iCam source software just stops working about every 24 hours?

[Badger]

Here's an issue that I'm not sure why it's happening, but it is going to create a problem for us if we want to travel and use iCam to check on the dogs and bird remotely from our iPhones.

We have 2 Linksys WVC54GCA wireless cams running using two instances of iCam v1.3.  The iCam source software is running on a dedicated brand new Mini Mac located on our home LAN and it's sitting idle most of the time, however, we have sleep mode turned OFF so it doesn't affect iCam source.

For whatever reason, iCam simply stops working and we're unable to view the cameras from our iPhones.  The message says that there's no name etc that matches the iCam database, or something like that.  This failure of the iCam source programs happens about every 24 hours of continuous running. 

I know the cameras are working because using a standard Safari browser, we can put in the link to them and view them that way.

Now here's the thing that's odd.  If we log into the Mac Mini and do nothing except stop, then start the iCam source apps, the iPhone video appears and everything is fine again.  As each instance is turned OFF then ON, it's video quickly appears in sequence on the iCan iPhone software windows.

So, it's apparent that the problem lays in the iCam source code and for some reason, it simply disconnects itself from its server, so the iPhone counterpart doesn't know it's there.  There are NO crash LOGS.

I'd recommend that somehow the iCam source code have a method of calling the server now and then to validate that it's still there, essentially equivalent to a stop then start routine.  Failing that, this should happen at least every 24 hours, or perhaps a use defined variable they can use on the set up screen.

Anyone else getting this problem?   

Regards,
Doug

[Stefan]

What URLs are you using to connect to your cameras in the iCamSource, and are you choosing the MJPEG or JPEG radio button?

[Badger]

What URLs are you using to connect to your cameras in the iCamSource, and are you choosing the MJPEG or JPEG radio button?

1. MJPEG

2. Cam1 (Instance 1)
http://192.168.1.13/img/video.mjpeg

Cam2 (Instance 2)
http://192.168.1.14/img/video.mjpeg

Cam1 is on port 1024 and Cam 2 is on port 1025.

By the way, exact same problem occurs with application iVid, which I als purchased.  A stop then start resolves the problem, usually once at least every 24 hours.

Thanks for the quick response ...

Regards,
Doug

[Stefan]

Well that's interesting ... It sounds like your IP address might be changing every 24 hours if iVid is also affected. When 24 hours passes do you see a "No Sources Found" in both iCam and iVid?

If you could go to http://whatismyipaddress.com/ from the computer running the iCamSources and e-maill what it says your external IP address is to support@skjm.com then I can attempt to look it up in the Broker Server logs and hopefully troubleshoot the problem.

Please reference the "iCam source software just stops working about every 24 hours?" forum post in your e-mail.

[Marigolo]

This has also happened to me, but only on ONE of the Laptops I've been testing the software on. It happens to be the only non-intel mac laptop I'm using. My two MacBook Pro's remain online without a problem for more than 24 hours, but like I said, the older one just stops transmitting and when I check it, the program is not even open!? Like it crashed and closed or something. I'm using all of them with USB wired webcams.
The software is magnificent in it's functionality and ease of use. Please keep up the great work!
Mario.

[Jay]

Marigolo - If iCamSource is crashing, there will be crash logs.

I'd like you to look to see if there are any crash logs.

The crash log would be in:

/Users/<Your Username>/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/iCamSource_<date_time>.crash.log

or in:

/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/iCamSource_<date_time>.crash.log

If you find any iCamSource crash logs, please email them to support@skjm.com and refer to this forum thread in your email.

[franksmartin]

I have the same issue - after about a day i get the "No Sources Found".  I have a new Macbook Pro. Is there a resolution to this?

[Stefan]

Is the iCamSource still running when you are getting No Sources Found, or has it crashed?

It might be that your ISP is changing your external IP address about once a day.

If you go to http://whatismyipaddress.com/ from the computer running the iCamSource when you are able to connect and then again when you are getting the No Sources Found I would be interested in seeing if the IP has changed.

[franksmartin]

Ok, my IP now is 207.180.187.78 accoring to whatismyipaddress.com

I dont have any crash logs for iCam

As soon as it stops working I will come back and let you know if my IP changed.

[franksmartin]

I checked my IP address and its still the same:  Your IP Address Is: 207.180.187.78

[Stefan]

I was able to look up your IP address in the iCam Broker Server logs, and it appears as if the iCamSource "goes away" for a while and then "comes back" on it's own.

When you are receiving the No Sources Found error message, is your iPhone connecting to the same local WiFi network? I wonder if your Internet access is going down periodically, resulting in the iCamSource connection timing out with the server.

Or perhaps your computer is going to sleep?

It looks like you started the iCamSource at 7:19 pm PST on 9/10. It timed-out and was removed at 11:29 pm. It then "came back" at 11:38 pm. (Down for 9 minutes.) It then timed-out again at 5:29 am on 9/11.

A new instance of the iCamSource connected at 7:42 am on 9/12, timed-out at 1:46 pm, and came back at 1:59 pm. (Down for 13 minutes.)

[franksmartin]

Thanks for looking into this.  My computer does go to sleep at night but it gets woken up by my Chronosync jobs at 2:30 AM and 3:30 AM EST.  Do I need to disable sleeping completely?  Should it resume working after I wake it back up?

I assume the Auto Lock Override stop the iPhone from sleeping but not the PC?

[Stefan]

It should resume after waking it back up, but I guess it might depend on how the Internet connection is re-established when it wakes up again ...

You could try manually putting it to sleep and then waking it back up to see if you see the same issue. We did attempt to code the iCamSource in such a way that it would be able to handle going to sleep and waking back up again, but it might not be working with your specific configuration. It does seem odd that when it did "go away" and then "come back" that it was only "gone" for about 10-15 minutes or so.

And yes, the Auto-Lock Override only stops the iPhone from going to sleep.