New RCA HSDB2A 3MP Doorbell IP Camera

misally

n3wb
Joined
Sep 22, 2020
Messages
20
Reaction score
19
Location
Utah, USA
It's got WPA-"Auto" and WPA2-only modes, so I should have said WPA/WPA2 mode since essentially that's what "Auto" is, and that's what the main IOT subnet uses.
Copy on the VLC.


You can't enable both WPA+WPA2 on your wifi AP/router?

But I don't think that's the cause of your issue. WPA/WPA2 come into play only when the camera connects to the wlan. Since you say the camera does not disconnect from the network, that can't be the problem.

Try opening the RTSP stream with VLC, watch the video for 5 minutes and see if the camera stops streaming, then report back.
 

gudmundurg

n3wb
Joined
Aug 21, 2020
Messages
15
Reaction score
15
Location
Iceland
Power is very important for these small devices, what PS are you using?

After the first phase of the config is finished and the camera joins the network, when you restart the config, usually the wizard sees the camera on the network and skips most of the steps. But in your case, the app does not see the camera on the network. That's the root cause of your problem. If you tried using your phone as AP and it doesn't work, the only conclusion possible is that you have a faulty device, get it replaced.
Back again on the interesting case of the ill behaving doorbell.
As for the powersource, here is a pic of it.
ps.jpg

I'm using the 12V output. I understand the requirements are to have somewhere from 8-24V.
Just to test it, I also tried the 8V and it behaves the same.

And now for the fun part.
To have it shipped to Iceland, cost me about as much as the cost of the doorbell. So returning it might be fun, at least and interesting exercise.
I kind of want to be 100% sure it is faulty before I buy another one to make sure I don't run into the same problem with another unit.
But maybe we've exhausted all options.
 

misally

n3wb
Joined
Sep 22, 2020
Messages
20
Reaction score
19
Location
Utah, USA
OK, so have learned a few more things...

1- Connecting via VLC had the stream stop every 3 minutes
2- I took a closer look at the router syslog entries, and while my QVR client wasn't reporting the camera disconnecting, it clearly is... "Disassociated because sending station is leaving (or has left) BSS (8) " followed 12 seconds later by an association in the router logs.
3- I created a new 5GHz subnet for IOT devices that is WPA2 only, and tried moving the device to that after a total reset. Same issue occurring.
4- I decided to briefly allow it to call home to that single IP address. It did, and it must be a C2 server, as then tried to connect to several other IPs, including streaming UDP to a Tencent cloud IP in the USA... surely this isn't so blatant as to stream your video to the cloud without your permission?

You can't enable both WPA+WPA2 on your wifi AP/router?

But I don't think that's the cause of your issue. WPA/WPA2 come into play only when the camera connects to the wlan. Since you say the camera does not disconnect from the network, that can't be the problem.

Try opening the RTSP stream with VLC, watch the video for 5 minutes and see if the camera stops streaming, then report back.
 

misally

n3wb
Joined
Sep 22, 2020
Messages
20
Reaction score
19
Location
Utah, USA
BTW, the UDP packet it's trying to beam out is not video, it's sending the device serial # in an xml output.:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Request>
<DevSerial>E277xxxxx</DevSerial>
</Request>
 

Emiks5

Pulling my weight
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
143
Reaction score
187
Location
Netherlands
Non intuitively, the higher the voltage, the lower the temperature of the doorbell will be.
I do not agree. The db most probably has a voltage converter, which will have to dissipate its overpower, which will make the db hotter the more overvoltage it has.
So it would be really intersting if someone would be able to test this on a workbench.
 
Last edited:

alexdelprete

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jan 2, 2020
Messages
651
Reaction score
876
Location
Rome, Italy
OK, looks like the issue was the ICMP firewall issue discussed on the 101 page. Enabled a rule for that and the disconnects appear to have stopped immediately.
I thought you had already checked 101, for network issues. Anyway, after the VLC hint, I would have told you to check the firewall rules.

Glad you nailed it.
 

alexdelprete

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jan 2, 2020
Messages
651
Reaction score
876
Location
Rome, Italy
Back again on the interesting case of the ill behaving doorbell.
As for the powersource, here is a pic of it.
View attachment 71215

I'm using the 12V output. I understand the requirements are to have somewhere from 8-24V.
Just to test it, I also tried the 8V and it behaves the same.

