This page is for troubleshooting our High Def System.  The High Def system has a DVR in the barn connected to the house with a pair of antennas.  If is viewed on phones and computers.  It does not have a TV connected to a box in the house.  If your box is in the house connected to a TV, that is a Hybrid System, click here.

If you have gotten a new router or internet provider since the cameras last worked, Go to the New Router Page before continuing.  That is probably your issue.

If your cameras are down, first determine if they're offline or if your phone possibly erased your log in information on a phone update or new phone transfer. This happens more with Superlive Plus than with Vigilant Mobile. In both cases, if you've registered the app, be sure to log the app back in. In Superlive Plus, check the server list to see if it is empty or if your info is there but it's not connecting. If it's gone, reenter your info per your original instructions. If you had registered the phone app, log back in to restore your information. If you don't have your numbers, ask someone else who has phone access to check. If not, give us a call and we'll check, we have most of them although at one time, we gave them to you and recorded them on your computer during set up. Those would be on the computer used at setup under notepad titled "barn camera notes".

If you can log into the DVR, but you can not see cameras, check the cameras power or multi-strip that they are connected to. The time on the DVR is generated by the DVR.  Seeing the time is good, it means you're connected.  It doesn't mean your cameras are broke, it's just means the DVR is not seeing them. The best way to check to see if you are on online is to check the server list (superlive plus) or the devices (vigilant mobile).  In superlive plus, the server list has your programming.  Next to is is a Wi-Fi symbol.  It should be green, not gray or flashing.  In Vigilant mobile, check the Devices list, If it's offline, it will be faded and say offline.

If you are offline, next is to determine why and where the disconnect is. Below is a short pre-call list and a long list.  If you're technical, the long list will help you find the problem.  If it's too technical and you can find someone to help.  If possible, you need to do this short list before you call. 

Pre-Call Short List

• Restart House antenna by unplugging AC power to it and reconnect. Be sure power plug as green LED (check cameras).  If you're not sure where the power is, follow the ethernet cable from the antenna.  It must plug into the power supply into the POE jack.  If you set it up without this power supply, it will not work.  The power supply LAN jack has a cable that leads to your router.  Some people use powerline ethernet adapters here.  If you do, they must have all 3 lights on each powerline adapter box.
• Restart Barn Antenna AC power, be sure power plug has green LED.  See above to find the power supply.
• Restart barn DVR/control box in the barn (it should beep when restarting (check cameras)
• If the house antenna is inside, you might temporarily run it out of a window and try it, resetting the DVR after moving.  Even if the cameras worked last year in the same location, the channel may have switched and the window or wall is causing an issue.
• If safely possible, check both antennas.  Remove the bottom cover to see if they have lights on under it.  The light bar should have more than two green lights if connected properly.  If an antenna has none, that antenna has a bad ethernet cable (antenna to POE), a bad power plug or the antenna is bad.  Sometimes, moving the ethernet cable to the secondary jack will cause the antenna to come to life.  This could be caused by a burnt or coroded pin in the jack.  If this brings turns it on, you'll probably need to replace the cable too.
• If safely possible, reset both antennas (barn first) by pressing a small object such as a ball point pen or nail into the reset hole under the bottom antenna cover and holding it for 15 seconds click for picture.  The antenna must remain powered on.  It will take several minutes for the reset process to complete.  Two beeps means it's done resetting.  After each reset, you can power cycle the DVR and check the cameras, they may come back up after the first antenna.  If not proceed to the second.  If the antenna beeps as soon as you push in the button, stop, power cycle the antenna.  After it boots up (2 beeps) try the reset again.  If it does not power cycle within several minutes, you missed the button or the reset failed.
• If still down, call us for a scan of your network.  You must have a computer at the Internet location.  Windows PC please download and run TeamViewer 11 from our support page or this link.  If you have a new TeamViewer version, download and run  Anydesk.com and open the file.  For Mac users,  please download and install Anydesk.com  Call us at 888-409-7665, during peak periods, we may schedule a time for tech support.
• If the system is down and you are on a wait or we are closed, finding a techie friend or family member to complete the computer scan listed below should identify the problem.  It is the exact procedure we will do when you call.

The Long List

To find the problem, understand how the High Def System works. Most of the time, an outage is caused by an ethernet cable or connection between these highlighted components.  It may be bad, corroded or just not in tight. The DVR/control box in the barn has the cameras connected to it.  It will operate with or without cameras.  It has a ethernet cable which cables from the DVR through a power supply/injector then on to your B antenna.  The B antenna sends a signal on a specific channel to your A antenna. The A antenna receives the signal then sends it through an ethernet cable though it's power supply/injector and on to your router.  The problem is either;

1. A bad ethernet cable not letting
2. data flow between two of the pieces highlighted above (most common) or 
3. not letting power flow from an antenna power supply (POE side) to the antenna.
4. A bad power supply on one of the pieces such as the antenna power supplies or the DVR.
5. A broken piece of equipment
6. The antennas are ok but are on different channels or have gotten stuck on data for some reason.
7. If your house antenna is inside you might do all of the below and nothing.  Even if the antenna inside worked fine last year, this year it may be on a new channel and that channel does not like the glass.  Try it temporarily outside and restart the DVR.  We see antenna weekly that worked fine in the same spot and now on a new channel they fail.  Inside is a convenience if it works, they are meant to be outside.

