Troubleshooting 'Avigilon Setup Failed' Errors
An 'Avigilon Setup Failed' message can be a significant hurdle when commissioning a professional surveillance system. This error indicates that the Avigilon Control Center (ACC) software is unable to properly initialise, connect to, or configure a camera. As this is a professional-grade system, the causes can be more complex than with consumer-grade products, often involving network configuration, user permissions, or specific hardware requirements.
This guide provides a systematic approach for installers and technical managers in the UK to diagnose and resolve setup failures within the Avigilon ecosystem. We will cover the essential checks, from physical connections to advanced network settings.
Fundamental Causes of Setup Failure
The setup process is a multi-stage handshake between the camera and the ACC server. A failure can occur at any stage. Here are the most common points of failure:
- Network Connectivity Issues: This is the most common cause. The server cannot communicate with the camera due to incorrect IP addressing, subnet mismatches, VLAN configuration, or physical layer problems (cabling/switch ports).
- Power over Ethernet (PoE) Problems: The camera is not receiving stable or sufficient power from the network switch to complete its boot-up and initialisation sequence.
- Firewall and Port Blocking: Network firewalls on the server or network hardware are blocking the specific ports that Avigilon devices use for discovery and communication.
- Version Incompatibility: The camera's firmware version is not compatible with the installed version of the Avigilon Control Center server software.
- Incorrect Credentials: The system is attempting to connect to the camera using incorrect administrator credentials, especially if the camera has been previously configured.
Systematic Troubleshooting for Setup Failures
Follow these steps logically to isolate and rectify the problem. Always document the changes you make for future reference.
1. Verify Physical Layer and Power
First, confirm the camera is powered and physically connected to the network.
- Check Cabling: Ensure the Ethernet cable is securely connected. Test the cable with a cable tester if possible, or swap it with a known good cable.
- Inspect Port Lights: Observe the LED indicators on the camera's Ethernet port and the corresponding port on the network switch. You should typically see a solid link light and a flashing activity light. If there are no lights, investigate the cable, the switch port, or the camera's power.
- Confirm PoE Budget: Verify the camera's PoE requirements (e.g., PoE Class 3, PoE+ Class 4) from its datasheet. Check the specifications of your network switch to ensure it can supply the required wattage on that port. If a switch is near its total power budget, it may fail to power new devices correctly.
2. Diagnose Network Configuration
Once the physical connection is confirmed, check the network settings.
- Discover the Camera: Use the Avigilon Camera Configuration Tool or the discovery function within ACC. Can the tool see the camera on the network? If not, there's a fundamental network path issue.
- Check IP Addressing: If the camera is not found, it may be on a different subnet. Connect a laptop directly to the same switch and configure your laptop's network adapter to be on the same default subnet as a new Avigilon camera (often 192.168.0.x or in the 169.254.x.x range). Try discovering it again.
- Assign a Static IP: Once discovered, assign a static IP address to the camera that is within the same subnet as your ACC server. Ensure the subnet mask and default gateway are also correctly configured.
3. Review ACC Server and Firewall Settings
The problem may lie with the server or network security.
- Check Server Firewalls: Temporarily disable the Windows Firewall (or any other security software) on the ACC server to see if the connection succeeds. If it does, you must create specific firewall rules to allow traffic for the Avigilon ports. Refer to Avigilon documentation for the list of required ports.
- Verify User Permissions: Ensure the user account being used in ACC to connect to the camera has administrator-level privileges.
- Check Credentials: When connecting, ACC will prompt for the camera's username and password. For a new camera, this is often 'admin/admin'. If the camera has been configured before, you must use the credentials it was set up with. If these are lost, you may need to factory reset the camera.
4. Ensure Software and Firmware Compatibility
Version mismatches are a common source of problems.
- Check ACC and Firmware Versions: In the ACC Client, go to 'Site Setup' and find the camera. The software will often show the camera's current firmware version. Compare this with the release notes for your version of ACC to ensure they are compatible.
- Upgrade/Downgrade Firmware: If there is an incompatibility, you may need to upgrade (or in some cases, downgrade) the camera's firmware using the Camera Configuration Tool to match the requirements of your ACC server.
Advanced Steps
If the setup still fails after these checks, consider more advanced issues like a duplicate IP address on the network or a faulty camera. You can use command-line tools like 'ping' and 'arp -a' to diagnose network conflicts. If you suspect the hardware is faulty, try connecting the camera to a different port or switch, and if the problem persists, contact Avigilon technical support for further assistance.