Please help with Firmware for 30x PTZ camera (that has buggy firmware) - for Duhua NVR

[aforum]

Hi, can someone please 1) Give me firmware for a 30x PTZ camera (it is 8MP, but I only need 5mp).

• It has white and IR LEDS. (But I want the Whites disabled.)
• It has human AI detection.
• 360 rotation, POE connection, and no WIFI.
• Let me know if there's anything else I need to tell you about.

And 2) Tell me how I can find out whos firmware will work?

The problem is I bought 2 new 30x PTZ cameras on Amazon. But their firmware is defective!

1. Bug: The listing claimed it is 30x optical zoom - cant confirm. But every time I max zoom in, the camera unzooms to zero by itself. It did this 10 times. I was aimed at a closed door, wall, house, or mountain - no human, but it unzooms after 5 to 10 seconds. (The seller is telling me that camera detected a car and zoomed out. That doesnt make sense and I tried this at 3 locations.)
2. Bug: cant disable White LEDS, or else IRs also disable (uses the same setting). The camera has white LEDS and IRs. I never want the Whites to activate, so I want them disabled. But I want IR set to auto. But I cant because the dumb firmware treats the on/off setting the same for White and IR Leds - when the firmware should have separate settings.)
3. Bug: cant change resolution to 5MP or 6MP - only 8MP is an option. (This is an annoyance - the 8MP lags my computer. And my NVR is 6MP max, so I dont want the high bandwidth of 8MP.)
4. Bug: I cant even test connect this to my Dahua NVR. None of the ports work for manual IP add. (I know the camera IP and password. But I tried ports 80, 8080, 8000, 8091, 37777, etc. But the NVR will not detect/login the camera - while I can go to the Cam's IP address on my computer, and login to preview the camera/see its settings. I've added many other brands of IP cams and they work on the NVR. But this cam is useless if I cant connect it to my NVR to record.)
5. Bug or defect: the PTZ movement is laggy/delayed and sometimes ignores rotation commands. (I have a high speed 20x PTZ to compare to. So this 30x must be lower quality or bugged.)

So that's why I request someone else's Firmware that corrects these bugs. (Cant solve with the seller, already tried.)
I bought 2 and can return. But time is the issue. I wasted 2 weeks shopping for 30x PTZ cameras (which I need to install a week before Halloween). But sellers lied to me, and now the last backup seller fell through - suddenly doesnt have his PTZ in stock. And China is going on a holiday for 8 days - thus I cannot get a replacement shipped by Oct 22. Thus I wanted to try to salvage the PTZs I bought.

Thank you.

 

[wittaj]

Don't waste anymore time on those and return while you still can. Nobody here will have firmware for that camera.

Spend a little more and get some real PTZs from trusted vendor @EMPIRETECANDY

Amazon US shop Link. Amazon.com
Amazon Canada Shop Link. Amazon.ca
IP CAMTALK Shop IP Cameras & Blue Iris - IP Cam Talk Store
Empiretech Official Website : www.empiretech01.com
Direct Order Contact me to order by email if you want to buy directly or talking on system design and camera selection. My email is kingsecurity2014@163.com.
Europe customers and other countries' customers, still can buy directly, we ship from US via free tax way for EU customer.

 

[aforum]

Thanks for the reply. Technically I have the Firmware for my 20x PTZ. But Im seeking more information if it's safe/possible to use Firmware for a 20x on a 30x.
Or if someone has a better match.

And Im not a business, I cant afford your cameras. So that's not an option.

 

[wittaj]

Not my business so I'm not trying to sell anything lol, just another person like you that once bought some no name PTZ and tried to make it work and dorked around too long and missed the return period and now I am stuck with a broke PTZ.

I would have been better off to spend the money on a better one. A wise person said here buy once, cry once lol.

You said you bought 2 of them. Instead combine that money and go with one better camera and come out ahead.

I doubt anyone here would recommend updating the firmware, especially if the vendor can't help you. We see too many people brick their cams trying an update. But if you are still within the return period give it a try lol.

Firmware is written by the manufacturer and are specific to that camera, so you can't flash another manufacturer firmware on it and nobody but the vendor/seller would have the right firmware for a particular camera and chipset.

And best practice is to match brand of NVR with cameras to ensure full compatibility and even more so with PTZs.

 

[Broachoski]

GET A REFUND!
I made the same mistake trying to save a couple hundred bucks and it was a waste of time and money.
Updating firmware is risky enough on the name brand cameras and if it doesn't go right there is no return.

 

[aforum]

Ah, I see. Thanks.
I did look at their list. Way too expensive for only a 25x optical - costs $700 more than my 20x optical (which works good).
Im in the market for a 36x optical for $255 from the 20x seller that I trust. But his cams arent available in time. (He sells from China and on Amazon - his Amazon price gets markup, while his China stock wouldnt ship for 8 days since they go on a week holiday.)

