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Camera Configuration Troubleshooting Tips

General guidelines:

  • CameraFTP offers Cloud Recording and Surveillance Service. We can support CameraFTP related issues. If your issue is hardware related, please contact your device manufacturer first.
  • CameraFTP offers 3-day free trial. After 3 days, you must order a subscription to use the service.
  • Please note phone support is available to paid members only.
  • Please read our Camera Setup Guide carefully and follow the instructions step by step whenever possible. If your camera/DVR brand is not listed there, please read the setup guide for Generic Image-Recording IP Camera and Generic Video-Recording IP Camera

Trouble-shoot FTP Upload Issues    |    Trouble-shoot SMTP Upload Issues

1. Initial Setup Problems

If you have configured your camera based on the Setup Guide and cannot get it working, please try the following trouble shooting steps:

1.1 Verify your FTP server settings

  • - The FTP Server name should be ftp.cameraftp.com. In case your DNS server is not working, please try the IP address 66.220.9.45 instead of the host name. Some cameras (e.g. some Foscam camera models) require a URL like:
    ftp://ftp.cameraftp.com/FOLDERNAME
    If so, please enter the URL as the FTP server/host name. You can also try to replace the hostname with the IP address by entering:
    ftp://66.220.9.45/FOLDERNAME
  • The FTP username is the same as your CameraFTP username; the FTP password is the license key of your camera license. For trouble shooting, or if you are trying our free service, then you can use your CameraFTP account password as the FTP password.
  • The FTP mode must be set as Passive (or PASV).
    In most cases, setting it as Active will not work. Your router / firewall usually blocks Active FTP connections. If your camera does not offer this option, usually it is PASV by default.

1.2 Check your CameraFTP account status

Log on to www.cameraftp.com and check if there are any alert messages, such as exceeding usage limit or having an un-paid balance.

You can also check your event center for any account or camera related problems.

1.3 Check external FTP connectivity from your network

You can use a PC/MAC to check if external FTP connection can be established from your network. The PC/MAC must be connected to the same network as your IP Camera.

To check if your computer can connect to our FTP server, the easiest way is to open a web browser and enter the following address:

ftp://USERNAME@ftp.cameraftp.com/

It shall ask you to logon; try to log on with the same FTP username and password as configured in your camera.

(a) If logon is successful:
It means:
  • Your IP address is not blocked by our FTP server;
  • Our FTP server is working fine;
  • Your login credentials are correct.
  • You can continue trouble shooting camera configuration related issues.
(b) If it does not work

Please install a GUI-based FTP client, such as FileZilla, which is a free FTP client. You can configure FileZilla to connect to our FTP server:
ftp.cameraftp.com or 66.220.9.45

And using the same login credentials as entered in the camera's configuration screen. If FileZilla pops up a certificate dialog, please click Ok.

If FileZilla works fine, and your files are still not appearing on the website, the problem is not with our FTP service. Please report to CameraFTP Support

If FileZilla does not work, you can see the very detailed FTP log info. If you see any error message in FileZilla's FTP log, please email it to CameraFTP support.

  • If the error message is related with a connection failure, then usually you need to contact your ISP to resolve your connection problem.
  • In rare cases, your IP address could have been blocked. If so, please turn off all your cameras, and wait for 2 hours to try again. You can also try to connect ftp.drivehq.com with username anonymous and any password. If you can connect to ftp.drivehq.com, but not ftp.cameraftp.com, then it means CameraFTP's FTP server blocked your IP (or account). IP blocking is usually caused by not paying your bill on time, exceeding your usage limit, or too many & too fast failed logons.
  • You can verify whether your ISP blocked FTP connection by testing it from a different location with a different ISP.

1.4 Check your camera's FTP connectivity

Many cameras allow you to test FTP connection and will report whether it is successful or not. Please note many cameras require you to save the FTP settings first and then test. If a FTP connection can be established from your network using FileZilla or web browser, but your camera cannot connect to our FTP server, then:

  • Try to configure your camera to use 66.220.9.45 as the FTP server.
  • If your camera still cannot connect to our FTP server, then you might want to power off your camera and power it on again.

