Cannot access DVR with PC after equipment change

[thestore 0]

I'm going to try to be as thorough as possible.

 

my family owns a small convenience store with a fairly minimal CCTV surveillance system. new systems are more expensive than we can afford, so that is out of the question.

 

the current DVR is made by Prodigy. the manual may as well not be in English, for how informative it is, and says that it is from 2006. I cannot find anything from or about Prodigy past 2007. the DVR came with the store when my grandfather purchased it from an elderly couple a few years back. they did not set it up, and don't know anything about how it was set up.

 

until recently, the four cameras could be viewed from the screen in the front, or from the Prodigy software on the PC in the back. however, we recently got internet for the store, and when the DSL technician came in and set it up, he took out the old D-Link router and put in the DSL router/modem.

 

after that, the Prodigy software refused to connect. even when we tried multiple configurations of router, modem, or both, nothing helped. it doesn't help that we replaced the old Sony Vaio with a system I built, which is much better, but any trace of the old configurations are long gone. all that remains is what's on the Prodigy DVR itself, and those numbers give the same error.

 

feel free to ask questions if need be. I'll be happy to answer as best as I can. however, please, please DO NOT recommend a new DVR solution unless you have EXTREMELY good reason; we cannot afford $2000+ or anything even close to that for a new DVR. we are a very small, rural convenience store, and are barely making ends meet now, which is why we haven't just had someone come and fix this like was originally done. (which, the guy who set this up the first time is dead, so we can't even ask him... I wish people would leave records of what they do for people who will work on systems later.)

[yakky 0]

You can pick up an 8 channel dahua dvr for $150 or spend days monkeying around with old junk. The real issue is probably the config on the router.

[Owain 0]

Very likely the IP address of the DVR has changed.

 

The DVR may have a setting for fixed IP address in its network setup. You will have to tell the client software on the PC to connect to the DVR using that new address.

 

You could also check the router settings for client IP addresses (look for DHCP server settings) and if the DVR can only use a 'static IP' address you must exclude the address used by the DVR from the address block offered by the router for DHCP, so that nothing else can use the same IP address that the DVR has.

[tomcctv 187]

Hi a unit from 2006 may need Proprietary software .....as you can connect LAN or WAN. It sounds like your problem.

 

You should have a viewing disk. To load on your pc. But another problem may be your viewer may not be supported by your current operating system.

 

Your right $ 2000 is a lot but a unit 2006 will be CIF I would look at upgrading $200 for D1 and viewing over pc or smartphone is cheap

[vector18 1]

Most likely, the dvr was set up for static, but the gateway is probably different than the new gateway, or IP range. For example, your dvr might be set up for a static IP of 192.168.1.20 and your new router might be 192.168.0.1. You can try connecting

a monitor directly to the dvr and if you can get in the menu, change it to DHCP and let it learn the new network IP range

and once it gets it's new IP, set it back to static.

 

Also, you will most likely need to install the viewing software as mentioned and most likely it is not compatible

with windows7.

 

If you are computer savy and able to troubleshoot a network as you have been doing, than buy a 4 channel dahua for not

that much, and work with that. That is your best bet.

[thestore 0]

okay, I'm going to try to be patient here, and assume that you all deal with a lot of people who have lived under a rock for their entire life, not people who have been on computers for over half of their lives.

 

@yakky, I asked for people NOT to waste my time or theirs on suggesting a new DVR. that does not help me with the question I asked. I don't need advice on alternatives; if I do, I will ask. thank you.

 

@Owain, I understand how IP addresses work. I have already gone through all of the DVR settings. it has a static IP address set. the DSL modem/router settings show that it IS connecting using that IP address. that IP address has been assigned in the DHCP settings as belonging to the DVR. I was operating under the assumption that this was obvious.

 

PLEASE NOTE: for clarification, since I was evidently unclear, NONE of the settings on the DVR have changed. the DVR has not changed. the PC has changed, and the router has changed. the PC was upgraded to a NEW tower which is using the SAME operating system that the DVR software was run on before, which is Windows XP. the router was changed from a D-link router to a DSL modem/router combination. the DVR sets its own static IP address, which has remained the same, as the DVR has remained the same.

 

@tomcctv, I have the proprietary software installed. that was, I believed, also obvious. you cannot even try to view the DVR on a PC without the Prodigy software installed. the problem is the software configuration. I tell it to connect to the IP address and port specified on the DVR, and the connection has an error. it tells me that the connection Timed Out, which tells me that something is wrong in the communication between the software on the PC and the DVR. the DVR is connected by ethernet to the router, as is the PC. each has its own IP address, as does the store's credit card machine. I can view each of these devices connected to each port via the router/modem configuration panel found at 192.168.0.1 in a browser.

