New RCA HSDB2A 3MP Doorbell IP Camera

David L

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Quick update. The special frames are still occurring with the LAview firmware and I think they are destined for the cloud server but found their way into the RSTP stream. As a result the amazon echos still refuses to connect locally to the doorbell's RSTP stream.
Thanks for info...
 

David L

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I can start the setup, The EZVIZ app fails trying to connect to the Doorbell, When I go thru the connect manually I can see the the Access Point softap_Dnnnnnnn. But the app seems to be looking for Wi-FiEZVIZ_Dnnnnnnn.
I get the error message "Current network is not the same with softap_Dnnnnnnn the device Wi-FiEZVIZ_Dnnnnnnn"

I've tried the iVMS-4500 app, laview app and the RCA app none were able to connect.

Using my Andriod phone I can connect via wifi to the DoorBell using the SID of softap_Dnnnnnnn and the Verification code on the DB. When I use a browser on the phone I get a 404 when connecting to the Doorbell at 192.168..8.1 which looks to be the default IP of the Doorbell. If I knew the path to the configuration I might be able to manually set it up.

This all started when I updated the firmware from the nelly site. It looks like the EZVIZ app doesn't like the SID of softap_Dnnnnnnn. At this point I see no way of restoring the old or EZVIZ firmware.
Question, you mentioned Nelly's site is where you got the firmware, what site URL, which file? Thanks
 

fredkruger

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Inside the Ezviz DB1 power kit for anyone interested. It's installed across the solenoid wires when using a mechanical chime. For me the chime solenoid buzzed if it's not connected. It seems to allow some of the current to bypass the solenoid to stop it buzzing(and maybe burning out). Unfortunately for me it allows too much current to bypass the chime solenoid, preventing it from working. I wired a 5.6ohm resistor in series with the power kit to stop it taking too much current away form the chime solenoid. Seems to be working ok now.
Does anyone understand how the power kit works from the pictures? I really thought it would just contain resistors.
I'm using a 16v 10va transformer and Friedland D454 doorbell.
I know there are a lot of people on here saying to use a 30va transformer on here, but the DB1 only uses 200/300mA(day/night with IR) and the mechanical chime will only be on for about 1 second when the DB1 is pressed...
 

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David L

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Inside the Ezviz DB1 power kit for anyone interested. It's installed across the solenoid wires when using a mechanical chime. For me the chime solenoid buzzed if it's not connected. It seems to allow some of the current to bypass the solenoid to stop it buzzing(and maybe burning out). Unfortunately for me it allows too much current to bypass the chime solenoid, preventing it from working. I wired a 5.6ohm resistor in series with the power kit to stop it taking too much current away form the chime solenoid. Seems to be working ok now.
Does anyone understand how the power kit works from the pictures? I really thought it would just contain resistors.
I'm using a 16v 10va transformer and Friedland D454 doorbell.
I know there are a lot of people on here saying to use a 30va transformer on here, but the DB1 only uses 200/300mA(day/night with IR) and the mechanical chime will only be on for about 1 second when the DB1 is pressed...
Impressive. Are those IC chips? Guess they are programmed to regulate the power. I think for most of us, well me for sure, it would be easier changing out a transformer than trying to measure load values. It is Kewl that you got yours fixed with a resistor, and Thank You for taking apart the power kit so we could see what it really was/is.
 

Dagwood08

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Installed a new Ezviz doorbell the other evening. Everything went well. Downloaded the LaView firmware to get Onvif compatibility. That resulted in the RCA logo appearing on the images, which I wasn't prepared for. I'll figure out how to get rid of that since it's been discussed here many times.

One thing I don't recall reading about in this thread has to do with the beep that happens whenever I walk past the doorbell. Not sure if that only happens at night or in the day also since I haven't walked past in the daytime. Is there any way to turn off that beep? It's driving my dog nuts when we go out.
 

David L

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Installed a new Ezviz doorbell the other evening. Everything went well. Downloaded the LaView firmware to get Onvif compatibility. That resulted in the RCA logo appearing on the images, which I wasn't prepared for. I'll figure out how to get rid of that since it's been discussed here many times.

One thing I don't recall reading about in this thread has to do with the beep that happens whenever I walk past the doorbell. Not sure if that only happens at night or in the day also since I haven't walked past in the daytime. Is there any way to turn off that beep? It's driving my dog nuts when we go out.
You can turn it Off in the App, look under Settings/Alarm Notification/Select the Mode (Mute)

So what is strange is you bought a EZVIZ Doorbell, not RCA. Either way this has worked for others:

⦁ For RCA owners; if you want to remove the RCA Logo, we found a trick in doing so. You will need to load EZVIZ firmware first, turn ON Logo in Batch Config. Tool (Remote Configuration/Image/Video Display), then load LaView's firmware (which will turn Logo OFF)
 
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The Automation Guy

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I purchased my EZVIZ camera during the great Amazon sale. I finally got around to installing it yesterday.

I swapped my transformer out for a 16v 30va model. Honestly I didn't even try the old transformer - I figured for $15, I'd just swap it out and know that it works - which it does.

