Trying to hook up wired camera through powerline adapter and PoE switch

northsire

n3wb
Joined
Sep 7, 2017
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
I have attached an illustration that I have created for the setup I am trying to get to work. Can someone tell me where I am going wrong? Thank you.
 

Attachments

alastairstevenson

Staff member
Joined
Oct 28, 2014
Messages
15,963
Reaction score
6,794
Location
Scotland
Can someone tell me where I am going wrong?
The first thing to check would be to confirm that the add-on camera can be accessed from a PC that is wired to the Uverse router, at the IP address that you will have specified in the NVR.
Does the Uverse router offer WiFi connection IP addresses in the same range as it does to a wired connection?
 

northsire

n3wb
Joined
Sep 7, 2017
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
I appreciate the reply. Yes, the uverse router is set to serve address via dhcp for wired and wireless on the same 192.168.0.x. The wireless cams that are currently hooked up are all internal 172.x.x.x addresses via the nvr's dhcp handling. I had the camera connected through just the powerline adapters and it did not show up in the client list in the router. That is why I bought the PoE switch that recognizes both PoE and non PoE IP cameras. I can't remember if I have hook the camera up directly to the router or not. I will try that tonight. I will also try bypassing the powerline adapters and only using the PoE switch directly to the router and see if the powerline adapters are the problem.
 

DavidDavid

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jan 29, 2017
Messages
605
Reaction score
267
Location
Ohio
Have you tried manually adding the new camera in the NVR with its actual IP address? Since the NVR hands out it's own, maybe it's not scanning the rest of the network properly? Just a thought.
 

DavidDavid

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jan 29, 2017
Messages
605
Reaction score
267
Location
Ohio
Also how far away are your poweline adapters? Can you try putting them in the same room as each other and see if that works? I bought some once (they are super old, but still worked) and what I wanted to do with them was just too far apart for them to get a good connection with each other.

I bit the bullet and bought and buried outdoor cat5e cable. (was trying to run to a shed 100+ ft from the house)
 

northsire

n3wb
Joined
Sep 7, 2017
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
Have you tried manually adding the new camera in the NVR with its actual IP address? Since the NVR hands out it's own, maybe it's not scanning the rest of the network properly? Just a thought.
That's just it, I can't find what the actual IP of the camera is as I have tried hooking it directly into my laptop via straight through and twisted pair cat5 cable to see the IP. I am new to the whole IP camera scene. I don't know how they are set up as far as running internal dhcp or if they are generally statically set.
 

northsire

n3wb
Joined
Sep 7, 2017
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
Also how far away are your poweline adapters? Can you try putting them in the same room as each other and see if that works? I bought some once (they are super old, but still worked) and what I wanted to do with them was just too far apart for them to get a good connection with each other.

I bit the bullet and bought and buried outdoor cat5e cable. (was trying to run to a shed 100+ ft from the house)
I have had them 1 room over and then tried one in the garage (about 50' away). When I did that I tested the speed both times to make sure there was data being sent back and forth with my laptop. In both spots the internet was testing out at around 40-45Mbps which is more than enough I would think for what the camera needs.
 

DavidDavid

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jan 29, 2017
Messages
605
Reaction score
267
Location
Ohio
Download fing on your phone. That's what I use normally to figure out the IP address of a new network device. It should show up there.

Probably a dumb question, but you have the camera plugged into an actual POE port right? And not accidentally into one of the non poe ports? And also, the camera is an actual POE powered camera?

Also, you could try downloading tinycam (there is a free version... Paid is well worth it if you like it though) and use that to scan your network. It's always found cameras for me doing this.
 

northsire

n3wb
Joined
Sep 7, 2017
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
Download fing on your phone. That's what I use normally to figure out the IP address of a new network device. It should show up there.

Probably a dumb question, but you have the camera plugged into an actual POE port right? And not accidentally into one of the non poe ports? And also, the camera is an actual POE powered camera?

