HIKVISION random connection loss (only power reset helps)

[romVsen]

Hi all!
I have 3 HIKVISION DS-2CD2432F-IW cameras. Two POE and one not POE. The cameras were originally Chinese with 5.2.5 firmware but now (thank you alastairstevenson!) they have the latest v5.4.5 Build 170123.
The problem: I have random connection loss on all these cameras (not simultaneously). The camera looks good: all indicators OK but I can't connect to it by web browser. SADPTool doesn't see it. Only power reset helps. The problem was on 5.2.5 (may be not so often) and exist now (on v5.4.5).

I haven't changed default ports. I have tried to change settings (for example less bitrate) but nothing helps.

I have WAN access to the cameras by port forwarding. But after power reset of the problem camera I see my IP address (so no change in settings). And I thoroughly inspect logs on my router: no external connections. So I hope there are no hacks cameras inside my local network.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Bink]

The newer firmwares are broken—see 5.4.5 Network Disconnected Exceptions for details. Hikvision doesn’t care.

 

[alastairstevenson]

The newer firmwares are broken—see 5.4.5 Network Disconnected Exceptions for details. Hikvision doesn’t care.

But that's only a transient 'reset the ethernet interface in case it's no longer responding as there have been no packets in the last 3 minutes' that only occurs when no traffic is being pulled from the camera. And does not stop the camera responding.

 

[Bink]

...does not stop the camera responding.

In my experience, it stops the camera from responding whenever the interface is resetting and this prevents connectivity—I haven’t done enough testing to see how long it takes the interface to reset and how that might also play with Spanning Tree Protocol and related.

 

[alastairstevenson]

I haven’t done enough testing to see how long it takes the interface to reset

It's a fractional second, once every 3 or 4 minutes depending on the firmware version settings.
And it certainly does not cause the camera to be unresponsive outside that time.

 

[Bink]

And it certainly does not cause the camera to be unresponsive outside that time.

As I said, I have had connectivity issues due to this problem—the issues go away when there is constant traffic to the device.

 

[alastairstevenson]

@romVsen - as an experiment, try setting up a ping -t <camera_IP_address> and see if that changes anything.
@Bink is correct in that anything that is monitoring camera connectivity will pick up on the interface resets that occur when there are sustained periods with no traffic.
Are you pulling video feeds from the cameras?
A steady ping will keep the traffic counters going such that the interface rests do not get actioned.

 

[romVsen]

romVsen - as an experiment, try setting up a ping -t <camera_IP_address> and see if that changes anything.

Didn't do it so far because my "connection exist" period is rather long. I think I should try to use HikConnect for something similar.
And I don't stream video all the time. Only time to time I connect to check if all is OK.

@Bink I just wonder: if problem exist in firmware (5.4.5 and 5.5 as well) why only your cameras (every 3-5 minutes) and my cameras (every 1-2 days) exposed to the disconnection problem? (where are many complains from other users?)
And why the "connection exist" period so different in your and my cases?

 

[Bink]

...why only your cameras (every 3-5 minutes) and my cameras (every 1-2 days) exposed to the disconnection problem? ... And why the "connection exist" period so different in your and my cases?

I'm not certain why. You might want to check the logs of your cameras. You might be experiencing the issue more than you know.

 

[romVsen]

I'm not certain why. You might want to check the logs of your cameras. You might be experiencing the issue more than you know.

Would be so kind to help to do it? I see nothing in logs available in web interface. I can enable SSH access to enter in BusyBox protected shell but it is very restricted environment.
Thank you in advance!

 

[Bink]

I see nothing in logs available in web interface.

If you see nothing in the logs, then your issue is likely different than mine.

 

[tommyd75]

I think I’m having the same issue with a 2132F2 minidome which is not connected to a NVR but occasionally connected to via a VLC shorcut. It’s on 5.4.5 and it seems like the same problem. I will have to check the logs and do some testing. But it seems like I have to reboot it and then it starts to work again. But if I haven’t used it in a few hours and come back to it it’s not online. I had tested it overnight and set a ping and it never stopped pinging.


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[Penhead]

Didn't do it so far because my "connection exist" period is rather long. I think I should try to use HikConnect for something similar.
And I don't stream video all the time. Only time to time I connect to check if all is OK.

@Bink I just wonder: if problem exist in firmware (5.4.5 and 5.5 as well) why only your cameras (every 3-5 minutes) and my cameras (every 1-2 days) exposed to the disconnection problem? (where are many complains from other users?)
And why the "connection exist" period so different in your and my cases?

I've got 4 doing the 1-2 day lockup routine.

 

[romVsen]

It seems enough time has passed to write the following: I enabled HikConnect about 10 days ago on all three cameras and "random connection lost" problem hasn't been appeared till now.
The only explanation: HikConnect service check connection periodically and hence doesn't allow them enter in problem state.
Still in test...

 

[tommyd75]

It seems enough time has passed to write the following: I enabled HikConnect about 10 days ago on all three cameras and "random connection lost" problem hasn't been appeared till now.
The only explanation: HikConnect service check connection periodically and hence doesn't allow them enter in problem state.
Still in test...

That makes sense. I will try turning it back on until they fix this. I definitely remember that I left it off.


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[romVsen]

Something new that confirms a special role of hikconnect: if I switch off my router (so cameras have no internet access) I get my problem again in a several hours. But when I turned the router on all problem cameras become available in a few seconds.

 

[scarface]

Any news on this? I have the same problem, sort of anyway. I have 3 2032 cams and only one is doing this (little newer manufacture date). The cam is on and records but the "web server" or interface stops responding after 24-34h. I have NTP checking set to 60min but I will try to add the camera to Hik-connect.

The camera does not get online until I power cycle..

Oh, and yes, its updated with the "special" method to 5.4.5..

Thanks!

 

[cruing]

I've got 7 Hikvision cameras and I've got the same issue on some of my cameras.
Is there a solution to fix this problem?

Thanks

 

[scarface]

I've got 7 Hikvision cameras and I've got the same issue on some of my cameras.
Is there a solution to fix this problem?

Thanks

Well, I have connected just that camera with Hik-connect and it have worked since wednesday.. Not the best solution but it works. Im not exposing the http port outside just the data port and its converted to another range.

@alastairstevenson - Im curious though, that particular camera that has the problem (2032 IW) is almost a year younger than my other 2032 cams and it required the CN version of "Brick_Fix". The others didnt. What version of brickfix did you guys use? OR are all traces of brick_fix erased when updating the 5.4.5 FW?

 

[alastairstevenson]

are all traces of brick_fix erased when updating the 5.4.5 FW?

Because these cameras use a read/write file system, if you were to look carefully you'd find 2 extra files in the /dav folder - the fixup.sh script and the fixup_log.txt logfile.
The rest of the folders would be populated from the stock 5.4.5 firmware.
But the main clue to the history, if Hikvision wanted to be nasty in a new firmware release and target these cameras that have the benefits of the improved and backdoor-fixed firmware would be the differences in the 'hardware signature block' copies in mtdblock6 and mtdblock5.
But I seriously doubt that will be the cause of any problems - if so, we'd have heard about it.

Im curious though, that particular camera that has the problem (2032 IW) is almost a year younger than my other 2032 cams and it required the CN version of "Brick_Fix".

That will likely be due to how the seller had done the 'hacked to English' mod on the China region cameras.
I've seen some which simply have had 'hacked to English' firmware, with the language byte on mtd6 still holding 02 (CN) and some which have had the 'classic mtd hack' where the language byte is 01 (EN).