Network Choked
Network Choked
I recently set up a 10 Camera NVR system at a friend's residence. As soon as I connected the NVR, linking cameras to the main switch caused the network to become unstable. Sometimes it would drop completely and other times it slowed significantly. Any advice on resolving this issue? All cameras are 2 MP IP models with PoE, and both the cameras and the main switch support gigabit speeds. The internet connection comes from an ISP with a 40 down / 8 up configuration.
It might be a broadcast storm or something comparable. Ensure that safeguards for such events are activated on the switches and routers.
Can't attempt that first—the switches aren't managed, and the router in use is an ISP-provided modem combo, lacking broadcast protection. His house cameras are likely monitored online constantly, so enabling broadcast protection would block their access. The data they send isn’t useful for a broadcast storm, and the gigabit links aren’t saturated by 2MP cameras even at full capacity.
Have you attempted to disconnect all but a single camera to check for network speed improvements? It might be that one rogue camera is the issue. You could also use WireShark to identify the source IP and determine if the problem lies with a specific address or affects all devices.
It helps a bit but the improvement is minimal and all cameras are constantly sending data. Are you trying to isolate your cameras from the main network? Assigning unique IP addresses to cameras so they communicate only with the NVR might work. However, NVR typically uses one IP address and doesn't support separate IPs for cameras versus the internet.
Setting up vLans on his switch router combo might be useful. Since the switches aren’t smart, grouping all non-camera gear together and all cameras separately could help. You can also set a bandwidth cap for the uplink that the NVR receives. The main concern is whether his router combo actually supports vLans.
I might consider another switch setting. Have you checked if this switch can deliver sufficient power along the entire cable to operate each camera correctly? Generally PoE doesn't reach full 100m, often stopping around 50m or 75m. I'll need to check the specifications again. When you need to split traffic between a security network and a regular user VLAN, using the right configuration is essential. If the switch is managed and the router supports sub-interfaces, then it's possible.
Power isn't an issue since the same challenge arises even with a 1m Cat 6 cable. VLANs could improve performance, as the switches for my main network and cameras are distinct. I just need to configure my router to separate these networks.
If the issue resembles a broadcast storm, it would help avoid disruptions to nearby VLANs. Consider isolating each camera into its own VLAN and observe whether only one behaves abnormally—otherwise the problem might stem elsewhere. I’m curious if there’s an IP address conflict involved. You referred to an NVR; does it have a specific model number? If it functions as a DHCP server, it could be interfering with your home router.
I thought it might be true but I was pretty sure. The NVR and cameras all use static IPs—NVR at 192.168.0.110, cameras at 192.168.0.111 and so on. The NVR model is Hikvision DS-7616NI-Q2. Both devices run 4K but are currently using 720p. When setting them up, the network would disconnect immediately after connecting the camera, even though the cameras and NVR communicated normally with the ISP switch router modem combo unit. After a few restarts it resolved itself. It’s strange because I checked all IPs and there were no conflicts; everything shared the same IP series. Still, I’m confused about why camera traffic is impacting other devices. Even at full resolution, with all settings active, the link wouldn’t reach gigabit speeds. I just don’t understand how this is happening.