Dead IP camera some common issues

Have some questions or having issues with your IP Camera(s), Post them here for the mods and other users to assist you with.
Post Reply
User avatar
Revo2Maxx
Site Admin
Posts: 5805
Joined: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:05 pm

Dead IP camera some common issues

Post by Revo2Maxx »

So one of the craziest issues that can happen is you turn on your IP camera and the IR works and you can't figure out why it isn't coming online. There is no network activity. While I don't want to say 100% that this will be the case and testing isn't easy really. However looking at the pictures below for the bad part.. It is the Network Transformer.

However first thing you should do before you think that the camera is bad is double check that your network cable is in good working order. This means running a new cable that you know is good to the camera and make sure there is not something wrong with your currently installed cable. This is normally the #1 issue with a IP camera that goes offline. Bad cable or cable ends.

So this Transformer in the picture below was on one of my AI Dahua IP cameras from 2020. It would have still been under warranty had I bought it from a dealer that was Authorized to sell it. However it wasn't so there was no warranty. It is a color night camera with white LEDS. When I plugged in power it didn't light the LEDS in darkness because I turn them off in the location it was in. SO I did a Factory Reset and the camera showed that it had LEDS just not a working camera. So this tells me that there is a Network issue. What is funny is the Camera is also a POE camera and would power up over POE also, so again it comes down to something in the Network line. After removing this Transformer you can see there are 4 cores inside. However you can see 3 of them well the 4th one is black because the tiny wires that go around the core have burned up.

Also before you go pulling parts you will want to double check that your cameras wires going into the camera are good as well. They can get damaged just as easy as your normal Cat5E or other Ethernet type cables. If you tone out the cables and they are working as expected from outside camera to the PCB then next is looking over the camera for bad parts.

Took this one off, Installed a new one and camera came back online..

On this camera 1 thing to note. There are some Very fine (Small) traces that are under the package. So if you don't know what your doing. I wouldn't mess with the repair. Keeping your soldering iron in the area to long will burn them up and you will have more of a mess then one want to mess with because these traces go through a Via. While I didn't go probing or looking for where it goes or if it just went to a center of the PCB plane. I thought I would make it known there are some things easy to make worse then you started with...
20230128_011656.jpg
20230128_011656.jpg (918.95 KiB) Viewed 2282 times
20230128_011453_resized.jpg
20230128_011453_resized.jpg (573.71 KiB) Viewed 2282 times
good working one
20230128_011721.jpg
20230128_011721.jpg (32.2 KiB) Viewed 2280 times
Here to help the best I can.
Be Safe
nwilging
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:35 am

Re: Dead IP camera some common issues

Post by nwilging »

hm this might be the issue i'm experiencing. camera has IR, is definitely on and receiving PoE, but won't show up on the network.

I've had it for _less than a year_. Wow.
User avatar
Revo2Maxx
Site Admin
Posts: 5805
Joined: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:05 pm

Re: Dead IP camera some common issues

Post by Revo2Maxx »

I would double check your cables and make sure they are really Copper cables. If they are CCA you will want to change them out because the cable isn't good enough for POE and in truth should not ever be used for Networking of any kind.

One thing you will want to do before you go to the pain of replacing this part, You will want to tone out the cable from the Ethernet to the PCB. It can be a bad communication link between your connector and the PCB. I just had one that I thought might be bad Transformer and because I always test out the wires before going to circuit I found the issue was in the wiring inside the connector of where you plug in the Cat5e. At times it isn't always an issue within the Circuit.
Here to help the best I can.
Be Safe
nwilging
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:35 am

Re: Dead IP camera some common issues

Post by nwilging »

I'm very confident the cables are fine, I've tested on multiple switch ports with multiple cables.

Kinda sucks we have to do electrical debugging on these cameras at all. I'm reaching out to Amcrest support first.
User avatar
Revo2Maxx
Site Admin
Posts: 5805
Joined: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:05 pm

Re: Dead IP camera some common issues

Post by Revo2Maxx »

Yes if the Camera is Under Warranty then you will want to get a RMA for a Replacement..
Here to help the best I can.
Be Safe
Post Reply