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The Graveyard - Products No Longer Supported => IP Cameras => DCS-930L => Topic started by: Amicron on June 23, 2011, 12:54:44 PM

Title: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: Amicron on June 23, 2011, 12:54:44 PM
I recently purchased 3 DCS-930L cameras. They setup and work perfectly in my home office. Everything is fine. If I take them into the next room or anywhere else in the house, they don't work at all. The LED flashes green for a moment and then right back to red. No signal. I unplug them and bring them back into my office, and they work perfectly again. It seems as though they have an EXTREMELY short range. Other wireless devices (tablets, cell phones, my X-Box) all work just fine in these other rooms off the same router. I've tried all 3 cameras, so I know it can't be an issue with just one of them. I have a Linksys (Cisco) E3000 router and the signal is nice and strong - all the way out to the end of my backyard. Any ideas? Obviously I purchased 3 of these cameras so I could get coverage around my house. They don't do me any good if I have to keep all 3 of them in my home office. I'm a PC tech myself and am out of ideas.
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: Amicron on June 23, 2011, 01:17:45 PM
Update... I clicked on the SITE SURVEY button in the setup for the camera. It's sitting on a shelf DIRECTLY BELOW the router (not more than 3 feet away) and the signal is showing anywhere from 50% to 70%. Results repeated with all 3 cameras. Something is very wrong here.
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: JavaLawyer on June 23, 2011, 01:19:41 PM
Are there other wireless signals that could be interfering? Did you try shutting off two of the cameras and testing one live camera?

You may want to try using an extension cord and carry one camera out of the room to see exactly how far (and when) the cameras lose connectivity.
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: Amicron on June 25, 2011, 09:53:39 AM
There are no other wireless signals on the same bandwidth. I performed a site survey, and there are no other wireless networks that could be interfering. Aside from my cell phones there are no other wireless signals anywhere around my house.

I've tried the cameras one at a time. Same problem. I can get about 20 feet from the router before the cameras lose signal if I have direct line of sight. If there's a wall in the way, forget it.

I've got several other WiFi devices (cell phones, tablets, X-Box, etc.) that work perfectly fine at much greater distances. I can take my tablet to the end of my backyard (at least 200 feet away) and still get online with it. I doubt it's a problem with the router. It must be a design problem with these cameras. I could see getting one bad camera. Two? Perhaps. Three? No way.
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: JavaLawyer on June 25, 2011, 03:25:44 PM
Given that this issue recurred with all three DCS-930Ls, the router seems to be the only common thread. Although your other wireless devices seem to work well with your router, do you have an alternate router you can test the DCS-930L wireless connectivity?
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: three_jeeps on June 28, 2011, 10:16:37 AM
There are no other wireless signals on the same bandwidth. I performed a site survey, and there are no other wireless networks that could be interfering. Aside from my cell phones there are no other wireless signals anywhere around my house.

I've tried the cameras one at a time. Same problem. I can get about 20 feet from the router before the cameras lose signal if I have direct line of sight. If there's a wall in the way, forget it.

I've got several other WiFi devices (cell phones, tablets, X-Box, etc.) that work perfectly fine at much greater distances. I can take my tablet to the end of my backyard (at least 200 feet away) and still get online with it. I doubt it's a problem with the router. It must be a design problem with these cameras. I could see getting one bad camera. Two? Perhaps. Three? No way.

The modem seems to be the common denomenator.  There are two main factors that affect the RF link: the transmitt power of the sending unit and the gain of the receiving unit.  The distance one can communicate is based on how the two interact.  For example, the receiving unit may have an antenna (or internal amplifier) with lousy gain, so a sender at 50' may have to have more transmit power to get the signal through, versus a receiver antenna that has a high gain. 
I have two of these cameras at one end of my house, sitting on end tables.  I have my router at the extreme other side of the house, mounted on the wall, which is 1/2 story above where the cameras are located.  In the path are 4 walls, and a hall way....a distance of about 60 feet.  Both cameras work fine.

I suspect your router antenna gain is lousy.  Can you try 7dbi or perhaps 10 dbi gain antennas in place of your existing one?  making a 'flag' out of aluminum foil and wrapping it around the antenna may help as well.

