected to an existing chime, you can enable doorbell chime support in Sentry Home -> Settings -> Doorbell Chime.
Warning: Before enabling the “Doorbell Chime” option, make sure that a doorbell chime is properly installed. Enabling this option without an existing chime may damage the Sentry doorbell and/or your transformer and could pose a serious fire risk when Sentry’s doorbell button is pressed.
Warning: Manual firmware update requires powering Sentry via a 5V 2A micro USB adapter. Using an adapter with a different voltage or amperage may damage the doorbell. If unsure, please contact customer support at support@bosmasmarthome.com.
(1) Download the latest Sentry Video Doorbell firmware.
(2) Unzip the zip file and copy the file named “app” to the root of a micro SD card (please also make sure that the SD card is formatted to FAT32).
(3) Disconnect the Sentry video doorbell from power and insert the micro SD card into the Sentry SD card slot (where is the SD card slot?). If Sentry is installed, you will need to unmount it from the base plate.
(4) Power up Sentry again (using a 5V 2A micro USB adapter). Immediately (within 1-2 seconds) after the Sentry video doorbell is connected to power, long-press the RESET button at the back of the doorbell body (between the two terminal screws) for approximately 3 seconds. You should see the doorbell indicator light flashing fast in full circle.
(4) Wait for about 2 minutes till the flashing light disappears. If your Sentry doorbell was not set up previously, you will hear “system startup” and “waiting for connection”; if your Sentry doorbell was already set up, it will restart, and you can then check its firmware version in Sentry settings.
(5) Remember to unmount the SD card and delete the firmware update file before using it on Sentry again.
Note: If you intend to use Sentry’s local storage, it is recommended to insert the SD card prior to installing the Sentry video doorbell. Also, please format the SD card to FAT32 before inserting it into the Sentry doorbell.
Slide down to remove Sentry’s base plate, then push back to remove the PIR module from the top. You should see the SD card slot on the top of the camera body. Gently push the SD card all the way in with its metal strips facing toward the back of the doorbell until you hear it click into place. To remove the SD card, push the SD card in and it should be ejected from the slot. After inserting or removing the SD card, replace the PIR module.
You can also watch the installation video to locate the SD card slot.
Note: if you inserted an SD card while the device is powered, you would need to restart (power off then on again) the device for the SD card to be recognized.
Ensure that your Sentry is powered on. Remove the base plate if it’s on. You should find a reset button with a “RESET” text to its left between the two terminal screws at the top of the camera body. Long-press the reset button until you hear “system reset.” After about 30 seconds, the Sentry video doorbell should power up again and you should hear “system startup” and “waiting for connection.” You can now set up Sentry in the Bosma app again.
Ensure that you hear “system reset” after long-pressing the reset button, and that you hear “system startup” and “waiting for connection” afterward. If one of these messages was not heard, please contact customer support.
(1) Download the “Bosma” app, create a new account or log in to a current account.
(2) Make sure that the Sentry video doorbell is powered and that you have heard it say “system startup” and “waiting for connection.” If you don’t hear these messages, reset the camera.
(3) On the Bosma app home screen, tap the “+” button at the top right corner, and select “Sentry”. Then follow the in-app instructions to complete the setup
If you have any issue during the setup process, please contact customer support.
The Sentry and all Bosma home security products are meant to be easily installed yourself. With a few simple tools, you can certainly install Sentry Video Doorbell yourself. Simply follow the installation instruction included, and use this helpful installation video.
(1) Upper-quarter Flashing: Device reset/powering up
(2) Lower-quarter Flashing: Connected to WiFi and connecting to server
(3) Left-quarter Flashing: Voice message recording
(4) Right-quarter Flashing: Connecting to WiFi
(5) Full-circle Flashing: Updating firmware
Bosma Assist Features
Theft Prevention alerts will not be triggered if the Sentry doorbell recognizes a familiar face. Please create a new face profile for yourself (and your family members, if necessary) in the Bosma app at Sentry Home -> Facial Recognition.
- To use Package Detection and Active Theft Prevention, you must have an active Bosma Assist Pro subscription, and your Sentry doorbell must be added to the subscription.
- The Sentry camera must have a clear view of the package. If the package is partially or fully blocked from the camera’s view, Sentry doorbell’s camera may not be able to detect it.
In your Bosma app, go to Sentry Home -> Settings -> Event & Notification -> enable “Package”
Please first make sure that you have an active Bosma Assist subscription, and that you have added this Sentry device to the subscription.
After you successfully added familiar faces, please make sure Facial Recognition is enabled in Sentry Home -> Settings -> Event & Notification -> enable “Person”
Yes. If your Sentry has a micro SD card, it’ll also save video recordings to the SD card, regardless of whether a cloud storage subscription is active.
First, ensure that you have an active Bosma Assist subscription, and that you have added this Sentry video doorbell device to the subscription.
(1) You can find paired device’s videos in Sentry home page -> Cloud Videos
(2) You can also find them in Home page -> Bosma Assist -> Cloud Videos
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