Failed communication with all six my Empiretech cameras after power cycle

[gearheaded]

Hello:

I have been a lurker here for a few years and a member for a couple years or so, I've learned a lot, and starting in March 2019, started set up of a camera system based on recommendations I found this forum. Everything has worked well but has had a steep learning curve.

Anyway, the other day, an electrician friend of mine was hooking up a CNC Mill in my shop, and he inadvertently flipped the breaker with my security system, business and home computers, and electronic testing equipment, all while they were powered up. Now I've had a couple power outages before from windstorms and such, and never had a problem. This time however, all six cameras lost communication.

My system consisted of an HP Prodesk refurb running BI as recommended on the forum, version 5.4.9.16 x64, and 6 Empiretech Andy purchased cameras:

2- T5442T-ZE 4mp
1- T3241T-ZAS 2mp
1- HDW5231R-ZE 2mp
2- T5442TM-AS 4mp
1- HFW5241E-Z12E

Six of these were hard wired outside, around most of my home and shop, with individual IP addresses, through a TP Link Jetstream GB 8port POE.

One of the T5442TN-AS was only tested and the IP address changed, and was not installed as of the time of the failure.

After the breaker was turned back on, I could not connect to any of the cameras. The TP link seemed fine, and the cameras are showing the infrared leds at night. I tried restarting the cameras one by on, restarting the computer, restarting and resetting the switch, and resetting one camera whose cover I could easily reach. I cannot connect through a browser either, and have tried the default IP for all of them as well, just in case they got reset.

I'm a relative newbie to the IP camera scene, but I'm 58 years old with an extensive background in analog and digital electronics, computer and micro controller programing, and CNC machine repair and trouble shooting on and industrial scale. But I'm stumped this time, and here is why...

I also cannot connect to the camera that was not installed at the time of the breaker being switched off. This includes through BI auto configure, the default IP, and the IP address I set. I wanted more POE ports anyway, so today I installed a brand new Linksys LGS116P 16port/8POE switch, and still can't communicate with the old 6 cameras, or the new camera. I just finished downloading ONVID Device Manager, and it can't find them either, Automatically, or manual entry of default or assigned IP addresses.

I searched the forums before bothering you guys, but found nothing quite matching my situation.

I just don't know how my new camera can't be found since it avoided the power failure...I'm going to try the new camera through the old TP Link switch on a different computer, but haven't had time yet.

Anybody have any thoughts, or similar experience.

Thanks

Karl
AKA Gearheaded
Portland, Or

 

[giomania]

Try the Dahua Config Tool. It should show the cameras, their configured IP Address, and let you to connect to them, even if they are on a different subnet, unless you have firewall rules preventing that.

Mark


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Download the configtool to search the IP and change the ip to the new network IP segment , if still can't find the ip address, then have to do hard reset to all cams and try.

DahuaWiki

 

[gearheaded]

Thanks for the advice, I will download the tool and do some reading, try to find a solution...after midnight here, must go to sleep.

Thanks again

Karl

 

[The Automation Guy]

It sounds like you probably set the cameras up for DHCP addresses. However if you don't reserve unique addresses in your router, when the system is powered down it's possible that they would get issued new IP addresses. While I recommend using DHCP, it really only super reliable when you reserve those addresses in the router. This way even if the entire network is rebooted, all the devices (including the DVR/NVR) will come back with the same IP addresses that you reserved.

 

[jrbeddow]

I have never understood why people seem to so strongly prefer DHCP for everything, even security cameras, which in many cases aren't even attached to a router (or other DHCP assigning device). Many still seem to want to attempt this, even when going the dual NIC route. It seems so much simpler to keep all IP cameras on static addresses, with a set of installation notes that correlate which physical camera/location corresponds to which static IP address. Store that list with other relevant security camera installation notes and passwords, preferably inside a password manager (I prefer KeePass, but whatever works for your situation).

 

[tigerwillow1]

^^^^^^^ totally agree!

 

[smiticans]

All of my cameras are set to Static IP addresses along with the BI computer. I would never even consider using DHCP with a security camera for the exact reason above. You don't want the system going down because the router malfunctioned or rebooted.

If possible, you should put a second NIC in the BI computer and run the cameras on a separate LAN and manually assign each camera its IP address. If you can't do that. Assign each camera a DHCP reservation in the router, then log into the camera and change the IP address from DHCP to static in the menu, leaving the IP address the same as the DHCP reservation. Do the same thing for the BI computer. This will prevent your system from going down if something happens to the router and will prevent any IP address conflicts.