And update to my #3) I was finally able to login thru the NVR by again trying ONVIF and Custom mode, and port 8091, which had a green light for 3 seconds.

• Then it stopped, wouldnt connect. But now port 80 works (didnt a few days ago), while port 8091 refuses to connect (it's a port i found listed in the cam settings).

But bug #2) Does anyone know how I can alter firmware so the White LED stays off? Or use someone's firmware for that? They still are randomly flashing on if Im in the light or dark.

• I looked in the cam settings, and see no Firmware version other than the 2nd pic I posted.

 

[aforum]

Updating firmware is risky enough on the name brand cameras and if it doesn't go right there is no return.

This cam has a physical reset button near the POE connector. Would that reset the Firmware to their original one? or just the settings?
And Im willing to risk the Firmware since if it fails I can still return. Not my fault their factory firmware doesnt work.

And what did you pay for how much optical zoom? And from which market? Ty.

 

[wittaj]

Keep in mind 30x optical zoom means nothing as that is based on the initial focal length of the camera.

You need to be looking at the focal length mm range as a camera with 15x zoom may actually have more zoom power than a 30x zoom based on the mm it starts with at wide zoom.

Factory reset simply sets the parameters back to default. It will not revert a camera to the firmware from the factory. If the firmware was updated then that will be the firmware after a factory reset.

And again, you can't use someone else's firmware as this is firmware developed specifically for that camera. It isn't like a software package that can be loaded on any computer - you have to use the firmware created by the vendor of the camera.

 

[aforum]

I saw a post here where someone used different firmware model in their cameras, and it worked. Thats why I asked here. Im hoping someone has 30x firmware for a China PTZ, that may be compatible with mine.

I also read that some China sellers are hacking their firmware (before sales) to give fake Optical zoom readings. And they tell people not to update the firmware themselves (since it would undo the fake display).

And for the zoom. Yes I tried asking their lens MM range. But since I cant install this outside yet (next to my 20x), I cant test the distance to see what zoom this really is.
I got it working now on the NVR. But the White Leds randomly coming on, is a problem.

 

[Broachoski]

Keep in mind 30x optical zoom means nothing as that is based on the initial focal length of the camera.

EXACTLY and when you start reading the fine and frequently missing print, most all of those advertised as being 30x zoom turn out to be 20x optical plus 10x digital.
I have 2 cameras that have 45X optical zoom.
One has 3.95mm-177.75mm lens and another has 8 mm–360 mm
That is one hell of a difference between 177.75 and 360mm

 

[aforum]

when you start reading the fine and frequently missing print, most all of those advertised as being 30x zoom turn out to be 20x optical plus 10x digital.

Thats what wasted weeks of my time. I did read the stats for many listings, then had to specifically ask each seller and tell them that others were selling fake cameras, so tell me the real lens range. And most were fake. So then I had to ask the next seller. Then I found the camera in OP and it appears to be 30x without digital blowout. But has the stupid firmware issue.

How much did you pay for your 45x optical and how many years ago? (Prices have gone down some. But 45x seems expensive.)

 

[Broachoski]

How much did you pay for your 45x optical and how many years ago? (Prices have gone down some. But 45x seems expensive.)

My 2MP SD6CE245XA-HNR was $670 a couple years ago and still $719.
It started about 3 years ago when I bought an $188. China 30X cam because I could not see forking out $400 for a 25X Dahua from Empire Tech-Andy. It was wonky and never would auto track. Soon after that, I sprang for a 2MP 25X 49225XA-HNR when he had a sale on it and it is still a favorite. That model has been replaced with newer 4MP SD49425XB-HNR which is about $440 retail.
I am not "pushing" these cameras as it just become an obsessive hobby to me though it started when I bought some $20 Wyze cameras and everything went down hill from there.

 

[wittaj]

The only time a different firmware works is if the manufacturer has the same firmware for a few different models.

Or say someone bought a Lorex camera and found the equivalent Dahua camera and flashes the cheaper Lorex firmware with thebmore expensive Dahua firmware. But in this case Dahua makes Lorex. Same with Annke and Hikvision.

HTF knows who makes that cheap PTZ - they may even source it out to different vendors all using different firmwares.

And yes some vendors have taken a Chinese region camera and hacked the firmware to English and trying to update it will either brick it or turn it into Chinese.

All reasons why we don't recommend updating firmware, especially after the return period is over.

And similar to above I started out with a $250 25x zoom no name PTZ that never worked properly from the beginning and the vendor kept dragging on a firmware update they would send and dragged it past the return period and then I was stuck with a partly working PTZ. Within a year I replaced it with the 49225 PTZ mentioned above that I picked up on sale for like $370.

So to try to save a few bucks I wasted $250 and then still ended up buying the better PTZ lol.