Review - Dahua SD49225XA-HNR 2MP 25x Starlight + IR PTZ AI Camera with Deep IVS & SMD Plus

[th182]

You most probably won’t even need it but IF you see the potential FW issue of a preset slip this will help which is why I suggested you create it just in case then can calm it in a tour or manually should you need it. Calling it re-orients the cam 3D pos. in FW, again though only IF you see a preset slip.

Uh oh! I'm getting the slip and its happening any time I manually control the camera or call several presets in a row. To recreate: PTZ Restart > set up Preset 1/Home as 0.0 45.0. Call any preset and all is good. Call a few more presets and all of the sudden my presets are off by a lot. Called Home/Preset 1 and it points the wrong way! Only a PTZ Reset from the camera UI will fix it.

What's odd is it ran all night on a BI controlled Preset Cycle with no issues. Went to manually control it today and that's when the issue first cropped up. After manually controlling it I hit a preset to bring it back where I wanted it and it went to the wrong location. I can recreate the issue just by calling several different presets in a row.

When the camera first arrived yesterday and I powered it up for testing, it ran its boot cycle relatively quietly. Then when I plugged it in outside where it is mounted it made a weird grinding noise during bootup. I programmed all my presets, manually looked around a while, and set it to cycle all night. This morning the cycle was running fine. I called a few presets with no issues. Then I manually controlled the camera looking around the neighborhood. When I was done I called my Driveway preset and it looked at the wall instead of my driveway.

I went in just now and ensured Home/Preset 1 to be true home. After a PTZ Reset it shows 0.0/45.0 to be looking at the wall. First couple presets I called were good but then after the third one or so it was off again. I called Home/Preset 1 and it looked into my yard, 180 degrees from where true home is supposed to be. Whats odd is if I leave it running on the preset cycle, with incorrect locations/off several degrees, when it calls that home preset it looks the wrong way (from where 0/45 was initially), but subsequent preset calls are then correct for a while. It will drift out sometimes but then come back, then drift out, then come back. Manually jumping around between presets or manually moving around causes it to come out of alignment and manually calling the home preset doesn't always fix it.

Any suggestions to troubleshoot/fix this? The camera needs to live on a preset cycle and will be manually controlled quite regularly. I'll do more troubleshooting later today but I wonder if making a jump from "far away" presets where it pans nearly 180 degrees causes the slip. When I have some time later I'll test that theory by being selective on what presets I call. The first time I caused it to drift I was zoomed to 25x and looking way down the street to the west. Then I called a north preset that is at 1x zoom. It's almost as though making that super fast jump in rotation caused it. Just a theory! I'm happy to work with Andy and Wildcat to diagnose!

If I do have to keep the Home trick then I may have to go out and rotate the camera, that 0/45 location does not point anywhere useful. Although it's only there for 1 second I'd like it to at least be looking at the sidewalk rather than the wall.

System VersionV2.800.0000002.3.R.P9.2520.UN.NR, Build Date: 2019-11-21
WEB VersionV3.2.1.819501
ONVIF Version18.12(V2.4.5.729857)
PTZ VersionV2.401.0000000.45.RHNZ_190815_33003
S/N5L12J8FEB1D6172
Security Baseline VersionV2.0

 

[flicker]

I received this camera yesterday from Andy's Amazon store to replace another PTZ that went bad after three years. Plugged it into my Ubiquiti Unifi switch and set it up, logged into the GUI and set it up in BI, everything seemed fine. Left it plugged in overnight and about 20 minutes after plugging it in, it lost connection to the network and no longer showed up in the unifi software. I recycled the port on the switch, the camera flashes the IR lights, slowly pans left and right, tilts all the way up and comes to rest at about a 45 degree angle down, which I assume is the normal start-up procedure. I've tried several different known good network cables and different ports on the switch with the same results. Any ideas what's going on?

