Summary

XProtect® Smart Client users frequently see the message "Server lost connection to camera" and/or live video frequently drops out.

Symptoms

XProtect® Smart Client users frequently see the message "Server lost connection to camera" and/or live video frequently drops out.

Cause

This is typically due to one (or more) of the following reasons:

·         Packet loss or insufficient network bandwidth;

·         Firewall or security software hindering or blocking video traffic;

·         Inefficient streaming mode/protocol set on the camera;

·         The Milestone Recording Server service is not running;

·         Ping request with response time more than 4 ms (milliseconds).

Note: When frequent video dropouts or disconnects are observed, this is most commonly an indication of insufficient bandwidth or packet loss on the network.

Troubleshooting steps

There are certain tests (and tips and tricks) that you can use to get the best possible connection to cameras managed in XProtect software:

·         Disable any firewall or security software that may be blocking or hindering video traffic.

·         Check that the Recording Server service is running and has not stopped or terminated unexpectedly.

·         Check the Recording Server logs and search for "FAILURE" messages.

·         Verify from command prompt — type:
arp -a
and check if the MAC addresses of the devices which are assigned to the IPs are not different from those which are in the XProtect Management Application.
If they are, proceed by deleting the devices.ini file so that a new one can be created. File is in the following location:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Milestone\Milestone Surveillance\devices\ 
Restart all Milestone services from Windows Computer Management.

·         To preserve your footage for each of the affected devices, replace each camera with itself. If you delete and re-add the camera, you will loose your footage!!

·         Set a reasonable frame rate for the amount of bandwidth you have (for example, for 3G networks choose a very low setting, such as 4 FPS).

·         Increase compression on the camera image to achieve a small image file size (50% - 75% is a good range).

·         If your camera supports "streaming mode," try setting it to TCP or HTTP (avoid UDP).

·         If you are using MPEG4 or H.264 codec, try experimenting with Motion JPEG (this may give better connection stability over high-latency networks).

·         Avoid attaching more than one network camera to any single cellular (3G/4G) data connection (or if you must do it, scale down the FPS and image file size appropriately).

·         Use network packet analysis tools such as Wireshark (http://www.wireshark.org) to capture network traffic between the server and the camera(s), to check for packet loss or other failures/breakdowns.

·         Try disabling groupings of cameras on the system to free up resources and discover if the behavior improves.

Resolution 

Contact Critical Technology Solutions, Inc. to assist further.  http://support.thinkcritical.com