Linksys Wireless-G Internet Home Monitoring Camera - Model WVC54GCA FAQ
Question: When I try and reach my camera using the domain name that TZO provides me, I get my router's login page - why?
Answer: When you attempt to use your domain name internally on the same network, this will sometimes cause what's known as the "router loopback" issue - causing the domain name to fail. This is a common issue on NAT based networks and there are some simple solutions to the problem. The easiest method is to use the INTERNAL IP ADDRESS of the camera when viewing it from the same location. For example, when you are at home and the camera is on your home network, use the internal IP of the camera, such as 192.168.1.200. When you are traveling and away from the camera location, you can use the domain name. For more detail on this "loopback" issue, please see http://helpdesk.tzo.com/cgi-bin/kb.cgi?view=140
Question: Why Am I Getting "Error Authentication Failed" When I Try To Sign The TZO Client On In My Camera?
Answer: This Error is typically caused by an INVALID TZO KEY, DOMAIN NAME or EMAIL ADDRESS being enter into one of the fields. Please also make sure that you are entering all the information into your camera's DDNS section correctly. If you have a misspelling or have not entered the correct information into ANY of the required fields, TZO will not be able to sign on properly. Typically an extra space at the end of the TZO Key when copying from email causes this problem. In order to prevent this problem, we recommend clicking to the right of the last character in each field and hitting the delete key. This should make sure there are no extra spaces at the end of the TZO Key, domain name, or email address.
Question: I signed up with a TZO Free trial with my Linksys camera, but when I enter in the DDNS account info into the camera it says "Invalid DDNS account"
Answer:In some older firmware versions of the Linksys WVC54GCA Camera there is an issue if the email address has a "-" (hyphen) in the email it will be rejected. Please upgrade your firmware to the latest version and contact TZO support if this does not solve your problem
Question: I have two Linksys Wireless-G Camera's at my home, do I need to signup with 2 TZO accounts...One for each camera?
Answer: We recommend having a domain name for each camera. There are a lot of benefits to having
a domain name for each camera. Having a domain name for each camera is easier to remember and helps identify the location of the camera - (ie. GarageCam.MyLinksysCam.com,LivingRoomCam.MyLinksysCam.com, etc). Since each camera needs it's own IP address and port assignment, using a separate domain name for each camera along with enabling the TZO HTTP relay for each camera will allow you to use just the domain name without remembering the port. For example, if you have 3 cameras and use a SINGLE domain, you'd first have to setup each camera on it's own static LAN IP address on the LAN. For example, the first camera may have a static LAN IP of 192.168.1.200, so the second cam would use 192.168.1.201, and the third cam would be set to 192.168.1.202. Keep in mind that this LAN IP structure is suggested if you have a Linksys router - other routers may have a different IP structure so set your IP's accordingly.
Once you setup each camera on the LAN to have it's own static LAN IP address, you then have to set each camera to it's own unique port setting. Once you do this, to reach each camera using the same domain name you would type:
http://YourDomain.MyLinksysCamera.com:1024,
http://YourDomain.MyLinksysCamera.com:1025,
http://YourDomain.MyLinksysCamera.com:1026 to get to each camera respectively.
If you have 3 different domain names, one for each camera, and enable the TZO HTTP relay for each camera, you could get to each camera by simply typing:
http://www.YourDomain1.MyLinksysCamera.com for camera 1,
http://www.YourDomain2.MyLinksysCamera.com for camera 2, and finally http://www.YourDomain3.MyLinksysCamera.com to reach the third camera.
Question: I have a Linksys Wireless-G Camera and when I click on the VIEW VIDEO link, I see the video without any password! How can I stop people from viewing my video on the camera without entering in a username and password?
Answer:By default, the Linksys cameras are setup to stream video to anyone without a username and password. In order to limit the viewing of your video, click on the ADVANCED CONFIGURATION button and login with the administrative username and password you set. Once you are logged into the camera admin interface, click on USERS in the lft menu. Once in the USERS menu, click the "ONLY USERS IN DATABASE" to restrict anyone, then enter in the username(s) and password(s) and click ADD USER to add them to the user database. Now only users you specifically add will be able to see the video. The STATUS area will show what users log in and when.
Question: I have entered my TZO account information into the camera,
but when I hit 'Apply,' the information does not get saved. I also see
an 'error on page' message in the very bottom left of the status bar,
but there is no message in the status box.
