Yea, keep an eye out on this. Definitely don't send them another $400. I will keep this thread updated.
Calling any Doorbird owners
- Thread starter Nathan
- Start date
tommyd75
Young grasshopper
- Jan 30, 2016
- 43
- 13
It went offline again last night at 11pm. Nathan, I saw the email you CC'd me on from Doorbird support. Just so everyone on here sees knows mine is connected with the 12volt power adapter they provide not a POE switch so there is no reason mine would reboot at a timed rate. I did restart it on Saturday to see if it would reboot and update the newer firmware. Mine is currently on ver 106 the app shows something about ver 107 in the recent update. I'm going to check the power at the device to make sure I'm not loosing anything due to distance.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is removed from my door and in a box for bench testing. This is what it has come to (see pictures)....
from /bha-api/info.cgi:
{"FIRMWARE": "000106","BUILD_NUMBER": "45820"}
@tommyd75, are you wired with ethernet or using wifi? Now that I'm wired with ethernet & using their power supply, I've noticed some other strange behaviors on my unit.
from /bha-api/info.cgi:
{"FIRMWARE": "000106","BUILD_NUMBER": "45820"}
@tommyd75, are you wired with ethernet or using wifi? Now that I'm wired with ethernet & using their power supply, I've noticed some other strange behaviors on my unit.
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Can you try a test when you have a moment? Keep it powered on with their power supply and then unplug the network cable and then plug it back in (or shutdown/no shutdown if you have a managed switch). Wait 30 seconds between plugging it back in. I haven't tested this extensively - but it doesn't seem to come back after this test when I tried twice. Ping drops obviously after unplug and then it never shows up again until I power cycle.
looney2ns
IPCT Contributor
Update for folks here: Tom and I have been reporting to Doorbird support what is happening with our units. I showed them additional videos of my unit from the test setup and they just emailed me "The behaviour your device shows during the restart in the video is not as designed". They have requested that I return the unit to them. I have initiated this process and we will see where it ends up.
tommyd75
Young grasshopper
- Jan 30, 2016
- 43
- 13
Nathan,
I noticed mine has version 107 firmware as of yesterday. Is yours on 107 and doing the reboot like mine?
I have removed all third party connections to it as of yesterday evening. Waiting to see if it reboots again. I was using HomeKit to connect to it via Homebridge installed on a Raspberry Pi. So I had a HomeKit camera showing on my Home app. I was able to turn on the IR and activate the unlock feature all from the Home app on my iPhone or Apple Watch.
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@tommyd75, I can confirm that mine is behaving exactly like yours in terms of it going offline. Once a day, it vanishes off the network for at least a minute. During this time, is when mine seems to be "rebooting". I'm pinging it at a 1 second interval.
They pushed 107 yesterday. I haven't had a full 24 hours on 107 yet. On 106, without a doubt, mine behaved like above.
tommyd75
Young grasshopper
- Jan 30, 2016
- 43
- 13
So just to update everyone on here. Nathan and I are on the latest firmware 107 and it's still rebooting about once a day. We have both been in contact with Doorbird tech support and they are having us send the units back to them for further testing and repair or replacement. I really like the functionality of them so I hope this can be resolved. Having the ability that this unit has is really cool. Hardwire or Wifi connection to network and the ability to even have a local relay you can activate when you press the unlock button is really cool. Also the API has helped me do some cool stuff. I'm not suing it as a camera on an NVR but it's possible and I know some people on here have done it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I sent my unit in and they turned it around in 8 days. The return process was excellent, they paid both ways to/from Germany and provided clear instructions. The unit was replaced with a new one and I have it back in the box for monitoring. I will monitor it for a few days to see if there are any oddities that remain or if everything really has been resolved.
So this is where I stand with the replacement unit:
In my test box, I have not been able to confirm any audible alerts after about a week of testing. I don't know if this may have been fixed with a software update or if my other unit was actually faulty.
Other than the audible alerts, the unit seems to otherwise behave the same. It goes offline and "resets" once a day - unresponsive to ping and the doorbell would not function during this window. There is no way to control when this happens.
I am generally pleased that the unit no longer seems to be making audible voice audio but continue to be disappointed by the 24 hour reset. I considered bouncing the power to the port at a scheduled time of my own but doing this will actually introduce the problem I was trying to get rid of - audio when it comes back online.
The 24 hour reset drifts from the last time you powered it on. It drifts about +3 minutes a day/1 hour every 20 days. Theoretically, if you reset it at 3AM and it isn't reset by any other systems (power outage, firmware update) then it will reach 6AM within 60 days.
My last conversation with the company:
In my test box, I have not been able to confirm any audible alerts after about a week of testing. I don't know if this may have been fixed with a software update or if my other unit was actually faulty.
Other than the audible alerts, the unit seems to otherwise behave the same. It goes offline and "resets" once a day - unresponsive to ping and the doorbell would not function during this window. There is no way to control when this happens.
