This camera just looks like fun...

Got up on the roof last Monday... mounted camera... ran 40 feet of Cat5e cable... hooked up to Netgear switch in attic... camera did its dance (it's getting power)... but no IP signal.
Nothing on the network indicates the camera is active.
Can't find it on the router. Also ran an IP search... nothing.
Also I get no lights on the switch to indicate traffic between the camera and switch.

Tested the cable in place (made it myself), and it tests fine.
I am using a Passive PoE injector and splitter to carry the 12v 4amp power to the camera.
This all worked fine when tested on my bench with a 6 foot Cat5e cable.

Not sure where the problem is, but it means a trip back up to the roof and bring the camera down to find the problem.
It's frustrating because I took the time to make sure everything was working (especially in Blue Iris) before we mounted it on the chimney.
Now I'm back to ground zero (so to speak).

I'll keep you all posted.
Jim
 
Put a multi-meter on the POE end at the camera and verify 12v and you can also check amperage against the camera. Under voltage or low amps could make the board fail to initialize.
 
I was thinking that also. I have to go into the attic to get the Power Supply, then I think I'll take it up on the roof with an extension cord and test at the camera.
I was worried that the 40' of Cat5e travel might have created the problem.
When tested on the bench I only had a 6 foot cable.

I don't mind going back up on the roof for that... but I really don't want to have to un-mount the camera if I can help it.

Thanx for the idea.
 
I think your issue is voltage drop on the longer length of CAT5e cable. The resistance of the 24AWG wire is dropping too much voltage at 4A. That's why POE runs at 48V vs 12V as that lowers the current to a quarter of what is needed at 12V so the resistance of the cable is less of an issue. The higher the voltage the more efficient the power transfer (with the tradeoff being better insulation is needed). If the camera is POE capable, you'd be better off using a 48V POE injector.
 
Yeah, it's not a PoE camera, so I used a pair of these to carry the 12v:

s-l1600.jpg
I think they are adding to the problem.

Step one will be to retrieve the Power supply (a box not a wart) from the attic and move it closer to the camera... bypassing these splitters entirely.
If the camera dances, and the Cat cable shows some sort of activity, then at least I know where the problem is.
I do not need the entire 40+ feet that I made the cable. In fact I left some extra in case the exposed part gets brittle over time and fails - then I could just pull more out of the attic and hook back up.
Looks like I may just need to whack off whatever I don't really need now, and try again (assuming the length of cable is the culprit).
 
I'm going to move the power supply from the attic to the roof and test this theory.
If the camera works... then I really like your idea of boosting to a 14-15v power supply (I'll put it back in the attic).
I have no PoE devices in my setup so far, and don't want to go that route just for this one camera.

Thanx so much for the help.
 
man id never put a cheap china power supply up in the attic, I like my house how it is.. and not reduced to a smoldering pile of steel and carbon.
 
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Now that is a thought.
Must be that paranoia thing you talk about in your sig.

Jim
 
if I had absolutely no other choice I'd have it on a GFCI at the very least.. but running equipment where there is an unlimited fresh air source, lots of combustible materials, extremely high temperatures, no smoke/fire alarms and infamous Chinese quality, just seems like a bunch of bad juju.

I have a healthy respect for fire, my father's house burnt down when he was a teen and he made damn sure to instill a vast amount of respect for it.. never once have I seen a photo of my dad as a child.
 
Understood.
Will investigate the juju factor while in the attic during the next visit. :)
 
I have to agree, I had a Chinese tablet that the power cord melted right beside my bed. I was using it as a monitor with tinycam pro on it. Also remember for electronic fires from non UL item would probably void insurance.
 
So... got it working this evening. I took the power supply up on the roof with an extension cord and eliminated the Passive Injector/Splitter and the camera came to life, found its reserved IP address and showed up in Blue Iris.
I then took the Injector/Splitter that I was using and put it on a short Cat5 patch cable and ran my cable tester on it, and I still get an error on 2 of the 4 pair. So I think they were the problem all along.

I have an Injector/Splitter that I am using on another camera (one of my Amcrest Bullets) and it appears to be working fine. We (my son and I) were going to switch this pair out with the ones on the roof/attic, but it was getting dark and I didn't want to disable the good camera tonight just to prove the theory. Oddly, I did briefly take them off the bullet cam and try them through the Cat5 tester, and it gave me the same error on 2 of the 4 pair again. Yet this Splitter/Injector works fine with that Amcrest camera. So it could also be a compatibility thing. I'd swear that this is the same Splitter/Injector that I was previously using with the Imporx camera on the test bench.

Truly, I'm not yet sure where the problem is... but as long as I have the power supply on an extension cord up to the roof, and the previous Splitter/Injector removed... things are working.

I'll try to get some images/captures and put them here soon.

Just wanted to update the thread.
 
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farmer said:
I have this same question. I just bought and received a camera which, I believe, is by the same "manufacturer" from what I've researched.

I tried the "95" preset per the video but it did nothing with mine. My camera clearly uses different firmware from the one in the video example.

If you find out how to get into any overrides, let me know and I'll do the same.
Click to expand...

Tried Preset 95 on mine too... no luck.
The documentation on these import cameras is minimal at best, so finding this kind of backdoor might be a pipe dream.
But I'll keep looking. Where my camera is mounted I could really use the extra few degrees of tilt, so I can capture some great backyard sunsets.
I suppose this is where the Turret PTZ guys are just chuckling in the background.
 
Gecko Security said:
My first question would be did you use the network switch during the bench test?

If all equipment is exactly the same it has to be the wiring.

In these situations we usually just cut off the ends and re-terminate. 40 feet is nothing. Voltage drop should be minimal unless the injector is junk. Make sure you are using the RJ45 568B pinout. Since you bench tested it should work. It has to be cabling.
Click to expand...

During the bench test, I used the splitter/injector that is currently being used on another camera and is working there with no problems.
In all situations the signals passed through the same switch.
I'd love to think it was the cabling, but I'm currently using that cable on that camera with no problems (by moving the power supply up to the camera).

My son has done all the termination to the B standard.

I'm thinking it has something to do with these passive splitters... they are the only thing I removed from the scenario, and it works without them.
Even though testing the cable works, and testing the 12v pass though works.
Ugh.
 
passive 12v wont make it very far over 24awg cabling.. there is a reason PoE boosts the voltage to 48v for transmission.. its the only way to get the power any distance.

stick a multimeter up to the other end, i bet your not getting 12v output..
 
nayr said:
passive 12v wont make it very far over 24awg cabling.. there is a reason PoE boosts the voltage to 48v for transmission.. its the only way to get the power any distance.

stick a multimeter up to the other end, i bet your not getting 12v output..
Click to expand...

One thing I did try was to cut off any excess Cat5 I had in the attic (I had left enough that if the sun-exposed portion of the route got brittle, I could just pull some out of the attic vent and reconnect).
This made the final cable only about 22 feet... but it still didn't work.
Even with these injectors in place with no 12v going through, I still got errors on two-pair when using my cable tester.
 
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