 

[Wildcat_1]

Morning all, sorry for delayed response, been on exotic pet duty Hey @th182, if a user does experience a preset slip there are a number of options on this one while Dahua is investigating the code flagged on this. First, I'm personally not a lover of the 11/21 & 8/15 combo so want to experiment with the earlier versions of that. Second with regards to the home trick, having that as part of a preset tour is one option then set Idle to engage the tour and when someone finishes using the cam manually would would engage, briefly hit the preset for 1 second and returns to duty.

With regards to the sound you mentioned, if this is nothing more than a louder whirring etc and has happened on boot up etc then I wouldn't worry about it. Remember that in a lot of cases when we pull power from PTZ's they are generally in a different location than on boot up therefore sometimes you'll hear a louder whir (for some people this may even seem more mechanical) once power is re-applied. Also remember the dome (lens) portion does not lock in place when you pull power therefore if you manually have moved the head (which most of us do) when we are re-locating a cam from bench / test to install location this can also cause the head to be in a 'not expected' position for the cam which tries to connect on startup. From the factory it is already in 'correct' position AND has tape securing the lens for shipping so it cannot move in its housing. Just something to keep in mind. Now with that said if you hear 'unexpected' sounds while its in operation then generally as I and others have mentioned before, you will want to check to make sure no obstruction in the housing etc.

If you would like some assistance with this then by all means feel free to DM me and can jump on a remote link and help wherever I can.

HTH

 

[looney2ns]

Mine just arrived today and it is AWESOME! What Blue Iris PTZ setting are folks using? Find/inspect set me up with ONVIF (OXML) which works for basic PTZ functions, but does not control IR, which I like to have the ability to do. I tried all the Dahua options and only V4 worked, but again didn't have IR control. Or maybe I have to change a setting within the camera before BI can control it? Any suggestions welcomed!

Email BI support and ask him to add it.
He will want access to your camera remotely for testing.

 

[th182]

I received this camera yesterday from Andy's Amazon store to replace another PTZ that went bad after three years. Plugged it into my Ubiquiti Unifi switch and set it up, logged into the GUI and set it up in BI, everything seemed fine. Left it plugged in overnight and about 20 minutes after plugging it in, it lost connection to the network and no longer showed up in the unifi software. I recycled the port on the switch, the camera flashes the IR lights, slowly pans left and right, tilts all the way up and comes to rest at about a 45 degree angle down, which I assume is the normal start-up procedure. I've tried several different known good network cables and different ports on the switch with the same results. Any ideas what's going on?

Maybe it lost its IP address? Default was 192.168.1.108 I believe. I direct connected to my computers Ethernet port to get the initial connection.


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[th182]

Email BI support and ask him to add it.
He will want access to your camera remotely for testing.

Will do! Thanks for the tip. Always glad to help improve the program for others!


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[Wildcat_1]

@flicker DM me the Unifi switch model. I run Ubiquiti kits so can assist here. Make sure you force the port inn question to POE+ rather than auto is one place to start. Let me know Cloud controller version, switch version etc directly and I'll help where I can there.

I received this camera yesterday from Andy's Amazon store to replace another PTZ that went bad after three years. Plugged it into my Ubiquiti Unifi switch and set it up, logged into the GUI and set it up in BI, everything seemed fine. Left it plugged in overnight and about 20 minutes after plugging it in, it lost connection to the network and no longer showed up in the unifi software. I recycled the port on the switch, the camera flashes the IR lights, slowly pans left and right, tilts all the way up and comes to rest at about a 45 degree angle down, which I assume is the normal start-up procedure. I've tried several different known good network cables and different ports on the switch with the same results. Any ideas what's going on?

 

[flicker]

@flicker DM me the Unifi switch model. I run Ubiquiti kits so can assist here. Make sure you force the port inn question to POE+ rather than auto is one place to start. Let me know Cloud controller version, switch version etc directly and I'll help where I can there.

POE+ is selected and DM sent. Thank you.

 

[guykuo]

I am mentioning this because I had one camera that seemed to slip its presets. Turned out I did not have the camera mounted with its mounting FLAT perpendicular with a bolt. Consequently, it could rotate the entire camera body back and forth during fast slewing. There is a flat portion inside the camera's mounting groove.

