3(or more) PoE switches to one Dahua non-PoE NVR?

[ernest1974]

Dahua NVR5432-4KS2 connect to 3 (or more?) PoE switches...

Is it possible? Does the NVR have enough inputs to allow this? If not, is there a workaround? Any compromise in doing so?

(This is for ~2 dozen 4mp Dahua cams in residential setting)

Thank you.

 

[wittaj]

The NVR cannot take anymore cameras than it is designed for. So for that NVR you cannot go over 32 cameras.

You cannot hook POE switches to the POE ports on the back of the NVR. Those are designed for one camera only (but some have been able to do it).

Anytime you add cameras to an NVR with POE switches, they hook into the NVR in the WAN/LAN ethernet port of the NVR, so you can daisy chain or use as many POE switches as you want, you just cannot exceed the capacity of the NVR.

 

[ernest1974]

The NVR cannot take anymore cameras than it is designed for. So for that NVR you cannot go over 32 cameras.

You cannot hook POE switches to the POE ports on the back of the NVR. Those are designed for one camera only (but some have been able to do it).

Anytime you add cameras to an NVR with POE switches, they hook into the NVR in the WAN/LAN ethernet port of the NVR, so you can daisy chain or use as many POE switches as you want, you just cannot exceed the capacity of the NVR.

That reply is very helpful. Thank you.
Please confirm: Given a non-PoE NVR, I can layer as many PoE switches as needed just as long as the maximum number of channels/cams spec'd by the NVR is not exceeded. Correct?

 

[wittaj]

That is correct as long as the switches are all connected.

 

[ernest1974]

That is correct as long as the switches are all connected.

Managed vs unmanaged PoE switches is irrelavent? Any mix thereof - no matter?

 

[wittaj]

As long as the NVR can see them you are good. It will be simpler with unmanaged. With managed you will have to make sure each camera has a pathway thru to the NVR.

 

[ernest1974]

As long as the NVR can see them you are good. It will be simpler with unmanaged. With managed you will have to make sure each camera has a pathway thru to the NVR.

Thank you, again.
Please, I would like to connect 8 cameras each to 3 PoE switches (total 24 cams). Then connect these 3 PoE switches to another PoE switch (acting as hub in star topology, yes?)
I would like the option to use a vlan at some point. Which arrangement would you install... All switches managed? Only the hub switch managed? Only the 3 terminal switches managed? Other?
Will the star topology play nice with the NVR and ip cams?

 

[wittaj]

If the only thing connected to the upstream POE switches are the cameras, then no need to make those managed.

If the final POE switch that is acting as hub will have other devices connected to it, then it might make sense to manage that switch so that you don't get hacked.

But if all that is going to be connected to the POE switches are the cameras and the NVR, then managed is probably overkill.

At the end of the day, it is simply digital data. As long as the NVR can "see" the IP address of the camera, it doesn't care if it is 32 POE switches or 12 or 2 or 1 big POE switch. As long as they are all connected together in some way so that it has a path to the NVR, that is all that matters.

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[jarrow]

A little late, but hopefully useful:
The NVR5432-4KS2 has dual RJ45's at the back, so you can use one (LAN2) to connect the (unmanaged) switch to which all the other POE switches are connected and use the other RJ45 (LAN1) to connect to your own local network. This will isolate the cams at the NVR, as long as you have the Virtual Host option off, so the only device you need to worry about is the NVR. Connect this NVR to any managed switch on the network or simply block internet access to it within the router and you're done.

 

[ernest1974]

A little late, but hopefully useful:
The NVR5432-4KS2 has dual RJ45's at the back, so you can use one (LAN2) to connect the (unmanaged) switch to which all the other POE switches are connected and use the other RJ45 (LAN1) to connect to your own local network. This will isolate the cams at the NVR, as long as you have the Virtual Host option off, so the only device you need to worry about is the NVR. Connect this NVR to any managed switch on the network or simply block internet access to it within the router and you're done.

Thank you very much. Will you please explain where to find the virtual host setting? Will turning this option off still allow remote access via cell phone?

 

[jarrow]

If you log into the NVR go to Configuration -> Network -> TCP/IP. There you will see a checkbox at the bottom called Virtual Host (at least in the NVR5832-4KS2). If you uncheck it, the cams connection will stop in the NVR.
You will still have remote access to the NVR via cell phone, allthough it is recommended to block the internet access to the NVR in your router and to only view the cams via a VPN (often times, you can set up this VPN in your router, depending on the brand/type).

 

[Tic]

If you log into the NVR go to Configuration -> Network -> TCP/IP. There you will see a checkbox at the bottom called Virtual Host (at least in the NVR5832-4KS2). If you uncheck it, the cams connection will stop in the NVR.
You will still have remote access to the NVR via cell phone, allthough it is recommended to block the internet access to the NVR in your router and to only view the cams via a VPN (often times, you can set up this VPN in your router, depending on the brand/type).

I have the NVR5208-EI (non-POE) with the same Virtual Host checkbox that you are talking about. My current setup is...4 cams on an external 8-port 10/100 POE switch with 2 Gigabit uplink ports. One of these ports is connected to the NVR and the other to an ASUS router AX86U.

Do I need to check or uncheck this box?