Hikvision NVR and cams - recording one camera to 2x NVRs for fail-safing?

[nicka]

Hey all,

First time poster - whole wealth of information on here.


I'm wondering if it's possible to record one cameras' stream to two separate NVR for physical data protection purposes?
Just did a successful installation of 4x HIK-2CD2722FWDIZ cams and 2x HIK-2CD4526FWDIZ on the weekend.

I'm recording to 2x NVRs (HIK-7608NI-SE/P) in separate physical locations to reduce the chance of the NVR being removed/damaged in the case of a break-in.

I've got 3 cams on each NVR.
NVRs are located in separate buildings.


I tried:
Adding camera1 to NVR1 and NVR2 via manual adding of device in the NVR web management.
The NVRs seemed to trip out – it seemed as though they were competing for the stream and that only one NVR would ever be recording.


I'd love to know if anyone else has achieved this?
I've read that it might be possible to re-read the stream from the first NVR, rather than reading from the same camera stream.
Or possibly to take a different stream from the same camera. In principle, can these Hikvision cams support the sort of bandwidth needed to record to two NVRs?


Cheers!

 

[alastairstevenson]

I'm wondering if it's possible to record one cameras' stream to two separate NVR for physical data protection purposes?

I have cameras on the PoE ports of a 7816N-E2/8P that are also supplying another 7816N-E2 and QNAP Surveillance System with no problems. The cameras are made directly available over the LAN from the PoE ports by the activation of the 'Virtual Host' facility on the originating NVR. Quite a few posts on this topic.

I've read that it might be possible to re-read the stream from the first NVR, rather than reading from the same camera stream.

This option will work if your 7608NI-SE/P supports the provision of the encoded RTSP streams like the -Ex series NVRs.
You should be able to verify by using VLC or by adding as Generic RTSP if it has a facility such as this:

 

[Securame]

It can be done. Do not add the cameras; add NVR2 on NVR1; then it will ask you to choose what stream you want to get. You will need to disable the POE ports on the NVR, otherwise the 8ch are taken by the internal POE ports.
So you can end up with something like:

NVR1
- Cam1
- Cam2
- Cam3
- Cam4 -> NVR2 -> Cam1
- Cam5 -> NVR2 -> Cam2
- Cam6 -> NVR2 -> Cam3

 

[alastairstevenson]

Do not add the cameras; add NVR2 on NVR1;

Interesting.
Is this specific to the 7608NI-SE/P?

I just tried this, out of curiosity, but it didn't work, unless I'm missing a required setting, or it's not available on my NVRs.
Configuring a 7816N-E2 FW 3.3.4 to add a 7816N-E2/8P FW 3.3.4 using Hikvision protocol, port 8000, gave a 'Channel no. error' for all channels in the allowed range of 1-16

 

[Securame]

Interesting.
Is this specific to the 7608NI-SE/P?

I just tried this, out of curiosity, but it didn't work, unless I'm missing a required setting, or it's not available on my NVRs.
Configuring a 7816N-E2 FW 3.3.4 to add a 7816N-E2/8P FW 3.3.4 using Hikvision protocol, port 8000, gave a 'Channel no. error' for all channels in the allowed range of 1-16

Not specific, it is standard to all Hikvision NVRs/DVRs/HDTVI DVRs. All Hikvision units act as encoders, besides acting as a recorders. So you can, for example, from a Hikvision NVR add analog/HDTVI cameras as if they were IP cameras.

From a Hikvision NVR I can add my Hikvision DVRs (analog and HDTVI). Afer entering IP/port/login as if it was an IP camera, I will get a list of all the available channels on the DVR, and I will be able to pick any channel.

7816? I did not even know there was a 78xx series, is that international, or chinese model?

 

[alastairstevenson]

All Hikvision units act as encoders, besides acting as a recorders.

Indeed. See my ODM screenshot above.

Afer entering IP/port/login as if it was an IP camera, I will get a list of all the available channels on the DVR, and I will be able to pick any channel.

Nope - that does not work for me when I tried it, as stated above.

7816? I did not even know there was a 78xx series, is that international, or chinese model?

7816N-E2 is the same hardware as 7616NI-E2 but a Chinese model. It runs the same firmware, except for when the specific firmware complains it's a CN model.

 

[Securame]

Indeed. See my ODM screenshot above.

Nope - that does not work for me when I tried it, as stated above.

7816N-E2 is the same hardware as 7616NI-E2 but a Chinese model. It runs the same firmware, except for when the specific firmware complains it's a CN model.

I do not mean as RTSP, but as Hikvision. A Hik NVR will take other Hik DVRs as cameras. See screenshots, I have added 3 HDTVI 1080p cameras, and my NVR sees them as 3 separate IP cameras.

 

[alastairstevenson]

I do not mean as RTSP, but as Hikvision.

Neither did I - I was simply confirming that I do know that NVRs act as encoders, in response to your comment.
I thought I was clear about how I tested it using Hikvision protocol:
"Configuring a 7816N-E2 FW 3.3.4 to add a 7816N-E2/8P FW 3.3.4 using Hikvision protocol, port 8000, gave a 'Channel no. error' for all channels in the allowed range of 1-16"
This does suggest that this useful facility is model or firmware dependant. For example, Hikvision did drop support for ONVIF (the NVR as transmitter, not the cameras as protocol) in recent firmware versions, maybe other features have changed too.
By the way - the 7816N has the same hardware as the 7616N.

