Panasonic BL-C20 Operating instructions

Troubleshooting
Network Camera
Model No. BL-C20
Indoor Use Only
Table of Contents
Troubleshooting................................................................... 3
Indicator Display Troubleshooting ............................................................. 3
Camera Setup Troubleshooting................................................................. 5
Wireless Communication Troubleshooting ................................................ 7
Camera Image/Page Display Troubleshooting .......................................... 9
Operation Bar Troubleshooting................................................................ 15
Image Buffer/Transfer Troubleshooting.................................................... 15
Miscellaneous Troubleshooting ............................................................... 17

Troubleshooting
2
Trademarks
• Microsoft, Windows and ActiveX are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other
countries.
• All other trademarks identified herein are the property of their respective
owners.
Abbreviations
• UPnP is the abbreviation for "Universal Plug and Play".
• "Network Camera" is called "camera" in this manual.
• "Setup CD-ROM" is called "CD-ROM" in this manual.

Troubleshooting
3
Troubleshooting
The Panasonic Network Camera support website "http://panasonic.co.jp/pcc/
products/en/netwkcam/" includes various technical information in addition to the
contents in this troubleshooting section. Access the website if this troubleshooting
does not solve your problem.
Indicator Display Troubleshooting
Problem Cause and Remedy
The indicator
lights or blinks
orange.
• The Ethernet cable is not connected properly.
Connect the Ethernet cable properly.
• The PC, the Ethernet hub or router is not working.
Confirm that PC, Ethernet hub and router are working.
• The switch on the side of the camera is set to WIRELESS when
trying to connect in wired mode, or to WIRED when trying to
connect in wireless mode.
Set the switch to the corresponding mode.
• The wireless settings do not match those of the router.
Set the same SSID, Communication mode and WEP as
those of the router.
The indicator
continues
blinking orange.
• The camera is turned off when updating firmware.
If you access the camera using a web browser, the Update
Firmware page will be displayed. Update the firmware
following the procedure (see page 114 of the Operating
Instructions on the CD-ROM). If you fail to update the
firmware, see page 17.
The indicator
continues
blinking orange
(2-second
interval).
• The router on your network is turned off.
Turn the router on, and wait until the ADSL line is connected.
Then turn the camera off and on again.
• An error has occurred in UPnPTM port forwarding.
Turn the camera off and on again. If the error still occurs, set
up the camera again in [Automatic Setup] using the Setup
Program following the instructions in Getting Started.

Troubleshooting
4
The indicator
continues
blinking green.
• Automatic setup is not complete.
Complete the setup following the instructions in Getting
Started.
• The camera did not receive an IP address from the DHCP
server.
When setting [Automatic Setup] or [DHCP Setup], the
camera may not be assigned an IP address due to network
failures. Ask your ISP or network administrator for more
information.
The indicator
does not light
up.
• The indicator display is disabled.
Check if the indicator control is disabled (see page 110 of the
Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
• Confirm that the standard AC adaptor (Order No. PQLV206CEY
[for use in countries/areas other than the United Kingdom],
PQLV206EY [for use in the United Kingdom]) is being used.
The indicator
continues
blinking red.
• The camera may be malfunctioning.
If you cannot access the camera, the camera may be
malfunctioning. Contact an authorized servicecenter.
The indicator
continues
blinking orange
during wireless
communication.
• Signal strength is weak.
Change the location of the camera or remove any obstacle
around the camera.
• Only the MAC addresses for the camera's wireless module are
set.
To enable the MAC address filtering feature on the wireless
router, enter both the MAC addresses for the camera itself
and the camera's wireless module.
Problem Cause and Remedy

Troubleshooting
5
Camera Setup Troubleshooting
Note
If you are experiencing any problems, it is recommended that you
temporarily disable all firewall, pop-up killer, and virus detection
software. Once the problem is identified and corrected, you can restart
the Setup Program.
Problem Cause and Remedy
DynamicDNS
registration fails.
• The router-connected PC has failed to access the Internet.
Refer to the router's manual and try to connect to the
Internet through your PC. Once Internet connection has
been confirmed, you can register to DynamicDNS.
The e-mail that
includes the link
to the
viewnetcam.com
service website is
not sent.
• Your registered E-mail address is incorrect.
Register your correct E-mail address on the
Viewnetcam.com website at
http://www.viewnetcam.com
Setup Program
does not list any
cameras.
• Your firewall or antivirus software is blocking the connection.
To avoid any possible problems, temporarily disable any
firewall or antivirus software, and set up the camera again.
If you cannot disable your firewall or antivirus software, you
can set up the camera using the MAC address (see page
138 of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
• The camera is connected over a different network.
Set up the camera from a PC connected to the same router
as the camera.
• Confirm that an IP address is assigned to your PC.
If an IP address is not assigned to your PC, assign one (see
page 133 of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).

