New Video Doorbell

pete_c said:
@vc1234  
 
I had ordered the 16VAC 30 VA transformer from Amazon and it did not have a ring to box connector rather it was just a set screw which I did not like so returned it.
 
 
With low load  current/idle losses generating heat  predominantly happen in the core itself (eddy currents mainly). Perhaps the 24/40 transformer is heating more than the 16/10 simply because its core is bigger and the designers cut corners and did not try to lower core losses more than necessary to  stay within specs re. heat.  Not entirely sure, it's been more than 40 years since I studied this stuff.
 
Optimistically, the temperature may remain more or less constant assuming the core losses still predominate for the entire rated load range !
 
@vc1234
 
You know way more about this than me.  I am not an electrical engineer and always have tinkered though.  First home purchase neighbor was a master electrician and just showed me a bunch of stuff and helped me do the electric in a new detached garage I built in the early 1980's.  I have over the years DIY'd much electric, bending conduit, pulling wires and redoing my fuse panel.
 
You got me now to test temps again after around 24 hours of the replacement transformer which is 16VAC 10VA.
 
Outdoors it is  50° F.  Using my MicroTemp tester tested different locations of the plastic on the doorbell.  All side plastic temps were around 60 ° F except for front face. Camera section was around 62°F.  Middle PIR section was around 68 °F and bottom button section was around 60° F.
 
So next testing will be when it is cold and below 32 °F and will be looking for condensation which I do not think I will see anyhow.
 
I do recall purchasing first generation ZWave Intermatic switches and having one do a crash and burn behind the couch in the TV room (great room).  It did not burn the couch but the switch housing inside and out did get damaged from the flame out.
 
I think there are two issues with a bigger transformer: the transformer itself heating more due to a bigger iron core and the camera itself probably dissipating more heat with 24V vs 16V (or rather 28V vs 19V).
 
I noticed right away that the camera felt hotter to touch after I switched to a 24/40 from 16/10. So, I switched back.  I still may consider a 16/30 if I see any issues.
 
On another subject, when you used Hik Batch, did it require to reset the password  with the "Activate" button ?  I am sort of reluctant to do it for fear of losing connection to the camera from my iphone app and  not willing to remove the cover, reset the camera, etc.
 
Thank you vc1234.
 
did it require to reset the password with the "Activate" button  
 
I have never activated the doorbell camera with the HikVision batch app. 

Read on the long IPCAM talk forum thread not to activate the camera.
 
Mine shows not activated at this time.  
 
I have left the cloud Android app connected for time bean.  
 
I am playing with two other smart cam boards (Hikvision) and using the Hik Batch program with these too now. 
 
These 2 camera boards show activated and I never did manually activate them with the Hik Batch program. 

These smart camera boards have many more features than the doorbell camera (including RTSP dual streams, ONVIF and JPG snapshots).
 
They are also connected to the same Android app in the cloud.   
 
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1263]  
 
I also tested the Hikvision app 4500 via VPN on my phone and it works great with the doorbell and the two other Hikvision smart cams.    I like it better than the cloud app.  I can see the trigger times and watch the recorded events on the Doorbell camera.
 
Long term these will be connected to the NVR and Omnitouch screens local LAN. 
 
Remote will be via VPN with NVR client or HAI mobile client, or Hikvision app.
 
pete_c said:
Wow jon...
 
Here yesterday went back to using the 16VAC 10VA transformer on my non labled HiKvision DB2 doorbell (Nelly's).
 
You are the first person or user of said OEM doorbell to post about a fire with the Doorbell.
 
What transformer were you using with it?
 
How long was it running before it burned up?
 
Here contractor ran 4 wires to the doorbell button.  Might connect a 1-wire temperature sensor out there using two wires.
 
I was using a 16VAC transformer and chime. This was within spec (according to Nelly's). The fire was extremely traumatic, but I caught it <5 minutes of it burning thanks to my Elk smoke detector, so most of the damage was from smoke/soot.
 
pete_c said:
 
I have never activated the doorbell camera with the HikVision batch app. 
 
Right, but in my Hik Batch display the only not grayed out button is "Activate" so I cannot do anything unless I activate first I imagine.
 
