Hi Again,

I want to thank Soundy & others for helping me pick a DVR (Dahua professional 32 channel) in my previous thread! This DVR seems to meet our needs so far (now on Day 2)… I thought of a new question I’m not sure of. I read a few threads on the forum but the terminology is new to me. I see people talking about “homerunning” and stuff LOL. But I am inquiring from the perspective of a total idiot!

PTZ capability isn’t very important to us… I already got one of our 2 PTZ cameras working but was curious if it’s easy to add more or would I need some additional equipment? I’m not sure how to wire another because the A/B are now occupied in the back of the DVR. Can I put the other PTZ camera in the same A/B and have them use a different channel or something similar? PTZ are new to me! Sorry for the rookie questions! I know Sean would answer if I email him but I figured I'd just post it here since its 5pm!

Thanks in advance anyone willing to help!

hi. with having a 32 way you can have upto 32 ptz. A&B connects to all cameras.

if you are thinging of adding more ask about the dahua PTZ .... with you having the Dahua you dont need a controller or OSD controls. all you need to do is click ptz camera then your mouse becomes the controller .... move mouse left ..your ptz moves left same with right and up and down mouse wheel is your zoom in and out

"Homerun" refers to cabling that runs directly back to the DVR location (the "home" of the system).


Yes. With most protocols (such as Pelco D and P), PTZs are assigned an ID number, so you can connect multiple cameras to one controller, then select which one you want to control by selecting its ID. In many cameras, this is set via rotary or DIP switches on the camera; in some, you may need to connect just the one camera, go into the menus from the controller, and change the ID through the OSD (on-screen display). Almost all PTZs will display their protocol, baud rate, and ID when they're first powered up.

Naturally, all cameras on a single output must be using the same baud rate and communication parameters (8N1, etc), but they don't need to use the same protocol.

I'm new to ptz's too and I only have one so I'm no expert. I'm glad you asked this question about sharing the comm hookup. I would have asked that along the way too. Besides that, in the simplest terms I think you just need to set the address of the second camera to match the channel you're hooking it up to. You seem to have the settings right on the first one, either by changing the dvr to match the camera or they just matched by default- especially if you hooked it up to channel one in the dvr. I think all ptz's seem to be addressed 1, by default. If the ptz's are the same model, just look how you change the address of the second ptz to match the channel you hook it up to in the dvr and you should be all set. Then it's just a matter of clicking on the video window for the ptz you want to control to make either one the active one. I could be wrong...but I think.

The DVR should not automatically match the PTZ's ID number to the channel number - the ID should be configurable in the channel's settings. Most do default to ID0 or ID1 (depending on the protocol used), and most of them I've seen have it set by DIP or rotary switch(es).

If the dvr channel 1 has default settings of

Pelco-D
Address- 1
Baud rate 2400
Data bit- 8
Stop Bit 1
Verify- ODD

And your ptz happens to be set at those same settings by default and you hook it up to channel one in the dvr, you can have a default match by doing nothing and you're off to the races. I know, I was lucky enough.



That's what I was trying to say.

I'd change only the address setting in my second camera to whatever channel I hooked it up to, all else being equal- correct? I know you can tweak things deeper than that, but simply put is that not the case?

To make a long story short, since you are only hooking up 2 PTZ's. Simply twist your2 positive communication wires and stick them in the A port. twist your 2 negative communication wires and stick them in the B port. Now lets just say for giggles that you have your PTZ's on channels 5 and 6 of the DVR. And lets also assume that both cameras are using Pelco D protocol with 2400 Baud (it doesnt have to be this, we are just assuming for example purposes). This is how you would set each camera:

Camera 5:
Pelco D
2400 Baud
Cam ID 001

Camera 6:
Pelco D
2400 baud
Cam ID 002

Make sure that both of your PTZ's have the same exact values as what your DVR is set at and your good to go. Those are the 3 crucial values. There are some other settings on the DVR that pertain to parity but just leave those at default settings.

No. I can't speak for this DVR specifically, but my experience, all channels will default to COM1, ID1. You only lucked out that your camera was already ID1. It would have worked no matter which channel you connected it to.