Reboot causing video settings to revert to low quality on Amcrest IP5M-B1186EW and IP5M-T1179EW

[rj829]

Hi all,

Having an issue where both my Amcrest cameras (running same firmware but different models) revert the video configuration to the lowest setting on a reboot.

To reproduce:
Login to web interface for camera, goto Setup -> Camera -> Video and set the settings as below:

Hit save, it says its successful. The resolution of videos and snapshots is right (2592x1944).

Goto Sytem -> Auto maintain -> Manually reboot camera

When it comes back online, go back into the above screen and now it looks like this - back to 720p:


In the Information -> Log, every reboot has an event like this that appears to be changing back the video settings:

Detailed Information
Time: 2023-06-02 09:59:38
User Name: System
Type: Save Configuration
Content:
Name: Video Format

I'm on the latest firmware - unsure if this happened prior to that.. just noticed all my videos were low-res...
2.820.00AC001.0.R, Build Date: 2023-01-13

Any thoughts?

 

[JDreaming]

Try again on the IE browser and see if it save changes if your previous attempts were using other browsers. Some cameras will only work on IE browser.

 

[Flintstone61]

I don't think you need to auto-reboot those cams.
I have some of them, and they have worked fine without that.
Also if you are using an NVR, it may supercede your cam gui settings for the internal NVR settings.

 

[rj829]

Auto-reboot might just be noise - it happens on any reboot or power failure (which is about once a week given the remote location and weather).

I changed the admin password to eliminate any phone app or other device changing the settings. I have the Amcrest Surveillance connected but its not running.
I think if it was a user-based change (ie, the NVR connecting, or the amcrest mobile app) it would show the user not as "system"...

 

[IAmATeaf]

This must be a quirk of that particular firmware.

I found something similar with a Dahua cam, I normally enable sub stream 2 and disable 1 but after a restart it would always disable 2 and enable 1. This caused issues with BI as if the cam restarted then BI would be looking for sub stream 2 which wasn’t enabled so would think the cam was offline.

I systematically went through quite a few firmware versions before I found one that didn’t have this issue.

 

[Flintstone61]

are you on an NVR?

 

[Flintstone61]

im on Blue Iris and NVR
sometimes, if you change the camera settings " at the camera" interface...it may have a different setting inside NVR.
.208 is NVR
.111 is Cam gui.
just something to check....not saying thats the issue.

 

[rj829]

are you on an NVR?

Had Amcrest Surveillance hooked up, but no NVR. Actually removed the devices from AS as well just to be sure.

Try again on the IE browser and see if it save changes if your previous attempts were using other browsers. Some cameras will only work on IE browser.

Don't have IE anymore, but same effect changing via Amcrest Surveillance, Edge, Chrome, Firefox. The change and interface all work fine - just the reboot which could be a week later causing it.

 

[wittaj]

Explorer is still there and there are ways to get Explorer again.

The simple way is to change the BHO folder to another name like oldBHO and BAM Explorer is back...and this thread also shows other ways...

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\110.0.1512.48\

Then change BHO to oldBHO or something else and Explorer will open

Looks Like Internet Explorer Died Today

Or this way:

Trouble with new DS-2CD3B86G2T-IZHSY -missing part of menu

I tested it home and everything seemed OK, but when I installed it at my summer cottage, something dont work. All setup was done at home and the only change hereafter was SADP to change gateway and ip No. I have a large memory card - 256 GB and can be seen in storage and worked at home. But...

ipcamtalk.com

"But I upgraded to Win11" .... yep still available:

Internet Explorer via W11

Internet Explorer was never supposed to work on Windows 11. Microsoft disabled IE in Windows 11, making it the first version of Windows without IE for more than 20 years. In fact, if you even try to launch Internet Explorer in Windows 11, the OS simply forces you into Microsoft Edge. But...

ipcamtalk.com

Or this way:

Open up Notepad and Copy this text below in the blank space and do a save as IE.vbs and make it a shortcut on your desktop and then plain ole Internet Explorer will run again.

CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application").Visible=true

 

[rj829]

Thanks @wittaj , but might be veering off the primary issue... not really looking to do that to use a less-than-2-year old camera

I feel its a firmware bug w/ latest or otherwise something w/ my config. Doesn't seem like others are seeing it, so logging a support ticket w/ amcrest now and will report back.