 

to review, the IP and port are set to static, all wired connections are secure, the appropriate software is installed and compatible with my operating system. the problem is the software timing out when trying to connect to the assigned IP address via the assigned port.

 

also, if this wasn't obvious, the port assigned is the default, and has been opened on the operating system so that the DVR can access it through the firewall. I have done literally EVERYTHING I could think of, and with a decent background in computing and networking, the only thing that I could guess was that it was my lack of experience with CCTV.

 

$200 is a lot of money when it's winter and business is slow. we are a VERY small convenience store. buying a new DVR is NOT an option. my mother has been perfectly clear regarding this. she has tasked me with finding a solution for the CURRENT DVR ONLY.

 

@vector18, the DVR has a monitor which works with it, and I have already been through the menu about half a dozen times. I've been on the router/modem config and looked at the range of available IP addresses, and I've ensured that all assigned IP addresses are within the range, static and reserved. I am not using Windows 7. I am using Windows XP Professional, and it is compatible, since Windows XP is what was originally used.

 

I am computer savvy, however, I am NOT in charge of the finances for this store, and I CANNOT buy a new DVR. I do not know what is so hard to understand about that. I asked a question. either you have the answer or you don't. no one here has answered the question I asked; hardly anyone has even ACKNOWLEDGED the question. your answers all look the same: check the obvious solutions, and if that doesn't fix it, scrap it and buy something new. I'm happy that you all have money to throw at replacing things every time you can't troubleshoot them easily; please, feel free to cut us a cheque or donate one of the recommended machines to us. otherwise, please stop doing the ONLY thing I requested not be done. it's a waste of my time and energy to check this thread just to see the same non-solution repeated.

 

I'm sorry to seem curt, but I find disrespect abhorrent, and the internet is overrun with people who cannot follow simple directions or respect simple requests. :/ I am very frustrated by selective reading and response. I stated twice in my initial post - once at the beginning and once at the end - that I am NOT in the market for a new DVR. out of four responses, three contain recommendations for new systems. rude.

[tomcctv 187]

I'm sorry to seem curt, but I find disrespect abhorrent, and the internet is overrun with people who cannot follow simple directions or respect simple requests. :/ I am very frustrated by selective reading and response. I stated twice in my initial post - once at the beginning and once at the end - that I am NOT in the market for a new DVR. out of four responses, three contain recommendations for new systems. rude.

 

 

you may think info given is not helpful but sit back and think ............ even tho you have used XP from 2006 to now you have service packs ......service pack 3 CAN stop viewing ............ did you run as administrator BEFORE you loaded software.

 

are all DVR settings right..... ip ......subnet (which most people have wrong) gatway.

 

screen shots of both DVR setup screen and router settings would be nice.

 

we cant guess your settings.

 

the reason why people say upgrade is infact to help you ........and i will explain why ......so sit back read and have a think.

 

1. software to remote view (Proprietary software) is the old way

2. software to view you downloaded footage AGAIN needs Proprietary software (you have to give police a copy of the software to view. (not many will now load software onto there PCs)

3. your DVR is cif old res.

 

if you going to run and use CCTV at least use the basics.

 

 

like listed in post $200 will get you working with a system you can use......... its $200 thats 54 cents a day for a year if your store cant withstand that sell up

[Owain 0]

@Owain, I understand how IP addresses work. I have already gone through all of the DVR settings. it has a static IP address set. the DSL modem/router settings show that it IS connecting using that IP address. that IP address has been assigned in the DHCP settings as belonging to the DVR. I was operating under the assumption that this was obvious.

 

Well, it is now you've said it, but you didn't say it before, so we didn't know exactly what settings you were using. And fault-finding is usually a process of systematic elminiation rather than inspired guesswork. Finally, other people may have a similar problem and read this forum months later, so it's useful to spell things out as they may not have taken all the steps you have.

 

Does your DVR have, and can you connect to, its internal webserver by pointing a browser at the IP address on port 80? If you can't then the router or hub/switch is doing something with the IP.

[vector18 1]

Does your DVR look like this?

 

[yakky 0]

@yakky, I asked for people NOT to waste my time or theirs on suggesting a new DVR. that does not help me with the question I asked. I don't need advice on alternatives; if I do, I will ask. thank you.