  • If your camera uses Wi-Fi connection, check if your camera can connect to the Wi-Fi access point reliably. You can test it with a wired connection.
  • Check your camera’s “event log” or "Status" page (if exists) to locate any error messages. (Not all cameras have event log feature.)

1.5 Camera files not uploading?

If there is no FTP connectivity problem, and your account is in good status, then your camera should be able to upload files to CameraFTP. If it still does not upload any image / video clips to our server, then please check:

(1) If you configured it to upload based on motion detection, please change it to upload continuously for a few minutes. If it works with continuous recording, then the problem is with the motion detection settings. Usually, you must set:

  • Motion sensitivity; (usually you need to set it at the medium level).
  • Motion detection region; (Usually you want to include the whole area). Many cameras set the default motion detection region to none (e.g. D-Link, Wansview, etc.). Sometimes, it is hard to tell if you have selected a motion detection region. Please try to re-select the region a few times and check if you can get it to work.
  • Motion detection schedule. (Usually you want to include all times).

Also, please make sure there is motion in the scene. Otherwise, it will not record any data.

(2) If it still does not upload regardless of motion recording or continuous recording, then it could be that your camera is buggy. If so, please try to reboot the camera, and check if there is a newer version firmware from your vendor.

(3) Another possibility is there is a compatibility problem between your camera and our FTP server. If so, please keep your camera running, and notify CameraFTP support.

2. Camera stopped uploading problem

If your camera was configured and had worked fine for a few days, but later the camera stopped working, please check:

  • (1) Check if your hardware devices are still connected and powered on. You might try to reboot your camera and/or router.
  • (2) Check your Internet connection. Sometimes it is just a temporary network problem.
  • (3) Check your account status by logging on www.CameraFTP.com and pay attention to any alert messages or error/warning events in the Event Center; in particular, please make sure you pay your monthly bills on time. (We offer 30-day grace period).
  • (4) Check your FTP connectivity as in Chapter 1 again. If there is no FTP connectivity problem, then it is usually caused by incorrect image/video parameters being configured in the camera.
    • (a) Please make sure you set the upload frequency (or video fps), image/video resolution, and motion recording based on your subscription plan. Don’t exceed the limit of your subscribed plan. E.g.: If you ordered a service for: 2 cameras, 320x240 image resolution, 1 image / 2seconds with motion recording, then don’t setup 3 cameras, or use higher resolution images, or upload more than 1 image / 2 seconds, or upload continuously. Doing so may get your account blocked.
    • (b) If you ordered an image recording plan, then please configure your camera to upload images and vice versa. If the recording type does not match, your account could be blocked.
    • (c) You might have configured two or more uploading plans in one camera. Many cameras support uploading both image snapshots and video clips at the same time. However, if you configure it to upload both, then usually you need to order two separate camera licenses for the camera.
    • (d) Sometimes your router or camera could run into a strange problem. You can try to reboot them and check if the problem can be resolved. If you use Wi-Fi, please note Wi-Fi connection can be interfered. Please make sure Wi-Fi signal is still strong.
If your camera exceeded usage limit, you must stop it for a while, or you can manually delete some files first.

3. Camera dropping some images/video clips

If your camera failed to upload some images/videos from time to time, or if it cannot upload at the subscribed frequency, please:

  • (1) Check if you have enough upload bandwidth. If you have multiple cameras at the same location, and the plan level is high, then you need to have very fast Internet connection (esp. upload speed).
    A typical broadband connection has a much smaller upload bandwidth than the download bandwidth. E.g. most ADSL limits upload speed to only 512Kbps to 1Mbps. The download speed is usually much faster at 3Mbps to 12Mbps. If possible, use Cable Modem or other faster Internet connection.

    If you don't have enough bandwidth, usually you will notice that accessing Internet websites is slow; uploading files will be even slower. The solution is to either upgrade your Internet service, or configure your cameras with low parameters. Motion recording can dramatically reduce bandwidth requirement if your scene is mostly static.

