No these cameras can be bricked easily even without power being lost and even using firmware provided by the vendor that sold you the camera.
Most here if the camera is working for our needs, we don't update it.
A while back I was bored (even though I have more than enough to do LOL) and even though I say don't fix what ain't broke often, I thought "hey let me update a perfectly working 5442-ZE camera to add 2D and 3D noise reduction that one of my newer 5442 cams has" and totally effed up the camera. Lost the ability to set FPS and encode and bitrate and couldn't factory reset from the GUI.
And I am pretty sure the PRO model folks have said an older firmware was better than the most recent.
I suggest you read thru that
thread and decide for yourself which version you should be on.
Here is a
thread from just last week where someone bricked their cam updating it with known good firmware.
Here is one of many
threads of someone updating for OCD behavior simply to get all cams on same firmware and bricked one. Here is one of many
threads where someone had their camera go into Chinese when they tried to update it.
Unless the release notes specifically mention it fixing a problem you are experiencing, more than likely it won't fix an issue and may make the camera worse by removing functionality or worse brick it.
Here are issues I have seen people report here where they were upgrading just for the sake of upgrading:
- Dahua 5241E-Z12E that someone updated and then constantly reboots.
- Axis Q1786 that lost the ability to see the percentage of focus and zoom in theGUI.
- Dahua 49225 and 49425 PTZ that Dahua intentionally removed autotracking with an update to force people to buy the more expensive PTZ.
- Hikvision DS-2DEA425IW-DW PTZ that Hikvision intentionally removed autotracking with an update to force people to buy the more expensive PTZ (*V5.7.3 220315 -Remove auto-tracking functions on DE4A).
- Hikvision ANPR camera losing half the FPS and loses the ability to read US plates - those are big deals to have happen, especially if you live in the USA.
- Hikvision ANPR DS-2CD4A26FWD camera that lost all ability to read plates - kinda makes a plate reader camera useless.
- Hikvision camera that the user lost ability to control the LED light function at night.
- Hikvision DS-7616NI-Q2 NVR that has the APIs changed. This is a big deal if you run automation.
- Hikvision DS-7616NI-K2 NVR that loses basic functionality when updated.
- Hikvision wifi camera that loses the ability to use wifi after a firmware update and was intentionally removed due to too many complaints that the camera was dropping signal.
- DH-DB61 Doorbell that loses API functionality. A big deal for someone with automation.
- DS-2CD2387G2-LU that loses API functionality. A big deal for someone with automation.
- Hikvision iVM4200 v3.8 - loses the free ability to use the computer as storage and now need to subscribe.
- Dahua IPC-HFW1320S that started phoning home using 60MB/hr and costing someone thousands of dollars in data overages when he got his next mobile bill.
- Dahua 5442 that will not allow playback of the SD card.
- Dahua NVR58XX-4KS2 that had custom protocol (ability to add a camera via RTSP) removed possibly to force people to purchase same brand cameras.
- SmartPSS that intentionally removed the ability to use the Intercom for those with VTO devices after firmware version 2.02.08
- Countless other instances where the camera or NVR simply bricked and became useless.
- Countless examples where the camera or NVR went into Chinese.
- Manufacturers are now preventing their equipment to be updated with an older working firmware after it was updated to a more recent firmware.
Don't do it unless it is fixing a problem you are experiencing or adds a feature you really need.
didn't know the cameras can be bricked so easily if you just follow the update procedure.