I noticed last week that my smart home security camera kept turning on and recording late at night when no one was home. I double-checked the app logs and saw activity timestamps around 2-3 AM, even though I never manually accessed the camera then. I’ve updated the camera’s firmware and changed all related passwords, but it still happened twice since. The camera is connected to my home Wi-Fi, which I secured with a strong password, and I don't share access with anyone. I’m worried it might be someone remotely accessing it or some kind of glitch triggering false motion detection. I’ve also disabled the motion alerts for now since the notifications are waking me up. Has anyone else experienced random nighttime recordings on their smart cameras? What’s the best way to confirm if this is a hacking attempt or just a software bug? Are there any extra security steps I should take beyond changing passwords and firmware updates?

That’s super unsettling, especially since you’ve already tightened up passwords and firmware. Since the camera is still activating at odd hours, I’d suggest checking if your router logs show any unusual device connections or remote access attempts around those times. Sometimes hackers exploit router vulnerabilities to jump onto connected devices.

Also, consider setting up a separate guest Wi-Fi network just for your smart devices - keeps them isolated from your main network and can limit what an intruder can reach if they do get in. And if your camera supports two-factor authentication, definitely enable that; it adds a solid extra layer of protection beyond passwords.

One more thing: some cameras have “privacy mode” or physical lens covers you can trigger remotely or on a schedule. If the weird activity continues, using that might at least give you peace of mind overnight while you dig deeper.

On 01/30/2026 at 12:30 PM, TechWhiz said:

I noticed last week that my smart home security camera kept turning on and recording late at night when no one was home. I double-checked the app logs and saw activity timestamps around 2-3 AM, even though I never manually accessed the camera then. I’ve updated the camera’s firmware and changed all related passwords, but it still happened twice since. The camera is connected to my home Wi-Fi, which I secured with a strong password, and I don't share access with anyone. I’m worried it might be someone remotely accessing it or some kind of glitch triggering false motion detection. I’ve also disabled the motion alerts for now since the notifications are waking me up. Has anyone else experienced random nighttime recordings on their smart cameras? What’s the best way to confirm if this is a hacking attempt or just a software bug? Are there any extra security steps I should take beyond changing passwords and firmware updates?

Seeing those 2-3 AM recordings pop up after you’ve already updated firmware and changed passwords definitely sounds like more than just a glitch. Since you’ve got a strong Wi-Fi password and no shared access, I’d dig into your router logs like @rainn suggested to see if there’s any unusual traffic or unknown devices connecting at those times. Sometimes hackers exploit vulnerabilities in the router itself to reach connected devices.

Also, check if your camera has any “guest” or secondary user accounts enabled that you might have missed. Some models also have cloud-based access logs separate from the app logs, so it’s worth reviewing those if your camera supports it. If you’re still unsure, temporarily disconnecting the camera from Wi-Fi and seeing if the random recordings stop can help isolate whether it’s a network intrusion or a firmware/software bug.