The one "issue" that I have run into is that I thought I had blocked the camera from accessing the internet. I use pfSense and have an alias set up for all my cameras (and yes, I did add the new camera to the alias) and have a firewall rule that should block all WAN access to those devices. However I can still access the camera outside of my home network using the mobile app. So something is wrong IMHO. While I like the convenience of accessing the camera via the mobile app, I'd rather have the camera totally insulated from the internet. I have a VPN set up that I can use to access the network while I'm away from home. I'll just have to figure it out when I have some time to look at it.

I also need to play around with Monocle to try to get the feeds showing up in my Echo device. Currently Alexa recognizes the camera, but cannot display the feed. I think I will need to install the Monocle Gateway service. Again, I just need time to figure it out.

Thanks to everyone that has helped with this thread. Your knowledge and willingness to share information really made the installation and setup easy.
 
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David L

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I purchased my EZVIZ camera during the great Amazon sale. I finally got around to installing it yesterday.

I swapped my transformer out for a 16v 30va model. Honestly I didn't even try the old transformer - I figured for $15, I'd just swap it out and know that it works - which it does.

The one "issue" that I have run into is that I thought I had blocked the camera from accessing the internet. I use pfSense and have an alias set up for all my cameras (and yes, I did add the new camera to the alias) and have a firewall rule that should block all WAN access to those devices. However I can still access the camera outside of my home network using the mobile app. So something is wrong IMHO. While I like the convenience of accessing the camera via the mobile app, I'd rather have the camera totally insulated from the internet. I have a VPN set up that I can use to access the network while I'm away from home. I'll just have to figure it out when I have some time to look at it.

Thanks to everyone that has helped with this thread. Your knowledge and willingness to share information really made the installation and setup easy.
So I just got my pfSense box, have not configured it yet. My plan is to put my IoT's on it's own VLAN, separate from my personal/private network, which would include this Doorbell. This way I can still access my Doorbell/Cameras remotely and not worry about my private network. I am presently looking at which Smart Switch(s) I want to use. I too setup a VPN on my existing Asus router for incoming traffic. Looking forward to getting this pfSense router up and running.

There are several here using pfSense. pete_c is someone who has helped me, if you get stuck you could reach out to him.
 

rafale

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I also need to play around with Monocle to try to get the feeds showing up in my Echo device. Currently Alexa recognizes the camera, but cannot display the feed. I think I will need to install the Monocle Gateway service. Again, I just need time to figure it out.
As I reported earlier, Monocle does not work at the moment because of a special frame inserted in the rtsp stream which is meant for the doorbell cloud server. Monocle can forward the url but the echo rejects the feed. Monocle is working on using the gateway as a proxy to remove that special frame. I posted in their forum as well and it has been under test and is not yet released. I would really prefer not having to use the gateway but the bottleneck is on the echo device at the moment so it is in amazon's court.
 

The Automation Guy

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So I just got my pfSense box, have not configured it yet. My plan is to put my IoT's on it's own VLAN, separate from my personal/private network, which would include this Doorbell. This way I can still access my Doorbell/Cameras remotely and not worry about my private network. I am presently looking at which Smart Switch(s) I want to use. I too setup a VPN on my existing Asus router for incoming traffic. Looking forward to getting this pfSense router up and running.

There are several here using pfSense. pete_c is someone who has helped me, if you get stuck you could reach out to him.

Yeah, I need to do that too. I actually already have a separate IOT wireless network, but need to finish it by actually creating a VLAN and separating it from the rest of my network/devices.

That being said, I would still want to isolate my cameras from the internet. Using a VPN is a much more secure method of accessing devices than letting them all punch holes/ports through the firewall for access.

PS - not to drag this thread off topic, but look at this thread for information on some Aruba network switches. You can get 24 or 48 port POE switches off Ebay for around $100 and they are very capable switches (managed switches with VLANs etc) and don't require any licenses to work. I have both a 2500-24p and 2500-48p POE switch and they work great.
 
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David L

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Yeah, I need to do that too. I actually already have a separate IOT wireless network, but need to finish it by actually creating a VLAN and separating it from the rest of my network/devices.

That being said, I would still want to isolate my cameras from the internet. Using a VPN is a much more secure method of accessing devices than letting them all punch holes/ports through the firewall for access.

PS - not to drag this thread off topic, but look at this thread for information on some Aruba network switches. You can get 24 or 48 port POE switches off Ebay for around $100 and they are very capable switches (managed switches with VLANs etc) and don't require any licenses to work. I have both a 2500-24p and 2500-48p POE switch and they work great.
My problem is in my design. I do not have a MDF or even an IDF, where all my cables terminate to. This house is not prewired. Been looking at possibly putting a switch in the attic, so it would need to have a fan and can handle hot temps. I have 3 cables available leaving the room where my Modem and pfSense Box is that go to the middle of the house (Living Room) and (Master Bedroom), thinking of terminating them in the attic to a switch then dropping individual cables from attic switch to each room where they will have a small switch to connect all components and a WAP. But without a MDF, this is confusing to me, wish this house had a closet in the center then I would be able to have a MDF.
 