Perhaps, that's unimportant because as you mentioned one can use 4500 to upgrade firmware, etc. The 4500 app does not de-fisheye the image though as I understand, correct ?
 
jon102034050 said:
I was using a 16VAC transformer and chime. This was within spec (according to Nelly's). The fire was extremely traumatic, but I caught it <5 minutes of it burning thanks to my Elk smoke detector, so most of the damage was from smoke/soot.
 
I wonders what exactly ignited: the transformer or the camera itself ?
 
Thanks and sorry for your bad luck.
 
vc1234 said:
I wonders what exactly ignited: the transformer or the camera itself ?
 
Thanks and sorry for your bad luck.
 
Fire investigator and insurance investigator could never say definitively. The insurance person was an electrical engineer and forensic investigator, and an all around super bright guy. The setup was working for ~3 months before catching fire, which is the crazy part.
 
jon102034050 said:
Fire investigator and insurance investigator could never say definitively. The insurance person was an electrical engineer and forensic investigator, and an all around super bright guy. The setup was working for ~3 months before catching fire, which is the crazy part.
 
Were there burn marks around both devices ?  I understand they were separated by some distance ?  I am somewhat  mystified that they were unable to determine where the fire started. Either Hikvision or the transformer manufacturer should bear responsibility for the damage.
 
Right, but in my Hik Batch display the only not grayed out button is "Activate" so I cannot do anything unless I activate first I imagine.
 
So the Plus button one the top is greyed out?
 
I do not pay attention to the bottom window where the activation button is.
 
When I run the batch configuration program all of the cameras from previous use are listed but greyed out.
 
To change the settings on each camera I hit the plus button on the top left.  A window opens up where I put the IP of the camera, login user and password.
 
@jon
 
Curious where you had the transformer located?
 
In FL the fuse panel was in the garage and the doorbell transformer was mounted above the fuse panel.  There was no smoke detector in the garage.
 
In the midwest it is in the basement down a bit from the conduit that goes to the mechanical chime.  That said there is a smoke detector is about 6 inches from the transformer.
 
pete_c said:
Right, but in my Hik Batch display the only not grayed out button is "Activate" so I cannot do anything unless I activate first I imagine.
 
So the Plus button one the top is greyed out?
 
I do not pay attention to the bottom window where the activation button is.
 
When I run the batch configuration program all of the cameras from previous use are listed but greyed out.
 
To change the settings on each camera I hit the plus button on the top left.  A window opens up where I put the IP of the camera, login user and password.
Thanks, I figured it out eventually.  Originally I assumed that since the camera has already been discovered and shown in the bottom panel, it can be accessed.  I did not realize I need to add it manually again by specifying the ip address so that it would appear in the upper panel. After I did that, I could do the same I can from the 4500 app.
 
Just tried something else after you have configured the camera (+), shut down batch configuration and restart it.  If you do a check for updating it will auto login the cameras.
 
First time use here of a wireless camera. 
 
pete_c said:
Just tried something else after you have configured the camera (+), shut down batch configuration and restart it.  If you do a check for updating it will auto login the cameras.
 
First time use here of a wireless camera. 
Pete,
 
I asked at the ipcam forum, but did not get a response yet:
 
1. Is there a digital/electronic chime compatibility list similar to Ring's ? (The family wants the same sound we had in the old house).

2. What's the "best" current firmware supporting ONVIF ? Nelly's ? LaView's ? Or there's not much difference between those two ?

3. The RCA app can de-fisheye the image. My understanding is that if I record to an ONVIF capable DVR, such as Milestone, the playback will be fisheyed, correct ?
 
Is there a digital/electronic chime compatibility list similar to Ring's
 
I have not looked such that I do not know.  The manual just mentions the difference in power requirements between a mechanical chime and electronic chime.
 
What's the "best" current firmware supporting ONVIF ? Nelly's ? LaView's ? Or there's not much difference between those two ?
 
Dunno.  Here updated my "Nelly" doorbell firmware a few days after installing it.  Before firmware upgrade installation ONVIF worked (one stream and JPG).
 
Initially worry was about bricking the camera.  Using the batch configuration program worked great and updated just fine.
 
 
I originally said JPG captures didn't work but it was more relating to finding the JPG link.  The JPG link is only for main stream.  I cannot find one for sub stream.
 
The mobile display only shows substream.
 
Reading the threads there used to be a big different betwee LaView's firmware and rest of them...the companies seem to be tweaking the firmware all concurrently these days.
 
There are some threads on the IPCAM talk forum about removing the RCA logo on the RCA doorbells.
 
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