Also, you could try downloading tinycam (there is a free version... Paid is well worth it if you like it though) and use that to scan your network. It's always found cameras for me doing this.
I might try fing but I would think the client list from the routers gui would show it. I have tried the camera being plugged into the PoE port and non PoE ports with various scenarios. I am not sure if the camera is PoE powered or not but the PoE switch I bought is supposed to work with PoE and non PoE cameras. It is a no name camera from china with no documentation. I don't think I have tried tinycam but have tried 3 other programs that are like that with no luck. I really appreciate all of your responses. They are all giving me good ideas.
 

alastairstevenson

Staff member
Joined
Oct 28, 2014
Messages
15,963
Reaction score
6,794
Location
Scotland
I appreciate the reply. Yes, the uverse router is set to serve address via dhcp for wired and wireless on the same 192.168.0.x. The wireless cams that are currently hooked up are all internal 172.x.x.x addresses via the nvr's dhcp handling.
OK, so it sounds like the WiFi NVR is operating as a WiFi AP (access point).
So whether you can use the camera that's on your LAN (ie your Uverse router/AP) depends on whether the NVR has the facility to add wired cameras on what is a different IP address range.
It sounds like you don't know the add-on camera IP address, so the below is probably not able to be answered.
How have you configured the NVR for the add-on wired camera? What IP address have you provided?
 

DavidDavid

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jan 29, 2017
Messages
605
Reaction score
267
Location
Ohio
If it's not a POE capable camera, you'll need a splitter. The POE cable goes into the splitter and then the output is a data cat5 cable and a power cable that will need to be plugged into the camera.

If it's not turning on, because it can't be powered via poe, then that would explain why you can't see it anywhere.
 

DavidDavid

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jan 29, 2017
Messages
605
Reaction score
267
Location
Ohio
Before buying that, did the camera come with a power cable?

Try plugging the power cable into the wall for power, then the cat5e from the camera to the switch. If that works... Buy the splitter I posted. Unless you're mounting this somewhere near an outlet.. Then just use the wall power.
 

DavidDavid

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jan 29, 2017
Messages
605
Reaction score
267
Location
Ohio
Also, this....

OK, so it sounds like the WiFi NVR is operating as a WiFi AP (access point).
So whether you can use the camera that's on your LAN (ie your Uverse router/AP) depends on whether the NVR has the facility to add wired cameras on what is a different IP address range.
 

northsire

n3wb
Joined
Sep 7, 2017
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
OK, so it sounds like the WiFi NVR is operating as a WiFi AP (access point).
So whether you can use the camera that's on your LAN (ie your Uverse router/AP) depends on whether the NVR has the facility to add wired cameras on what is a different IP address range.
It sounds like you don't know the add-on camera IP address, so the below is probably not able to be answered.
How have you configured the NVR for the add-on wired camera? What IP address have you provided?
Whenever I have the camera plugged in directly to the nvr via cat5 cable is shows as camera 4. So I go into manually configure the camera (which it assigns an ip address of 172.x.x.x) as an ip on my routers subnet of 192.168.0.x but that seems to not do anything. To be honest I'm not sure if it is actually changing any properties of the camera itself because I really have no way of verifying it. The camera system that I bought is this one if that helps https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DSPGHO6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
As an Amazon Associate IPCamTalk earns from qualifying purchases.

DavidDavid

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jan 29, 2017
Messages
605
Reaction score
267
Location
Ohio
Hmm. It's possible that it has set the IP address as that on the camera.

You can try plugging a computer directly into the NVR so it gets an IP address from the NVR and try to access that cameras web page and set it a static IP address in your normal LAN range, or set your computer to a static IP address in the same 172 range as the NVR, then plug the camera directly into the computer and try to give it a static IP address in your LAN range that way? If the camera has an address outside of your LAN range it won't be able to talk to anything else.
 

northsire

n3wb
Joined
Sep 7, 2017
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
Before buying that, did the camera come with a power cable?

