Random Reboot Issue? (DS-2CD2021G1-I(W))

[hoakland]

Hello,

I'm experiencing an issue with two DS-2CD2021G1-I(W) IP cameras. Both cameras are connected to a gigabit ethernet switch, which is linked to my modem. Each camera is powered by a 12V 2A power adapter. I monitor the cameras using the Hik-Connect mobile app. The cameras are using the latest firmware (Firmware_V5.7.21_240422).

The problem I'm facing is random reboots of the cameras. The frequency varies—sometimes there's only one reboot within 24 hours, while other times there could be 4-5 reboots. Importantly, they do not go offline simultaneously, but both typically reboot at least once on the same day.

Given that both cameras exhibit this rebooting behavior, I doubt that they are defective. What could be causing this issue? I would appreciate any insights or suggestions you might have.

Thank you!

 

[hoakland]

Hello again,

It looks like the cameras are not rebooting on their own. Instead, they keep losing connection randomly and then reconnect after about a minute.

Sometimes they stay connected for hours without any problems, but other times, they disconnect many times in a row. I've noticed that the more I use the Hik-Connect mobile app to access the cameras, the more often they seem to lose connection.

The cameras have fixed IP addresses (outside of the DHCP pool). They are powered using 12V 2A power adapters and their ethernet cable connections seem solid. This is an interesting problem, and I'd really appreciate any help you can give.

Thank you.

 

[Phil]

Do they disconnect at all times of day?
i.e. this doesn't only/mostly occur in the dark?

Do they always show the correct time?

 

[hoakland]

Do they disconnect at all times of day?
i.e. this doesn't only/mostly occur in the dark?

Do they always show the correct time?

There is no specific time of disconnection but I noticed that If I monitor the cameras using the Hik-Connect mobile app less often, they stay connected more. I can confirm that by viewing the timeline in the camera playback. Because when a camera disconnects, a gap occurs in the timeline.

And the date/time is correct. It is set to NTP (time.windows.com).

 

[hoakland]

There is no specific time of disconnection but I noticed that If I monitor the cameras using the Hik-Connect mobile app less often, they stay connected more. I can confirm that by viewing the timeline in the camera playback. Because when a camera disconnects, a gap occurs in the timeline.

And the date/time is correct. It is set to NTP (time.windows.com).

Could it be something related to the DNS settings of the cameras? I am using 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
And does it matter if I use CAT5 and CAT6 cables together?

 

[alfaclvi]

You can try your main router/modem Gateway as preferred DNS server i.e. 192.168.1.1 if this is so.
Can you find out if this happens simultaneously with an event, motion or smart?
Also check if your power supplies are overheat. They might not be 2 Amp

 

[hoakland]

Here is the latest status of my case:

Today, one of my cameras had 5 recording interruptions. 4 of them are unexpected interruptions which are probably results of reboots. You can see these as gaps in the timeline:

• Timeline gap 1 is around 02:15.
• Timeline gap 2 is at 03:00. This is a scheduled maintenance reboot.
• Timeline gap 3 is around 11:00.
• Timeline gap 4 is around 12:15.
• Timeline gap 5 is around 18:00.

My both cameras don't go offline simultaneously but I noticed that when one camera goes down, after a few minutes, the other camera goes down as well. But the network is up. I only encounter this situation if I try to reach the cameras using the Hik-Connect mobile app. If I do not use it, there is no interruption (because I see no gap in the timeline).

Since the other camera only records video based on motion detection, I can't exactly compare its downtimes against the other one but when one goes offline, I switch to the other camera and it goes offline shortly after (at least it happened that way today).

I am helpless here. I just do not understand the reason behind this. Is it related to the Hik-Connect mobile app, or is it a network-related issue, or faulty hardware? I don't know.

Perhaps around ten minutes of downtime over a 24-hour period might seem minor; however, the consistent issue arises when attempting to connect to a camera. This makes the situation bad for me.

