Knowledge Base

Problem

A Basler GigE camera is not recognized by EthoVision or Pylon Viewer. The camera may show no indicator light, fail to appear in the software's video source list, or connect intermittently.

Details

Common causes include: (1) DirectShow support not selected during Pylon installation. (2) Incorrect or mismatched IP address configuration between the camera and the NIC. (3) The NIC (network interface card / PoE card) not supplying power to the camera. (4) Defective network cable (should be CAT6 Gigabit; a 100 Mbps cable causes detection failure). (5) Hardware failure of the camera itself. (6) Power saving mode enabled on the NIC. (7) Camera settings (e.g., auto-gain) changed in Pylon Viewer that prevent EthoVision from recognizing it.

Solution

**Check DirectShow support in Pylon:**
1. Open **Add/Remove Programs**, find **Pylon Camera Software Suite**, click **Modify**.
2. Choose **Custom Install** and ensure **DirectShow** is selected.
3. Complete the modification and retest in EthoVision.

**Verify IP configuration:**
1. Ensure the camera and the NIC are on the same subnet (e.g., camera at 192.168.200.1, NIC at 192.168.200.201).
2. Cameras should be set to static IP addresses to avoid conflicts.

**Check power supply:**
1. Confirm the NIC or PoE injector is supplying power to the camera (check for indicator light on the camera).
2. If no light, try a PoE injector or replace the NIC/capture card.

**Check network cable:**
1. Replace with a **CAT6 Gigabit** cable. A 100 Mbps cable will prevent the camera from being detected.

**Check NIC power saving:**
1. Go to **Device Manager > Network Adapters**, right-click the NIC, select **Properties > Advanced**.
2. Disable power saving / 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power'.

**Camera hardware failure:**
If a different camera works fine on the same setup and the above steps do not resolve the issue, the camera itself may have failed and requires repair or replacement.

**Reset camera to defaults:**
In Pylon Viewer, reset the camera to factory defaults (Configuration Sets > Default Startup Set) and retest.