Tags
Iris, iris system, Lowe's iris, Lowes, video camera, WEP, Wi-Fi, Wireless
I had successfully got my camera to work over the Ethernet cable but every time I switch to the wireless option I get the following image below when trying to view the the video feed.
There are multiple different security methods in configuring the wireless option and the one I have set up at home is for “WEP”.
After multiple resets to the camera and many trial and error I found that the camera just doesn’t support WEP over “Open System Authentication“.
I had discover this setting by accident in my router where I have the following option to set the network Authentication type from “Open System Authentication” to “Shared key Authentication” or “Both“.
I’ve tested this out by trying all three options and can confirm that it just doesn’t work “Open System Authentication“.
This now brings up another question for me as is there limitations for the other security method for “WPA” and “WPA2”. I’ll also be looking into this later too.
I just tried to setup the camera also, I think I finally got it working.
Good to see that you got it working!
Isn’t wpa and wpa2 “better” anyway. Maybe time to update your security settings across the board. Especially these days….
Agree. I was planning to set it for WPA/ WPA2 next week and report if there is any issues with setting this up with the Iris camera.
I set up using WPA/WPA2 and also have the disconnect problem. Have tried many times and the camera works when on ethernet but disconnects once I switch to wireless.
Chris,
When you mean “disconnect problem”. Are you saying that the camera doesn’t work at all over wireless, or does it work over wireless and it would disconnect and reconnect?
It doesn’t work at all over wireless… Also by disconnect I mean the hub is “searching” for the camera and it seems to be un-paired. In the router the camera still shows as a connected device on the wifi network with an IP addess but the Iris hub reports as disconnected.
Chris,
Thanks for the clarification.
I’m also making the assumption you did the following.
1) After setting up wifi settings you had unplugged the Ethernet cable and power cable and later put back the power to allow the camera to startup and use the wireless configuration.
2) You had verified the password for your wifi connection. Note that it is case sensitive. (I’ve made this mistake myself)
If I’m correct on my assumptions above then it might me a setting in the router. I been meaning to test the different combinations for WPA/ WPA2 but have been busy with other things and didn’t get a chance to do so. I hope to test this this week and get back to you.
Yes your assumptions are correct, I set up settings for wireless (including the correct case password) and saved those settings then disconnected the Ethernet, power and then waited and reconnected the power. The camera network lights came on after a minute or so, the camera then showed in the “attached devices” section on my router (with a IP) but when I clicked to view video it disconnected from the IRIS hub (after about a minute or so). Never showed any video. The fact that the camera shows with an IP on the router indicates that the password is accepted and the camera connected on wifi (I could also PING the IP successfully and got a reply). Not sure where to go next, I sent a question to Lowes/Iris support but haven’t heard back yet. I will post again if I get any more information.
I ran some test with my camera over WPA/WPA2 and they were all successful.
It bothers me that your camera is connected to your router over wireless and has assigned an IP and you can ping it. It sounds like the Iris Hub is the problem where it doesn’t know the camera exist.
Just some questions I have.
1) If you do use the Ethernet cable, is it the same IP as when you reconfigure it to go over to wireless? (I ask this because we had someone say that Iris support ask him to assign a dedicated IP to the camera, not sure if it something similar)
2) When your camera is in wireless. Does the Iris web portal devices page show that the camera can’t be found, or it is found and you can’t see any video.
3) Long shot here to try only if your hub doesn’t see the camera on the devices page.
a) Keep the camera on and connected through wireless.
b) Reset the Iris hub from the back of the hub.
4) Also what did Iris support say?
Problem resolved. I had bridged my NetGear router with my Uverse router. When I connected the hub to the NetGear (the same one hosting the wifi network) it was fine. I had switched the Iris hub due to another issue with the hub disconnecting. Anyway it’s all working now. Thanks for your help.
Thanks for the update. I’m just glad it’s resolved!