Try plugging the power cable into the wall for power, then the cat5e from the camera to the switch. If that works... Buy the splitter I posted. Unless you're mounting this somewhere near an outlet.. Then just use the wall power.
The camera has 2 cables attached to it. A female cat5 cable (I think it is used mainly for direct connect to the nvr for doing a "match code" for addon cameras) and a female power cable end. It is actually the one in the picture I attached.
 

northsire

n3wb
Joined
Sep 7, 2017
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
Hmm. It's possible that it has set the IP address as that on the camera.

You can try plugging a computer directly into the NVR so it gets an IP address from the NVR and try to access that cameras web page and set it a static IP address in your normal LAN range, or set your computer to a static IP address in the same 172 range as the NVR, then plug the camera directly into the computer and try to give it a static IP address in your LAN range that way? If the camera has an address outside of your LAN range it won't be able to talk to anything else.
Yea, I tried doing all of that with the camera directly connected via straight and crossover cables but still couldn't log into the camera. The frustrating thing is: I have done networking for the last 20 years so I understand networks but know nothing about how these cameras are set up. These are my first IP cameras as I have always used regular wired cameras. When I get home I will try a few different things out such as directly connecting the camera to the pc through the PoE switch and also directly connecting to the router through the PoE switch and see if I can at least see it in the router client list.
 
Last edited:

alastairstevenson

Staff member
Joined
Oct 28, 2014
Messages
15,963
Reaction score
6,794
Location
Scotland
Whenever I have the camera plugged in directly to the nvr via cat5 cable is shows as camera 4.
So the NVR also has PoE ports?
I'm assuming when you state "plugged in directly to the nvr" this is not into the NVR LAN interface, which would be used to connect it to your normal network.
If the NVR does have PoE ports, as implied by your statement above, then as you know the camera assigned IP address when it's also plugged in to a PoE port ("So I go into manually configure the camera (which it assigns an ip address of 172.x.x.x)") you will be able to access the camera web GUI directly if you temporarily give the PC an IP address in the same range and plug it into an NVR PoE port as well.
And presumably with access to the camera web GUI, you can then assign it a static IP address in your LAN range. And then plug it into a PoE port on your LAN switch, at which point it's on the LAN with a known address.
 

northsire

n3wb
Joined
Sep 7, 2017
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
So the NVR also has PoE ports?
I'm assuming when you state "plugged in directly to the nvr" this is not into the NVR LAN interface, which would be used to connect it to your normal network.
If the NVR does have PoE ports, as implied by your statement above, then as you know the camera assigned IP address when it's also plugged in to a PoE port ("So I go into manually configure the camera (which it assigns an ip address of 172.x.x.x)") you will be able to access the camera web GUI directly if you temporarily give the PC an IP address in the same range and plug it into an NVR PoE port as well.
And presumably with access to the camera web GUI, you can then assign it a static IP address in your LAN range. And then plug it into a PoE port on your LAN switch, at which point it's on the LAN with a known address.
I apologize as I didn't say that properly. There is only 1 port in the nvr which is used to connect to the router to allow for remote viewing through the network. What I meant was whenever I would unplug the cat5 coming out of the nvr into the router and plug the camera in directly to the nvr then it shows it as cam4 (I think) and had the nvr's internally assigned ip of 172.x.x.x. But here is the thing: I can't confirm for a fact that even that is true because I switched out the camera that was previously assigned to cam4 for a dome camera so I don't know if it was re-assigning cam 4 for the IP on the camera I'm working on or if it retained it from the old camera. I know not much of that made sense as it is difficult to explain. So, what I think I'm going to do is leave the camera I am working on out of the mix and bring the nvr back to factory settings. Then I will plug in the camera I am working on into the nvr and see what it sets the ip of them camera to. I will then note that IP address and take it over to my laptop and plug it in through the PoE switch and see if I can get into the cameras interface by statically setting the gateway of the camera on the laptop. I can then change the ip of the camera to what it should be.
 
Top