And now for the fun part.
To have it shipped to Iceland, cost me about as much as the cost of the doorbell. So returning it might be fun, at least and interesting exercise.
I kind of want to be 100% sure it is faulty before I buy another one to make sure I don't run into the same problem with another unit.
But maybe we've exhausted all options.
8VA? I'd never go that low. Buy a 12-24V transformer with at least 20VA or more. That thing is a tiny chime transformer, not good for a camera, despite its low requirements.
 

rafale

Pulling my weight
Joined
May 31, 2019
Messages
103
Reaction score
115
Location
Portlandia
I do not agree. The db most probably has a voltage converter, which will have to dissipate its overpower, which will make the db hotter the more overvoltage it has.
So it would be really intersting if someone would be able to test this on a workbench.
This doesn't make sense.
You are confusing higher voltage with higher power. The doorbell has a power input regulator which pulls more current if the voltage is low and less current if the voltage is high enough. Effectively it will have to draw a lot more current and dissipate more heat while drawing more power at lower voltages. This is true for any transformer/power supply.
I live in the US and grew in Europe. You can look up why for example the US running 110V makes appliances a lot less efficient than the same appliances running 220V/240V in Europe and they will be reflected in higher wattages. If you look at PC ATX power supplies you will notice that indeed the power efficiency ratings/power factors are better at higher input voltages even though a lot of engineering has gone into making them close but it is always better for the more efficient for the higher voltage. Higher efficiency means less loss dissipated in heat.
This is high school physics. You will lose more voltage through your resistance as your current increases. The doorbell will draw more current proportionally as you decrease voltage (in reality it is the transformer which will push more current to maintain its voltage and therefore increase the current in the circuit). As the current increases, heat will be generated through all the resistance in the circuit and drop voltage further, causing further increase in current until it reaches an equilibrium. You essentially generate more heat everywhere from your transformer to the doorbell. If curious, you could measure the voltage under load at the doorbell. I would not be too surprised if it is a lot lower than at the transformer output. The lower the voltage, the higher the difference % will be.

The power of your transformer comes from the VA rating. Not the voltage. The VA rating is a capacity rating. A higher VA rating will not cause you to generate more heat. A lower voltage will.
 
Last edited:

KC8DKT

Getting the hang of it
Joined
Jul 5, 2015
Messages
80
Reaction score
70
Location
Moundsville, WV
I do not agree. The db most probably has a voltage converter, which will have to dissipate its overpower, which will make the db hotter the more overvoltage it has.
So it would be really intersting if someone would be able to test this on a workbench.
I was thinking the same thing in terms of the voltage converter is hotter with more voltage but I do not know enough to say what is going on.

What I do know is when I got my VDB I picked up a 16v 40va trans and it ran so hot it would reboot on hot days about every 10min. It would be working, then the blue led ring would go off, then it would come back on flashing red, then it would go back to steady blue and start working again in BI5. This was NOT just a signal to BI5 problem!

When I bricked it messing with diff FW the SDCard was almost too hot to hold in my hand when I pulled it out. When I found out my chime was bad and I needed to get a new one I decided to try the lower 8v setup because some one else had a hot VDB problem and rebooting problem and posted about a lower voltage trans fixed his problem.

I changed nothing in BI5 settings and I know of NOTHING in BI that could keep track of how hot of a day it is and some how force the VDB to reboot like it was doing ONLY ON HOT DAYS then stop at night when it cooled down. Till some one tells me how BI5 could be doing this (what/where the setting is and how it tracks temps for the day) I will stick with my 8v trans and MUCH lower temps.

Going from almost too hot to hold in your hand to cooler then the wall its mounted on and it no longer reboots on hot days is NOT a BI5 setting. I may not know why but its working GREAT and has bean for over 14 months or longer now. I am just glad its work and the ONVIF is working in BI5 for remote PIR triggers.
 

TechBill

Known around here
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
1,770
Reaction score
1,175
Interesting

you do not need to reset doorbell to go through setup to get to the part where you select if you’re using chime or not.

just be sure to save QR code to you phone which will have serial number then delete the DB1 offthe EZVIZ app and add a new device again

Follow the steps and make your selections to add it back in.

