Troubleshoot CM36 360° Camera Issues

Confirm the Vehicle Gateway is a VG54, VG55, or VG56. The CM36 does not connect to VG33, VG34, or Asset Gateways.

Confirm the Vehicle Gateway firmware is version 37 or later. New-in-box gateways can ship on earlier firmware; connect the gateway to constant power and leave it online for up to 30 minutes so it can update before you connect the CM36.

Disconnect and reconnect the USB cable at the Vehicle Gateway. Confirm the connector is fully seated. If another USB port is available, connect the CM36 to a different port, then reboot the gateway.

With the equipment on, take a test photo. Use the CM36 install flow in the Samsara Fleet App, Check Dash Cam Installation at the bottom of the Vehicle Gateway settings page, or the Take Picture workflow in the Samsara dashboard. The legacy Fleet App camera check does not work for the CM36.

If the issue persists, contact Support.

Confirm the asset type is set to Operated Equipment (not Vehicle) in the Vehicle Gateway settings or during the Fleet App install flow.

Confirm Aux Input 3 is set to Equipment Activity when you use a switched ignition wire on CBL-VG-CAUX (brown wire), or confirm engine state comes from a diagnostics cable. Do not use Auxiliary Engine for recording windows.

If the gateway still uses on-road trip and recording logic after a correct install, contact Support to confirm operated equipment is enabled for your organization.

Confirm the Vehicle Gateway has constant 12–24 V power and a solid ground connection. Check any inline fuse and splice or T-tap crimps.

On equipment with a battery above 24.4 V (for example, 36–72 V electric forklifts), confirm a step-down converter is installed and working.

Compare the LED pattern with Troubleshoot by VG LED State.

If the issue persists, contact Support.

Confirm the asset type is Operated Equipment.

If you use a switched ignition wire, confirm the CAUX brown wire is on switched ignition and Aux Input 3 is set to Equipment Activity.

If diagnostics should report engine state, confirm that signal before you leave the site.

Have the operator turn the ignition on and confirm equipment activity updates in the Samsara dashboard.

If the issue persists, contact Support.

Confirm the CM36 is listed under the camera on the Vehicle Gateway device page and shows as online.

Confirm the asset type is Operated Equipment, and that Aux Input 3 is set to Equipment Activity when you use CAUX (or that engine state comes from diagnostics).

Confirm Vehicle Gateway power is constant, not ignition-switched only. The camera records while the equipment is on; recording windows depend on the activity signal.

Take a test photo with the equipment on using Check Dash Cam Installation or Take Picture.

If the issue persists, contact Support.

Confirm Vehicle Gateway power is wired to a constant 12–24 V source, with ignition on the CAUX activity input when you use CAUX.

Confirm Aux Input 3 is set to Equipment Activity (not Auxiliary Engine).

If constant power is not possible on the asset, contact Support.

Park the equipment where it normally parks, leave it powered on, and retrieve a 1-minute clip from that trip in the Samsara dashboard. A 1-minute high-res clip is about 45 MB and normally uploads within a few minutes.

On the device page connection graph, confirm whether the gateway is on Wi-Fi or cellular, and whether organization Hotspot is on. With Hotspot on, the Vehicle Gateway ignores site Wi-Fi and uploads over cellular only. See Wi-Fi Hotspots.

For indoor sites, check Cellular Coverage Maps. Expect weak cellular inside warehouses and metal buildings.

Confirm the site Wi-Fi is 2.4 GHz (Vehicle Gateways do not join 5 GHz), uses WPA2- or WPA3-Personal or PEAP, and has no captive portal. Ask IT to allow outbound TCP 443, DNS (53), and NTP (UDP 123).

Add the network under Settings > Organization > General > Connection > Wi-Fi Networks, and confirm Hotspot is off. For more information, see Configure Wi-Fi Networks.

Operate the equipment through each work and parking area, stopping for about two minutes in each. Confirm the Vehicle Gateway LED is solid green and the equipment shows online. Where the equipment relies on Wi-Fi, aim for −67 dBm or stronger at parking spots. For LED patterns, see Troubleshoot by VG LED State.

In the Video Library request list, check for failed or stalled requests. Older stuck requests can block new ones. An interrupted upload restarts from the beginning, so a weak link can stall a clip indefinitely.

If the issue persists, contact Support.

Go to Settings > Devices > Cameras > Configure Camera, then set the orientation to match the physical mount (0°, 90°, 180°, or 270°).

Take a test photo and confirm the image is upright.

If orientation still does not take effect, contact Support.

Use video retrieval and select a dewarped view. Raw footage is dual fisheye; live stream and trip stills can show raw fisheye.

If the asset page shows only one camera side, use video retrieval for the full 360° view.

If a stitch line runs through an area of interest, rotate the mount so the seam between the two case halves faces a non-critical area.

Confirm whether the clip was recorded in low light. Infrared night mode on the operator-facing lens switches the image to black and white in low light. That behavior is expected.

On enclosed cabs, mount the CM36 inside the cab. Mounting outside and looking through glass can reflect the infrared LEDs and reduce night image quality.

If black and white video appears in daylight, contact Support.

Correct the camera orientation in Settings > Devices > Cameras > Configure Camera so the image is upright.

Confirm the operator-facing lens has a clear view of the operator’s face from the seat, with no roof bar, mast, or hard-hat brim in the way.

If incorrect obstruction events continue after orientation is fixed, contact Support.

For waist or kick height mounts, high vibration, or exposed locations such as yellow iron and belt loaders, use the heavy-duty metal bracket (ACC-CM36-ABKT) instead of the included plastic bracket.

Avoid vertical orientation unless vibration and impact risk are low.

After remounting, reseat the USB cable at the Vehicle Gateway and confirm the camera shows as online.

If self-tapping screws break in thick metal, use #12-24 or 5 mm bolts with washers and locking nuts.

Agree the assignment method before install day: QR code, Camera ID, Driver app equipment selection, or manual assignment. See Driver Assignment Using QR Codes (for Admins) and Automatic Driver Assignment (Camera ID).

For QR code assignment, confirm QR Code Assignment is on for the equipment. With the gateway on, hold the code 2–6 inches from the operator-facing lens for 10–20 seconds. The camera beeps when it reads the code. No trip is required.

For Camera ID, confirm Camera ID and Automatic Training are on, and that profile photos were uploaded after Camera ID was turned on. Use photos with a fully visible face and no hard hat, safety glasses, or mask. Confirm no operator is already assigned, a trip is running, and the face is visible from the seat. The camera needs at least four clear face captures, then about 90 seconds to upload the album.

Confirm video uploads succeed from the parking location. Camera ID depends on successful uploads.

If operators use the Samsara Driver App, confirm the app is version 2635 or later. Transfer is not supported for powered equipment. The operator unassigns by unchecking the equipment under Home > Assignments > Select Equipment, and the next operator assigns it to themselves.

If the asset detail page shows Unassigned while the Assets list shows the operator, use the Assets list for operated powered equipment.

If the issue persists, contact Support.

Confirm the camera orientation is correct in Settings > Devices > Cameras > Configure Camera.

Raise the horizontal or vertical Harsh Impact threshold for the organization or asset group. The default is 3 g on both axes. Routine equipment work such as container entry, floor seams, or bucket contact can trigger events.

If orange handheld scanners are flagged as mobile phone use, log the event link with Support. Do not treat that pattern as a device fault by itself.