Let's start with the easy stuff (#4 and #2). Restart the house A antenna power. If the antennas wound up on different channels this will fix it. If this worked and it happens often, your antenna is probably inside and data loss is causing it. Move it outside if possible. We can lock it on a specific channel to avoid this but it's not the best practice. If no luck, restart the Barn B antenna and the DVR/Control Box. Restarting the antennas is done by unplugging and re-plugging the AC plug portion of the POE/LAN power supplies for your antennas and pulling the power supply from the rear of the DVR, or any method that interrupts AC power to the any is fine. When you are do this, be sure the antenna power supplies have a solid LED light on them and that the DVR has lights and/or makes a beep when reconnected. If you're missing power on any, you've found the problem.  A flashing led on the antennas power box means a bad cable or bad antenna, unplug right away. After all steps, if I don't say so, check your phone or rescan the program (below)

If working on your computer is easier than getting the ladder out, continue on.  If you would rather try the non computer stuff first, do the above Pre-Call Short List and then return to this section.

Lets check to see what's online in your network. With a windows computer download Advanced IP Scanner. It's free and safe. For Mac User's, download install and run LAN Scan from your app store.  Both are free and you do not need to register either, click the download button on their site, download and install. Scan the program (one has scan button one has start). When it's finished, we're looking to see what's on your network and what is missing. The program has a manufacturer column. The antennas are listed as Compex, the DVR is listed as TVT Co Ltd (eclipse platform = Superlive Plus app) or Observant (Alibi platform = Alibi Vigilant Mobile app). You are looking for two antennas (unless you have multiple barns then maybe more) and the DVR. 
Advanced IP Scanner (windows) has a small computer icon on the left side for each. Blue means active, black means dead (was there once upon a time but not now).  What do the results mean? Check the numbered sections below and find your results;  If this makes no sense but you run it.  Tell us upon calling in that you have scan results as soon as you call in.  We can tell you in seconds rather than scheduling an appointment, but please try below first.

You see no antennas (Compex) nor a DVR (TVT Co Ltd or Observant)

Be sure your computer is logged into the same router and network that the antennas are connected to.  Logging into a secondary router system (such as a mesh network) or a guest network will not show the antennas.

Your house antenna is off line.  It may have a bad ethernet cable on one of the two sections leading to the router. Remove the bottom cover on the house A antenna;

1. If you see NO LED lights on the small light bar next to the jacks, you usually have a bad POE cable between the power supply and the antenna (this is assuming that the power supply has a solid LED on and be sure the antenna is connected to the POE jack, and the LAN is an ethernet cable that runs to the router). While you are at the antenna, move the ethernet cable to the secondary ethernet jack under the antenna just to be sure the jack you are using didn't get damaged or corroded. If still dead, the POE cable probably needs to be replaced. If you wish to be sure it's the cable and not a damaged antenna before you string a difficult cable, you can take the antenna inside and use a short store bought ethernet cable to connect it to the POE jack on the power supply. This should cause it to power up and show up on a scan after it reboots completely. If you aim it at the barn (even from inside) you might get the other antenna(s) and DVR on a rescan.  At this point, we're just looking to see if the first Compex shows up telling you that the cable was bad.  Seeing the other devices is not a given if the antenna is inside.
2. If you have lights, then you may have an ethernet cable that is not allowing data to get through on the two cables leading to the router. If you are using powerline ethernet adapters to move the signal across the house though the electric lines, be sure they have all three lights on. We don't sell these but recommend them to many. Refer to their instructions if need be, but they usually have three lights on both if working (if not, this is probably your issue). Assuming you are not using powerline adapters or they're not the issue, reset the antennas starting with the house.  Do so by pressing a small object such as a ball point pen or nail into the reset hole (see example) under the bottom antenna cover and holding it for 15 seconds.  The antenna must remain connected.  It will take several minutes for the reset process to complete.  It will beep once then several times when done.  If it beeps as soon as you push the reset button, stop, power cycle it and after it boots up (2 to 3 minutes) retry.  If it never power cycles, it will not reset or you missed the small button inside.  There is a diagram sticker under the cover on the bottom of the antenna, it shows the reset button location.  After each reset, you can power cycle the DVR and check the cameras, they may come back up after the first antenna.  If not proceed to the second.  If you have multiple pairs of antennas on the same farm such as a repeater set up or multiple A's to barns in different directions, do not reset anything.  Call in, resetting may screw up the programming. If you have reset and have nothing, you need to isolate which cable is bad. You can move the antenna inside as described in section a (above) to rule out a difficult to replace cable, but the antenna will need to be looking at the barn through a window or non-metal / non-masonary wall and not too far away. This may also get you going until you replace the cable and get the antenna back outside.

