Author Topic: iCamSource having problems connecting to webcams  (Read 2556 times)

TrippinBilly

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iCamSource having problems connecting to webcams
« on: September 23, 2010, 11:38:58 AM »
I've noticed that the iCamSource program will stop trying to connect to a webcam if it fails to authenticate with the webcam.  I have four (4) Airlink101 500W webcams setup on the wireless network.  Initially, iCamSource can connect to them with no issue, but over time, iCamSource will experience an issue authenticating with a camera and thusly losing the ability to view that camera until a manual restart of iCamSource.

I know the cameras are working fine as I can continue to connect to them using the software (or even their built in web server).

So, I'm proposing a feature request in the iCamSource software with respect to the error handler for camera logins:
Provide a retry mechanism with a threshhold of failed attempts in a defined time period.  For example, if the iCamSource has a retry interval of 10 times in a 1 min period.  If it fails 10 times in that 1 min period, then the camera is considered unavailable.  Otherwise, iCamSource will continue to try to connect after a login failure.   If it fails 5 times and connects the 6th time, reset a failed retry counter to 0.   Once a failure occurs, the retry handler kicks in and attempts to reconnect before considering the camera offline.

Thanks.

Stefan

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Re: iCamSource having problems connecting to webcams
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2010, 05:27:33 PM »
We have actually adjusted the network IP camera error message handling in the latest versions of the iCamSource for both Windows and Mac:

Windows - http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSetup2.1.3.exe

Mac - http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSource2.1.2.dmg

We use 3 AirLink cameras and you are correct, they sometimes "get lost" and return error messages to the iCamSource. The thing is, they do eventually figure themselves out, and come back online.

The new iCamSource now displays any error messages for a camera underneath the preview video, but still continues to attempt to re-connect every 5 seconds. Once it does re-connect, it does not clear the error message, so you can tell which cameras might be problematic on your network.

TrippinBilly

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Re: iCamSource having problems connecting to webcams
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2010, 06:21:11 PM »
Thanks.  I've just installed both versions so I'll test them both out (I have an iMac and a Windows Vista box).

TrippinBilly

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Re: iCamSource having problems connecting to webcams
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2010, 06:50:59 PM »
I'm not getting anymore web authentication errors and have seen the cameras recover.  Seems to be working. :)

Stefan

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Re: iCamSource having problems connecting to webcams
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2010, 08:27:43 PM »
Excellent news. :)