I’ve lived through all the above problems when I try to connect a second camera and have yet to resolve my problem. Initially, I set up IRIS on an unsecure network (because the WEP setting didn’t work) and later bought a second camera which worked flawlessly. After about 21 days there was a local power outage and my entire system when down and the Hub had to be entirely reset. I thought that since the system had to be reset I would replace the router with a faster (Linksys) Cisco N router and secure the network at WPA/WPA2 setting. I got the secure network setup and it worked great with the first camera but cannot get the second camera to remain online. I had all the previously mentioned problems, second camera works when connected to the Ethernet, and works for almost a minute when I remove the Ethernet cable. However, the Hub stops seeing the second camera and stops working. My next attempt for a solution will be to either go back to the older model router, go unsecure or both to see if I can re-establish the double camera capability. BTW I’ve been careful to return each of the cameras before the 90 return policy lapses. One time I was on the 90th day. I’ve taken two cameras back so far. Only the initial system bundled camera is still working. Can anyone help???
Please don’t use WEP in your house, even aside from the fact the camera is having issues with it anyway (hopefully that’s intentional by the manufacturer).
Using WEP with a physical security system is just asking for someone to mess with it. It takes only about 5 minutes to get around WEP, it’s essentially just as good as having no wireless security. WPA2 is the better choice.
That said, I enjoy your blog. I’m considering purchasing an Iris system, and this blog is the most information I’ve been able to find online, so thanks.
Hey guys Im having this issue as well, Ive been on the phone for weeks with support. I finally returned the camera got another. Same thing. Works with ethernet but once I unplug it the wireless fails to work. I have it set to WPA2. Streams with the ethernet but once disconnected it fails. Ive read the thread above but done really see a solution. I have done a reset on camera as well. any suggestions appreciated.
Have you tried other security setting besides WPA2?
I do not think it has much to do with the wireless security, it has more to do with the Iris hub working with the camera. I have the same problem I can not view the video with the Iris web page. My Iris hub can not see the camera, I get the following error, The Iris system was unable to connect to this camera. Please check the following steps & then retry connecting using the ‘Retry’ button below.
The camera is connected to my wifi router, it has an IP, the motion sensor is working, I get the following log entries, Today 9:39 am Camera Recording Video Recording on camera Camera Garage for 00:00:30 Automatically
Today 9:38 am Motion Ended Camera Garage (Video Camera) end of motion
Today 9:37 am Camera Recording Video Recording on camera Camera Garage for 00:00:30 Automatically
Today 9:36 am Camera Recording Video Recording on camera Camera Garage for 00:00:30 Automatically
Today 9:34 am Camera Recording Video Recording on camera Camera Garage for 00:00:30 Automatically
Today 9:33 am Camera Recording Video Recording on camera Camera Garage for 00:00:30 Automatically
Today 9:33 am Motion Started Camera Garage (Video Camera) start of motion
I can view the still capture at http://192.168.2.147/img/snapshot.cgi
the problem is the interaction between the wireless camera, the hub and the web page.
I get an error loading player,
I think you have an error in your coding. Looking at the page source info and the widget camera dash board links, I think you have a bad link in your code. or an error in the way the player loads.
I bought the IRIS system because I love the idea of being able to control items throughout the home via computer and mobile. I have placed three cameras around my home. I don’t sign into IRIS very often, but when I do, I can almost bet that one of the cameras cannot be found or disconnected or recording failed or something. Each time this occurs, I have to unmount my camera and re-pair it with the hub via ethernet (which is a pain). Had I known that this would be a consistent problem with numerous calls to customer service, I would have skipped this system and just gotten a hard-wired system. I just can’t trust this system to protect my home. The whole reason I bought cameras is to record when problems occur. If my cameras are CONSTANTLY unreliable and having to be re-paired, why have this system at all? Thank you for any thoughts.
I bought 4 of these and I’m having the same problem. It works connected and will not connect wirelessly. No plug and play means I’m returning them all since it appears the video option is not ready for prime time. Very disappointing since I wanted this solution to work with my other IRIS components.
