1st & 2nd Gen Wi-Fi bird box camera troubleshooting (NCIP9WF, NCIP2WF)

On this page we will aim to cover the most common problems that you may encounter with your WiFi bird box camera and show you how to solve them.

If you have any problems which are not covered on this page please don't hesitate to get in contact.

Let's Get Started

First it is important to clarify which model of camera you have. If you purchased the camera before December 2019, you almost certainly have the NCIP9WF. If you purchased it after this date, you almost certainly have the NCIP2WF. One way to be absolutely sure is by checking the name of the Wi-Fi network which the camera will broadcast in Access Point mode: the older NCIP9WF's are called BEYE, while the newer NCIP2WF's are called IPC.

See this article for more information:

Which bird box or wildlife camera do I have?

1. My camera has disconnected from my phone/tablet/computer

There are a few potential reasons for this. The first questions to ask are what has changed about your setup? If you have a new Wi-Fi router, the camera will need to be reset and reconnected to the new network. If you have recently moved the camera or your Wi-Fi router, check that the camera can still get signal and that none of the connections are loose.

If this is all fine then it is best to go through some standard troubleshooting steps:

Is the camera warm, and does it click after being plugged in for a minute or so?
If that's the case, try holding down the white reset button for about 30 seconds. You should hear the camera click twice.
If so, then press the button on it three times and the camera should start broadcasting a Wi-Fi signal called 'IPC'. If it does, please follow this guide to get it set back up. If the network is called 'BEYE' then follow this guide instead.

If none of this works please get in contact and provide as much detail as possible about the issue, the model of camera and where in the troubleshooting/setup process the camera fails.

2. Can I watch my Wi-Fi bird box camera on my TV?

This is certainly possible, but they are not intended for this purpose so you will have to use some workarounds. Follow this guide for more information.

3. My camera won't connect to my Wi-Fi router

First make sure that your camera is powering on. Unplug the camera from the power and plug it back in, you should hear a small click come from the camera after about 30 seconds. The camera should also feel slightly warm to the touch after having been connected to the power for a while.

If the camera is powering on please reset the camera by holding down the white button for 30 seconds and then try setting it up again. After releasing the button you should hear two small clicks from the camera; they are quite quiet so are easy to miss but they are a clear sign that the camera has reset correctly and you are ready to try connecting the camera again. Follow this guide if you have the older model (NCIP9WF) or this guide if you have the newer model that was released December 2019 (NCIP2WF).

If you get an error mentioning 2.4/5GHz frequencies, see below.

4. The app gives an error about 2.4/5.8GHz frequencies when setting up the camera

Most routers broadcast your internet over two different frequencies. Some routers merge these two frequencies a single connection and this can sometimes cause problems with these cameras.

If you get an error about the app not being able to connect to the camera because of the 5.8GHz frequency you need to split the two frequencies. The guide for doing so can be found here however we would strongly recommend that you contact your Internet Service Provider to ask them to do this for you.

Once this has been done you can restart the process of connecting your camera, making sure you use the 2.4GHz network.

5. I can't view my recordings in the app

The first thing we want to check is that the time and date are set correctly on your camera. If they are incorrect then even if it is making recordings the app will not be able to find them. Click here to see how to correct the time and date on the camera.

If it was already correct then we will want to check that the recording settings are correct and that the camera is detecting the SD card. This guide will show you how to check all of the recording settings.

If you are getting this error, follow this guide to change the settings. If you have the older NCIP9WF, you will not be affected by this issue.

7. My recordings cannot be viewed on a computer

To view and share the recordings on a Windows or Mac computer, simply follow this guide. Please u se VLC video player to view the files as this is the best open source video player available.

If you find that the video files will play the audio but not the video in VLC, you will need to make a simple change to the settings: Open VLC, then go to Tools > Preferences (Show settings: All), > Input & Codecs > Video codecs > FFmpeg, then locate Threads, and set it to 2, or if that doesn't work change to 1.

If this still doesn't work, please get in contact.

8. My camera is out of focus

The focus on this camera is manually adjusted. The lens of the camera can be screwed in or out which will effect the distance at which the camera focuses. First you will need to loosen the locking collar, indicated in the image below, then screw the lens in or out until you find that the camera focuses at the correct distance. For more information follow this guide.

9. I can't view my camera when I'm away from home

It sounds like you are using direct connection to view your camera, this is where you connect your camera to the BEYE/IPC Wi-Fi network before viewing the camera. What this means is that your camera is not connected to your internet and so will only be viewable when you are within range of the camera.

Please follow this guide for the older NCIP9WF's or to use a smart phone or tablet to connect your camera to your internet network and this guide for doing so using a computer.

If you are certain that the camera is connected to your router but it still does not work remotely, please try this guide.

10. There is no sound on the camera

These cameras all come with audio enabled as default but when you are viewing the camera you need to switch the audio on. This guide will show you how to switch the audio on while watching your camera.

11. There is no sound in the recordings

If you are not getting any audio when you watch back your recordings it is likely that the audio setting is not enabled. If you take a look at this guide it will show you how to access the recording settings for your camera, make sure that the audio option is enabled on that page and you should now find that you have sound when playing back your recordings.

12. My camera feels warm

These cameras do get quite warm when in use for long periods of time. We use a slightly more powerful power supply than is necessary because it allows customers to easily include a bird box LED in the box if they want to, and in our experience the camera getting a bit warm helps to dry the camera out it if gets damp due to condensation in cold or humid conditions.

Provided the camera is not unpleasantly hot to the touch it isn't an issue.

13. My camera is in black and white

These cameras switch between black & white and colour depending on the amount of light available. When they detect that it is too dark to get a clear image they switch to black & white to make sure that you can still see what is going on in the box. The easiest way to test whether the camera is faulty or if there is a lack of light is to remove your camera from the bird box and see what happens when it is in full daylight.

If you find that your camera does switch to colour when exposed to more light you need to increase the amount of light in the bird box. You could try widening the hold on the front, some of our customers have replaced a portion of the wooden back of the box with a piece of plastic or you could consider purchasing a bird box LED. This light connects using the same power supply as the camera so no new cables are needed, during the day it switches on to illuminate the box and keep the camera in colour and when it gets dark switches off so the camera goes to black & white and the birds are not disturbed.

Need more help?

If you need help with anything else please check out our other guides or get in contact.

1st & 2nd Gen Wi-Fi bird box camera troubleshooting (NCIP9WF, NCIP2WF)Updated a month ago