There are many scenarios where a camera works well when accessed through its native interface, an NVR, or another VMS, but at the same time, the camera may not work as expected or may not work at all on the 3dEYE platform.
Continue reading to learn about some of the most common situations where a camera may not respond as expected.
1. PTZ Controls Work on the Web User Interface but Not on the Platform
Sometimes, camera manufacturers add an additional security feature that prevents remote control of certain camera features.
- The default password of the camera may need to be changed from the camera settings before these features can be controlled from the 3dEYE platform.
You can follow the steps on the relevant page↗️ to reset the password. In other cases, you may need to allow remote control of the PTZ functionality from the camera's Advanced Security menu.
2. Masking on Analytics Does Not Work
Some cameras that do not support the ONVIF motion detection profile will have Motion Detection or other detectors listed as "Unavailable" in the Admin Portal.
This means that ONVIF configuration for the specified detector is not available, and the camera must be configured from its native web UI.
- In this scenario, our system will work on the whole picture rather than the masked area configured on the camera.
This happens because the camera is not reporting to us which part of the image has been selected for motion detection. As a result, any moving object anywhere in the image will be recognized and reported according to the specified Object Detection rules.
3. Stream Resolution and/or Bitrate Is Higher or Lower Than Expected
The streaming configuration is selected based on the billing plan settings chosen by the customer. However, in some instances, the camera may keep switching to different quality settings, either immediately or after some time following configuration changes made from the Admin Portal.
- Most often, this happens when the camera is connected to an NVR and/or another platform at the same time as it is connected to the 3dEYE services.
To avoid this configuration mismatch:
- Configure all services connected to the camera with the exact same quality configuration.
- Use separate streaming channels for each service if the camera supports the required resolutions on its sub-streams.
Another parameter to check is the type of protocol used for communication between the camera and the NVR.
- If your camera and NVR are from the same manufacturer, they will most likely be configured to use the "Native," "Private," or brand-specific protocol.
If this is the case, even after configuring the camera and NVR with the exact settings configured in the Admin Portal, the stream quality can still be significantly different from what is expected.
This happens because, when the native protocol is used, the NVR takes complete control over the camera and decides the configuration, often completely ignoring the configuration requested through the platform.
- To avoid this, switch the cameras on the NVR to the ONVIF protocol.
This allows both 3dEYE and the NVR to communicate with the camera using the same protocol, helping the camera behave in a more predictable manner.
⚠️Note: When integrating cameras into the NVR, it is strongly recommended to use the RTSP (Generic) method, or at minimum, the ONVIF protocol.
4. Stream Keeps Jumping from High Resolution to Low Resolution Every Few Minutes
Some camera models report resolutions over the ONVIF protocol that are not supported or do not work properly on the camera.
- In most cases, this is a bug in the camera firmware, and upgrading the camera firmware should resolve the issue.
If the manufacturer has not yet provided an updated version of the firmware, you will need to manually configure the camera to use a supported resolution.
- In many cases, this means using lower-than-maximum resolutions and/or frame rates.
5. Motion Detection Settings Are Not Being Saved on the Camera
This usually happens with cameras that have separate configuration files for ONVIF and the camera's web UI. There is no way to see this directly from the web UI or from our platform. However, it can be identified from the camera's behavior or from the fact that every time you open the camera in the Admin Portal, it prompts you to choose which settings you want to use: stored settings or settings from the camera.
Sometimes, this issue can also be caused by differences in parameter names or allowable parameter ranges.
For example, some cameras allow only certain values when configured through the UI, while ONVIF may show no limits or may expose intermediate values that are technically not allowed by the camera.
- These are all examples of camera firmware issues and can be addressed with updated firmware.
If the manufacturer has not provided updated firmware, you will need to determine the camera's limits experimentally through trial and error.
6. Only 1080p or Lower Resolutions Are Available Even Though the Camera Is 8 MP or Higher
Some IP cameras have an additional parameter that determines the maximum resolution the camera can use. This is often called "Capture Mode."
- Different resolution and frame-rate combinations are possible under different capture modes.
- Make sure that the camera is set to an appropriate capture mode to unlock the desired resolution and/or frame rate.
The Admin Portal displays the list of all resolutions that the camera reports as supported.
Therefore, if you do not see the desired resolution in the dropdown list:
- Check whether your camera has a Capture Mode parameter.
- Adjust the Capture Mode to make sure that the desired resolution is available under the camera's mainstream.
Related Information
For more information on how to calculate data consumption, please visit this page↗️
For more information on how much bandwidth is needed for cameras, please visit this page↗️
For more information on how to set up analytics, follow this page↗️
For information on how smart analytics works, follow this page↗️
For more information on how to optimize image parameters, please visit this article↗️