I am generally pleased that the unit no longer seems to be making audible voice audio but continue to be disappointed by the 24 hour reset. I considered bouncing the power to the port at a scheduled time of my own but doing this will actually introduce the problem I was trying to get rid of - audio when it comes back online.
The 24 hour reset drifts from the last time you powered it on. It drifts about +3 minutes a day/1 hour every 20 days. Theoretically, if you reset it at 3AM and it isn't reset by any other systems (power outage, firmware update) then it will reach 6AM within 60 days.
Aug 14 22:12:53 Core DOORBIRD UP
Aug 14 22:12:04 Core DOORBIRD DOWN
Aug 13 22:09:26 Core DOORBIRD UP
Aug 13 22:08:38 Core DOORBIRD DOWN
Aug 12 22:06:00 Core DOORBIRD UP
Aug 12 22:05:11 Core DOORBIRD DOWN
Aug 11 22:02:35 Core DOORBIRD UP
Aug 11 22:01:46 Core DOORBIRD DOWN
Aug 10 21:59:10 Core DOORBIRD UP
Aug 10 21:58:20 Core DOORBIRD DOWN
Aug 14 22:12:04 Core DOORBIRD DOWN
Aug 13 22:09:26 Core DOORBIRD UP
Aug 13 22:08:38 Core DOORBIRD DOWN
Aug 12 22:06:00 Core DOORBIRD UP
Aug 12 22:05:11 Core DOORBIRD DOWN
Aug 11 22:02:35 Core DOORBIRD UP
Aug 11 22:01:46 Core DOORBIRD DOWN
Aug 10 21:59:10 Core DOORBIRD UP
Aug 10 21:58:20 Core DOORBIRD DOWN
My last conversation with the company:
I received what appears to be a brand new unit on Wednesday. I installed it back into my monitoring box (PoE) and this is what I saw after a 24 hour period:
1) The 24 hour “reset” happened like I had previously seen.
2) It is not reachable via a standard ping for 50 seconds during this time.
3) It bounces the network port 3x over a 34 second window.
In this one test that I captured - there was no audible voice during this reset. I will be recording more days to see if it ever becomes audible.
It isn’t clear that I am seeing anything significantly different than what I had previously recorded but perhaps you noticed something that I did not catch.
Based on the above and the video and description that I am including - is this the behavior you expect of a fully functional unit?
Reply1) The 24 hour “reset” happened like I had previously seen.
2) It is not reachable via a standard ping for 50 seconds during this time.
3) It bounces the network port 3x over a 34 second window.
In this one test that I captured - there was no audible voice during this reset. I will be recording more days to see if it ever becomes audible.
It isn’t clear that I am seeing anything significantly different than what I had previously recorded but perhaps you noticed something that I did not catch.
Based on the above and the video and description that I am including - is this the behavior you expect of a fully functional unit?
1) That is absolutly correct.
2) The restart does usually take up to 30 seconds. Discussing the new connection after the restart will take another few seconds depending on the devices. Your result does sound normal.
3) This is your network device and your DoorBird discussing the IP address it does receive after the restart.
Conclusion: Everything is working as expected. Audio does only return when the reconnect is not planned and coming from the DoorBird. The daily routine restart does not bring the audio notification.
2) The restart does usually take up to 30 seconds. Discussing the new connection after the restart will take another few seconds depending on the devices. Your result does sound normal.
3) This is your network device and your DoorBird discussing the IP address it does receive after the restart.
Conclusion: Everything is working as expected. Audio does only return when the reconnect is not planned and coming from the DoorBird. The daily routine restart does not bring the audio notification.
Thank you both for reporting all that you discovered while testing the Doorbird. I'm in the market for a doorbell cam and want the same things you desire. I don't mind using a third party app solely for doorbell notifications, but don't want a monthly payment if I can record video using Blueiris. What you've uncovered was very alarming, but I'm happy the company took care of you and your new unit stopped the audible notifications. I'm still leaning heavily towards the Doorbird, but will watch how things progress as we learn more about the recently announced LTS/Hikvision and Ring Elite model (relying on other cameras for BI recording). Both very different products, but I'm fairly open now and really just want POE for reliability.
monakh
n3wb
New to the forum--could have sworn I registered years back to lurk but the system didn't find me in the database so had to re-register.
Couldn't help but comment here: Over 300 bucks for a 720p doorbell that I can use with BI? No thanks. I have about 15 cameras (different brands but mostly Reolinks and Foscams) in my BI setup. I ended up getting a Ring Pro despite my reservations about their cloud plan. I still haven't signed up for it. 30 bucks a year won't kill me but it's the principle of the thing. The Ring does work nicely--looks like they have fixed most of the bugs so it operates as advertised. I only wish that the 'Live View' function would stay on. It's not permanent so I can't put it up on a tablet for on the fly viewing like my BI cams. I think Ring kills the Live View after ten minutes or something. It's the same on my Amazon Echo Show--the feed only lasts a few minutes. This really irks me.