Can anyone tell me if there is a setting that turns the motion sensor on & off? I’m not seeing any action when walking around the area in front of the camera! It does record if the alarm is set off( I’ve got it set for that with magic). I’m just wondering if I’m missing a setting somewhere for motion activation.
Same problem here. As soon as I unplug the Ethernet the Hub looses the camera. I really wish there was a way to fix all of this but after all the time I’ve spent (wasted) trying to get this thing to work like it promises it should, I’m thinking it’s time to give up on Iris for good.
Well called IRIS support today about my issue and was really surprised that they answered on the first ring. Wow I was surprised! The guy on the other end was very nice and answered my question in snap. I didn’t realize that there was a setting in magic that would make the camera record for 30 seconds if it senses motion. Problem solved. Maybe things are turning around for the customer support end with IRIS or I may have just been lucky!
Can you set it not to upload video unless you login to view or does it upload all the time? I have upload caps and dont want to go over.
Also I have existing IP cameras it would be nice if it could use the existing ones.
It will record if you have a magic rule to record if it sees movement or then the alarm is triggered. It also had the option to auto delete older videos if you go over.
I like several aspects of Iris. But the cameras are not reliable enough for security monitoring/recording for all the reasons previously outlined on this series of messages. I own 7 of them and they just seem to drop off without any apparent reason. I’ve decided to have a hard-wired second system installation for my camera requirements. This also allows for a better quality and more capable camera system. I can then access the system via Internet using a separate system–also can record almost endlessly with higher capacity storage. Not that expensive anymore. Not sure what to do with the IRIS cameras. While wireless in general has these connectivity problems, I am aware of professional wireless systems for cameras (remote locations) that have no connectivity problems as long as power remains constant. They are considerably more expensive than IRIS however.
JB, Alexandria
Agree with you on this for now. I also use a different camera system, but I hear they are working on this issue but not sure when that will be. Hopefully I can recommend iris cameras later.
I have one Iris camera as well my router is Netgear with an extender. the camera is connected to the extender and I’m using WPA2-PSK [AES] for security. I found that on rare occasions the IRIS Hub lost connectivity with the camera. after a few test I found cycling power on the extend router causes the camera to reconnect with the Iris Hub. Since this is a remote site, I connected the router power supply to the smart plug. that way i can remotely reboot the router.
I have had other issues with access to the videos using my android phone. for some reason it won’t play the video. although you can see the video playing in the background, a splash screen is in the middle of the video “CANT PLAY VIDEO”
Any ideas?
I have a couple of questions regarding my outdoor camera if anyone can help me. My camera is mounted outside my garage but is not connecting and is in a searching state. Does the camera talk directly to my wifi router it the Iris hub? I’m assuming that it talks to my router and that it is too far away from the router to pick up the wifi signal. Should I just use my wifi repeater and set the camera to use that or can I run a LAN cable to the camera? While I was testing the camera ( before mounting outdoors) I noticed that there is a delay and a lag. When at lowes the camera had no delay and I noticed that it was hooked up with a LAN cable. I want the highest resolution I can get with no lag, if the LAN cable can produce those results I would rather it be hardwired. Any and all comments are welcome. Thank you…
Iris doesn’t support wifi. If it can not connect to your router it wont work. So you will have to get WIFI to work all the time at that location before it will work.
I don’t use the iris cameras, I use the low cost $45 ip cameras. Does the iris camera have a webpage you can go to with your web browser to test it?
You should be able to find its IP address from your routers status screen.
Tmaster, I’m a little confused by your comment. You said that iris doesn’t support wifi but then you said that I need to get wifi to work in the location of the camera. My question is how is the camera talk to the iris system? Do I need an iris range extender to get the camera to work or do I need a wifi repeater? Thank you.
Iris camera communicate through wifi.
The Iris HUB has no wifi radio in it. In order to use the camera you need a wifi router.
During setup you connect the camera to your lan and IRIS will set it up. After that it will run off your routers WifI.
Your router bridges your WIFI network to your local LAN network where the iris is and to the internet where the IRIS servers are. It talks to the hub through your router.
