Did I Just Brick My Camera?

[XrayDoc88]

I have numerous IPC-T5442T-ZE cameras that I started purchasing in 2020. I have updated the firmware on 6 of the newer cameras using the web interface and Internet Explorer. It has always worked fine. Today I tried the same process with my oldest camera. It had its original firmware. I watched the update progress bar go to completion and then it stated rebooting. Now I can't connect to that camera anymore. I had a static IP set. That no longer works. I tried the default IP address of 192.168.1.108. That also doesn't work. Can anyone tell me if there is a way for me to fix this problem? Thanks.

 

[bigredfish]

Is the camera connected to an NVR? Is it using the NVR built in PoE ports?
Or is it connected via an external switch?
What was the original static IP?
Was it plugged into the NVR when you did the update?

 

[Perimeter]

I tried the default IP address of 192.168.1.108.

Does your network adapter sit in the .1.* subnet? If not, you can't reach it that way.

Have you done a factory reset on the cam?

 

[XrayDoc88]

The camera is connected as follows to avoid any connection to the internet:

Camera>POE Switch>Dual NIC Blue Iris computer on 192.168.1.X port>Dual NIC Blue Iris Computer on 192.168.0.X port>2nd POE Switch>Router>Internet. I use Remote Desktop from a computer on the 192.168.0.X network to connect to the Blue Iris computer on 192.168.1.X network. I then launch Internet Explorer (or Edge in Internet Explorer compatibility mode) to reach the web interface of the camera on 192.168.1.X network. It has worked fine for years.

I have not tried a factory reset on the camera yet since it has been raining a lot. Do I just press and release the reset button on the camera or press and hold for a certain amount of time?

 

[bigredfish]

30+ seconds is what I use

 

[XrayDoc88]

Several factory resets have not helped. I reached out to Andy, but he only said I'd have to use a serial connection and gave no detail. Can anyone help further?

 

[duplo]

5442 ZE has no soldered TTL port. Also you need a ttl interface.

So you need to open it, remove the camera modul, connect 3 wires to the pins (RX,TX) and ground. then power it up and watch what happen in terminal.

IF the bootloader is not damaged, you can flash a firmware over tftpd. if its damaged you can trash the cam.

there seems a firmware out which bricks these cams.

Do you know which one you used ?!

 

[XrayDoc88]

EmpireTech IPC-HX5XXX-Volt_MultiLang_NP_Stream3_V2.840.15OG00D.0.R.220818.bin

I used this on 9 other cameras without difficulty. The bricked camera was the oldest of the bunch however. I don't know if that caused the problem.

 

[wittaj]

For others that find this thread later....

You really need to be asking yourself why are you updating? If it is just for grins and giggles or OCD behavior to be running the latest firmware, think twice.

A common theme around here is don't fix what ain't broke. If the unit is working and meets your needs, in many instances an update breaks what you had working and provides you with something you didn't need or bricks the camera. In most instances, updates are simply security vulnerability patches (usually years after the breach was found), but since we do not give our cameras internet access, the update is useless to us.

Here is one of many threads of someone updating for OCD behavior simply to get all cams on same firmware and bricked them. Here is one of many threads where someone had their camera go into Chinese when they tried to update it.

Unless the release notes specifically mention it fixing a problem you are experiencing, more than likely it won't fix an issue and may make the camera worse by removing functionality or worse brick it.

Don't do it unless it is fixing a problem you are experiencing or adds a feature you really need.

Another thing to consider is that the same model could have different firmware for different chipsets used during the life of that model. So you run the risk of bricking if you do not know what chipset you have.

Here is an example - the HFW3549T1-AS-PV is available in 2 versions of firmware across 3 different chipsets for the same model camera:

• HFW3549T1-AS-PV-S4 uses the HX3XXX-Taurus firmware.
• HFW3549T1-AS-PV and IPC-HFW3549T1-AS-PV-S3 use the HX5XXX-Volt firmware

In this instance, Dahua added an S# designation after the model number (while Hikvision adds a C), but many do not and then you try to update with a firmware not compatible with your chipset and potentially brick it.


Further, it is best to obtain any firmware updates from the vendor you purchased it from so that you do not run into issues. Any firmware you find here or elsewhere is obviously proceed at your own risk. We have many threads here where someone tried an update with a firmware they found on the internet and bricked their unit.

 

[XrayDoc88]

Another thing to consider is that the same model could have different firmware for different chipsets used during the life of that model. So you run the risk of bricking if you do not know what chipset you have.

I had actually seen this comment previously. When I reached out to Andy, I asked him if the chipset might have been the cause for my problem. He didn't really confirm this, but instead indicated that the firmware should have worked on all versions of IPC-T5442T-ZE. But it didn't work, so perhaps the chipset changed from 2020.

I am a little OCD, but I've only updated firmware once. There have been reported improvements with the firmware and I liked the idea of them all being on the same firmware, even if it wasn't the latest. After 9 successes, I never thought this would happen. OCD strikes again!

 

[wittaj]

Yep been there...done that lol

Weird things happen with updates, which is why most do not do it unless it is known that the update will provide something they need and not break what they had working.

A couple months ago I was bored (even though I have more than enough to do LOL) and even though I say don't fix what ain't broke often, I thought "hey let me update a perfectly working camera to add 2D and 3D noise reduction that one of my other 5442 cams has" and totally effed up the camera. Lost the ability to set FPS and encode and bitrate and couldn't factory reset from the GUI.

Fortunately I was able to figure out the API to factory reset (instead of having to get out a ladder) and had the previous firmware already (one of the reasons why I figured it was ok to try because I could revert back since I had the previous firmware), but it took awhile to get the camera operational. But even now with a factory reset several times and going back firmware, the image is much darker than it was before for the same settings.