The NVR at 192.168.1.210 is a 7816N-E2/8P running 3.3.4 firmware.
The allowed channel numbers are 1-16 but the same error occurs on all.

 

[Securame]

Strange. I have used this option many times and never had a problem, with both DS-71xx, DS-76xx and DS-77xx NVRs.
I think I have never used this with a unit with integrated POEs, but I think it should work fine.

The unit I just tested is DS-7716NI-ST with v3.4.0 firmware.

 

[nicka]

It can be done. Do not add the cameras; add NVR2 on NVR1; then it will ask you to choose what stream you want to get. You will need to disable the POE ports on the NVR, otherwise the 8ch are taken by the internal POE ports.

Thanks Securame!
Could you please explain what you mean by this "you will need to disable the POE ports on the NVR, otherwise the 8ch are taken by the internal POE ports"?

Which NVR are you referring to?

Cheers

 

[alastairstevenson]

I think I have never used this with a unit with integrated POEs, but I think it should work fine.

Just out of curiosity I tried this the other way round - configuring a 7816N-E2/8P FW 3.3.4 to add a 7816N-E2 FW 3.3.4 using Hikvision protocol, port 8000, and it also gave a 'Channel no. error' for all channels in the allowed range of 1-16

 

[Securame]

Just out of curiosity I tried this the other way round - configuring a 7816N-E2/8P FW 3.3.4 to add a 7816N-E2 FW 3.3.4 using Hikvision protocol, port 8000, and it also gave a 'Channel no. error' for all channels in the allowed range of 1-16

I have a DS-7616NI-E2/16P/A, I will give it a try it when I have some time. I have never tried this with any chinese units, only international versions.

 

[Securame]

Well, I did try it, and it surely didn't work out
With DS-7616NI-E2/16P/A, after inputing the device info (IP, port, name and password) I do not even get the window that asks me to select the channels.
firmware v3.4.62

 

[lowpro]

This has been an interesting thread for me to read as I tried doing the same thing a few weeks back and just gave up on it.

I have a Chinese version of a DS-7716N NVR. I was trying to add my old Swann NVR that I handed down to my in-laws. Many years ago I was able to do the exact same thing with analog dvr's that I had, so I wasn't sure why it wouldn't work on the nvrs.

I also kept on getting the same error of "no channel error". Someone else mentioned messing with the Virtual Host setting. I haven't had time to go over to my in-laws house, so I never got around to trying that.

But now it's starting to look as if it's something that can't be done on the Chinese models? Hmmm

 

[nayr]

if you want to do this its best to design from the beginning for external PoE (via switch or midspan), and get NVR's without PoE.. its a piece of cake and more fault tolerant to boot, because if someone takes one NVR the other one will still be recording ALL the cameras.

switches are more tolerant to being hidden inside supporting structures too, no moving parts if its passively cooled.. so in the rafters in your garage they wont fill with sawdust and most will have wider environmental tolerances when compared to a computer/nvr

 

[Securame]

Maybe it just can not be done with both units being NVRs? NVR connecting to NVR. Since the NVR is not really acting as a encoder, since the IP cameras already do all the encoding.

 

[nayr]

yeah you dont want to connect NVR to NVR.. you want both NVR's connecting to the cameras via external switch, the cameras can handle streaming two feeds simultaneously.. your not getting much of a failsafe if you chain them together because one will always depend on the other.

put your cameras on the LAN side of the network, power them externally from the NVR's.. then add the cameras to each NVR and put them in separate locations.

 

[nicka]

yeah you dont want to connect NVR to NVR.. you want both NVR's connecting to the cameras via external switch, the cameras can handle streaming two feeds simultaneously.. your not getting much of a failsafe if you chain them together because one will always depend on the other.

put your cameras on the LAN side of the network, power them externally from the NVR's.. then add the cameras to each NVR and put them in separate locations.

Hi Nayr,
This is exactly what I've done but I could not get it working. As mentioned, it appeared that only one NVR could record from the cam at a time. Perhaps it was because I direct both to the "primary stream"? I didn't have time to mess with the streams. Should I be connecting the second NVR to the camera's "Secondary" stream?

I've got
Switch1 ---> NVR1
Switch1 ---> Cams1
Switch1 --> Switch2
Switch2 --> NVR2
Switch2 --> Cams2

All devices are pingable by all devices.
So NVR2 can hit Cams1 in just 1 hop.
The method you described is exactly the one that I planned from scratch - that's why I thought it should work!

Cheers

 

[nayr]

the ONVIF shit might be fighting eachother, add them as normal cameras all to NVR1.. then manually add them as generic RTSP streams to the 2nd.

or try creating separate logins on the cameras with only viewing capabilities for each NVR and try those.

 

[lowpro]

In my case, my nvr is here at home and the other nvr is at my in-laws house. Their two (Hiks) out of the three cameras are connected via poe into the nvr. The third is a Dahua camera that is powered via a poe injector and then is connected into the router.

When I went to add their NVR into my nvr, I didn't anything, no way to select which cameras I wanted to see off of their nvr. So mine are at a different locations and it still didn't work.