 

[Flintstone61]

I enjoy coming in after power outage and finding new addresses in IPconfig. esp when they go offline and even IPconfig says...."sorry Pal....it's a Jidetech, we ain't gonna show you no stinink IP addressez....!'
I was SO sure all 15 of my cameras had been setup Static, as I added them over the months, but the Frisbee cams, (180 degree ceiling mount cams) i have like 4, and 2 of them would not be where I left them,,,,when the power went out
What a joy....Being a noobie, I was pretty sure I had gone static, but those 2... gave me fits. Now that I have straightened that out life is good.....

 

[Mike A.]

DHCP can make sense in a larger environment with many devices and where you have better control of what gets assigned in what way. For most home systems, static is cleaner/easier. I generally set mine static and reserve the MAC so if something gets changed on either side I know the address will stay the same. Also write it on the cam. That's helped me often when I go back to an old cam or other device that I've stored I know easily what it is.

 

[TonyR]

I'm a static IP guy all the way.

And for those many ISP-furnished, dumbed-down modem/wireless router combos that have no provision for assigning DHCP reservations, just use the IP's for your static assignments that are OUTSIDE of the router's DHCP pool! I'll even log in and change the pool to suit me, leaving .200 and up for my use. After all, in most environments a pool from .2 to .199 is plenty for DHCP pool use (198 IP's! ).

Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy!

 

[TonyR]

Also write it on the cam. That's helped me often when I go back to an old cam or other device that I've stored I know easily what it is.

+1.
And in Blue Iris, all my cams show the IP in the name on the screen, such as "Front Gate 202".

 

[Flintstone61]

note to self....

 

[The Automation Guy]

Obviously there is no real right or wrong way of doing this. It comes down to personal preference and a person's specific situation.

I like to use DHCP and the IP reservation method because I then have a list of all my reserved IP addresses readily available in my firewall/router on the same page I use to reserve new addresses- making it easy to reference when needed. I currently have over 100 reserved IP addresses across my 7 VLANs. Otherwise I would have to keep this information somehow/someway which is just a headache.

That being said, I can see where having the CCTV system isolated from the firewall/router with static IP addresses would allow that system to continue to function even if the firewall/router went down. Currently I use VLANs, so my system isn't isolated and would fail to function even if I used static address. It's a risk I'm willing to take because of my situation/location, but I understand that others may not have the same luxury. EDIT - what I really could do is simply dive into my network switch's L3 capabilities and get these routes into the switch instead of relying on the firewall, but that is completely new territory for me and I haven't made the leap yet.

I also use pfSense on a dedicated hardware device. It is extremely stable and the only time the DHCP server has gone down previously is when the electricity is out and the firewall is off. A loss of power for any extended period of time will shut down my POE switch so my cameras would be offline anyway. Again, I choose not having a long term backup power solution because my specific situation doesn't warrant it IMHO.

 

[Flintstone61]

I just Ip addressed all my condo cams on their screens. ^1

 

[mat200]

My preference for non-mobile devices:

DHCP - reserved IPs for MAC addresses
or
Static IP

 

[DanDenver]

Static IP's are the only way to go! Learned that the hard way by living through what you are experiencing right now

 

[gearheaded]

Hello:

Life got in my way for a couple days and I wasn't able to spend too much time on fixing my cameras. Thanks for the input and responses.

First, I always take a new camera and go straight to a browser and assign a distinct static IP to that camera, for which I keep a list of the camera name and address. If there is more to it than that, something someone said about reserving an address in the router, then I guess I don't understand the complete process. I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to networking, but I have always been able to get things communicating when needed.

I downloaded the config tool as suggested, and it finds all 6 installed cameras, and the 7th that is just sitting on my work bench and was not connected during the power cycle. It shows the IP addresses I assigned, and that the cameras are all initialized. It also recognizes and lists the model numbers for 4 of the 7 cameras, with 3 of them just listed as IP cameras.

If I click on the "web" tab, it opens IE (even though Firefox is my default and MS Edge is installed). However, it does not find any of the cameras. When I click on detect problems, the response is "Your computer appears to be configured correctly, but the device or resource is not responding.

I still don't understand how camera 7, which was not installed and sitting in its box on the kitchen counter, is not able to communicate either. I have checked all settings in BI and everything seems fine.

Next I will perform a reset on the camera on the workbench, and report back what happens.

Thanks for the help

Karl

 

[smiticans]

What are your network settings on the computer you’re attempting to configure that cameras with? Did you assign that a static IP address? Has the IP address on it changed?

 

[tigerwillow1]

It would be helpful for you to post the ip address for 1 or 2 of the cameras found by config tool, and the ip address of your computer. For the computer's ip address, open a dos box, called COMMAND by windows, and type ipconfig. You're looking for the IPv4 address. You can also find it through control panel. It always takes me longer that way.