You only see one antenna (Compex).

Your house antenna is online, but it cannot see the barn antenna because the channel is stuck or the barn antenna is offline because of a bad power supply or damage. The following assumes you restarted power to the A antenna early in the process. On the barn antenna, remove the bottom cover of the barn B antenna. 

1. If you have no lights, the POE cable is damaged or the antenna is bad (this assumes the B antenna power supply has a solid LED and the antenna ethernet is plugged into the POE jack, not the LAN). While there, move the ethernet cable to the secondary jack on the antenna to be sure the jack was not damaged (power surge) or corroded. Moving the antenna inside to a short cable on the POE jack of the power supply may power up the antenna although the signal may not get out of the barn to scan it at the house, but this would tell you that the power side of the POE cable was bad and the cable it needs to be replaced.
2. You have lights on the bottom of the antennas but restarting didn't help, reset both antennas by pressing a small object such as a ball point pen or nail into the reset hole (see example) under the bottom antenna cover and holding it for 15 seconds.  The antenna must remain connected.  It will take several minutes for the reset process to complete.  It will beep once then several times when done.  If it beeps as soon as you push the reset button, stop, power cycle it and after it boots up (2 to 3 minutes) retry.  If it never power cycles, it will not reset or you missed the small button inside.  There is a diagram sticker under the cover on the bottom of the antenna, it shows the reset button location.  After each reset, you can power cycle the DVR and check the cameras, they may come back up after the first antenna.  If not proceed to the second.  If you have multiple pairs of antennas on the same farm such as a repeater set up or multiple A's to barns in different directions, do not reset anything, call in, resetting may screw up the programming. If you have reset and have nothing, review the pre-call short list above to down load the remote in program and give us a call.

You see two (or more) antennas (Compex), but no DVR (TVT Co Ltd or Observant)

You more than likely have a bad data side on one of the two ethernet cables in the barn, a bad antenna jack or a bad DVR.

1. Reset both antennas by pressing a small object such as a ball point pen or nail into the reset hole (see example) under the bottom antenna cover and holding it for 15 seconds.  The antenna must remain connected.  It will take several minutes for the reset process to complete.  It will beep once then several times when done.  If it beeps as soon as you push the reset button, stop, power cycle it and after it boots up (2 to 3 minutes) retry.  If it never power cycles, it will not reset or you missed the small button inside.  There is a diagram sticker under the cover on the bottom of the antenna, it shows the reset button location.  After each reset, you can power cycle the DVR and check the cameras, they may come back up after the first antenna.  If not proceed to the second.  If you have multiple pairs of antennas on the same farm such as a repeater set up or multiple A's to barns in different directions, do not reset anything, call in, resetting may screw up the programming.
2. Assuming the DVR is connected and lit up, replace the shortest ethernet cable between the antenna power supply LAN and the DVR (unless you have the power supply closer to the antenna). If this produces nothing, you probably have a bad data side on the POE cable. If this is difficult to replace and you wish to be sure it's not the DVR, continue to the next step.
3. To test the DVR, disconnect it and take it and it's power supply to the house. You can take the short ethernet cable with you if you wish to rule it out. Connect the DVR's ethernet cable directly to your router. Use the same jack on the router that the antennas were working on. Very very few (but enough to cause headaches) Internet providers will control the LAN jacks of the router and turn some off. If you get nothing, use the jack and cable that the antenna used (temporarily). This will insure its a good connection. If you are into a good jack, a scan should now show the DVR as TVT Co Ltd or Observant. You phone should be working (without cameras) you will see it's name in the dropdown list (superlive plus) or start live view will be an option in the device list (alibi vigilant mobile). Seeing either the scan or the app will tell you the DVR is good and the barn cable probably needs replacing.

You see both antennas (Compex) and the DVR (TVT Co Ltd or Observant), but noting on the phone.

1. It could still be an ethernet cable but it's working just enough to know somethings out there, but not enough data to function. It could also be problems with the antennas signal strength.  If the house antenna is inside, move it outside and retry.  What works through a window one year will not nothing when you restart it and it goes to a different channel.  Now the window or wall kills it.  The antennas are meant to be outside.  Inside is a luxury, but not always possible.  Check both antennas to be sure one has not tipped down.  They must face each other.  The longer the distance, the more important this is.  We can scan the antennas to see if it's an issue.  Before calling, review the pre-call short list above for the needed downloads.

You see antennas and the DVR/cameras in the main barn, but you are missing an antenna (Compex) on a secondary barn, or you are missing IP cameras in that barn.

1.  If you can't see that antenna, go to section 2 above and trouble shoot the antenna (lights or no lights) apply the same methods. You can always unplug the main barn to eliminate that antenna and DVR. This will tell you if that antenna is off line before getting the ladder.
   
2. If the antenna is online but still no IP cameras, call and we'll scan the system. Have everything connected when you call in. It may be a programing issue in the DVR or the cameras lost programing during a long off period. It could also be an ethernet cable between power and the camera(s).  Review the pre-call short list above for needed downloads