Answer: There appears to be some incompatibilities between the Linksys
interface and the new Internet Explorer (version 8). If you are using
IE 8 when entering your TZO account information into either the WVC54GCA
or the WVC54GC camera from Linksys, you may find that the camera does
not save the information properly. Also, there isn't any sort of error
message in the status window after applying the changes. This is a good
indicator of this problem. The camera should always return with some
sort of message in the status area, regardless of whether the account
information was entered correctly or incorrectly. We suggest using a
different browser, such as Firefox, to enter the TZO information into
the 'Options' page of the camera. Once all the information has been
successfully entered, you can then switch back to IE 8 when viewing the
video.
Question: I can get to my camera over the internet, but when I try to view the video, it tells me that Windows has blocked the Linksys Viewer software. How can I view the video?
Answer: There is an OCX ActiveX control that Linksys uses for their cameras which has recently expired. Due to this, users that do not have the appropriate security settings configured on their computer will see this message, and will not be given the option to accept and install the control. We at TZO have been in touch with Linksys in this matter, and we have been assured that they will have this resolved as soon as possible. Until then, however, it is *possible* to reach your camera if you edit your security settings (you must have administrative privileges within Windows in order to edit these settings). Keep in mind that changing these settings can open your computer to potential threats. You can download the control by going into your 'Internet Options' inside the Windows Control Panel. Once inside, click the 'Security' tab, and click the 'Internet' zone, then 'Custom Level. Look for an option to 'Download unsigned ActiveX controls,' and set this to 'Enabled' - this setting should be disabled by default. Click 'OK' to save these changes, and try viewing your camera again. You should now see that the control was installed, and you should once again be able to view the video. Once the issue is resolved by Linksys, you can then revert your security settings to their previous state.
Question: I have lost my admin password to my Linksys Wireless-G Camera and can't get into my camera! How can I recover the password?
Answer:Once you forget or loose the password the only method is to reset the camera. On the bottom of the camera is the RESET BUTTON - make sure the camera is plugged in and booted up, and then using the tip of a pen, push and hold in the reset button for 10 seconds, then release. The camera will reset to defaults and you can use the browser or re-run the setup wizard to setup the camera again
Question: I have a TZO Free trial with my Linksys camera, but when look into the status area within the DDNS section of the camera I see "Unable to fetch address to" - what's wrong?
Answer:This is due to missing or invalid DNS information in your camera. In some cases, DHCP assignments may not hand back the DNS servers properly, or if you have set a static IP address in your camera, you may have gotten the DNS and Gateway address information wrong. Double check the DNS settings in the IP address field of the camera and reboot the camera after saving these new settings. If you continue to get this address, your ISP's DNS servers may be having problems and it's best to call them as ask what DNS settings to put in the camera and your router.
Question: I have several Linksys cameras and want to use them all in the same location - how do I set up more than one Linksys camera for remote viewing?
Answer: In order to remotely view each camera, each camera must be set to a different IP LAN address and different TCP "ports". By default the Linksys cameras use port 80, but can also be set to use any port of 1024 and higher. In some cases, port 80 MAY be blocked by your ISP so reserving both 80 and 1024 for the first camera (camera 1) is a smart idea. As you add additional cameras, increment the port starting at 1025 and higher as described below:
IP ADDRESS AND PORT SETUP: When setting up these cameras for remote viewing, starting with the first camera (camera 1) , set a STATIC LAN IP address on 1 such as 192.168.1.200. You should leave the camera on the default port of 80 initially and we will also reserve port 1024 just incase port 80 is blocked by your ISP The second camera, camera 2 should be set to 192.168.1.201 and the alternate web port should be set to 1025. The third camera (camera 3) should set to 192.168.1.202 and the alternate web port should be set to 1026. The fourth camera (camera 4) should be set to 192.168.1.203 and the alternate web port should be set to 1027 and lastly the fifth camera (camera 5) should be set to 192.168.1.204 with the alternate web port being set to 1028. As you add more cameras to your network, simply increment the Static LAN IP and the alternate web port for each camera you add.
