almelst

Use Dahua's gMDSS application. Check settings , you should use NVR's local IP address.

The clicking sound may come from faulty HDD.

Try this:

- disconnect power supply , open the DVR, disconnect HDD

- reconnect power

Buzzer should activate (HDD fault) but that's different sound.

If you don't know the model name, there is no way to find the firmware. It's the same as if you want to buy the spare part for your car, but you don't know the model and the production year.

You can try taking DVR menu snapshot or search through the menu and find some DVR info.

Seems like you have a problem only with RJ-45 connector. What's the situation with DC jack? If you connect 12 V to it and place the camera in the dark, IR LEDs should glow. Also try connecting RJ-45 (green and orange pairs are enough) to PoE port or injector.

Few questions:

Which smartphone are you using?

Do you watch live video in Fluency or Clear resolution (Main stream or Substream)?

Do you connect over P2P (cloud) or directly (using DDNS)?

If you connect in local network (WiFi) do you still experience the same problem?

You can't use long power cabling for 5 V supply. Reason: voltage drop does not depend on supply voltage, and for instance 0,5 V is 10% of 5 V , but only 4,2% of 12V and 2,1% of 24 V.

If you need longer power wiring you should use 12V adapter, place a step down DC/DC converter near camera and set output voltage to 5V.

Try iSpy, it's open source.

It will work fine. UTP baluns are generally specified for signal transmission up to 300 m, CAT5 or CAT6 makes no difference. Avoid mounting cameras on metal (conductive) grounded surfaces to avoid interference.

Signal can go up to 300 m (1000 ft) , but maximum distance depends on camera's power consumption, cable quality etc. I suggest no more than 30 m (100 ft). If you need some more , you can always use the unused cable pair to double the power ground if necessary.

Sorry , but this looks too demanding for a beginner. It's very hard to explain all the details on forum, please find a professional and ask for an offer.

Just buy some plug'n'play system and don't look for the cheapest one , I've seen some, giving picture far worse than expected. Since you are a newbie, find a reseller with good customer support, and good luck!

Great choice!

1. Yes, you can record directly to some network drive, but , believe me, it's much more complicated than using standalone DVR.

2. NVR (Network Video Recorder) is a digital video recorder which works only with IP (network) cameras. You're right, in fact it is a Linux based dedicated computer . NVR is often said to be pentaplex or even hexaplex becuse it can do 5-6 functions simultaneously: live view, recording, network connection, control, playback and file backup. It's usually compact sized , silent , very stable and uses dedicated HDD, can be operated locally (with it's own monitor and mouse) or from networked PC,tablet or smartphone. Works 24/7 and the price is comparable to NAS devices.

Many producers support Onvif protocol both fo NVR and IP cameras, so you can make a mix. Also, many NVRs support third-party cameras besides their own.

Do you get any picture or you just can't get HD ?

You are partially right. I would always suggest standalone NVR : small, more stable and durable. If you still want to use PC solution, you can set IP camera(s) to use PC just as NetHDD or NAS. I suggest setting a partition on PC HDD for video recordings. There is no need for purchasing a software like Blue Iris, because every producer has a free video surveillance application which can do the job. Some work only with their cameras, but if you use Onvif compatible cameras you can mix vendors and also some support third-party protocols.

Probably yes. I guess that both cameras use Onvif protocol, so they are probably compatible. Just plug in and wait, no damage should be done.

Please explain "... forced TCP and UDP ports to restart ..." .

1. change Network Type to STATIC

2. set IP address to something like 192.168.0.200 to avoid IP address duplication.

3. set Primary and Secondary DNS to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 , respectively

4. Port forward port 9090 to IP address 192.168.0.200 (if you choose this one)

5. check if the port 9090 is really forwarded , using canyouseeme.org service.

6. set DDNS service either on the router or the DVR

If you pass all the above steps, then you can connect to your dvr:

- local PC: through Internet Explorer at http://192.168.0.200:9090 or by Video Viewer software.

- remote PC: through Internet Explorer at http://YOURDDNSDOMAIN:9090 or also by Video Viewer software.

- smartphone: using EagleEyes app . Recent versions of this app for iPhone sometimes don't work with some DVRs

Ok, rossko, there is a possibility of duplicate IP address, but not from another Wlan. To check this,I sugest jpatt2020 to disconnect DVR from LAN and then scan the network with some IP scanner software (Eusing IP Scanner or Radmin Advanced IP Scanner) to see if there exists any other device with the same local IP address as DVR's. If so, change the DVR's IP address to some higher value (last number) so it would be less possible to be reached by DHCP.

Bandwidth is in fact data transmission speed. Every NVR has maximum bandwidth ie. maximum allowed total data speed (bitrate) from all cameras. Sometimes NVR is capable of recording for example 5 Mpix cameras , but not on all channels because in that case maximum total bandwidth is exceeded. Cable type has no influence, because , for instance, Cat5 cable can transmit 100 Mbps which is far above camera's bitrate and Cat6 is specified for 1000 Mbps but it doesn't help for IP cameras, so Cat5 is quite enough.

- if you're not very familiar with video surveillance systems I recommend using IP system: NVR with PoE ports and PoE powered IP cameras. It's simplest wiring possible: Cat5 or Cat6 cable and RJ45 connectors

- take care of NVR bandwidth. It should be higher than sum of individual cameras' bandwidths. For instance for Full HD resolution minimum recommended bitrate is 2 Mbps. For 12 cameras total minimum NVR bandwidth is 24 Mbps. If you intend to use higher resolution cameras, do some math.

- I use Hikvision products for some time and I'm very satisfied with both quality and price

- I agree, bullet type cameras are fine for outdoor use, but for a very simple reason: everyone can recognize it as camera from a distance so it works as deterring factor. Otherwise both dome and bullet type cameras usually have the same technical specs.

First check cameras' video streaming bitrates. WiFi's bandwidth sometimes falls very low in case of weak signal. Long ago I had similar experience with WiFi network using several repeaters and it couldn't manage more than two or three IP cameras with 800x600 resolution. Later I wired them all and everything worked fine. Try setting cameras' bitrates to very low value and see what's happening.

Said you were using static IP before? Maybe you don't have static IP anymore. Check your WAN IP on canyouseeme.org or whatsmyip.org occasionally. If it is not the same all the time , then your ISP is connecting you using dynamic DNS , and in that case you have to use some DDNS service. Try free no-ip account for instance, valid only one month but you can try. Of course ports still must be forwarded .

I can't think of any reason why you couldn't connect to your DVR on LAN if DVR has static IP (usually 192.168.x.x).

More info would be helpful.

I use iVMS-4500 app with Cloud P2P connection to DS-7204 HGHI/E1 DVR. Live View is doing fine, but in Remote Playback i Can see only one camera at the time. On other installations which are connected directly (HiDDNS, portforwarding) I can playback normally, up to 4 cameras simultaneously.

I searched around, but haven't found any official explanation about this.

Is Cloud P2P really limited to playback only one camera or I did something wrong?

I agree with Boogieman.

Standard CCTV and trail cameras are two different worlds. First of all, trail camera has no remote access, no live view, no internet connection. If you want to see the recordings , you must come to the site , connect to the camera (if it's still there where you left it) or take the SD card out and playback. Ok, it can send snapshots and videos via email, but if you mount it on a crowdy place, batteries will run down much faster than you've expected. It's not called "hunting camera" without reason, it's very useful on a lonely site without any power supply, but that's it, and nothing more.

Speaking of picture quality, wired CCTV offers wide range of resolutions, from 720HD over FullHD , to 4 or 5 Mpix and even more. Decision is all yours.