Since you are not resetting it, it still stay connected to your WiFi when you remove it and add it back on again

But it didn’t fix my chime issue . Waiting to hear back from support on this after following their steps
 

KC8DKT

Getting the hang of it
Joined
Jul 5, 2015
Messages
80
Reaction score
70
Location
Moundsville, WV
Back again on the interesting case of the ill behaving doorbell.
As for the powersource, here is a pic of it.
View attachment 71215

I'm using the 12V output. I understand the requirements are to have somewhere from 8-24V.
Just to test it, I also tried the 8V and it behaves the same.

And now for the fun part.
To have it shipped to Iceland, cost me about as much as the cost of the doorbell. So returning it might be fun, at least and interesting exercise.
I kind of want to be 100% sure it is faulty before I buy another one to make sure I don't run into the same problem with another unit.
But maybe we've exhausted all options.
Only 8va, that is really low for power. I do not think that is enough power for the VDB and a mechanical chime box.
 

KC8DKT

Getting the hang of it
Joined
Jul 5, 2015
Messages
80
Reaction score
70
Location
Moundsville, WV
Interesting

you do not need to reset doorbell to go through setup to get to the part where you select if you’re using chime or not.

just be sure to save QR code to you phone which will have serial number then delete the DB1 offthe EZVIZ app and add a new device again

Follow the steps and make your selections to add it back in.

Since you are not resetting it, it still stay connected to your WiFi when you remove it and add it back on again

But it didn’t fix my chime issue . Waiting to hear back from support on this after following their steps
I could be wrong but if I remember right the EZVIZ app has a gear icon you can tap to go into the settings and get to that option. I did not use it much I ended up going with the RCA DB with Hik FW and the RCA app. The RCA app was ALOT like the EZVIZ app and I could swear it had the same little gear settings icon the RCA app has to get to that chime option.
 

gudmundurg

n3wb
Joined
Aug 21, 2020
Messages
15
Reaction score
15
Location
Iceland
8VA? I'd never go that low. Buy a 12-24V transformer with at least 20VA or more. That thing is a tiny chime transformer, not good for a camera, despite its low requirements.
Ok, worth the try. You think that can cause this behavior?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

KC8DKT

Getting the hang of it
Joined
Jul 5, 2015
Messages
80
Reaction score
70
Location
Moundsville, WV
Ok, worth the try. You think that can cause this behavior?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yes, regardless of what volts you decide to go with having only 8va is very low. I do not think this is the problem though, low VA tends to work just fine till you push the button and the chime trys to ring. That is when a low VA will reboot your VDB.

Dumb question, I may have missed it, reading your posts I do not see any info about setting it up in any other apps but if you did. I know if you setup the VDB in the ezviz app then reset it and try to set it up again with the RCA app it will get to the point of looking for it on the network (80% to 90%) and just hang. I had to reinstall the ezviz app and tell that app to REMOVE the device, then restarted the RCA app and it worked fine with no hang up. If you did try more then 1 app check it out / give it a try. I believe the 101 post has some thing about this.
 
Last edited:

Emiks5

Pulling my weight
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
143
Reaction score
187
Location
Netherlands
This doesn't make sense.
You are confusing higher voltage with higher power. The doorbell has a power input regulator which pulls more current if the voltage is low and less current if the voltage is high enough. Effectively it will have to draw a lot more current and dissipate more heat while drawing more power at lower voltages. This is true for any transformer/power supply.
I live in the US and grew in Europe. You can look up why for example the US running 110V makes appliances a lot less efficient than the same appliances running 220V/240V in Europe and they will be reflected in higher wattages. If you look at PC ATX power supplies you will notice that indeed the power efficiency ratings/power factors are better at higher input voltages even though a lot of engineering has gone into making them close but it is always better for the more efficient for the higher voltage. Higher efficiency means less loss dissipated in heat.
This is high school physics. You will lose more voltage through your resistance as your current increases. The doorbell will draw more current proportionally as you decrease voltage (in reality it is the transformer which will push more current to maintain its voltage and therefore increase the current in the circuit). As the current increases, heat will be generated through all the resistance in the circuit and drop voltage further, causing further increase in current until it reaches an equilibrium. You essentially generate more heat everywhere from your transformer to the doorbell. If curious, you could measure the voltage under load at the doorbell. I would not be too surprised if it is a lot lower than at the transformer output. The lower the voltage, the higher the difference % will be.

