Camera Alarms in the GUI
The purpose of this document is to isolate a CTS camera alarm to one of the main components causing it, which can be the camera cluster, Ethernet cable, HDMI/DVI cable or codec. This document is for generic fault isolation which applies to CTS-1300 and CTS-3000 series endpoints.
We can easily check the status of the camera alarm from the CTS web GUI in the System Status frame on the bottom left. If you hover over the the red X, you can get details about the error, however in the case of cameras they don't always point to something specific. For example an "Ethernet communication error" could be an issue with the camera or the cable. For this reason, we will need to swap the cables around to troubleshoot.
For the purpose of this document, we will assume the error is on the left camera. We will be troubleshooting this by swapping cables with one of the good cameras (the right camera in this case).
Troubleshooting the Cables
The first thing to check is the Ethernet and HDMI/DVI cables. First, make sure they are plugged into the correct ports on each codec (shown below). Then we need to completely swap these cables at both ends with known working cables from another camera.
Cables on back of camera:
Note: We do not need to troubleshoot the cable leading to the camera processor (shown on right). This is not a field replaceable part; it is part of the camera cluster.
Cables of back of codecs (White camera symbol):
- Swap the Ethernet cables at both ends between the Left codec/camera and Right codec/camera. Completely disconnect both Ethernet cables and switch them.
Wait a couple of minutes for the GUI to update. If we see the error jump to the right camera, the fault was the Ethernet cable (CTS-CABL-RJ45-6=). If the error stays on the left camera, continue:
- Swap the HDMI/DVI cables at both ends between the Left codec/camera and Right codec/camera. Completely disconnect both HDMI/DVI cables and switch them.
Wait a couple of minutes for the GUI to update. If we see the error jump to the right camera, the fault was the HDMI/DVI cable (CTS-CAB-HDMI-DVID=). If the error stays on the left camera, continue.
Troubleshooting the Cameras and codec
Next, check the cameras by connecting each camera to the opposite codec. If the camera stays down regardless of codec, there's a good chance it's a camera fault. If the camera alarm follows the codec the camera is connected to, there's a good chance it's a codec issue.
Rear view of CTS-3000:
- Connect the Left camera Ethernet and HDMI to the Right codec.
- Connect the Right camera Ethernet and HDMI to the Left codec.
If the alarm remains on the left camera, there's a good chance the camera itself is the problem.
If the alarm jumps jumps to the right camera, the issue is following the codec. Your TAC engineer can run diagnostics on the codec for you.