IP2M-841B Will Not Connect to WiFi

[LordCambo]

I have been using 4 of these cameras for many years on P2P. I recently noticed one was not connected. Without listing everything that I've tried over the past week, I can't get it reconnected to WiFi. It won't except the WiFi password. Ethernet works fine.

Any suggestions?

[Volkemon]

Did you try the reset button on the back? I have the IP2M-841W-V3, dont know how similar the V1 is.

Otherwise a firmware update might be in order. Good thing Ethernet cable still works!

Found this.... might be a pertinent thread. @Revo2Maxx is a VERY helpful person, to say the least.

What I would do is Do a factory Reset of the camera you are now having issues with. Do so by Pressing the LED on the back of the camera until the camera blinks Red, I wait until it come back to red before letting go of the reset switch. Again if not already known the Reset switch is the LED on the back of the camera.. Once the Reset is done setup again and see if it works again with AVP aand ASP because I don't have any issues making a P2P with any of my 841s in use... On any of the listed FW and the last Auto Update FW offered from the camera from 2017..

Good Luck!!

[LordCambo]

Thank you for the quick reply.

I have tried the factory reset several times with no luck. Thought about trying a firmware update after a reset, will try soon and report back.

[Revo2Maxx]

Maybe if you are using AVP I would look at using AVP2.. There has been some things that has happened in AVP that might make it so you can no longer setup cameras using it..

Plus if 841B is a V3 then you will want to setup using Wifi if that is how you want to use it.. Maybe they have new hardware setup like the ASH line where it will work 1 way or the other no longer both like the older systems would..

However you can test this. By going to the WebUI of the camera, Setup the wifi of the cameras over the cable. Don't have to setup on AVP2 or AVP for that matter this way only.. Meaning you can setup older camera using Wired connection then go to the Camears WebUi, Setup, Network, Wifi and do a search for your router, setup the password for your router and save. Then remove the wired connection and it will take over after reboot on Wifi.. Then using the app setup that you have your camera already setup and add the camera. It will not require you to setup password for router as you already have that setup..

[LordCambo]

Thank you for the information and suggestions.

So before I went to try a firmware upgrade, I linked to the web and tried one more time to connect to wifi. I tried this many times before, no luck.

It accepted my Wifi password and worked this time!?!?!

No idea why, I did nothing different. I did notice that it accepted the password, but when I disconnected the ethernet cable the green light started flashing, and I could not see live view. But then when I closed the web view and just looked at Amcrest Pro the green light stayed steady and the live view began working. Still doesn't explain why the password was accepted this time.

Anyways, I'll see how it goes and if it is a problem I'll be back and try your suggestions.

Thanks again!

[Revo2Maxx]

So yeah sorry I forgot to mention. That when you remove the ethernet cable, The camera will need to be found on a new IP. That is because most times the IP for wifi and wired will be different from Router Pool setup. Not normally able to give teh wifi and wired same Ip seeing they have different Mac addresses for the connections..

But glad to hear you got it working now. Good Luck.

Be Safe.

[Volkemon]

Plus if 841B is a V3 then you will want to setup using Wifi if that is how you want to use it.. Maybe they have new hardware setup like the ASH line where it will work 1 way or the other no longer both like the older systems would..

Thats news to me.... I had somehow assumed that the reason for selecting 'default card' ( Network>TCPIP>Ethernet card ) Was to set the default card the camera would use. IE: If it has a wired connection, and a wifi connection, it would default to your selection as first choice, and go the the other if the default was not available.

Well... I had yet to try the 841-V3's I have on wireless. Tried it today.

I had set up a static IP for wired (.......1.160) So I went to Network>TCPIP>Ethernet card and clicked on the 'Wireless' to set up the wireless IP.

Nogo. Gave a message of 'Null not allowed'. I had run into this before, and found this workaround. (https://amcrest.com/forum/ip-cameras-f1 ... 814d79d59f)

OK, worked around, and set the static wireless IP for ..........1.161. (The wired IP was reset also to DCHP, but I figured I would come back to that)
Then went to Network>Wifi, checked the enable box and did all the necessary input, and it successfully connected to wireless. I connected via the browser at .....1.161.



But now I go back to the Network>TCPIP>Ethernet card and try to select 'Wired' to set my IP again. Wired is still 'default' card, but when I click on it 'Null Not Allowed' message. OK! Workaround again as above, set BOTH wired and wifi to static and to the desired address. Save.

Now I have the 'Wired' card as default. Both WIFI and Wired IP's static and at my desired values.

The camera stays on WIFI connection, even with the default card set to 'Wired'.

It appears selecting "enable" on the Network>WIFI page overrides the default selection on Network>TCPIP>Ethernet card.