 

[wittaj]

I hear ya, but if others with this camera don't have this issue and they use Explorer and you don't...that seems like the root cause. These firmware are unfortunately still rooted in Explorer and they don't seem to be in any hurry to reinvent the firmware wheel.

Keep in mind we still see the need to use Explorer on brand new cameras that just came out in the past 4 months, so my comment was also for people that find this thread later LOL.

Lots of threads here even within the past few days on new Dahua cams (and Amcrest is Dahua OEM), and even new Hikvision cams, where settings would change and revert to other things using other browsers and once the person reluctantly decided to use Explorer..... and BAM the setting stuck....

Here is one on a brand new camera:

Review-SD4A425DB-HNY 1/2.8" CMOS 4MP 25x Starlight Auto-tracking MiniPTZ

One thing we have noticed is the PTZs more than any other camera seems to be browser dependent. Is there a preferred Mac-based browser that is known to work with these cams?

ipcamtalk.com

 

[rj829]

Sharing an update here in hopes others can solve... and, to alert of a somewhat big security issue.

I've had this problem since I posted, and largely ignored it as the 2 cameras in question were used for live-viewing and not much recording in a remote location. I also put the POE switch on a small UPS so the reboots were largely stopped.

I filed a ticket with Amcrest recently and they asked if I had it hooked up to BlueIris or an NVR etc. I do not. At some point in the past, I did connect both these cameras to Secure login as a trial. Support suggested I remove them from there too.

Here is where it gets interesting - I setup the cam's on amcrestcloud with an old login (admin, but the initial password I set). When I was trying to figure out what was changing these settings on reboot - I changed the password - confirmed by having to update the password in my phone, ipad, and when I login to the web (on the cam, not cloud) url.
I also factory reset the cameras in the meantime - never reusing the original password amcrest cloud used.

I did NOT update the password on amcrestcloud.com.. didn't think much of it - but I could still see the settings and it was "green" on health.
I never thought I needed to remove it from the cloud account to see if it was the thing reverting the video settings - but it was... I removed both cams from amcrestcloud, rebooted the cameras numerous times and they have been fine - no resolution or settings changes like before.

My conclusion is that amcrestcloud somehow connects to the camera thru some non-user authentication and is able to keep that connection even if the admin password is changed. Meaning, if you factory reset a camera and sell it - your amcrestcloud account or amcrest in general is still able to reconfigure and access the camera. Not good.

 

[wittaj]

Sharing an update here in hopes others can solve... and, to alert of a somewhat big security issue.

I've had this problem since I posted, and largely ignored it as the 2 cameras in question were used for live-viewing and not much recording in a remote location. I also put the POE switch on a small UPS so the reboots were largely stopped.

I filed a ticket with Amcrest recently and they asked if I had it hooked up to BlueIris or an NVR etc. I do not. At some point in the past, I did connect both these cameras to Secure login as a trial. Support suggested I remove them from there too.

Here is where it gets interesting - I setup the cam's on amcrestcloud with an old login (admin, but the initial password I set). When I was trying to figure out what was changing these settings on reboot - I changed the password - confirmed by having to update the password in my phone, ipad, and when I login to the web (on the cam, not cloud) url.
I also factory reset the cameras in the meantime - never reusing the original password amcrest cloud used.

I did NOT update the password on amcrestcloud.com.. didn't think much of it - but I could still see the settings and it was "green" on health.
I never thought I needed to remove it from the cloud account to see if it was the thing reverting the video settings - but it was... I removed both cams from amcrestcloud, rebooted the cameras numerous times and they have been fine - no resolution or settings changes like before.

My conclusion is that amcrestcloud somehow connects to the camera thru some non-user authentication and is able to keep that connection even if the admin password is changed. Meaning, if you factory reset a camera and sell it - your amcrestcloud account or amcrest in general is still able to reconfigure and access the camera. Not good.

We see that fairly common here when someone comes here after buying a cloud based camera and despite every attempt, it still is connected to whoever returned it or they bought it from. One of the many reasons why most of us do not let the cameras access the internet.