IPC-HDBW4433R-ZS. For client. Camera has issues

[Holbs]

While doing some IP camera work at 3 locations for a customer, 2 locations use ReoLinks. 1 location is a CPU case with ZoneMinder with 3 HikVision IP cameras. They wanted to add another IP camera in the front lobby after having a physical altercation with a customer that came in. I get the box and immediately see "IPC-xxxx". I said hay! I get excited! But then I thought... are Dahua cameras the only ones that use IPC in the nomenclature? Or clones? It didn't have Dahua anywhere on the box. The camera IT guy for the company asked me to plug it into the POE switch with the other HikVisions and he couldn't find it on the network. I said...hay man...dude, I got this! Changed my laptop to 192.168.1.200 and whalla...I can log into the camera and it's a Dahua or clone as it's the same menu (even IVS config). But... the auto-focus is not working very well. Seems like I need another -10 of focus to make things clear but it remains blurry. Manually sliding the focus bar results the same.
I am not sure if this is a hardware issue or a firmware issue. It is ancient firmware from 2018:
system verison: 2.622.GP01.40.R, Build Date 2018-09-13

No luck finding firmware for this camera laying around on IPCT. I assume this is a pretty old dome camera. Plus, I know to follow Andy advice of firmware upgrades with cameras I purchased from him. But what firmware works on a camera with an unknown history? Would Dahua website firmware be applicable?

 

[Mike A.]

Manually sliding the focus bar results the same.

Probably not a firmware issue then. You should be able to find some combination of length/focus where you have good focus. If it were just auto-focus not working then maybe more a software issue.

Maybe try a reset but I wouldn't be overly hopeful.

 

[Holbs]

Probably not a firmware issue then. You should be able to find some combination of length/focus where you have good focus. If it were just auto-focus not working then maybe more a software issue.

Maybe try a reset but I wouldn't be overly hopeful.

No instructions came with it either. I initially thought this was a manual focus camera until I logged in and saw the -ZS model # and the auto-focus. If it's broke... maybe i'll use my pliers to pull the focus lens out about 1/4"

 

[Mike A.]

This is a new cam?

Might have been dropped hard or something.

And just as one of those dumb things that happen, there's not some protective film over the dome is there? Been so long since I've bought a dome I don't remember how they come. I've seen things like that a few times. I've never left it over a lens but I did forget to take it off of the IR and was wondering for a while why it was so weak.

 

[Holbs]