I was sort of hoping that I could set both to a static IP, and default being wired, as I mostly use wired. BUT when the camera is unplugged, it would then go to WIFI as the default was not available. That way when we can move the camera to an area that does not have wired, but DOES have WIFI, the camera would change from the default to the secondary option. I would have both IP's on BI, and the WIFI one would just be inactive when wired, and vice versa.

But it appears that this may not be possible, as your quote above would indicate. If I want to use Wired, I must disable WIFI regardless of default choice of Ethernet Card. But you also indicate at one point you could 'auto switch' from Wired to Wireless if both were available... With the 'older' systems? Very odd to lose a feature like that IMO, but there are probably factors I am unaware of.


It does seem odd that you can select a default ethernet card, but that is overridden if WIFI is enabled. Is this a fault? Opinion?
(I know you dont work for Amcrest, I would submit a support ticket if I am correct in my analysis here)



As always... THANK YOU for the education.

[Revo2Maxx]

Well if I had to guess maybe there is just some circuity missing out of the V3 that could make that work. I mean if you have ever taken the bottom off both cameras the V3 is only 1/2 the size of the base where the V1 and 2 are full size the base for the PCB and not just blank space both sides filled.. So there is no way I could see audio in/out and alarm in/out could take such a large amount of space. So my guess part of what would make that also work might be also missing from the circuit PCB..

[Volkemon]

I have not taken them apart yet. Yet.


But it looks like the ability IS there. Not by switching back and forth between the WIFI and Wired on the camera. But to use BOTH.

I am viewing on the WIRED connection. (.....1.161)

Go to Setup>Network>WIFI. Select enable.

It tells me with a green 'connected' it is now connected to wireless.

So I open another tab, and go to (.....1.161) the static IP of the wireless.

Success! I have a live view.

I go back to the Wired tab, (....1.160)

The wired is still active too! I select setup, live, PTZ controls... all work.
Check wireless.... ALSO active. Same testing.

So the camera is on (2) IP's right now on the same router, one wire one wireless. OK!



I can refresh the page, and sign back in on BOTH IP's.

So... I try something. Unplug the wire. THAT should eliminate the ....1.160 address.

Go back and check... both IP's still active. On the tab with the wired connection, ...1.160 , I can still sign out and back in. Ditto on the Wireless tab, .....1.161.

Obviously the wire is not connected. So.... the wireless must be taking two IP's.

Went to my BI computer, and checked also to see if it was some funky cache issue. Nope. The camera is active on the ....1.160 (""wired"" IP) , .....1.161 (WIFI IP) and displayed on the BI screen (using ......1.160 IP)


I went ahead and disabled wireless. Both streams disappeared.

Reconnected the wire, Check .....1.160 - its live.
Try .....1.161 (Wireless IP) its dead.

A one time glitch?


Tried to replicate the condition. (Retired diagnostic tech, so I never trust just one test. )

It kept both the Wired AND wireless IP's active. But this time, disconnecting the wire from the camera stopped the feed on the wired IP (....1.160) and did not affect the wireless feed (.....1.161).

BUT.... reconnecting the wire enabled the wired feed again. AND kept the wireless feed.

So. Apparently when WIRED is selected as default, and wireless is enabled, BOTH run.

If the wire is disconnected, the wired feed stops. Wireless keeps going.

Must have just been a weird glitch in the camera or router. Very odd.

BUT..... It would appear that I have my wish!

Having Ethernet card set to Wire default, and enabling wifi, apparently will allow me to run off the wired ethernet when available, and if there is not a wired connection, WIFI (running concurrently) will be there when the camera powers up.

And it works. I can power the camera down, disconnect ethernet, move it to another location, re-power. WIFI connects.

My wife can easily move it, and not have to get on and mess with settings to enable wireless.

The only downside is leaving the WIFI running all the time, taking up bandwidth. Or is there a downside?

Question: if the WIFI is connected, but nothing is monitoring it, does it use WIFI bandwith? Or MUCH less than if it is being actively monitored?

[Revo2Maxx]

1 thing you might not have tried. If not give it a go.. Doing your test with a reboot and see if things remain as it did without the reboot? Normally in the past. Wifi enabled and wired connected could access the device on wifi IP even with out wifi on the router being active because it was connected over wired. It has been a while if wired IP worked on Wifi I don't think it did..

Wifi bandwidth? IF it is connected to an NVR or Bi then yes it would use bandwidth to stream to the recorder. Most devices are running 24/7 seeing if you had an event there has to be the ability to capture it a preset time that is setup in the camera and recorder settings. This is really done with a Marking as the camera is sending data all the time. When event happens the recorder or Bi sets a pin to mark when recording should start. Then runs until motion or event ends or the time for current event expires.. again this end is only a Pin in the full recording.. Now some might put this into memory and then post the record to the HDD after an event starts but this type can be Glitchy.. So watching or not the data is always streaming to the recorder