For help on setting a static LAN IP on your Linksys WVC54GCA camera, please see this article
INTERNAL TESTING: Now that you have all your camera's setup, you need to test all of them internally - this means using the INTERNAL IP address that you set on each camera along with the port. For example, to reach all of the camera's you setup, use a Laptop or Desktop machine on the same internal network and try the following:
http://192.168.1.200
http://192.168.1.201:1025
http://192.168.1.202:1026
http://192.168.1.203:1027
http://192.168.1.204:1028
These addresses will bring up each camera on the inside network to make sure that they are all setup properly. If you have problems at this stage you have something setup improperly and should review your router and IP setup and make sure it matches. If not, adjust your IP address settings accordingly. Once you get the INTERNAL testing working, you can then setup the port forwarding and get the remote viewing working
PORT FORWARDING: Now that you have all your camera IP's and ports all setup, you need to forward the each camera port you are using to the proper LAN IP of each camera. Login to your Linksys router and go to the APPLICATIONS and GAMING Screen and go to Single Port Forwarding, port range forwarding or port forwarding - it all depends on what model Linksys router you have. Once in the port forwarding area, you want to setup the port forwarding for each camera. For examples on Port forwarding, see these 2 example images that show a screenshot of Linksys routers and port forwarding
Multiple Linksys Cameras using a NEWER Linksys Router
Multiple Linksys Cameras using a OLDER Linksys Router
- In the Application Name or Name field, type in Cam 1 and set the start port for 80 and end port for 80, and set the protocol to TCP or BOTH, then input the LAN IP address of Camera 1 - 192.168.1.200 and make sure it's checked ON as ENABLED
- In the Application Name or Name field, type in Cam 1a and set the start port for 1024 and end port for 1024, and set the protocol to TCP or BOTH, then input the LAN IP address of Camera 1 - 192.168.1.200 and make sure it's checked ON as ENABLED. This adds port 1024 to Camera 1 just incase port 80 is blocked by your ISP
- In the Application Name or Name field, type in Cam 2 and set the start port for 1025 and end port for 1025, and set the protocol to TCP or BOTH, then input the LAN IP address of Camera 2 - 192.168.1.201 and make sure it's checked ON as ENABLED
- In the Application Name or Name field, type in Cam 3 and set the start port for 1026 and end port for 1026, and set the protocol to TCP or BOTH, then input the LAN IP address of Camera 3 - 192.168.1.202 and make sure it's checked ON as ENABLED
- In the Application Name or Name field, type in Cam 4 and set the start port for 1027 and end port for 1027, and set the protocol to TCP or BOTH, then input the LAN IP address of Camera 4 - 192.168.1.203 and make sure it's checked ON as ENABLED
- In the Application Name or Name field, type in Cam 5 and set the start port for 1028 and end port for 1028, and set the protocol to TCP or BOTH, then input the LAN IP address of Camera 5 - 192.168.1.204 and make sure it's checked ON as ENABLED
Port forwarding is Done! Save your Settings.
EXTERNAL TESTING: Now that you have all your camera's setup and the port forwarding in place, you need to test all of them Externally - this means using the TZO DDNS domain name that you setup on one of the cameras. DO NOT RUN TZO ON MORE THAN ONE CAMERA IF THEY ARE ALL AT THE SAME LOCATION. Please see the FAQ on this issue. For examples sake, we'll use YourName.MyLinksysCamera.com as the sample domain name we obtained from TZO.
To reach each camera you must use the domain name along with the port. For example, to reach all of the camera's you setup, use a Laptop or Desktop machine on a different network (away from the location where the camera's reside) and try the following:
To reach cam 1. try using the following --> http://YourName.MyLinksysCamera.com or if that won't work try http://YourName.MyLinksysCamera.com:1024
To reach cam 2. try using the following --> http://YourName.MyLinksysCamera.com:1025
To reach cam 3. try using the following --> http://YourName.MyLinksysCamera.com:1026
To reach cam 4. try using the following --> http://YourName.MyLinksysCamera.com:1027
To reach cam 5. try using the following --> http://YourName.MyLinksysCamera.com:1028
That's it - If you have trouble and the INTERNAL testing works properly but the EXTERNAL testing is not it could be a few things such as Double NAT issues (there may be a second firewall or Vonage router on your network that is blocking ports in FRONT of your Linksys router) or your ISP could possibly be blocking all of these ports, which is unlikely. Double check all your port forwarding rules and recheck the steps. If you continue to have trouble, you can contact your ISP for assistance on port blocking and opening ports in your router.