Troubleshooting
6
Setup Program
fails to complete
successfully.
• More than 20 minutes have passed since the camera was
turned on.
Disconnect the AC adaptor from the power outlet, and
reconnect it again. Set up the camera again.
• Network problems may have occurred during setup.
Confirm that your network is working. Disconnect the AC
adaptor from the power outlet, and reconnect it again. Then
set up the camera again.
• Administrator settings are displayed, and setup is incomplete.
After executing factory default by pressing the FACTORY
DEFAULT RESET button on the side of the camera, set up
the camera again.
• Multiple camera IP addresses are overlapping.
If you are installing multiple cameras, turn the cameras on
one by one.
UPnPTM port
forwarding setup
fails.
•UPnP
TM is disabled on the router.
Enable UPnPTM on the router following the router manual.
• The camera was turned on before the router was turned on.
Turn the router on first, and then turn the camera on.
• The default gateway is not set, or the settings are wrong.
Set the default gateway correctly (see page 45 of the
Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
• The router does not support UPnPTM.
Enable port forwarding on your router following the router
manual.
The camera IP
address and port
number have
been forgotten.
• Clicking [Camera Setup] on the Setup Program displays the
camera list. The camera list shows the MAC address labeled
on the rear side. The camera IP address and port number are
shown next to the MAC address.
The password
has been
forgotten.
• Press the FACTORY DEFAULT RESET button to reset the
camera to default. Set up the camera again.
Problem Cause and Remedy

Troubleshooting
7
Wireless Communication Troubleshooting
An error message
is displayed on
the camera status
by the Setup
Program.
• An error on the Setup Program caused the error message.
Disconnect the AC adaptor from the power outlet, and
reconnect it again.
Problem Cause and Remedy
Wireless
communication
does not work.
• Signal strength is weak.
Change the location of the camera or remove any obstacles
around the camera.
• The SSID and Encryption settings of the camera are different
from those of the wireless router.
SSID and Encryption settings must be identical for both the
camera and wireless router.
• Wireless communication can be disconnected depending on the
environment.
Click [Refresh] on the web browser tool bar.
Wireless
communication
is unstable.
• The communication channel is the same as another wireless
network.
Wireless communication may be improved by changing the
channel of the router.
• Another nearby wireless device may be causing interference or
the distance between the wireless camera and your wireless
network may be too great.
Temporarily disable other wireless devices to identify the
source of the interference.
Try repositioning the camera or moving it closer to your
wireless router.
Problem Cause and Remedy

Troubleshooting
8
Though the
camera is set to
wired
connection, the
router's wireless
indicator is on or
blinking.
• The camera emits electrical waves about 5 minutes after the
power has been on, when set to wired connection.
Electrical waves will stop after about 5 minutes. Please wait.
The camera
cannot
communicate
with the wireless
terminal.
• Radio waves may not be reaching the wireless terminal or
camera due to the distance between them, or the existence of
obstacles such as a concrete wall.
Adjust the position of the wireless terminal or camera.
Problem Cause and Remedy

Troubleshooting
9
Camera Image/Page Display Troubleshooting
Problem Cause and Remedy
The camera
cannot be
accessed.
• The camera IP address has changed.
Enter the correct IP address in the address bar of the web
browser.
• When accessing from the Internet, the default gateway or the
DNS server address is not set in network settings, or is not set
correctly.
Set the correct default gateway and DNS server address.
Especially, when the DynamicDNS service is used, the IP
address must be set correctly (see page 45 of the Operating
Instructions on the CD-ROM).
• The connection type is wrong (see page 49 of the Operating
Instructions on the CD-ROM).
If the camera does not connect to the network using the [Auto
Negotiation] setting, set up the camera and the router
referring to the following table.
Auto Negotiation
Network Camera
Router or hub
Auto
Negotiation
100Base-TX 10Base-TX
Full
Duplex Half Duplex Full
Duplex Half
Duplex
100Base-
TX
10Base-T
Full Duplex
Half Duplex
Full Duplex
Half Duplex
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
——

