Over the past six months, we started receiving a few reports of the live streams misbehaving. Over time the issue has gradually got worse to the point where the cameras have been unwatchable for some.
We discovered an issue with our main streaming server and it’s been corrupting files since we installed it in March of 2021. It’s taken months to diagnose and find the issue as all the hardware tests that we have run, pass. This has made it difficult to prove to our hosts that the server is faulty if their tests come back as okay. This has also been immensely frustrating for me as I know our service hasn’t been as good as it should.
Finally, after weeks of negotiations with the hosts, we’ve moved the live streams to a temporary server while we remove the faulty server and install a new and improved one. Sadly our temporary server isn’t quite as powerful as I’d like it to be but it’s keeping the streams going until the new server is up and running. We hope this to be at some point next week, the week commencing 13th September 2021.
We have also ordered a new broadband connection for Black Swan Cam. At the minute, Sea Breeze cam, Black Swan cam and the cafe below, all use the same broadband connection. At busy times in the cafe, this causes buffering and jumping on Black Swan Cam and occasionally Sea Breeze. When the new broadband is live, Black Swan Cam will share the connection with the cafe and Sea Breeze cam will have its own to run the 4k stream at 20Mbps. The estimated date of broadband installation is the end of September 2021.
We are currently investigating broadband issues at San Remo Cam, just to add to our problems. I’ll be visiting next week to diagnose with the ISP.
Finally, once all of these issues have been fixed, we plan to replace the Blenheim Cam with the same cam as Sea Breeze allowing us to run this at 4k, 20Mbps.
Thank you to everyone that has been reporting their issues to me during this time. It’s been a great help and good ammo for me to finally get the hosts to do something about it. I’m so sorry that the cameras have not been running their best recently but at least we are now on the path to recovery with a bigger and better setup for the future.
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Thanks again for your continued support. Feel free to leave any comments below.
Beach Cams Man.
Hope all goes well and my thanks for your hard work to get them (mostly) watchable again.
Thank you Mark.
Watching on 720 bits is 95% OK reverting to Auto or 1080 bits is less successful with occasional buffering. In recent days there has been an improvement in the viewing experience not solely to the use of 720 but I suspect by the hard work put in behind the scene by your goodself.
Thank Michael. I hope to have the new server running next week. We should see an improvement then.
At the end of the month when the new broadband is installed, it should be flawless.
We just need Open Reach to bring the whole of Dawlish Warren out of dial up speeds and we should get good stream from there too.
OR do have all of Dawlish & Teignmouth in their Market Towns Full Fibre (FTTP) scheme 2021-26. They are clearing ducts in Tinmuff & Dawlish this month ready for pulling new fibre so work is underway, brilliant news … at last.
I have a phone call from our server hosts due this Thursday so should be able to update you more then.
The broadband installation date for Sea Breeze Cafe is the 28th of September.