Author Topic: delete (Read 5548 times)

kelann162 · « **on:** November 03, 2012, 06:44:37 PM »

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OUAnthony · « **Reply #1 on:** November 03, 2012, 08:10:05 PM »

When you say the software stops working, do you mean that icamsource is no longer running on the computer (it crashed)....or do you mean that it's running, but you can't connect? If icamsource is still running when you get home, it could be a couple of things:

1) Your Internet provider is disconnecting you after a certain amount of idle time...although I haven't experienced this since I had dial-up Internet over 10 years ago. Or maybe your ISP is resetting your connection/renewing your IP once a week, causing a connection issue.

2) Your computer is disabling the network card to save power, but this is unlikely on a desktop computer unless you set it to do this.

SKJM will probably want to look at their broker server logs to see what's going on, so I copied/pasted this from another forum thread:

"If you could go to http://whatismyipaddress.com/ from the computer running the iCamSource and send your external IP address to us so we can attempt to look it up in the Broker Server logs and hopefully troubleshoot the problem. Please reference this forum post and your user name in your email."

kelann162 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 04, 2012, 04:49:15 AM »

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OUAnthony · « **Reply #3 on:** November 04, 2012, 01:06:57 PM »

Sorry, I didn't copy/paste enough of that posting...I missed the e-mail address. But after hearing what's happening, I don't think it's a connection issue. Are you using a USB webcam or an IP camera? It sounds like you're using a USB webcam that is freezing up. I've had that happen to me in the past. I think the going advice in this situation is to:

1) make sure your OS and drivers are up to date with the latest releases/updates

2) make sure no other programs are trying to access the webcam (such as Skype or other programs that access video)

Personally, I no longer use USB webcams because I found they weren't as dependable/stable as IP cameras, and they require more processing power because it's a constant 30fps stream of video to analyze...and often in a higher resolution that has to be down-sized to 640x480 (iCam's max resolution). I use IP cameras with a forced resolution of 640x480 and have the fps set to 5fps. I also use manual port forwarding, as I have several cameras....my system is rock solid. In case you can't get your system to be more stable, you might consider a similar setup. Or, if funds are limited (a decent entry-level IP camera will cost around $60+), you could use a batch file (scheduled to run daily) to restart icamsource and hopefully prevent the video lockup. If you'd like more info on that, let me know...I wrote a batch file for someone else, but I can find it and send it to you. This is assuming you're on a PC, and not a Mac.

kelann162 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 04, 2012, 03:46:45 PM »

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OUAnthony · « **Reply #5 on:** November 04, 2012, 05:24:13 PM »

Hmm, that is strange. You might try using the registry cleaner file that SKJM has...it will reset icamsource to the default settings. Then re-add all of the cameras. You might also try using one camera at first, then progress up to 3 over a 3-week period. That will give you one weekend to observe 1 camera, then another for 2, then a 3rd for all 3 cameras. I would be tempted to say it could be a USB power issue, but the fact that it's occuring only on the weekends would suggest otherwise. There is a chance that USB devices are entering a low-power state after the computer is idle for a certain time period. To check into that on a PC, open the device manager, expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers, and right-click on each of the USB root hubs and click properties then "power management" tab, then ensure that the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" box is unchecked for each USB root hub (and any other USB controller that has the power management tab). If this box was checked for any USB controllers, you might uncheck them and then observe for a weekend before reseting the icamsource registry entries.

I have had a weird issue where icamsource drops all of my IP cameras except for 1 when I run a DVD copying software. Restarting icamsource fixes the issue. Now I know to restart icamsource after I start that software. No idea what causes it. If you can't figure out what the issue is, let me know and I'll get that batch file to you and explain how to automate it, if you need it.

kelann162 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 04, 2012, 05:53:39 PM »

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OUAnthony · « **Reply #7 on:** November 04, 2012, 08:43:25 PM »

Fingers crossed! Don't thank me until it works. lol

dkb52 · « **Reply #8 on:** November 04, 2012, 09:49:52 PM »

I've had a similar issue that "always" seems to show up when I'm away for an extended time. I usually receive a "No Sources Found," or "Broker Error," on iCam.

Once back in front of my computer (iCamSource), I noticed my security software was performing a scheduled scan. I am convinced the security software is closing ports during the scan. I have not figured out how to tell my security software not to close ports, so whenever I have a scheduled (or expected trip), I make sure nothing is scheduled during my absence.

I personally have not had this particular problem since double-checking schedules before I leave for extended periods.

Still, I might be overlooking the obvious, and my security scan port closures are coincidental.

OUAnthony · « **Reply #9 on:** November 05, 2012, 01:48:58 AM »

What security software do you use, dkb52? And what OS? I use Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows 7 built-in firewall, and don't have that issue. But it does sound possible.

dkb52 · « **Reply #10 on:** November 05, 2012, 02:32:21 PM »

Quote from: OUAnthony on November 05, 2012, 01:48:58 AM

What security software do you use, dkb52? And what OS? I use Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows 7 built-in firewall, and don't have that issue. But it does sound possible.

I am currently using Windows 7 Home-Premium with McAfee Security Suite for all my computers. Due to "I want control" clashes, I have my windows firewall disabled, and let McAfee handle things.

As I said, it might be coincidence, but I did note (to myself) when I receive the Broker/No Sources Found errors, the McAfee Shield indicates a security/virus scan is being performed.

I have gone to the port-checker website thingy (during a scan), and sure enough my "designated ports" are closed. Oddly, I have two USB cameras, and two wireless IP cameras and only lose the iCamSource video during the scan. I can still access and view the IP cameras through their own interface.

Still researching how to tell McAfee to "leave them thar ports" alone!

OUAnthony · « **Reply #11 on:** November 05, 2012, 03:20:16 PM »

Yeah, it makes sense that you'd still be able to access the IP cameras through their interface, as those are connected to the router, and not the computer. McAfee can only affect incoming/outgoing ports on the computer itself, and it probably doesn't affect port 80, which handles incoming/outgoing http data (such as viewing the IP camera interfaces).

Have you added a rule to allow UDP ports 12000-12100 through the firewall? If not, try doing that and see if it still resets those ports when it performs a scan.

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