Subscriber Discussion

How Often Have You Bricked A Camera Or NVR?

Rv
Rogier van der Heide
Jan 26, 2015

I was wondering how often you've bricked a device in the past ?

I'm not all too scared to give a camera or NVR an firmware update. But I do have a bricked Sony NVR sitting on my desk as a good reminder that it CAN happen.

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Luis Carmona
Jan 26, 2015
Geutebruck USA • IPVMU Certified

Haven't had it happen yet in 8 years working here. Have bricked a couple Internet routers, but I think they had issues to begin with.

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Ricardo Souza
Jan 26, 2015
Motorola Solutions • IPVMU Certified

Some. but only when the upgrade was in progress and lost power to the device in the middle of the update.

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Brian Rhodes
Jan 26, 2015
IPVMU Certified

One new Axis Q-series PTZ camera, over the course of several hundred IP camera opportunities. The power flickered during an update, and when it came back up nothing was responsive.

Axis tech support exchanged it with no problem. The person I spoke with said they could fix it and since it was new they could just restock it.

But the moral of the story: always have a UPS connected when you're upgrading firmware!

(1)
UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Jan 26, 2015

I can't think of an occasion where I or any of the technicians I have worked with has bricked a camera, DVR, or NVR during a firmware update to the point that it was irrecoverable. It is always of concern particularly when done over a network. We do have some NIDs that have been particularly worrisome, but it has a "brickbreaker" recovery mode. I have seen some devices bricked for various other reasons not pertaining to firmware though.

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Ethan Ace
Jan 26, 2015
(1)
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Aaron Saks
Jan 26, 2015

I have personally worked with and supported over the phone upgrading thousands of cameras over the years. I can attest to only a handful of camera that have been bricked. Sometime, you can default the camera, and/or send the firmware to the again. I have seen cameras that have a "safe mode" allowing you to send the firmware again.

On rare occasion, maybe 3 or 4 cameras have they needed to be sent for service to get them operational.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #2
Jan 26, 2015

It has happened to me just once when I was updating a Bosch VIP X1600-XF encoder.

KL
Keefe Lovgren
Jan 26, 2015
IPVMU Certified

I had one get bricked... doing a firmware upgrade when the power went out...

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