The power of your transformer comes from the VA rating. Not the voltage. The VA rating is a capacity rating. A higher VA rating will not cause you to generate more heat. A lower voltage will.
There is no transformer inside the DB, so the voltage (after the converter) of the DB is not depending on the input voltage, neither is the current . Like some people stated, the DB will also run on DC. Most probably the voltage in the DB is regulated through a linear voltage regulator (after being rectified), which will set the power to the circuitry to a predefined and stable voltage. This voltage Vout is indepent of the supplied voltage Vin as long as this is higher than the needed voltage Vout and the current Idc is sufficient for the DB. The overvoltage (overpower if you will) is dissipated as heat. The power dissipated is equal to (Vin-Vout)*Idc. So the power dissipated in the voltage converter is only depending on the supplied Voltage Vin (and of course the power Vout*Idc needed by the DB, but this is a device-parameter of the DB).
See Introduction to Linear Voltage Regulators
The current through the wires to the DB and in the circuitry of the DB is independent of both the voltage and the (rated) power of the chime-transformer as long as these are sufficient.
So in short the heat dissipation is lineair depending on the voltage difference Vin-Vout, the higher the the Vin the more heat.
 

KC8DKT

Getting the hang of it
Joined
Jul 5, 2015
Messages
80
Reaction score
70
Location
Moundsville, WV
There is no transformer inside the DB, so the voltage (after the converter) of the DB is not depending on the input voltage, neither is the current . Like some people stated, the DB will also run on DC. Most probably the voltage in the DB is regulated through a linear voltage regulator (after being rectified), which will set the power to the circuitry to a predefined and stable voltage. This voltage Vout is indepent of the supplied voltage Vin as long as this is higher than the needed voltage Vout and the current Idc is sufficient for the DB. The overvoltage (overpower if you will) is dissipated as heat. The power dissipated is equal to (Vin-Vout)*Idc. So the power dissipated in the voltage converter is only depending on the supplied Voltage Vin (and of course the power Vout*Idc needed by the DB, but this is a device-parameter of the DB).
See Introduction to Linear Voltage Regulators
The current through the wires to the DB and in the circuitry of the DB is independent of both the voltage and the (rated) power of the chime-transformer as long as these are sufficient.
So in short the heat dissipation is lineair depending on the voltage difference Vin-Vout, the higher the the Vin the more heat.
Thanks for the info, this is more or less what I was thinking was going on. The higher the voltage input the more the 5vdc or 3.3vdc reg (I assume) has to dissipate as heat to bring the voltage down for the internals to run on.
 

alexdelprete

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jan 2, 2020
Messages
651
Reaction score
876
Location
Rome, Italy
Ok, worth the try. You think that can cause this behavior?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
low and discontinued service power can lead to literally anything. Since you tried almost everything, I would certainly buy a proper transformer, it's not wasted money because even when you'll have to buy a new DB1, you will have the right transformer.

I recommend a good 12V/24V-40VA continuous service transformer, from a good brand, you'll spend €20-30.

I think you have a badly defective unit, to be replaced. It's not under warranty right?
 