 

Your request was:

 

"please, please DO NOT recommend a new DVR solution unless you have EXTREMELY good reason; we cannot afford $2000+ or anything even close to that for a new DVR"

 

So I recommended a $150 DVR that would make your life easier. Not a $2000 one. Sorry your goober little convenience store isn't doing so well, sorry you can't realize you need to spend a few bucks to make your life easier. And kindly pound sand. You look for advice, you get solid advice and you chastise it. Shame on you. Goober.

[vector18 1]

Sell some more bubbalicious and you should be able to afford a dahua dvr.

[Kawboy12R 0]

Hypothetical question- Is calling people rude and insulting them by saying they're incapable of following your simple directions MORE or LESS likely to get them to help you for free? Pride and receiving things for free don't usually go together.

 

You, as a salesman, might also compare this to sales and customer service. No matter how badly you want to chew a customer out (the reason doesn't matter), giving in to your pride and temper will cost you their business as well as the business of many of those they talk to in the future. Apply this lesson to your business. Look back into the past and see if you could predict your present. Analyze your present and determine how to make your customers (and helpers on this forum) look forward to giving you their money (and advice) in the future.

 

Surprisingly, some people on here are apparently still willing to help you.

[vector18 1]

Forget all of what he just said and start selling more cigarettes and potato chips and you will be able to afford a Dahua DVR.

[thestore 0]

@tomcctv, I'm very sorry that I gave you the impression that my family's finances, business or otherwise, were any of your concern. they are not, and I will not address any further comments of such a nature. rather, I will provide screen captures of what I can, and you may ask for further screen captures if you find the information provided inadequate. also, please advise what the gateway should be, since that is a common error. thank you.

 

additionally, please note that the previous installation of XP had been upgraded to SP3 and still worked perfectly well with Prodigy prior to the change. furthermore, there is absolutely no reason to believe that a new device would not encounter the same issue. the issue appears to be with the networking configuration, NOT with the device itself. the only trouble is discovering what configuration is currently incorrect. both the proprietary software and all web browsers (which the manual says can be used to connect) time out when trying to connect, which really can only be a networking error.

 

@Owain, fair enough, and I do apologise for seeming short-tempered. this has been a source of frustration, particularly because every time someone recommends a new device, I have people coming down on me because that isn't a solution that is currently up for consideration. I understand why you would do that, though. for what it's worth, this DVR doesn't use port 80. it uses port 2000, because it's set up currently for local viewing. port 80 is for remote viewing instead. however, directing the browser at 192.168.000.106:2000 times out as well.

 

@Kawboy12R, I understand your point, however misguided it may be. it makes a lot of very incorrect assumptions. however, as this topic is no more intended to be about my business practices than it is about DVRs that are "better" or "more up-to-date" than my current one, and I don't feel the need to argue the point.

 

vector18 and yakky will be ignored henceforth. thank you.

 

screen-captures are attached. I can't screen-capture the DVR settings because of the exact problem I'm discussing here: the networking won't allow me to see the DVR on the PC. I'll post a photo of it tomorrow, though. I apologise for the inconvenience.

 

[thestore 0]

ALTHOUGH~ since everyone's so excited about this just-get-a-Dahua thing, by the by, I'll humour you all: what's the best bang for my buck that I could get, if I were to get a new DVR? if I'm going to propose that as a solution to actually put on the table and hope to be convincing at all, I'm going to need something better than, "herp derp, just buy a dahua." that just isn't going to work.

 

please understand my situation. I do not own this business yet. my grandparents own it, and my parents manage it. I have to convince everyone else if I want to change something. my grandfather is a sensible man, but very old-fashioned. I'll need solid data with which to persuade him. trust me, if it were my business alone, I would have asked this question much earlier. only now have I convinced my mother that it might be worth trying to sway my grandfather. I'm not trying to be particularly stubborn. I'm just caught between a rock and a hard place. on one side of me, I'm being told to fix the current device. on the other side, scrap it. I need a little more to work with.

 

please and thank you.

[vector18 1]

after looking at your screen shots, I know EXACTLY how to fix your problem with your current DVR so you won't have to spend

one penny, but since your going to ignore me anyway, I won't waste my breath and tell you.

[Owain 0]

for what it's worth, this DVR doesn't use port 80. it uses port 2000, because it's set up currently for local viewing. port 80 is for remote viewing instead. however, directing the browser at 192.168.000.106:2000 times out as well.

 

Does 192.168.0.106:2000 work any better?

[yakky 0]

OP, your tone here is amazing. You are talking to us like we are responsible for helping you, like we sold you the equipment and HAVE to tell you.

 

I seriously haven't heard this pushy of a tone on any sort of forum since back when AOL joined the newsgroup world.

[vector18 1]

I think you should call 1-800-go-away