Troubleshooting
10
The camera
cannot be
accessed on the
LAN.
• The connected router does not have a loopback feature.
Access the camera with a local network IP address.
• The wrong IP address class is assigned to the camera.
If you access the camera on the LAN, the PC IP address and
the camera IP address must be set in the same class. Set the
camera IP address same as the class of the PC IP address
(see page 133 of the Operating Instructions on the CD-
ROM).
• The web browser is accessing a proxy server.
Set the web browser to access the Internet directly (see page
141 of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
• The camera was accessed on the same LAN by entering the
registered URL (or the router's global IP address) when using a
DynamicDNS service.
To access a camera on the same LAN, use the address for
its local network address.
The camera can
be accessed on
the LAN, but
cannot be
accessed from
the Internet.
• The default gateway address may be wrong.
Set the correct default gateway address (see page 45 of the
Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
•UPnP
TM is disabled on the router.
Enable UPnPTM on the router following the router manual.
• Port forwarding is not enabled on the router (see page 55 of the
Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
Enable port forwarding following the router manual.
• Firewalls such as packet filtering on the router are blocking
camera access.
Set the router to allow access to the camera following the
router manual.
• You are accessing the camera using a local IP address.
Access the camera with the global IP address of the router
and port number of the camera.
Problem Cause and Remedy

Troubleshooting
11
Authentication
windows are
consequently
displayed.
• The user name and password for the administrator have been
changed. Or the user name and password for the general users
have been changed.
Close the web browser, and access the camera again.
Only half of the
image is
displayed.
• You are using Internet Explorer 4.xx or lower.
Upgrade Internet Explorer to version 6.0 or greater.
The camera
image is not
displayed, or not
displayed
properly.
•ActiveX
®Controls are not installed in Internet Explorer.
ActiveX Controls should be installed to display video (Motion
JPEG). For the ActiveX Controls installation method, see
page 29 of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM when
using Microsoft®Windows®XP Service Pack 2, or see page
28 of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM when using
other operating systems.
• The network is congested.
Pages may not be displayed immediately. Wait for a moment.
• The web browser is accessing a proxy server.
Set the web browser to access the Internet directly (see page
141 of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
Camera images
are not
displayed on the
Multi-Camera
page.
• The images may not be displayed if private IP addresses and
global IP addresses (or domain names) are mixed on the Multi-
Camera page.
To view the images within the LAN, set the Multi-Camera
page using private IP addresses. To view the images from
the WAN side, set the Multi-Camera page using global IP
addresses (or domain names) (see page 106 of the
Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
The error
message
"ERROR CODE
(4/12002)" is
displayed, and
the image is not
displayed.
• A wrong IP address or domain name may be set on the Multi-
Camera page.
Set the correct IP address or domain name.
• If the correct IP address or domain name was already set, the
network connection may be timed out.
Access the network when it is less busy, or close other
software that is connected to the network.
Problem Cause and Remedy

Troubleshooting
12
The Top page or
image is not
displayed on the
mobile phone.
• Only the IP address and port number are entered.
Enter "/mobile" after entering "IP Address:Port Number".
• A 320 × 240 resolution image is not displayed.
Mobile phones do not support 320 × 240 resolution images.
• The file size of the image is exceeding the capacity of the mobile
phone.
View the image at 160 × 120 resolution.
• The mobile phone supports to only XHTML.
Enter "/mobileX" by following an IP address and port number.
A gray screen is
displayed.
• There are currently more than 20 different users trying to access
the video (Motion JPEG).
Reduce the number of users accessing the camera to below
20, or change the video to still images.
• Operation time has been specified.
A gray screen is displayed outside the operation time. This is
normal.
Video suddenly
changes to still
images.
• The video (Motion JPEG) display period is set on the Image
Display page.
To view video continuously, set [Unlimited] for the limit
continuous Motion JPEG (see page 103 of the Operating
Instructions on the CD-ROM).
The image is out
of focus.
• The lens has dust, dirt, fingerprints or moisture on it.
Clean the lens with a cotton bud (see page 132 of the
Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
• The object is too close to the camera.
The camera cannot focus at short distances (less than 0.3
m). Locate the object more than 0.3 m away from the
camera.
Problem Cause and Remedy

Troubleshooting
13
The color on the
image is
strange.
• The white balance is not set appropriately.
Adjust the white balance on the Camera page (see page 64
of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
• The color display setting on your PC is set lower than 16 bits.
Set the color display to 16 bits or higher.
The brightness
of the displayed
image is not
stable (hunting
phenomenon*).
• The brightness of the object changes suddenly (e.g. when
lighting is turned on in a dark area).
Adjust the brightness of the camera slightly by pressing "+"
or "-" once.
*The hunting phenomenon is when the image lightens, then
darkens, then lightens repeatedly, without stabilizing to a
constant brightness.
The image
contains
interference or
horizontal lines,
or the image
may be white.
• The camera transmits a dark scene.
Make the scene brighter. When the camera transmits a dark
scene, the camera image may become white, or horizontal
lines may be displayed on the screen. This is one of the
characteristics of a CMOS sensor. This is not a malfunction.
• The AC Power Source Frequency setting is different from its
value in your area.
Set the same value as in your area on the Setup page (see
page 64 of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
• The colors setting of the monitor is set to less than 16 bit high
color.
Set it to 16 bit high color or greater.
An old image is
displayed.
• Old images are temporarily stored on the web browser.
Set [Every visit to the page] on the web browser to check for
temporary Internet files (see page 144 of the Operating
Instructions on the CD-ROM).
Problem Cause and Remedy

