RLC-422W Login TImeout with Client and Browser with Wifi Only

This issue involves LAN. I haven't tried anything on WAN yet.

I just got my RLC-422W and really like it but am having one problem.

I plugged the camera into my router with the ethernet cable and the Reolink Client (v7.2.2.12 for PC, using Windows 8.1) would not see it when scanning for devices in LAN. I had to enter the UID number manually for the Client software to see the camera. I was able to configure everything including wifi. I did the wifi test multiple times and it always worked. I can also bring up and view or configure the camera on a web page with my browser. I also loaded the Reolink app on my phone and tablet and they work great.

The problem is, once I disconnect the ethernet cable for the camera from the router and use the camera's wifi, the Reolink Client will no longer see the camera. When I start the Client software the camera state shows "login..." and after about 20 seconds shows "login timeout". I also cannot connect using the web page with my browser when using the camera's wif.

I have rebooted the camera and computer, turned off my anti-virus, and and restarted the Client but I have the same issue. For the purpose of getting this to work I have not assigned a password to the camera and am using the default user name of "admin" with a blank passoword. I tried to connect through the browser of another PC and it won't connect either Just says the connection timed out instead of bringing up the Reolink login page.

The Reolink app on my phone and tablet work great using the camera's wifi so I don't know what the issue is. Would a router setting affect just my PCs but allow the phone and tablet apps to work? Any suggestion on what router settings to look at? I did a search of the forums and have seen this issue mentioned but no solution.

Thank you in advance for any help.

I didn't see a way to edit my original post so will add some info in a reply.

I took down the IP and MAC addresses of the RLC-422W when I had it connected to the router with the ethernet cable. When I try to ping the IP it times out. When I do an ARP -a command from a command prompt to show the IP and MAC address of all the devices on my network, the RLC-422W does not appear on the list. This would be all fine and great if it weren't for the fact that my tablet and phone see the camera fine using the Reolink app (however using the browsers of my phone and tablet shows a timeout when using the camera's wifi but work with the camera plugged into the router with the ethernet cable).

wictod

After playing with this for several hours I mostly figured out what is going on.

When the RLC-422W is connected to the router with the ethernet cable it has a specific IP and MAC address. However, once I unplug the ethernet cable and use the camera's wifi, both the IP AND the MAC address change to a different IP AND a different MAC address. I can see DHCP assigning a new IP but I would never have expected the MAC address to also change.

Once I realized this I was able to enter the new IP address in the Reolink Client and it worked.

The only remaining issue is why the Reolink client software will not see the camera when it scans for devices in LAN. This has never worked for me. Not with the camera connected to the router using the ethernet cable and not with wifi. If this had worked I never would have had the original problem of not being able to see the camera in the Client software when the camera is using wifi.

Also, there is one other minor problem with the Reolink Client software. When I enter the UID of the camera to find it, the Client doesn't save it nor is there an option to save it. So if I am viewing the camera in LAN and then take my laptop to work and want to view it in WAN, I have to know and re-enter the long UID. Then if I come home and view the camera in LAN, and then go back to work the next day to view the camera in WAN, I have to once again know and enter the long UID. Why is there no option in the Client software to save the UID?

Bob

This is truly weird. You shouldn't have to enter UID every time you try to log on to the camera in a different network. What is weirder is that you can log into the camera via the browser yet the client fails to scan and detect the IP of the camera. Please try this older version of Reolink Client-https://www.dropbox.com/s/fsl1ltgl2c8nr6g/Reolink%20Client%20Windows%20v7.2.2.10.exe?dl=0 and see what happens next. Also, I strongly recommend you to log on to your browser and see if the IP of the camera shows up on the list.

Hi Bob and thank you for the reply.

With V7.2.2.12, "Scan Devices In LAN" doesn't see the camera. The only thing that happens when I do this is a horizontal scroll bar appears at the bottom of the "Modify Device" window. I have to manually add the camera using either the IP or UID.