That camera felt snugly attached, but just was not truly locked in place rotationally. Might be worth checking the camera's flat is properly engaged with one of the three bolts. If it is in an intermediate position, it can slip.

 

[Wildcat_1]

Reply sent

POE+ is selected and DM sent. Thank you.

 

[Wildcat_1]

@guykuo absolutely mounting correctly in the arm / pole along with checking for obstructions in the housing and around the install is key especially with PTZ's. Would rather do that 1 time on install than have to go and take it back down to pull apart or re-mount. Taking the time to check, double check first time can save a lot of hassle down the road on an install for sure

I am mentioning this because I had one camera that seemed to slip its presets. Turned out I did not have the camera mounted with its mounting FLAT perpendicular with a bolt. Consequently, it could rotate the entire camera body back and forth during fast slewing. It felt snugly attached too, but just was not truly locked in place rotationally. Might be worth checking the camera's flat is properly engaged with one of the three bolts. If it is in an intermediate position, it can slip.

 

[flicker]

Maybe it lost its IP address? Default was 192.168.1.108 I believe. I direct connected to my computers Ethernet port to get the initial connection.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You are correct, that is the default. I didn't change any network settings, just plugged it in, set up the password and made sure I could get into the GUI. I added the default IP and user/pass to BI and had video there. I left for a short time and when I came back, there was no video and the IP of the camera was no longer showing up in the Unifi software.

 

[th182]

@guykuo absolutely mounting correctly in the arm / pole along with checking for obstructions in the housing and around the install is key especially with PTZ's. Would rather do that 1 time on install than have to go and take it back down to pull apart or re-mount. Taking the time to check, double check first time can save a lot of hassle down the road on an install for sure

Thanks for pointing this out. Mine is locked down nice and tight so it can't physically move. The presets slip much farther off than a slight rotation of the camera itself would create I've been playing with it and can't get it to slip again now. So I'm not sure what the deal is..

 

[Wildcat_1]

Glad to hear you are in a better place now. If you see a slip again then using the techniques/workaround I offered should help while Dahua works on the code I flagged. Again, feel free to reach out via DM if you want me to jump on and take a look.

Thanks for pointing this out. Mine is locked down nice and tight so it can't physically move. The presets slip much farther off than a slight rotation of the camera itself would create I've been playing with it and can't get it to slip again now. So I'm not sure what the deal is..

 

[Wildcat_1]

Sent further instructions in DM

You are correct, that is the default. I didn't change any network settings, just plugged it in, set up the password and made sure I could get into the GUI. I added the default IP and user/pass to BI and had video there. I left for a short time and when I came back, there was no video and the IP of the camera was no longer showing up in the Unifi software.

 

[richtj99]

So is this a good replacement for a SD50225U-HNI?

 

[FlipNJ]

Well, even though I tried everything possible with all the help from everyone.. which I GREATLY appreciate..its getting returned. I have spent weeks trying to get this 59230U HNI to work properly. It is a very nice feature set but much of it falls short of what I expected for the money. Auto track is very poor. When it tries to track, at the same time it is writing to the card, frames are missed and playback has big blackout areas. Exporting the clips in mp4 results many times, in a file unplayable by a few different applications. (Windows Media Player, VLC, Movie Maker). The onboard processor and memory in my opinion are simply not up to snuff to do all that is required smoothly. I have tried different sd cards, one being a Samsung Pro Endurance 128, recommended by a member here and still it didn't save a smoothly encoded file. I don't believe it is the card.
All of my cameras are starlight Dahuas and they are amazing and reliable but I think there is a reason for Dahua pulling the tracking feature from later models, it simply works like crap! At least with this SD59230UHNI. I will definitley consider another Dahua PTZ when they work out the quirks but I can't spend any more days playing with settings and just ending up frustrated. I hate to return it to Andy's store but the follow up was a little weak. I was supposed to hear back with a firmware update link but it never came and eventually was told I was not good at setting up IVS rules. Somewhat true but I had help and it still isn't right. Better, but not even close to not being laughed at by my GF when it spins like a top lol. I am not waiting until I am stuck with a wonky $600 plus PTZ. Id spend more if I was assured it works as designed.

