Camera diagnostics (Camera Diagnostics)
Confirmed (2026-07-21): the Camera Health status shown on the Portal has 3 real values — Active, Inactive, Error — different from the "normal"/"needs checking" described in the original draft. Clicking an Error-status camera from the list only opens the basic Edit Camera modal (name, Camera ID, location) — no dedicated diagnostic detail screen was found (no specific error code, cause description, or incident history shown beyond the status badge in the list table). The "Error codes and troubleshooting", "Error code reference", and "Recommended network requirements" sections below have not been directly confirmed on the Portal — they retain the original source's inferred content and need further verification (these error codes may only appear in backend logs, not on the Portal UI).
Camera AI includes automatic camera health diagnostics that help catch connection issues, stream quality problems, and operational status early.
Camera status
| Status (Camera Health) | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Active | The camera is working normally |
| Inactive | The camera isn't active (deactivated or no longer in the VMS) |
| Error | The camera has an error — whether specific error detail is shown on the Portal is unconfirmed |
View camera status on Operations → List Camera, in the Camera Health column — see Managing cameras. You can filter the list by this status using the Camera Health filter at the top of the page.
Error codes and troubleshooting (original content — not directly confirmed on the Portal)
Camera disconnected
Symptoms: the camera shows "Connection timeout" / "Stream unavailable" / "Authentication failed".
Fix:
- Check the network — ping the camera's IP.
- Check the stream URL — access it directly via VLC/FFplay.
- Check whether the camera's credentials (API key) are still valid.
- Restart the stream using the Portal's stream control function.
Video freezing
Symptoms: the video stays on one frame for an extended period (the system alerts when a freeze exceeds 30 seconds).
Fix:
- Check network bandwidth at the camera's location.
- Check the camera firmware, update it if needed.
- Check the stream refresh interval in the configuration, adjust it if freezing happens often.
- Restart the stream.
This is normal behavior from the periodic stream refresh mechanism: the system finishes the current video segment, uploads it to storage, gets a new stream URL, then starts a new segment. The process only takes a few seconds and doesn't affect data — it isn't an incident.
Black screen
Fix:
- Check physically — is the lens covered or dirty?
- Check the camera's power supply.
- Check whether infrared/night mode is working correctly.
- Try accessing the live stream directly to confirm the source of the issue.
Gateway overloaded
Symptoms: video stutters/lags across multiple cameras at once; the gateway is near 32/32 streams.
Fix:
- Check the gateway's current capacity.
- If it's at the limit, add another gateway instance (contact the ops/engineering team).
- Redistribute some cameras to a new gateway.
Error code reference
| Error group | Error code | Common cause |
|---|---|---|
| Connection | Connection timeout | Network loss, camera offline |
| Connection | Stream unavailable | Camera restarting, expired credentials |
| Connection | Authentication failed | Wrong credentials |
| Video quality | Image freeze | Weak network, camera hung |
| Video quality | Black screen | Camera covered, lens damaged, power loss |
| Video quality | Low bitrate | Insufficient network bandwidth |
| System | Gateway overloaded | Stream count exceeds processing capacity, needs more instances |
Recommended network requirements
| Resolution | Recommended bitrate | Bandwidth/camera |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p (2MP) | 2-4 Mbps | 4 Mbps |
| 1440p (4MP) | 4-8 Mbps | 8 Mbps |
| 4K (8MP) | 8-16 Mbps | 16 Mbps |
- Latency: < 100ms from camera to Gateway
- Packet loss: < 1%
- Uptime: 99.5% or higher
- Prefer wired networking (Ethernet); avoid Wi-Fi for fixed cameras
Still not working?
If you've tried the steps above and the camera still isn't working normally, see the FAQs or contact technical support — support@fpt.ai / Hotline 1900 638 399.