Good luck

John
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: p2kart on August 08, 2011, 07:00:06 PM
I registered specifically to reply to this thread...

Everyone seems to think its your router but its not. This thing really does have very very poor range.
It has no external antenna, and its small form factor doesn't leave much room for a good antenna.

I have a Netgear Rangemax 3700, I can walk all the way down the block and still be able to use the wifi on my iphone/ipad/notebook.

BUT with this 930L its at 50% with a distance of 8 feet.

The whole point of this was to webcam my dog while I work, the ideal location for my webcam is about 18 ft from the router almost line of sight, and it wont even connect properly.

D-Link, I was amazed at how well and easy it was to setup, then I moved it away from the router. This product would have been a solid 90+% in my books, but this range problem makes this product a POS. Its going back to the store tomorrow. What a piece of junk!

Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: TD99 on August 09, 2011, 10:07:02 AM
For what it's worth, I have six DCS-930L cameras scattered throughout my house (3400 sq ft.). All cams are downstairs, while my router (TrendNet TEW-633GR Wireless N) is upstairs in the computer room. I even have one camera in the garage and another in the backyard. Range seems fine for the most part. Once in a while they would show as offline which would be resolved by cycling power, but that hasn't happened since upgrading the firmware to v1.02 build 3 two weeks ago.

Just my 2c.
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: just_user on August 26, 2011, 05:09:17 AM
Here is my story; about a month ago i bought 2 of DCS-930 (not 930L) Wireless N Home Network Camera. I setup the first one just fine. Immediately i placed it in another room which is about 12 mt away from my router. Still everything was fine. Then i setup the second camera which was unable to find the 1 mt near wireless router. I thought it was a one time error. But it wasn't. Second camera could only manage to show the signal as %30-40 of my router which has a 7dbi external antenna. I needed 2 cameras minimum, so i bought another one while i sent the second one to the dealer. The brand new one was also the same.
Trying millions of possibilities (also with the router), calling every expert, calling dlink service, calling the dealer and searching the net i could't manage to work the signal better.
1 camera works great, others don't. So fyi, if yours work fine you are lucky. If not, don't waste your time for a solution because even the dealer/dlink service don't accept the word "there is a problem with the camera".
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: JavaLawyer on August 26, 2011, 05:17:03 AM
Here is my story; about a month ago i bought 2 of DCS-930 (not 930L) Wireless N Home Network Camera. I setup the first one just fine. Immediately i placed it in another room which is about 12 mt away from my router. Still everything was fine. Then i setup the second camera which was unable to find the 1 mt near wireless router. I thought it was a one time error. But it wasn't. Second camera could only manage to show the signal as %30-40 of my router which has a 7dbi external antenna. I needed 2 cameras minimum, so i bought another one while i sent the second one to the dealer. The brand new one was also the same.
Trying millions of possibilities (also with the router), calling every expert, calling dlink service, calling the dealer and searching the net i could't manage to work the signal better.
1 camera works great, others don't. So fyi, if yours work fine you are lucky. If not, don't waste your time for a solution because even the dealer/dlink service don't accept the word "there is a problem with the camera".

Are both cameras working, but the throughput is lower when both cameras are in use? If this is the case, did you try throttling down the image size and FPS?
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: just_user on September 07, 2011, 03:32:10 AM
I don't have any problem with throughput. Lower signal receving cameras work fine 1 feet distance to router (which i has 7dbi antenna) :)  Or anywhere when wired. I tried each one alone on network with all possible settings, but the problem is Low Signal Reception on Wireless Networks. Only 1 camera works great, the other 3 not.

My opinion; people having the same problem with model 930L have updated the Firmware and solved their problem (thats is what i understood from other posts). My model 930 doesn't have any new firmware, so i need one.

And i don't know whom i can reach and tell my problem. Here, everyone ignores this problem.

Can moderators move my posts to DCS-930 forum page. Thanks.
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: JavaLawyer on September 07, 2011, 04:11:36 AM
Can moderators move my posts to DCS-930 forum page. Thanks.