When using the "Modify Device" window to switch from being logged in using the IP, to logging in using the UID, I have to enter the UID. When switching from being logged in using the UID to logging in using the IP I have to enter the IP and Media Port. The Device Name and User Name fields are saved, but the IP, Media Port, and UID fields are blank when switching from IP to UID log in or from UID to IP log in.

I then removed V7.2.2.12 and installed V7.2.2.10.

With V7.2.2.10, "Scan Devices In LAN" doesn't see the camera. The only thing that happens when I do this is a horizontal scroll bar appears at the bottom of the "Modify Device" window. I have to manually add the camera using either the IP or UID.

However, when I manually entered the IP to log in and then switched to logging in using the UID, the UID field automatically populated with the UID without me ever having to enter it and the Client logged into the camera. When I then switched from being logged in using the UID to logging in using the IP, I had to enter the IP and port. The Device Name and User Name fields were saved. Then when I switched back from being logged in using the IP to logging in using the UID, the UID was still there and the Client logged into the camera. It either saves the UID or populates the UID field automatically, like it did the very first time I switched from an IP log in to a UID log in.

So changing to V7.2.2.10 did not solve the "Scan Devices in LAN" problem of not finding the camera and it did not solve the problem of having to re-enter the IP and port when switching from UID to IP log in. However, it not only fixed the problem of having to enter the UID when switching from IP to UID log in, but it also automatically filled in the UID field with the UID the first time I switched from IP log in to UID log in without me ever having had to enter the UID.

I know it is hard to follow a bunch of text so let me summarize using numbered points.

V7.2.2.12
1. Won't detect camera with "Scan Device in LAN" either with IP or UID selected.
2. I have to manually enter either the IP or UID to get the Reolink Client to see and log into the camera.
3. When switching from being logged with the IP, to logging in using the UID, I always have to enter the the UID (Device Name and User Name are saved). .
4. When switching from being logged in with the UID, to logging in using the IP, I always have to enter the IP and Media Port (Device Name and User Name are saved).

V7.2.2.10
1. Won't detect camera with "Scan Device in LAN" either with IP or UID selected.
2. I have to manually enter either the IP or UID to get the Reolink Client to see and log into the camera.
3. When switching from being logged with the IP, to logging in using the UID for the first time (and every time after that), the UID field was automatically populated with the camera's UID without me ever having entered it. The Client saw and logged into the camera.
4. When switching from being logged in with the UID, to logging in using the IP, I always have to enter the IP and Media Port (Device Name and User Name are saved).

So as you can see Bob, V7.2.2.10 did change the way point 3 works. It solved one issue but neither version can see the camera when Scanning for Device in LAN and neither version saves the IP and Media Port when switching from UID log in to IP log in.

As far as being able to log in with the browser, could that be because I am entering the IP in the URL bar, similar to manually entering the IP in the Reolink Client?

Bob

What you found about the problem switching between UID and IP login mode is verified to be a bug and will be fixed in the future update.
As to why your client fails to scan the IP of the camera, it could be 1)your computer is installed with virtual network card, or, 2)you didn't disable the network card which you haven't been using.

[quote]
I think this part of the problem is normal.. my understanding is that each interface has a different mac address whether physical or virtual. for instance, if you had two ethernet ports , you’d have 2 different mac addresses. If you have a single wireless access point with 5 SSIDs broadcast, guest, free-wifi, home, etc etc each of the virtual networks in the one physical box will have a different mac address..

[/quote]

Hi Wictod. I absolutely agree with you and don't consider this a problem. My lack of knowledge about how this worked caused the problem. I thought a device is assigned a MAC, not it's interface, but once I figured out what the problem was, I came to this exact same conclusion, that each interface has its own MAC address. Thank you for your reply and confirming my thoughts on this.

I removed the VPN from my computer and the client still does not find the camera while scanning for device in LAN. No big deal as I can enter it manually and once it is entered it I don;t have to worry about it again.