A Dahua Camera Conumdrum...

[DaveK]

I've set up a 9-camera system, using the Dahua 4300S series, along with some of the newer Dahua 1320S cameras. Individually, each camera works just fine with Blue Iris. However, when all the cameras are running, the data rate for one of the cameras will drop down to almost nothing, and often the other 3 cameras on that "leg" of the system get pulled down as well.

I'm trying to run the system at 15 FPS, using 1080P resolution, and for the 5 cameras on the other leg, it runs just fine. I have checked and changed cat-5 cables (a pain, because they run through the attic), I have swapped the POE switches, and still it simply doesn't want to run nicely. Oh, and I've tried reducing the resolution and frame-rate on all the cameras, but the problem seems to be unaffected by that change.

In the status window, the "good" cameras are running at around 240 kBps, the "pulled down" cameras at around 60 kBps, and the "problem" camera at around 6 kBps. Of course, if I run that camera solo, or with the 5 cameras on the good leg, it typically shows the 240 kBps.

I am using powerline adapters to get the network connection to the POE switches, but that doesn't seem to be causing any bandwidth limitations, as I'm able to stream HD video to my television and run other computers on the network with zero issues.

Another symptom... as soon as the problem camera switches to IR at night, the data rate drops to nothing... nada, zilch for that camera, and the other cameras on that leg get pulled down to much lower data rates as well.

And a curiosity... If I use the Dahua SmartPSS software to monitor these cameras, I do not have the problem at all. The problem camera behaves nicely, and the others on the leg perform nicely as well.


Does anybody have any clues as to what is going on? I suppose I could try to figure out how to fully configure the Dahua SmartPSS software, but it's documentation is difficult at best to understand, and I'd much rather continue with Blue Iris. I'm reluctant to buy a replacement camera for one that works pretty well by itself, but that may be what I need to do. I just hate doing the thing with replacing stuff until it all works.

 

[nayr]

can you move the camera to the other leg and move one from the other leg here?

it sounds like a throughput bottleneck caused by interference, if you say it gets worse when the IR comes on thats key; perhaps that outlet your using for powerline adapters is has some noise on it or that camera is generating excess noise that it cant handle.. is the switch on a battery backup or anything that could stop noise from a camera making it to the power mains?

what else is on the same power circuit as this PoE switch? Any ballasts like HID/Fluroesent lighting? they generate a shit ton of noise, even spiral CFL's are noisy as shit... for example when I try to plug sensitive lab sensors into my garage all the light ballasts on the same circuit cause readings to be nosey as hell until I put it on a power conditioner.. another circuit on the same phase will be nice and unimpacted by the lights.. just because the rest of your powerline network seems fine dont mean there is not an issue with it..

I know at least one person with a Powerline network that reported more throughput and better stability after they went through and changed all the lighting from fluro to led.

other things that cause noise on the mains are motors, everything from vac cleaners, space heaters, celling fans, hvac blowers, hair dryers, etc spit out alot of noise that would hurt powerline performance.

 

[DaveK]

No fluorescents on the leg with the problem, and a potential problem with refrigerators on the circuit was eliminated because the problem is still there with them unplugged. I'll try swapping with a camera on the good leg and see what happens.

I would go ahead and replace the camera right now if it didn't work just fine with the Dahua software.

 

[nayr]

if the problem moves to the other leg then you know the issue lies within the camera, and replacing it has a good chance of fixing it.

if the problem remains once the trouble camera is removed, then we know its your network and replacing the camera would have accomplished nothing.

 

[fenderman]

@DaveK are you running blue iris in demo mode?

 

[DaveK]

Yes, I am using demo mode for now... don't want to pull the trigger on buying the software until I can get this system to run.

 

[Q™]

This sounds more like a Dahua Digital Dilemma than a camera conundrum.

 

[DaveK]

It's beginning to look like a Network Neurosis... After swapping the camera to the other network leg, it's running like a top! And the bad leg is still misbehaving.

I fear I'm going to have to run Cat5 for the entire network to get it to work. It's a very big and old house, and getting cable around discretely is going to be a big problem. [Sigh!]

 

[Q™]

It's beginning to look like a Network Neurosis... After swapping the camera to the other network leg, it's running like a top! And the bad leg is still misbehaving.

I fear I'm going to have to run Cat5 for the entire network to get it to work. It's a very big and old house, and getting cable around discretely is going to be a big problem. [Sigh!]