There's nothing preventing you from re-posting your question in the DCS-930L forum for other DCs-930L owners to see.
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: JavaLawyer on September 07, 2011, 04:14:01 AM
My model 930 doesn't have any new firmware, so i need one.

Are you referring to the DCS-930 or DCS-930L? You make references to both models in your post.

Firmware for the DCS-930L can be found here: http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=40700.0. If you are referring to the DCS-930, it looks like only v1.00 is available: http://tsd.dlink.com.tw/downloads2008detail.asp
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: just_user on September 07, 2011, 08:06:28 AM
My cameras are DCS-930 (sadly). And yes, only v1.00 is on the support site. Hope they can hear me and make firmware update for this model (at least for this issue).

Thanks.
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: JavaLawyer on September 07, 2011, 08:15:58 AM
I don't see the DCS-930 on the product listing for the U.S. website. Was/Is the DCS-930 sold in another region?
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: just_user on September 07, 2011, 08:22:52 AM
Yes. I'm writing this from Turkey. I'm stuck with this problem, so looking for Global answers.
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: JavaLawyer on September 07, 2011, 08:41:21 AM
Sorry I can't help you with this. The firmware is what it is, I don't see any other available versions.
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: Gentleman on October 29, 2011, 06:23:04 PM
I recently purchased 2 - DCS-930L's from 2 separate dealers.  Both have a maximum range of about 20' in the home; pretty sad!  However, reading the fine print, you will notice that in "G" and "N" modes, they are transmitting at 12dbm, which I think is around 16 milliwatts.  But, if you can switch it to "B" mode, it then transmits at 16 dbm, which is around 40 milliwatts.  Obviously, this is going to improve the range.  For testing, I used a Dlink N router, with power set to maximum.  Range was about 20'.  I fired up my G router and added the 500 mw Hawkings amplifer, still using the small antenna, and the range went up to 25'.  So, the problem is not the AP shouting, but the weak power output from the DCS-930L.  The firmware writers need to crank up the power in their next Firmware version.
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: chucky3000 on December 07, 2011, 10:57:34 PM
So far I've got about 6 hours invested in getting this thing to work.  Maybe you PC users are used to this sort of hassle, but as a Mac user, I guess I'm just spoiled by having everything just work right out of the box.  (Sorry for the old Mac vs PC whine but I can't help it.  Gotta vent the frustration somehow.)


After getting it to work wired, then wirelessly in the same room as the router, I'm seeing the same problems as other posters in this thread. At first I had about a 20 foot range which is pointless. So I updated the firmware and changed to a different router, now I have about a 40 foot range but with a god awful delay and terrible frame rate.

I'm stunned when I see others posting that they have half a dozen cameras scattered around their home. What could be so different in their network?

I've tried turning off every other wireless device in the house except the iPad and the DCS 930L. Still got terrible range. Cell phones, lap top, baby monitor, Wii... all off. Ultimately, if this HAD turned out to be the problem I would have been very irritated since the whole point of this technology is to operate in a wireless home, the camera should be able to function in a home with other wireless technology.

So, my first set up was using my AT&T Uverse 2wire router. With a wired connection, I could view the camera in both my browser and using the DLink app on my iPad. Wirelessly, I could do the same but only in the same room with line of sight to the router. System Profiler reports that the 2Wire is 802.11g.

My second set up worked a little better, I used Apple's Airport Extreme Base station which is 802.11n. With that I got 40 feet with one wall in the way. This is still pretty lousy, the router is in the basement and the camera is supposed to go up on the second floor of the house. Also, as I stated above, there's about a 6 second delay and the frame rate looks to be about 1 per second.
Had to use the Airport utility to find out what the camera's IP was since the one that the set up utility had given me with the 2Wire didn't work anymore. I got a 10.0.etc... address instead of the 192.168...etc.  That's just a local versus internet IP, right?  It would be nice to use the camera to monitor the house while I'm away, but for now I would be satisfied to just get the darn thing working.
I can view the camera with my browser (the firmware update enabled Safari to find the camera using Bonjour, which saves the trouble of having to figure out the IP address. So that's nice.) I can also see the camera on my iPad using the DLink app.  But the quality of the connection is terrible.

