Failed to communicate with the camera errors

Last modified: Monday December 11, 2023.

Occasionally, you might see a Failed to communicate with the camera banner displayed in the Alta Video user interface.

Due to the nature of this error (Alta Video cannot communicate with the camera in question), it can be difficult to diagnose exactly why Alta Video cannot reach the camera. Some of the reasons that this error might appear include the following:

  • The camera has become physically disconnected from the network (the camera or the network switch to which it is attached has been disconnected).
  • The power to the camera has been interrupted.
  • Changes have been made to your network configuration or firewall rules.
  • You might be attempting to add a camera using an incorrect protocol for the camera.
  • An Avigilon Alta or Avigilon Ava camera on your system might have been put into Onvif mode without deleting and re-adding the camera.
  • An Avigilon Alta camera might have Avigilon Unity or other firmware installed.

When you see that your Alta Video deployment is unable to communicate with one or more cameras, use the following list to aid diagnosis of the exact issue:

  • Check that the camera still has power. (Are any of the LEDs illuminated?)
  • If using a PoE injector to power the camera, does the injector still have power?
  • Can you access Avigilon Ava or Avigilon Alta cameras using their Camera local interface, by browsing to the cameras' local user interface?
  • Check the network connections. (Are other cameras connected to the same switch also affected? Carry out network checks.)
  • Check if the camera you are attempting to add is a cloud or non-cloud-connected model. If non-cloud, are you connecting the camera via a Cloud Connector?
  • Have you had a recent update to your deployment and cameras? Are the updates ongoing?
  • Has a previously connected Avigilon Alta or Avigilon Ava camera been put into Onvif mode? If so, try deleting the camera and re-adding it using Onvif mode.
  • Has an Avigilon Alta cloud-native camera been re-imaged with non-cloud firmware (Has the camera been prepared for use with Avigilon Unity, rather than Avigilon Alta?)