So you need to make sure your routers WifI signal will reach the area where you want the camera. Install the app WIFI Analyzer on your phone so you can walk around and see your WIFI signal levels and find the best place.
Or connect your phone to WIFI if your phone wont connect in that area your camera wont either.
If you need to you can use a WifI extender to increase the range of your WifI
Hope this helps
My camera is still not working working wirelessly. I have been through all the steps with customer service. I even have three different DSL connections I tested it with, so I was able to disprove Iris Tech Support’s assertion that it’s a problem with my DSL. BUT… I don’t know what to do now. Will it ever work???
I have had iris for a year now and have put the cameras up and down numerous times and called the customer service numerous times. VERY disappointed in the cameras but the sensors work fine. the reason i went with iris was the cameras but they are pure shit and not worth the trouble of keeping them connected. for some reason the indoor cameras seem to work fine but the outdoor ones are not ready for this system. i have spent money on wifi extenders and new routers specific to video streaming. today i am hunting for solutions for this and am ready to get hardwire cameras. any thoughts? I got them running a few times and they were great but only a fraction of the time that I have had the system….
I’m in the same boat hooked up two cameras they worked flawless then one day it came up with searching. . . . bought a new camera paired it and same thing searching. . . . I can see I’m not the oly one with this problem.
Iris tech also told me because of my bandwidth I can only run 2 cameras “”WHY” I only look at one at a time so who cares how many there are . I have Belkin and Dlink with 5 cameras each no problem
I love the system but i have to have at least 2 camers to live with the system.
Help!!!
Hi I was woundern if u can hear sound on the iris I can’t hear nothing
I just hooked up my first indoor/outdoor camera to my iris system and wow what a bear of an install. Initially it paired with the camera and as soon as I installed the update, it lost connection. I reset the camera 4 times, tried reinstalling it, talked with tech support and still nothing. After getting off the phone with tech support, I tinkered with it a bit more and got into the router settings. I forgot my password to access my router so I had to reset my router (reset to factory default button, not just power cycle it). After going in and resetting my routers security settings, resetting the camera, and reconnecting the camera, zing-bang-boom, connected like a champ with no problems. I disconnected the Ethernet cable to switch to wifi, and it lost connection. I power cycled the router, and it took right off. I unplugged it to move to a different location, and experienced the same problem, no connectivity. I again recycled the power on the router, and it took right off again. I tried moving it again, and again had to power cycle the router.
I don’t think the cameras actually work wirelessly… I’ve been through everything with tech support. does anybody reading this have an Iris camera this is working wirelessly?
I have both a indoor & outdoor camera that is working wirelessly.
It wont for long
Okay i had a few of these issues with the Iris cameras and the only issue i have left is the lag time, placement can be an issue i had one outback that would drop out all the time i looked at the surrounding area and realized the elec panel for the home was inside at this location (doh moment) i moved the cameras 3′ away and worked great over wifi since then, from what i gather it seems that the lag dissappers when on lan to router so my next step is to run those cables to my router since i am in a ranch with an open attic no big deal. When i started with these cameras i had two wifi extenders in the home and had nothing but issues i relocated the router to the center of the home in an area with low interference and took the extenders off life and boom both cameras worked and my airplay speakers stopped dropping as well. Also by placing the router in a better location i got rid of both extenders
I’ve benn fighting this two camera thing with Iris for months – you can use one camera then add a second in days or weks it will get lost no one knows how to fix the problem,,
I installed sensors and motion detectors and all works great. Wanted an indoor camera, so bought one. I have Att Uverse (which includes their router and modem). Tried to hook up the camera and after many attempts was told by Iris support that the camera needs UPNP to connect. Went out and bought a new router with that option and had a geek rep come out to install it. We found that ATT will NOT let you change out the router, but for additional monthly fee will let you bridge it to another router. This all is toooooooo much, took the router and camera back for refund. They really should tell you that if you have a ATT Uverse router, you can not install a camera without being charged extra and having to buy another router.