Couldn't help but comment here: Over 300 bucks for a 720p doorbell that I can use with BI? No thanks. I have about 15 cameras (different brands but mostly Reolinks and Foscams) in my BI setup. I ended up getting a Ring Pro despite my reservations about their cloud plan. I still haven't signed up for it. 30 bucks a year won't kill me but it's the principle of the thing. The Ring does work nicely--looks like they have fixed most of the bugs so it operates as advertised. I only wish that the 'Live View' function would stay on. It's not permanent so I can't put it up on a tablet for on the fly viewing like my BI cams. I think Ring kills the Live View after ten minutes or something. It's the same on my Amazon Echo Show--the feed only lasts a few minutes. This really irks me.
Albert Einstien
Young grasshopper
I have had a Doorbird for a couple of years now and had no problems with it. I did see it go offline a couple of times, that could be a firmware update or who knows, but nothing like what I am seeing in this thread. I got a second one and installed it at my office in another city. Here's the part I like about it, and I wonder if other brands might be problematic;
Doorbird at home connected to BI on LAN - easy peasy.
Doorbird at office in another city, making a remote conection to BI server at home, via WAN, successful after some permission issue.
Remote viewing of BI through the BI web-server, both Doorbirds visable! Now that's cool!
Doorbird has an open API. Ring is a proprietary system - NO thanks! Only complaint about Doorbird is I wish their camera was a little better, but after all it's mission is to be a video door station, not a surveillance camera. Ring has nicer video and audio, but a proprietary system with a monthly fee is definitely a no go.
Axis has a nice one but I wonder if a remote WAN connection to the BI server might be an issue.
Doorbird at home connected to BI on LAN - easy peasy.
Doorbird at office in another city, making a remote conection to BI server at home, via WAN, successful after some permission issue.
Remote viewing of BI through the BI web-server, both Doorbirds visable! Now that's cool!
Doorbird has an open API. Ring is a proprietary system - NO thanks! Only complaint about Doorbird is I wish their camera was a little better, but after all it's mission is to be a video door station, not a surveillance camera. Ring has nicer video and audio, but a proprietary system with a monthly fee is definitely a no go.
Axis has a nice one but I wonder if a remote WAN connection to the BI server might be an issue.
I know this thread is a little old, but wanted to add some more info. I recently picked one up from ebay for $50 and got it setup. Works well as a door intercom, especially since it has PoE, ONVIF, and connects to my SIP PBX so I can talk to people on my desk phone. Definitely not worth $400, but overall pretty nice for its purpose. Camera definitely leaves a lot to be desired, but I've got others covering the front door, so not too big of a deal. Camera on the DB is essentially just for use when talking to people. It does do a pretty decent job of getting okay face photos in non-ideal lighting though.
I contacted support after noticing it going offline daily and they mentioned the unit does a daily reboot. Kind of non-sense. And it seems you can't schedule it. It just reboots 24 hours from last boot. Not ideal considering this currently has it during the middle of the day.
I ended up writing a PowerShell script I run as a schedule task in the early morning hours to trigger the reboot at a less-inconvenient time.... not ideal, but I want it to work during the daytime hours. Supposedly this command also suppresses the "Connected to the internet" message when it comes back.
From what I've read, this should keep the daily reboot from happening in the middle of the day at least... not really ever a good time to take a camera down, but I'd rather have the choice of when to do it if it has to happen....
I contacted support after noticing it going offline daily and they mentioned the unit does a daily reboot. Kind of non-sense. And it seems you can't schedule it. It just reboots 24 hours from last boot. Not ideal considering this currently has it during the middle of the day.
I ended up writing a PowerShell script I run as a schedule task in the early morning hours to trigger the reboot at a less-inconvenient time.... not ideal, but I want it to work during the daytime hours. Supposedly this command also suppresses the "Connected to the internet" message when it comes back.
C-like:
$pass = "<PASSWORD>"| ConvertTo-SecureString -AsPlainText -Force
$cred = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential("<USERNAME0001>@DoorBird Station", $pass)
Invoke-RestMethod -Method Get -uri "http://<DOORBIRDIP>/bha-api/restart.cgi" -Credential $credFrom what I've read, this should keep the daily reboot from happening in the middle of the day at least... not really ever a good time to take a camera down, but I'd rather have the choice of when to do it if it has to happen....
What timing, I recently picked up a D101s (not quite at the price you did...). I also purchased it specifically for use with my FreePBX instance as well as Blue Iris.
I stumbled upon this thread because I was watching the interface on my switch go down daily. I re-terminated the cables twice (since it's PoE powered), and was worrying that I might have to RMA the device. Anyway, despite having more features than a Nest or Ring it's really too bad that it has the limitations that it does. I'm working on digging into the API a little more to see what else I can shovel into HomeAssistant. The events you can listen to look promising.