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[JavaLawyer]

My DCS-5020L started making the clicking sound today as well. Went on for a couple hours and unplugging it and rebooting didn't solve it. Its set to always day mode yet the clicking sounds to be the camera switching between night and day mode yet it isn't. This is either a firmware bug or the electronic mechanism that switches between night and day mode is going bad. Going to contact D-Link tomorrow about a replacement since mine is only a few months old.

How confident are you that the camera Day/Night cut filter is engaging and that's the source of the clicking sound?   

[cmillar6]

99%   If I manually set the camera from day to night mode the sound is indistinguishable.

[JavaLawyer]

99%   If I manually set the camera from day to night mode the sound is indistinguishable.

If you are viewing the camera image during this clicking sound, does the live feed toggle between color and black & white? I ask this because the clicking heard during day/night mode transitioning is due to the physical movement of the IR cut filter engaging/disengaging, which will invariably change the live feed image looks.

[cmillar6]

The clicking is worse today and the image is definitely changing during the click. It looks like it is attempting to go into night mode and then goes back. Not impressed, this camera is three months old.

[JavaLawyer]

Has this issue persisted across multiple firmware versions?
What firmware version are you using now?

To rule out firmware as the cause and address any possible setting corruption, you may consider resetting the camera to the factory default settings. After the camera is reset to the factory defaults, load the latest firmware (or re-upload the current version).

** I strongly recommend using the factory reset to rule out any corruption that a simple FW upgrade may not address **

[cmillar6]

I'm running the most recent release of the firmware. Don't remember the exact version. The clicking is so bad my wife just called me at work to tell me to make it shut up. I set it to always night mode and that resolved it.   This problem only started this past Saturday which leads me to believe its hardware. I'll try reflashing and resetting it tonight.
On a side not the camera does look out the window and the clicking only happens when the sun is shining. Perhaps the light sensor is going bad, not sure.

[JavaLawyer]

If the full FW flash doesn't resolve the issue, then I would surmise that this is a hardware failure. How long have you owned the camera?

[cmillar6]

I bought it January 21st 2014 from Amazon.

[JavaLawyer]

If this issue is an unresolvable hardware issue, then your DCS-5020L should be covered under the 1-year warranty. Should you opt to pursue an RMA, here is the D-Link USA contact info:

D-Link Technical Support: 1-888-851-6464

[cmillar6]

I reset the camera, flashed the firmware again, reset again. So far, so good, although it seems to happen in the afternoon when the sun is shining on the camera. Time will tell. In the meantime I am going to notify D-Link of this issue and arrange for RMA#  If the problem goes away I will cancel it.  I have never been 100% happy with this camera. I have three DCS-932L's and they haven't made a peep in two years.

[JavaLawyer]

Fingers crossed! Keep us posted. 

[cmillar6]

No luck. Camera is clicking away and switching in between day and night mode as soon as the morning sun hits it. This is hardware failure and the last D-Link camera I will ever buy.

[JavaLawyer]

I'm sorry you had such a negative experience. I wouldn't let one bad apple ruin the bunch.

[cmillar6]

Well the fact that D-Link won't RMA the camera is what has me upset. I am quite happy with my 932L's. I'm told they think this is firmware related and I'm to wait until the end of the month for a new release.  No way this is firmware related, I ran version 1.03 for weeks with no issues until this past weekend when the clicking started.

[JavaLawyer]

Well the fact that D-Link won't RMA the camera is what has me upset. I am quite happy with my 932L's. I'm told they think this is firmware related and I'm to wait until the end of the month for a new release.  No way this is firmware related, I ran version 1.03 for weeks with no issues until this past weekend when the clicking started.

Since the legacy firmware is also presenting the same issue, I would tend to think this is hardware as nothing else has changed in your camera. I'll make some offline queries to see what I can find out.