Razer Kiyo made a noise and stopped working mid-use | Razer Insider
Question

Razer Kiyo made a noise and stopped working mid-use

M
Userlevel 1

I’d been using my Kiyo without issue for a long time. One time I was in a video call and it made a weird grinding noise and then went totally out of focus. I tried unplugging it and plugging it back in, and it reported available to my computer again, but once I selected it the ring light came on at a kind of pulse-y half brightness and then it  disappears from the cameras list. I tried letting it sit unplugged for a week and the problem still persists. Tried multiple computers, ports, etc.

 

Normally my Razer accessories last forever. Is there anything I can do to get this functioning again?

37 Replies

M

Happened to me a few days ago, exactly the same issue. After contacting Razer they tell me that I’m just out of waranty. I was thinking about planned obsolescence but I see that there are cases in brand new products, so I think that the quality of the camera is really bad… The amount of affected is amazing and we should make some noise to the product to be replaced.

S

This just happened to me last week. Tried it with multiple computers but I am out of warranty so no luck. I won’t be buying any streaming stuff from Razer again.

L

I didn’t see a flashing but otherwise the exact same sound and it’s now black

UFOGreenthinktruck328

I can be added to the list, it happened to me just before a Pro appointment ...

CORALRoseValepulse760

I read someone got a replacement since her cam was still in warranty. You should try to do the same. 

Cheeky_Flims

I’ve had mine for 4 months. Stopped mid-way through a call with the same sounds as experienced by others. I’m sure the excellent customer service that told me to buy a replacement part from China on eBay for my headphones will be quick to assist with the same quality service. 😂

CORALRoseValepulse760

I have the exact same problem.

First it stopped working about 20 minutes into my video call. Then it was 15…. 10… Now it happens the moment I open an app that runs it. The light halo starts flickering and device stops running, it disappears from the device manager. but the light remains on.  

M

Mine died yesterday, tried it on multiple usb ports and devices, same thing everywhere :/ Still no solution anywhere. Definitely feels programmed as I think it’s 2021/22 series… Shame.

F

The same here. I already updated to the last Firmware version without success. Last Razer product for sure, it looks like planned obsolescence.

P

Damn I should have found this thread earlier. Mine died within 12hours of purchase.

Brickwall72

Literally just happened to me during a video interview. Not exactly an ideal situation.

FreshAirthinkTOPAZ489

This has just happened to me too in the middle of a work meeting. Really disappointed after spending £55 on a camera - thought I could trust a brand like Razer but I guess not ..

smartTOURMALINERusset699

Just happened to me today. Bought mine in 2021 I believe. Exact same crackling and flickering of the light. Sure seems this should be a recall issue if we’re all having this same issue at the same time??

PalmLeafgeobase915

im here to tell you folks that this also happened to me just now. i thought i was being spoofed or something, turns out it is a hardware problem. mine lasted for around almost 2 years, which is is a long time but considering the investment of buying this 50$ camera, i expected it would be at better quality. i found a short that had a similar issue (mine did not have coil whine but the lights were bugged as well). 

 

anyways, as the previous insider said, i will also clear out razer software in my pc since the webcam is my only product, though a problem would be finding a replacement which is on the same price or lower with that similar specs and features. razer kiyo was nice to have but i dont want the same experience to happen to me twice. 

to the next person who is interested in this model, just avoid it entirely. weirdly enough that this randomly happened to all of us just after our warranty period. such a pity.

ptspacetea

Happened to me today! Sheesh. And yes, out of warranty as well. Being my only Razer device (had a few mice but they’re now discarded in favour of the Glorious Core) and after battling with support for months  last year for the low-light issue, this is truly a disappointment and failure of the product. Only good thing is now I can completely clean out the Razer software from my machines. Until they release an explanation for this, I will actively be not recommending anything Razer-made for a while.

T

Same problem this is ridiculous, I have a less than 20€ webcam from amazon and it still works after 4/5 years, this webcam in less than 2 years breaks and everyone is having the same problem? It’s a bit strange...

S

Same thing has happened to me. Middle of a call it started whirring and grinding like the servos inside it were working overtime. This continued even when the PC was switched off. Upon disconnecting and reconnecting I can’t get the device to work. Last Razer product I buy.

D

Same thing happened to me a week ago.
 

Webcam just sits on top of my screen, does not get massive amounts of use maybe 4 hours a week.

Went to use it, light flashed on and off on the ring, device manager goes crazy refershing with added and removed hardware. High pitched screeching.

Loads of event logs with the following warning:
‘A connection to the Windows Metadata and Internet Services (WMIS) could not be established.’

I won’t be buying anything Razer again.

Z

Same situation happened to me. I tried to use it then it just made a loud electrical whine and I haven’t been able to get it to work since. It doesn’t even show as available in Device Manager, no changes when unplugging and replugging. It was also on the latest firmware version as of writing this. Basically it’s just dead.

 

So for newcomers reading this; as the thread above verifies: the Razer Kiyo does indeed have very limited lifetime of usage before a common hardware failure takes place...

HeatWaveTANZANITEfast203

Mine just started doing the same thing as well. I’m unable to adjust brightness so cannot comment on lowering that to fix the issue.

E

This exact thing just happened to me while I was on a work call. I bought the webcam from Best Buy in July 2022, and I only use it a few times a week for work. During the call it started flickering, making the buzzing noise, and then disconnected and did not show up as an option anymore. Tried it on my other computer and same thing. Started researching and now see this is an unfixable problem happening to so many others as well :( This webcam costs too much to only last for 1-2 years with very light use, makes me not want to buy any other Razer products..

MrMoonshot96

Add me to the list, it just happened this week. :(

Mine is also making a sort of buzzing/crackling noise whenever it’s plugged in. If unplugged and plugged back in it’ll show as an option but the second anything tries to actually use it, it disappears.

Super disappointing and really strange that we’re all experiencing this at the same time...

C

Same exact issue as OP and others in this thread. It was working perfectly fine for just about 1 year, then today it stopped working - buzzing sound, light flickering, video is initially picked up but immediately stops.

 

Coincidentally, the device is out of warranty.

 

Your product is out of limited warranty and ineligible for free support. If you have a RazerCare Protection plan, willing to pay a repair fee (for laptops only), or feel this is an error, please make the appropriate selection. Proof of purchase is required if you do not have a RazerCare Protection plan. We recommend posting your questions to our Razer Insider where you may get your answer faster.Your product is out of limited warranty and ineligible for free support. If you have a RazerCare Protection plan, willing to pay a repair fee (for laptops only), or feel this is an error, please make the appropriate selection. Proof of purchase is required if you do not have a RazerCare Protection plan. We recommend posting your questions to our Razer Insider where you may get your answer faster.

 

On a Windows laptop, I’m getting a system error message indicating it is not recognized and has malfunctioned. On a Mac, I was able to get the camera to work by plugging it in and immediately turning off the light. So, it’’s not entirely useless, but what’s the point if I can’t use the light - the entire reason I originally purchased this model - and if I can only use it on 1 of my 2 laptops.

 

I found a video with the exact problem we all seem to be facing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9esjRAvp6JQ.

According to one of the commenters, the problem is in the camera module, whatever that means. I’m also not sure how he opened it, but it got me wondering whether it might be repairable.

 

...I opened it and the main problem is in the camera module, which can be easily replaced, but I did not find the sensor module anywhere in the internet...

 

X

Having the same issue. Only seldomly used mine. Never been disappointed with Razer until now.

O

This happened to mine as well. Seems like potentially a firmware issue. 

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