IP Camera keeps going off line

[actruck]

I have an issue with a camera going off line then coming back on in a day, maybe 3.
My setup is 6 IP Cams connected to a WS-POE-48v60w POE Injector using BI software installed on a Dell server. 4 cameras are outside and 2 are inside. All outside cameras are working fine. One inside camera is working fine. I have one that keeps going off line but comes back on in a day or so.

My cameras:
Outside:
(4) Hikvision DS-2CD2032F

Inside:
(1) Hikvision DS-2CD2432F (Just replaced with identical LaView below)
(1) LaViiew LV-PC902F2-W

Here’s what I have tried so far to eliminate the problem.
Replaced network cable…twice
Moved camera to new ports on POE injector as well as the switch
Moved camera power from POE to ac power supply
Installed an identical LaView camera in place of the Hikvision.

All of the above net the same results.

Problem has been going on for roughly 3 months. Nothing has changed inside where the cameras are installed. The second camera inside is basically facing the bad camera and has been working fine since installation 2 months ago.

You can see the other camera above the metal door at the other end of the room, top right corner. I have the same setup at both ends of the building.

Having two cameras do the same thing has me puzzled.


I’m lost. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[nayr]

so when you say same results, you mean the problem followed the camera or stayed with the location? I am presuming its staying with the location?

open a continuos ping to the camera and watch for packetloss, it could be EM interference from nearby appliances or high power lines you ran near.. AC current can screw with DC signals something fierce.. if thats the case you need better shielded wiring or another route to this location.

 

[tangent]

Generally, the easiest ways to get electronics to lock up or behave badly are to provide poor quality power or overheat them.

I'd try moving a few cameras to a different switch and powering the switch and the cameras from a high quality UPS.
You could also just try adding a high quality UPS to your existing setup.

I'm guessing the location is fairly rural / remote, if so it's more likely to have power issues. Most trailer hookups I've seen aren't that robust, if a bunch of things are turned on (also switching transients) you could be having little brown outs that are causing this.

EMI is also possible. Physically moving them as in a literal bench test with short cables is worth trying. Shorter cables could also make brown outs or other similar issues a little less pronounced.

 

[actruck]

nayr,

the problem followed the location. I have the same results with two different cameras so it leads me to believe it's location dependent. Now that you mentioned it, I used shielded cable on all of the outdoor cameras but not the two inside ones. I think I have an extension cord running right above that camera as well but didn't pay any attention to it. I can try moving the camera. If this doesn't work, I'll run a length of shielded cable for both inside cameras and see if that helps.

 

[nayr]

if you catch it loosing signal watch the camera and see if its restarting, usually you'll see the IR lights turn on for a few moments or some sort of indication its starting up... if its not restarting but loosing signal then the network is dropping, if it is restarting then its likely power related.

are you using EIA568B standard on your wiring ends? its nessicary to follow that standard to avoid crosstalk, especially for PoE devices

 

[tangent]

nayr,

the problem followed the location. I have the same results with two different cameras so it leads me to believe it's location dependent. Now that you mentioned it, I used shielded cable on all of the outdoor cameras but not the two inside ones. I think I have an extension cord running right above that camera as well but didn't pay any attention to it. I can try moving the camera. If this doesn't work, I'll run a length of shielded cable for both inside cameras and see if that helps.

Keep your ethernet cables away from ac wiring and things like fluorescent lights. Increasing the distance from sources of interference even just a few inches can make a big difference. Aim for at least 12" pf separation.

 

[nayr]

yep, forgot about lights.. the ballasts often spew EMI like nobody's business, even spirally CFL's that are going bad Ive seen wreak havoc on signal lines running nearby.

I see a few big fluorescent lights hanging from the celling.. those could definitely be the cause of the EMI.. and yeah a few inches might be all you need.

the EMI shielded cable works best with metallic shielded ends into a properly grounded switch, that is also metal.

 

[tangent]

Off the lights I'd try to stay 3' away. If the lights aren't properly grounded they'll emit a lot more emi.

 

[actruck]

I ordered two shielded cables from Amazon which arrived yesterday so I'll swap out the cables this week and see what happens. Ironically, the camera at the opposite end of the room has had no issues. The run is maybe 3 feet shorter but there are electrical cables running as close as is the other camera. This is why this is so weird. If the new cables don't work, I'll try moving the camera to another location. Since providing it's own power supply didn't help, I reconnected the POE to this camera on Saturday and I noticed by the time stamp, the camera went off line again at 9:30 am Sunday.

It was back on yesterday evening but I just checked now (7:30pm EST) and it looks like it went off line again today about the same time it did yesterday. Could this just be a coincidence?

 

[nayr]

air conditioner? if its dropping out in the morning and coming back in the evening it could be getting knocked off by something that runs mostly in the day time.. so perhaps not lights but something else?

 

[actruck]

air conditioner? if its dropping out in the morning and coming back in the evening it could be getting knocked off by something that runs mostly in the day time.. so perhaps not lights but something else?

we have a roof air system that we leave on all week. It's roughly 15 ft away and on a different circuit and breaker if that helps. Out of 6 cameras/locations, this is the only one that does it.

 

[tangent]

I still recommend powering the cams off of a good UPS with automatic voltage regulation. It you want to be excessive also get one with true sine wave output.