Using the Airport utility to track signal strength
When the camera and iPad are in the same room as the router,
I get -51dBm and -40dBm respectively.
When the camera and iPad are in the next room over,
I get -84dBm and -54dBm


Honestly, I don't know what those numbers mean, only that one takes twice the hit in signal drop from being moved the same distance away.

I'm willing to try more things if anyone has any other ideas.
Maybe I need to just blow the money on an Airport Express to act as a repeater in the room where this camera will live.

Thanks for reading this long winded post.
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: RDK45 on December 11, 2011, 08:06:17 AM
Folks....Well, for what it is worth, I have two 930L's and they are both working just fine at distances up to 80 ft and going through masonry walls (at least two for the 80 ft camera).  Frame rates as reported by the ActiveX control are about 15 fps for both cameras.....RDK

ps.....Firmware 1.03 July 2011
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: chucky3000 on December 21, 2011, 01:03:06 AM
Folks....Well, for what it is worth, I have two 930L's and they are both working just fine at distances up to 80 ft and going through masonry walls (at least two for the 80 ft camera).  Frame rates as reported by the ActiveX control are about 15 fps for both cameras.....RDK

ps.....Firmware 1.03 July 2011

What sort of router are you using?

I'm going to keep plugging away at this since I really do like the camera and what it can do.

The utility for my Airport Extreme router seems to indicate that the 930L is connecting as an 802.11g device. The iPad shows up as .11n.  Is this camera capable of switching down to .11g?
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: RDK45 on December 22, 2011, 01:20:58 AM
....Actually we have two and both cameras seem to work equally well with either.  Inventel Livebox and a Linksys WRT54G.  Both are 802.11 G routers.....RDK
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: n7qnm on December 27, 2011, 01:38:33 PM
 :(

I'm having the same wireless issues as others - using a Cisco SA-520 W, with the camera in the same room (less than 6' from the Cisco).   I restored the connection last nite around 9PM and was hopeful, but, it looks like it dropped off a little while ago.

So far, I've set the Cisco on a specific channel; but haven't tried any other solutions.   Any hints would be appreciated.

Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: lv2jm on September 04, 2013, 06:49:24 AM
I recently purchased 3 DCS-930L cameras. They setup and work perfectly in my home office. Everything is fine. If I take them into the next room or anywhere else in the house, they don't work at all. The LED flashes green for a moment and then right back to red. No signal. I unplug them and bring them back into my office, and they work perfectly again. It seems as though they have an EXTREMELY short range. Other wireless devices (tablets, cell phones, my X-Box) all work just fine in these other rooms off the same router. I've tried all 3 cameras, so I know it can't be an issue with just one of them. I have a Linksys (Cisco) E3000 router and the signal is nice and strong - all the way out to the end of my backyard. Any ideas? Obviously I purchased 3 of these cameras so I could get coverage around my house. They don't do me any good if I have to keep all 3 of them in my home office. I'm a PC tech myself and am out of ideas.
I've had the same problem with one camera and a weak modem/router combo...
My fix which works so well that I can even put a camera in the garage if I wanted to....was to plug in the LAN wire that comes with every camera and use only once to "sync" the camera with the router....and use it as an "antenna" of sort to extend the range...."It Works"
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: three_jeeps on September 25, 2013, 09:35:01 AM
I've had the same problem with one camera and a weak modem/router combo...
My fix which works so well that I can even put a camera in the garage if I wanted to....was to plug in the LAN wire that comes with every camera and use only once to "sync" the camera with the router....and use it as an "antenna" of sort to extend the range...."It Works"

Hardly believable....There is no way an RF signal can be demodulated/modulated by an ethernet PHY.
Were you on crack when you 'observed' this?
Title: Re: D-Link DCS-930L wireless range issues
Post by: acellier on September 27, 2013, 01:05:17 AM
As an engineer with experience in rf systems, I do not discount the possibility of coupling between the two circuits - not demodulation, just coupling ...
The test would be, measures of RSSI