Author Topic: WVC54GCA camera disconnects every 24 hours.. its NOT my static IP problem..  (Read 4297 times)

NJcam

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
    • View Profile
have WVC54GCA camera..   works fine with iCam..  i figured out after several days the STATIC IP thing, i'm not diconnecting every 24 hours or so because of my IP.   Because all i have to do to get the camera synched up again is just unplug and plug back in the camera it all reconnects automatically fine..

So after googling around i found posts about how this model camera and a Netgear router diconnect often..  there was a link for a firmware update that allegedly fixed the problem..  but the link doesnt work anymore..

So i was a bit surprised when SKJM says the WVC54GCA works without bugs.

Before i got out an buy a new camera i'd like to be 100% sure i have a camera problem, and not a network problem.  Again the reason i think its the camera is because the only thing i have to do get the camera to reconnect is power it off/on.   i will be very upset if i buy another camera and the same thing keeps happening..

OUAnthony

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 801
    • View Profile
When the camera "disconnects", does the video feed disappear from icamsource.exe on your computer? If so, it's most likely the camera losing connection with the router. This could be caused by the camera locking up (very unlikely since it happens every 24 hours) or by it dropping its connection (perhaps the router only gives in a 24-hour lease for the IP address). Since the 2nd option is more likely, you could access your camera's settings page (by typing its IP address into the address bar of Internet Explorer) and browse to the network/IP address settings. If it is currently set to get an IP address from the router (via DHCP), change it to a static address (assign the same IP address that you used to access the camera's settings page). The subnet mask will likely be 255.255.255.0, and the default gateway will be the IP address of your router.

If you are still able to see the video feed in icamsource.exe on your computer after experiencing the "disconnection", then your issue is likely with your ISP resetting the connection and/or assigning a new IP lease on a daily basis, etc....combined with how your router handles those possible changes. I remember there used to be some people who experienced this issue, but I believe SKJM tweaked the code to compensate for the connection loss due to the ISP connection changes...and this fixed the problem for all (or almost all) that were posting about the issue.

A third possibility is that your router's wireless signal is fluctuating enough to cause the camera to lose its connection. But since it seems to be happening at a specific interval, this is probably not the cause. To rule this out, you could temporarily wire your camera to your router using ethernet cable (CAT5/6). If that's not possible, you could reduce the FPS on the camera to 5 or so...that would reduce the wireless data load, and create less stress on the router (and reduce your CPU usage on your computer).

NJcam

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
    • View Profile
when it disconnects i cannot see the video in the browser, so i know its not an iCam problem.. its a camera/router problem.  I am already assigning a static IP to it (not using DCHP).   and when i power on/off the camera i do not need to re-assign the IP.. so i don't believe its an IP problem.

the link below is similar to the problem i am having..  their recomendation to fix it with firmware is not available anymore.. 

http://forum1.netgear.com/showthread.php?t=48315

i was just hoping here that someone had a similar issue and would say "get a new camera and you're problem will go away" before i spend the money..

OUAnthony

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 801
    • View Profile
Ok, I did some searching and found the file you needed (barely!). But, there's a couple of things you should consider before using it:

1) It isn't hosted by Linksys/Cisco...so there are potential security concerns.

2) Anytime you update firmware on a device, there's always the chance that it could go horribly wrong...resulting in a device that no longer works at all or no longer works as advertised.

So if you're ok with the potential security risks and/or the fact that it could brick your camera, here's a couple of links (one with the download and another with directions):

http://www.treiberupdate.de/treiber-download/z-dltreiber/download_treiber_2099999.php?load=182342&dlidday=34573dfhdhg473673&extern=2&vendor=LinkSys&sys=Firmware

http://kb.linksys.com/Linksys/ukp.aspx?vw=1&docid=2073c35c67fc47b8b57e9d336208ce1a_5645.xml&pid=80&respid=0&snid=1&dispid=0&cpage=search
If you're not ok with those risks, you could purchase an IP camera at Walmart or somewhere else that doesn't charge restocking fees/etc. According to their electronics return policy, you'd have 15 days to try out a new camera before needing to return it to Walmart for a refund.