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Did some more testing today on my almost one year old RCA HSDB2A unit that has been running LaView ONVIF V5.2.4 build 190716 FW since October. Removed doorbell from my Ezviz account and added it to a new LaView account as I had to create new account using same credentials as for RCA/Ezviz/Hik. However, new account can't get Alexa to discover my unit even using LaView ONE app. Removed it from LaView account and re-added back to Ezviz produced same results as prior to trying with LaView. Used all the RCA/Ezviz/Hi-Connect/LaView ONE app combinations but same results. Bummed that I still can't get my RCA branded HSDB2 unit discoverable by Alexa Skills as my Echo Show 8s arrived last week and they can view live video feeds from all my other Ezviz compatible cameras....
 

COtto1984

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I installed my EZVIZ DB1 tonight and everything was going alright until I rang the doorbell for the second time (within 5 minutes of installing). It essentially "powered off" and I can't get it to come back on. My transformer was a 16V 10VA when I originally started. I swapped it out for the Edwards 16V 30VA to no avail. When I turn on the breaker, it looks like the ring flashes red a couple of times and then goes dark. I can see the two IR lights at the top and that is it. I've tried holding down the reset button for 10 seconds and that doesn't seem to do anything. Any thoughts?
 

David L

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I installed my EZVIZ DB1 tonight and everything was going alright until I rang the doorbell for the second time (within 5 minutes of installing). It essentially "powered off" and I can't get it to come back on. My transformer was a 16V 10VA when I originally started. I swapped it out for the Edwards 16V 30VA to no avail. When I turn on the breaker, it looks like the ring flashes red a couple of times and then goes dark. I can see the two IR lights at the top and that is it. I've tried holding down the reset button for 10 seconds and that doesn't seem to do anything. Any thoughts?
Check your voltage at the doorbell, make sure it reads steady, one person reported a pinched wire (Short) during his install.
 

COtto1984

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Check your voltage at the doorbell, make sure it reads steady, one person reported a pinched wire (Short) during his install.
Well you certainly are on to something. I'm getting ~6-7V at the doorbell. Checked at transformer and was getting ~18V. Showing around 10-11V at the chime. The question is why was it working for 5 minutes through setup, etc. and then failed after I rang the doorbell a couple times? I didn't check compatibility with my chime so could have that had "fried" something or is the chime regulating power? It is an electrical chime is all I know. I didn't utilize the power kit.
 

David L

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Well you certainly are on to something. I'm getting ~6-7V at the doorbell. Checked at transformer and was getting ~18V. Showing around 10-11V at the chime. The question is why was it working for 5 minutes through setup, etc. and then failed after I rang the doorbell a couple times? I didn't check compatibility with my chime so could have that had "fried" something or is the chime regulating power? It is an electrical chime is all I know. I didn't utilize the power kit.
Just guessing here, but when you Ring the Doorbell more power (draw) is needed to keep your Doorbell live and Ring your Chime. You are using the word Electrical Chime is it an Electronic Chime? Does it play a tune instead of a Mechanical Ding-Dong? Did you choose Electronic Chime in the App? Sorry for all the questions. If your answers are Yes then You could try to bypass your Chime by wiring the Trans. and Front together, be sure and choose no Chime in the App. If the Doorbell works then you know that part is good. This is where I won't be much help though, since I have a Mechanical Chime and no experience with Electronic Chimes. You could do a search in this Forum/Thread for Electronic Chime, I know I have seen/read several messages here about them.

 

COtto1984

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Just guessing here, but when you Ring the Doorbell more power (draw) is needed to keep your Doorbell live and Ring your Chime. You are using the word Electrical Chime is it an Electronic Chime? Does it play a tune instead of a Mechanical Ding-Dong? Did you choose Electronic Chime in the App? Sorry for all the questions. If your answers are Yes then You could try to bypass your Chime by wiring the Trans. and Front together, be sure and choose no Chime in the App. If the Doorbell works then you know that part is good. This is where I won't be much help though, since I have a Mechanical Chime and no experience with Electronic Chimes. You could do a search in this Forum/Thread for Electronic Chime, I know I have seen/read several messages here about them.

It does indeed play a tune and I did select Electronic Chime in the app. At that point it asked how many seconds does the chime last and I selected 5. One thing to note is when I pressed the doorbell button on the EZVIZ DB1, the chime ran twice (one right after another). Perhaps this had something to do with the 5 seconds I selected. In reality, the chime probably last 2-3 seconds. I will attempt to bypass the chime tomorrow.
 

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Great news?. So it seems. A new version of the IOS EZVIZ-app came out (vs 4.03). And the release notes say: "We added a button that allow users to turn on/off the ring tone on the DB1 doorbell". Is this what I think it is? Can we really switch off that awfull dingdong sound of the db1 itself?
Well I updated my IOS-EZVIZ app and I cannot find this switch. Has anyone found it ?
 
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