Maybe a bad port on a switch?

 

[Q™]

@DaveK are you running blue iris in demo mode?

A swing...and a miss!

 

[nayr]

not so fast q2u, whats your system load on BI? Demo mode does not have direct2disk working and the load is alot higher in demo mode.. tha'd explain why SmartPSS is fine whereas BI is choking to death.. maby its just being odd and choking to death on this leg the hardest.. thats not been ruled out.

now we need to ensure its that branch of the network before you go through all the trouble of yanking a cable.. do you have a spool of ethernet? make a really long temporary cable running down the hallway and across the rooms before you go punching holes in the wall..

 

[fenderman]

Yes, I am using demo mode for now... don't want to pull the trigger on buying the software until I can get this system to run.

That is causing your problem...ive seen it a million times.

 

[fenderman]

not so fast q2u, whats your system load on BI? Demo mode does not have direct2disk working and the load is alot higher in demo mode.. tha'd explain why SmartPSS is fine whereas BI is choking to death.. maby its just being odd and choking to death on this leg the hardest.. thats not been ruled out.

now we need to ensure its that branch of the network before you go through all the trouble of yanking a cable.. do you have a spool of ethernet? make a really long temporary cable running down the hallway and across the rooms before you go punching holes in the wall..

direct to disk does not work properly in demo mode. I have this issue occur even when cpu is not maxed but using demo mode.

 

[fenderman]

A swing...and a miss! View attachment 10896

Sorry q, but this time im spot on..

 

[Q™]

 

[Q™]

You nearly always are bro...I was just razzing you

 

[DaveK]

At this point, I'm not even trying to record anything... just trying to get the system to run. On the occasions when it behaves, the CPU is only running at about 30% MAX (its an i9 box, so should handle a lot).

Yes, I have a few hundred feet of Cat5 cable, so had planned to try doing a couple of tripwire cables through the house to the POE switches. The wife isn't going to like that one bit! (LOL!)

If that works, I might have a workaround...

The guy who built this house some 40 years back had the bright idea of running telco cable to each room. That is, the 25 twisted pair stuff. I know very well that it's not rated at Cat5 (heck, it's not even "rated" for Cat3) but everything I've read about it says I should be able to get around 50MBps through that, and there's a possibility of getting close to 100MBps if I'm lucky. I just have to dig the harmonica plugs out of the wall and hook keystones to the right pairs. In theory, you could have 6 low-quality ethernet lines to each room with that. My hopes aren't high that it will work, but it's better than trying to fish cable through insulated walls.

 

[fenderman]

At this point, I'm not even trying to record anything... just trying to get the system to run. On the occasions when it behaves, the CPU is only running at about 30% MAX (its an i9 box, so should handle a lot).

Yes, I have a few hundred feet of Cat5 cable, so had planned to try doing a couple of tripwire cables through the house to the POE switches. The wife isn't going to like that one bit! (LOL!)

If that works, I might have a workaround...

The guy who built this house some 40 years back had the bright idea of running telco cable to each room. That is, the 25 twisted pair stuff. I know very well that it's not rated at Cat5 (heck, it's not ever "rated" for Cat3) but everything I've read about it says I should be able to get around 50MBps through that, and there's a possibility of getting close to 100MBps if I'm lucky. I just have to dig the harmonica plugs out of the wall and hook keystones to the right pairs. In theory, you could have 6 low-quality ethernet lines to each room with that. My hopes aren't high that it will work, but it's better than trying to fish cable through insulated walls.

Trust me you are wasting your time...its the demo mode.

 

[DaveK]

So, what you're telling me is that with 9 cameras, the system in Demo Mode won't even run it when I'm only watching the cameras and am not doing ANY recording, and have Zero motion triggers set? I would think that all the cameras would be equally affected, not just the cameras on one leg of the network.

The dent in my desktop just keeps getting deeper.

 

[fenderman]

So, what you're telling me is that with 9 cameras, the system in Demo Mode won't even run it when I'm only watching the cameras and am not doing ANY recording, and have Zero motion triggers set? I would think that all the cameras would be equally affected, not just the cameras on one leg of the network.

The dent in my desktop just keeps getting deeper.

I have seen this exact issue with demo mode.....in fact there are likely one or two threads that discuss it...but you can do as you wish...