Questions concerning merging old + new cameras/nvr

[Olli Raatikainen]

Hi.

Been running a Koukaam 4ch nvr for a year now. Now we decided to double the number of cameras -> new nvr. So we bought 4 more Hikvision PoE minidomes, DS-2CD2142FWD-IS (all the old cameras are also Hikvision PoE minidomes, ds-2cd2132f-i). The nvr is DS-7608NI-E2/8P/A with the latest fw (virtual host is available!).

The old hw/network configuration is the following:

Huawei 4G modem -> separate PoE switch -> 4 cameras + nvr

The future hw/network configuration will be the following:

Huawei 4G modem -> DS-7608NI-E2/8P/A -> 8 cameras

The old nvr and cameras are manually configured with static ip:s. I just noticed that the Hikvision nvr automatically detects the cams and assigns an ip:s in a separate ip range (192.168.254.x) as a default. I also noticed that the cameras don't have a default admin passwd anymore... :/ WTF? I just get the login screen, although I should get some kind of a initial passwd set-up screen. This could be doe to the new cameras been hooked up with the nvr already, but that's the only PoE I have atm.

This brings me down to my questions:

1. Do the old cams work "out of the box" with the new nvr (basically I mean the ip:s)? It seems so, based on the tests made with the new cams (nvr detects them as Hikvision cameras and assigns an ip).
2. How can I set the default admin/passwd for the new cams? The manual says I should be prompted, but all I get is the standard login screen and of course I cannot log in, because I have not set the admin/passwd combo.

I really hate these "automatic and easy" systems...

Thanks

 

[alastairstevenson]

although I should get some kind of a initial passwd set-up screen.

For new Hikvision cameras with current firmware - you should get the 'Device Activation' prompts. There is no longer any default password, this is an improved security measure as many installation do not change away from the defaults.
If there are no 'Activation' prompts - maybe the seller has installed hacked firmware to make CN cameras EN and put their own password on the camera (try 123456789a - this seems to be common), or you may have enabled the fairly new option for the NVR to manage the camera passwords. Have you tried the NVR admin password on the camera login screen? On the VGA/HDMI interface there is an option to show the camera passwords.
One thing you could try is connect your PC to a spare PoE port, you don't need to change the IP address, and use SADP v3.x to show the status of the cameras it finds. They will likely be 'Active' from what you've described.

 

[Olli Raatikainen]

Thank you alastairstevenson for the reply. My cams are from a big reseller of network gear, so I'd say the cams are not hacked. Indeed I could access the cams vie the "virtual host" and typing the admin password of the nvr itself. Now everything is good again

Would there be any possibility for the older Hikvision cams not showing up automagically in the nvr? Just trying to think of any possible problems when the time of the actual migration/nvr replacement comes. The nvr already has the same ip as the old one does. So everything should be good with the 4G -> nvr. It seems the original ip of the cams does not matter at all as the PoE ports have their own ip range (192.168.254.x as default)?

Yeah and one more thing: Does the server port setting in nvr mean the port the mobile app will try to connect? There are 2 ports that can be difined: server port and http port.

Thanks

 

[alastairstevenson]

Indeed I could access the cams vie the "virtual host" and typing the admin password of the nvr itself. Now everything is good again

That's good!

It seems the original ip of the cams does not matter at all as the PoE ports have their own ip range (192.168.254.x as default)?

That would be true if the NVR is given valid logon credentials for the cameras.
And if the NVR does not grab the camera automatically you can always set the IP address of the camera to match that of the PoE port that you connect the camera to using SADP. If the NVR PoE is the only source of pwer, connect the PC to a spare PoE port to be able to see the camera. No need to change the PC IP address for SADP to work.