Onvif port conflict

[Jimmyangle]

hi I'm new to all this nvr IP camera stuff but I've been fitting security systems for 15 years. This problem has got me confused. I have a 4 channel nvr with 3x 1080p onvif cameras (port 80) and 1x 960p onvif camera (port 8999) the 3 are fine but the 960p camera keeps rebooting all the time the picture will be on then off again. They all have individual IP addresses the nvr is on the network and remotely viewed. So there must be a conflict somewhere I think it may be to do with the onvif ports but I'm guessing really I don't know if you've got to forward any ports for the different cameras so I could do with some help really any ideas welcome
Thanks

 

[alastairstevenson]

It's more likely that there is a bug in the camera firmware that's causing the rebooting. Have you checked for updates / contacted the supplier or manufacturer?
Has the ONVIF or web admin or RTSP port for the problem camera been customised? I have read on other forums of cameras becoming unreliable when ports were changed from defaults, though I do not recall the details.

If you have unique IP addresses for all devices, there is no conflict. Using the same port on a different IP address is not a conflict, and not a problem.

 

[40th Floor]

Paras lost (see if I can fix that).

Is the problem camera rebooting or only losing picture for some time (how long)? Just to make that clear.

Anyway, I'd do this to start:

- Disconnect all but the problem camera

Still happen? Yes.

It's got nothing to do with the other cameras. Probably a bad cable. Maybe the network port (either end). Maybe the power at that network port.

- Try another cable and/or another network port

- Take it out of service

Still happen? No.

It may be a power supply problem. Direct connect power if that camera has that option (as in, don't use POE) and put the other cameras back in.

Bullet-type IP cameras typically use a watt, maybe two, perhaps three with Ir, so it's a long shot, but NVRs are made to spec, and no better, so it may only be spec'ed to provide 4 times X watts of power, and you are at (say) 4 times X + 1 watts. The camera least able to take a power drop dies first.


There is nothing special about "onvif port".

 

[Jimmyangle]

Hi thanks do the advice I should of added. The camera goes off for around 30 seconds I can hear it clicking as it reboots then it comes back on for 30 seconds. I've tried 2 different power supplies known to be good ones (5a the camera uses 1a) I've tried different network points to no avail. But when the camera is connected to the nvr I can't get into its web interface with my laptops on the same network. When I connect my laptop directly to the camera it connects and the picture is stable doesn't reboot. That's why it got me thinking I may need to forward some ports to the camera. I've got another camera and nvr turning up in a couple of days so I can play about with those. I don't want to keep going backwards and forwards to clients premises and looking confused and not being able to get to the bottom of the problem

 

[mkkoskin]

ONVIF has a product search on their website: http://www.onvif.org/FindaProduct/ProfileProducts.aspx

If the camera model is not listed here, there is no guarantee it actually is ONVIF compliant, and this can cause any sort of problems. I just tested an older Sony camera with old firmware, that does support ONVIF but only with later firmware. I get the image with ONVIF but then lose the connection, this kept happening a lot. I then upgraded the firmware (to the one used for ONVIF tests according to the report) and it works like a charm.

So on your first post you only say you have 3x 1080p ONVIF cameras and 1x 960p ONVIF camera, are these some cheap chinese cams or actually have a brand and model?

Since ONVIF is actually just a protocol to make it easier to get RTSP stream from the camera, can you get a stable stream from RTSP directly (rtsp://ipaddrort/path to VLC player for example)?

 

[Jimmyangle]

They are supposedly from a reputable company. But I think they are just re-branded cheep cameras I'll have a look at the model number and check that website for compliance thanks for your help

 

[alastairstevenson]

You won't find many of the low-cost Chinese ONVIF compliant cameras on the ONVIF certified list. Hikvision is an exception - but they are a very large company.
That doesn't mean though that the low-cost cameras don't work well with an ONVIF connection. My own experience is that they do, with the exception of motion detection (push / pull event subscriptions) which is not a mandatory requirement in the ONVIF ProfileS specification, so rarely implemented. Again, Hikvision is an exception here.

If you want to use the ONVIF protocol to find out loads about the camera, try the excellent Windows open-source tool 'ONVIF Device Manager' from sourceforge.net
You will be able to how well the camera talks ONVIF when you look at the responses.
You can also see the camera-reported RTSP URI at the bottom of the 'Live Video' page.

When you connect the camera direct to the laptop you are using the camera's web access and viewer plug-in. When the camera is connected to the NVR, you will be using an RTSP video stream. So quite different parts of the camera firmware in play.
As mkkoskin suggested - test using VLC, with the known correct RTSP URI from ONVIF Device Manager and see how that performs.

 

[Jimmyangle]

Hopefully I can get to the site the weekend and do a bit more delving I'll try those to programs and see what they say. I'll let you know how I get on

thanks again for the advice

 

[alastairstevenson]

Good luck. And presumably you have a spare camera to swap out the offending one as a 'Plan B'.

 

[Jimmyangle]

Yea I'm going prepared spare camera, nvr, power supply kitchen sink and a whole lot of coffee ha ha this one ain't getting the better of me