 

[Wildcat_1]

Hey @rcirz sorry to hear you are not happy with the SD59xx. I will say for @richtj99 and all here that I am still very impressed with the camera I reviewed here, SD49225XA-HNR and depending on install location, desired features etc would continue to put this camera forward for consideration. The image quality, low light performance, auto tracking (I know not available for new sales BUT can still achieve similar with the IVS & preset setup I mentioned to achieve pseudo automation/tracking) for the price really is superb. Also remember you can use PTZ activation if you have a multi-cam setup in both BI or NVR. As I've mentioned before even in comparison to more expensive PTZ's like a SD6CE225U-HNI that I own, the 49225 outperforms it for sure. Even the new additions of the AI & SMD+ on the 49225 are on point and work well. The choice to remove Auto Tracking by Dahua is certainly not a good one for consumers as I think all agree BUT this 49225 PTZ still offers a heck of a lot for the price point. One thing to be careful with some of these new features is they are not all directly supported by BI (proprietary Dahua SDKs for many AI features that are unlikely to be publicly released/opened) BUT can be interfaced at the end of the processing stream by BI and other platforms when the camera is doing the processing before the output stream is written. Otherwise Dahua NVR's are the other option for these and the other new AI cams such as the Ultras that really take them to the next level.

HTH

@rcirz if I can help further regarding this or other cams, let me know. Always happy to help where I can

 

[FlipNJ]

Hey @rcirz sorry to hear you are not happy with the SD59xx. I will say for @richtj99 and all here that I am still very impressed with the camera I reviewed here, SD49225XA-HNR and depending on install location, desired features etc would continue to put this camera forward for consideration. The image quality, low light performance, auto tracking (I know not available for new sales BUT can still achieve similar with the IVS & preset setup I mentioned to achieve pseudo automation/tracking) for the price really is superb. Also remember you can use PTZ activation if you have a multi-cam setup in both BI or NVR. As I've mentioned before even in comparison to more expensive PTZ's like a SD6CE225U-HNI that I own, the 49225 outperforms it for sure. Even the new additions of the AI & SMD+ on the 49225 are on point and work well. The choice to remove Auto Tracking by Dahua is certainly not a good one for consumers as I think all agree BUT this 49225 PTZ still offers a heck of a lot for the price point. One thing to be careful with some of these new features is they are not all directly supported by BI (proprietary Dahua SDKs for many AI features that are unlikely to be publicly released/opened) BUT can be interfaced at the end of the processing stream by BI and other platforms when the camera is doing the processing before the output stream is written. Otherwise Dahua NVR's are the other option for these and the other new AI cams such as the Ultras that really take them to the next level.

HTH

@rcirz if I can help further regarding this or other cams, let me know. Always happy to help where I can

Thanks for all your help. I am definitely looking for something else that is similar but without so many issues. It is most annoying when one event, it works amazing and then in the same exact situation it goes buggy. I may try the 49225. I am going to be REALLY reviewing the heck out of cameras before buying. I believe my installation causes many problems. I have a very dark street, with a street light right in front of my house. Add to that cars flying up the street with high beams on. Just a bad situation. I actually set all rules for daylight only hours. Little by little, it ended up being used as a non-ptz camera. Pointless

 

[FlipNJ]

@rcirz you may find the new 59232XA I listed above works better. I know for me personally having used many PTZ's at differing price points (some extremely expensive) that the AT on this new 49225 is very very good in conjunction with the AI. As I've spoken about in my review, I find it way better than my SD6C. WRT the Aluminum you mentioned, assume your cam is tracking then potentially hits IR splash back from siding etc and loses itself ? If so then yes bright lights or splash back can always impact AT BUT with AI and Deep IVS it does help for sure in my experience.

Looking at the 59232. 8 times the ROM and RAM. Has much more than the 59230. Possibly the next purchase. **Right now the biggest problem is finding one to buy.** I do like the security that comes with easy returns on amazon even though I am verrry reluctant to return the 59230. The 49225 you mention in this thread also has way more ram & rom than the 59230. Probably why it works so well... of course along with proper setup.