  • (2) Check if your camera has a reliability problem. Some cheap cameras (from non-reputable camera vendors) are known to be unreliable. You camera might drop network connection after some time. You can find it out using a PC/MAC. Run the camera manufacturer's IP camera search program, or CameraFTP VSS software to find IP cameras in your network. If your camera is disconnected from the network, then it cannot be found unless you reboot it.

    You can check if there is a firmware update, or contact the manufacturer for more support.

    Some cameras can automatically reboot every day or week. If you set this feature, then it could make the camera much more reliable.

    Otherwise, you can just order a better camera.

  • (3) Check if your wireless AP / network router is reliable. Your Wi-Fi AP/Router might be unreliable. If so, you will notice multiple devices, incl. your laptops, tablets and smart phones drop Wi-Fi connections or lose Internet access. The problem could have been partially caused by the increased load created by your cameras. If so, you will need to change your router, or try to lower your camera upload parameters.

  • (4) Wi-Fi signal being too weak. If you use Wi-Fi, please make sure the distance between the camera and the Wi-Fi router must be within the Wi-Fi range. Note:
    • Thick walls can block Wi-Fi signal and reduce the range dramatically;
    • Multiple Wi-Fi devices in the same location can interfere with each other;
    • Cordless phones and Microwave Oven may also affect Wi-Fi signal quality;
    • Try to Move the Wi-Fi AP or camera slightly, or adjust the antenna directions. Sometimes it can improve signal strength.

4. Other recommendations

4.1 Wi-Fi performance and reliability issues

Wi-Fi cameras are much more convenient than wired cameras for indoor monitoring. However, if you have multiple Wi-Fi cameras configured at high parameters and with continuous recording, you are very likely to run into network performance and reliability issues. For cloud surveillance and recording service, you usually don't need movie quality video. We don't recommend set too high frame rate; setting motion triggered recording can dramatically reduce the bandwidth requirement if your scene is mostly static. If you require very high quality recording, please use wired connection (e.g. PoE).

4.2 Camera Configuration Tool

The tool can automatically configure cameras based on your subscription plan(s). Unfortunately, we have only supported a few D-Link, Trendnet, Foscam and Axis cameras. You can try it if your camera is supported. You can download the software from our software page on www.CameraFTP.com.

4.3 Firmware update, reboot or factory reset

If your camera is unreliable, or if you run into some very strange issues, you can check if there is a firmware update. If no new firmware is available, you can reboot or factory reset your camera.

5. Trouble-shoot SMTP Upload Issues

Please follow the same FTP trouble-shooting steps and ignore any steps that are actually related with FTP. If the problem cannot be resolved, you can configure the camera/DVR to upload to a regular email account, such as a Gmail.com or Outlook.com email account. If you cannot receive images or video clips on Gmail or Outlook, then it is likely a bug in your camera/DVR; otherwise, it probably is caused by a configuration error, a compatibility issue, or a bug in our SMTP service. Please try different SMTP options such as SMTP with SSL (port 465) and Plain SMTP (port 25).

For more detailed info, please read the support page Configure IP Camera/DVR to Upload to the Cloud via SMTP carefully.

The detailed SMTP configuration info for a specific camera is available online. Please log on to CameraFTP.com, go to My Cameras page, click the gear icon below a camera thumbnail.

6. Advanced Technical Support

If you still cannot resolve the problem, please:

  • Email your camera’s configuration screens to support@cameraftp.com, sometimes we can find a configuration error. Please provide the detailed self trouble-shooting information. It will help us pinpoint the problem.
  • Contact your camera manufacturer and see if they can help. Usually your camera manufacturer can help you better than us as they can access our FTP service online, but we may not have their camera.
  • If you are a camera manufacturer, retailer, installer or large business customer, we can offer remote support. There are two remote support options:
    • (1) Connect via a PC/MAC. You can open a browser accessing your camera's configuration page. We can remotely connect to your PC and trouble shoot the problem.
    • (2) Connect to the camera directly. If you can make your camera accessible from the Internet, then we can directly log on to your camera's configuration site and trouble shoot the problem.