 

[alfaclvi]

Could you try another unmanaged or POE Switch or connect each camera directly on your router/modem?
Also try completely disabling Auto Maintenance
There should also be an Information Export- Diagnose Information in Maintenance page. You can download this file and check what happened prior to reboot. There could be an indication of something.
The last thing you could do is to Factory reset both of them. Sometimes this also helps.

• If nothing of the above helps try deleting both of them from your Hikconnect account, download Ezviz app, create a new account in Ezviz, add both of them in account by scanning or s/n and use this app to check if same thing happens again. Remember that if if you want to go back to Hikconnect account you must again delete both of them from ezviz account. This is a different simple app but works OK for basic things like Event Playback for hikvision cameras. Also remember your passwords and Security code for streaming.

 

[hoakland]

Could you try another unmanaged or POE Switch or connect each camera directly on your router/modem?
Also try completely disabling Auto Maintenance
There should also be an Information Export- Diagnose Information in Maintenance page. You can download this file and check what happened prior to reboot. There could be an indication of something.
The last thing you could do is to Factory reset both of them. Sometimes this also helps.

• If nothing of the above helps try deleting both of them from your Hikconnect account, download Ezviz app, create a new account in Ezviz, add both of them in account by scanning or s/n and use this app to check if same thing happens again. Remember that if if you want to go back to Hikconnect account you must again delete both of them from ezviz account. This is a different simple app but works OK for basic things like Event Playback for hikvision cameras. Also remember your passwords and Security code for streaming.

Thanks for your reply, I am currently away from the camera setup. I will try your suggestions when I get to the site.

Meanwhile, I installed the HiLook mobile app (5.4.0.0920) from the Android Play Store. The random reboot issue did not occur with this version. It worked very well. I noticed an updated version of HiLook (6.2.5.0412) on appstore.hikvision.com. After switching to this updated version, the random reboot issue returned.

If I use Hik-Connect (6.3.0.0424) or HiLook (6.2.5.0412), the camera may randomly reboot shortly after the live video feed starts. But HiLook (5.4.0.0920) works very well.

I will make further tests and keep this topic updated for people with similar issues.

 

[alfaclvi]

So this seems to be the "usual suspect" called Hikconnect

 

[hoakland]

In my setup, I have no NVR. Cameras are recording footage to their SD cards.
As I stated above, the camera I connect randomly reboots shortly after the live video feed starts.
Instead of Hik-Connect, If I use an old version of the HiLook app it works without causing any reboot but this time I sometimes get "No more connections are allowed for the device" error message when I try to view recorded footage. And the app is not running as smoothly as the Hik-Connect app.
My question is:
If I use an NVR, would it be a cure for my both problems? Does anyone have an idea?
Thanks in advance.

 

[alfaclvi]

There is no secure answer for your question. Today Hik app works OK on ios and has a problem on android, tomorrow this might not work on ios but to work OK in android.
We just wait for new Hikconnect version.
Your cameras reboot issue could also be solved with a new firmware...
Are your cameras a (C) model? There is an _SP4 version of your firmware that according to Release notes, fixes occasional camera disconnections with a new a PHY driver:

DS-2CD2021G1-I(W)

Hikvision DS-2CD2021G1-I(W) 2 MP WDR Fixed Mini Bullet Network Camera

www.hikvision.com

 

[hoakland]

There is no secure answer for your question. Today Hik app works OK on ios and has a problem on android, tomorrow this might not work on ios but to work OK in android.
We just wait for new Hikconnect version.
Your cameras reboot issue could also be solved with a new firmware...
Are your cameras a (C) model? There is an _SP4 version of your firmware that according to Release notes, fixes occasional camera disconnections with a new a PHY driver:

DS-2CD2021G1-I(W)

Hikvision DS-2CD2021G1-I(W) 2 MP WDR Fixed Mini Bullet Network Camera

www.hikvision.com

I have "C" mark on the camera labels (stickers). I assume they are (C) model.
The cameras are currently running Firmware_V5.7.21_240422.
I am waiting for a new firmware release. I hope it arrives and solves this problem soon.

 

[alfaclvi]

I cannot understand what they mean by "After restarting, restore normal operation". Could they mean a factory restore? Or just that normal operation is restored after the reboot?