rafale

Pulling my weight
Joined
May 31, 2019
Messages
103
Reaction score
115
Location
Portlandia
There is no transformer inside the DB, so the voltage (after the converter) of the DB is not depending on the input voltage, neither is the current . Like some people stated, the DB will also run on DC. Most probably the voltage in the DB is regulated through a linear voltage regulator (after being rectified), which will set the power to the circuitry to a predefined and stable voltage. This voltage Vout is indepent of the supplied voltage Vin as long as this is higher than the needed voltage Vout and the current Idc is sufficient for the DB. The overvoltage (overpower if you will) is dissipated as heat. The power dissipated is equal to (Vin-Vout)*Idc. So the power dissipated in the voltage converter is only depending on the supplied Voltage Vin (and of course the power Vout*Idc needed by the DB, but this is a device-parameter of the DB).
See Introduction to Linear Voltage Regulators
The current through the wires to the DB and in the circuitry of the DB is independent of both the voltage and the (rated) power of the chime-transformer as long as these are sufficient.
So in short the heat dissipation is lineair depending on the voltage difference Vin-Vout, the higher the the Vin the more heat.
This is incorrect. The electronics inside the DB run in DC. The AC input is only because doorbell circuitry usually use AC to reduce voltage drop through the circuit. All semiconductor chips require power conversion from AC to DC. The doorbell, just like your PC, laptop or your microwave or tablet or cell phone chargers all have an AC to DC converter. What you are saying is completely absurd. To top it off, the fact that it accepts such a wide range of voltage is proof that it has a regulated AC-DC converter (aka transformer).
The current through your circuitry is a direct function of the input voltage. The joules loss in a circuit is W = R*I^2. The transformer is a voltage regulator: It tries to maintain its AC rated voltage no matter what the load is and it does so my increasing its current output until it reaches its VA (volt*Ampere = Watt) limit. The doorbell circuitry will accept a large range of voltage as long as its power is sufficient. The lower the voltage, the higher the current it will draw. The higher the current draw, the higher the voltage drop. The higher the voltage drop, the higher the temperature. The heat dissipation is therefore inverse of the voltage. I don't know how to explain this to you better. It is well known fact and proven by basic experiments. Here you are assuming I think that the doorbell acts as a resistor and that it's power consumption increases as you increase it's voltage. It's not the case. It is a regulated input device which will vary it's resistance according to the input to maintain a power consumption it needs regardless of input. The most absurd is your comment on current being independent of voltage. Even my 10 year old knows this cannot be true. In any case, I can assure you that lower voltage will almost always get you higher heat dissipation and more power loss for the same power which is the case in almost every situation. It is very very basic electricity.
Look also as to why POE was set at 48V for example... It was to reduce the power loss in the ethernet line over long distance by reducing the current requirement. It is also why our power in the grid are always carried at very high voltages until distributed into our homes. It is all to reduce line heat loss by reducing current.
 

Emiks5

Pulling my weight
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
143
Reaction score
187
Location
Netherlands
This is incorrect. The electronics inside the DB run in DC. The AC input is only because doorbell circuitry usually use AC to reduce voltage drop through the circuit. All semiconductor chips require power conversion from AC to DC. The doorbell, just like your PC, laptop or your microwave or tablet or cell phone chargers all have an AC to DC converter. What you are saying is completely absurd. To top it off, the fact that it accepts such a wide range of voltage is proof that it has a regulated AC-DC converter (aka transformer).
The current through your circuitry is a direct function of the input voltage. The joules loss in a circuit is W = R*I^2. The transformer is a voltage regulator: It tries to maintain its AC rated voltage no matter what the load is and it does so my increasing its current output until it reaches its VA (volt*Ampere = Watt) limit. The doorbell circuitry will accept a large range of voltage as long as its power is sufficient. The lower the voltage, the higher the current it will draw. The higher the current draw, the higher the voltage drop. The higher the voltage drop, the higher the temperature. The heat dissipation is therefore inverse of the voltage. I don't know how to explain this to you better. It is well known fact and proven by basic experiments. Here you are assuming I think that the doorbell acts as a resistor and that it's power consumption increases as you increase it's voltage. It's not the case. It is a regulated input device which will vary it's resistance according to the input to maintain a power consumption it needs regardless of input. The most absurd is your comment on current being independent of voltage. Even my 10 year old knows this cannot be true. In any case, I can assure you that lower voltage will almost always get you higher heat dissipation and more power loss for the same power which is the case in almost every situation. It is very very basic electricity.
Look also as to why POE was set at 48V for example... It was to reduce the power loss in the ethernet line over long distance by reducing the current requirement. It is also why our power in the grid are always carried at very high voltages until distributed into our homes. It is all to reduce line heat loss by reducing current.
First of all I don’t understand what your ten year old son has to do with this discussion.

Did you read the link to “introduction to Linear voltage regulator” I added?. Did you understand this? You can apply DCvoltage to this DB, so there is no transformer at the input, but probably a rectifier and a linear voltage controller.. DC current wil also easily pass the rectifier. This is not possible with a transformer. Comparing it to a charging supply for a phone does not make sense,because there you are dealing with much higher voltages, where a transformer makes more sense, also because of the available volume.
Well thats all what I want to say about it at the moment. I still hope someone will do some basic measurements measuring the input current as function of the input voltage as well as the temperatures.
 
Last edited:
Top