Troubleshooting
14
The image
refreshes very
slowly.
• Multiple users are accessing the camera.
Wait until fewer users are accessing the camera.
• You are not using an Ethernet switching hub.
If you view multiple cameras on the Multi-Camera page
without an Ethernet switching hub, the image refreshes
slowly. Use an Ethernet switching hub.
• The image may refresh slowly, depending on image resolution,
image quality, network traffic, PC performance, or what is being
viewed.
• The max. bandwidth usage is limited.
Increase the max. bandwidth usage on your network (see
page 45 of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
• The camera is in color night view mode.
When enabling color night view mode, the image refreshes
slowly. Disable color night view mode, or make the area
around the camera brighter.
When
accessing the
camera, the
Update
Firmware page
is displayed.
• The camera firmware may be damaged since the power was
turned off during an update, etc.
Download the latest firmware from the Panasonic Network
Camera support website and update the firmware (see page
114 of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
Images of
moving subject
are blurred or
not displayed.
• Color night view mode is enabled.
When enabling color night view mode, the image refreshes
slowly. Disable color night view mode, or make the area
around the camera brighter.
Problem Cause and Remedy

Troubleshooting
15
Operation Bar Troubleshooting
Image Buffer/Transfer Troubleshooting
Problem Cause and Remedy
Some buttons
on the operation
bar are not
displayed.
• The access level is set to level 1 on the General User page.
Set the access level to level 2 (see page 71 of the Operating
Instructions on the CD-ROM), or log in to the camera as an
administrator.
Problem Cause and Remedy
The camera
does not
transfer an
image by E-mail
or FTP.
• An error occurred during transmission to the E-mail or FTP
server.
See the Protocol column on the Status page (see page 112
of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM), and check if
the error is displayed.
• The default gateway and DNS server addresses are not
assigned correctly.
Assign them correctly (see page 45 of the Operating
Instructions on the CD-ROM).
• Your login ID and password for the E-mail or FTP are invalid.
Make sure that you enter your correct login ID and password.
• The camera cannot transfer the image since [No authentication]
is set on the Trigger page.
Change the authentication method to [POP before SMTP
authentication] or [SMTP authentication], and set the Login
ID and Password (if you select [POP before SMTP
authentication], set the POP3 Server IP Address), then try
transferring by E-mail again (see page 74 and page 84 of the
Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM).
• For E-mail transfer, the SMTP server supports authentication
methods other than the PLAIN and LOGIN methods of SMTP
authentication. For example, CRAM-MD5.
For SMTP authentication of the camera, only the PLAIN and
LOGIN methods are supported. Confirm with your ISP.

Troubleshooting
16
The camera
does not
transfer an
image only to a
mobile phone.
• The image quality is not set to [Mobile Phone] on the Image
Buffer/Transfer page.
Set the image quality to [Mobile Phone].
• Some mobile phones do not support 320 × 240 resolution.
Set the resolution to [160 × 120].
The image is
slowed down on
the Buffered
Image page, or
the camera
transfers an old
image.
• The transfer interval is too short.
Set the transfer interval longer than the current setting (see
page 76 and page 87 of the Operating Instructions on the
CD-ROM).
Problem Cause and Remedy

Troubleshooting
17
Miscellaneous Troubleshooting
Problem Cause and Remedy
The ActiveX
controls cannot
be installed.
• Security software disables the ActiveX control installation.
Close the security software, and install the ActiveX controls
again.
The firmware is
not updated.
• The firmware updating was not completed due to the power
being turned off, network failure or other cause.
Update the firmware again following these steps.
*1See page 112 of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM.
*2See page 114 of the Operating Instructions on the CD-ROM
about updating firmware.
The shortcut
icon is not
displayed in the
My Network
Places folder.
• The UPnPTM Windows component is not installed in Windows XP
or Windows Me.
Install the UPnPTM Windows component in Windows XP or
Windows Me (see page 144 of the Operating Instructions on
the CD-ROM).
The problem
cannot be fixed.
• Contact an authorized service center.
No
Yes
No
Yes
Is the Top page displayed?
Is the version updated?
Update the firmware*2.
The firmware update is completed.
Disconnect the AC adaptor from the power
outlet, and reconnect it again.
Enter the IP address in the web browser to access
the camera.
Access the Maintenance page and click [Status]*1.
Check the firmware version on the Status page.

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Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd.
2006 Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice.
Copyright:
This material is copyrighted by Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd., and may be reproduced
for internal use only. All other reproduction, in whole or in part, is prohibited without the written
consent of Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd.