Strange DMSS Notification Issues

[LukeStonio]

Hi All,

long post warning please help

wondering if anyone could help me as I am super stuck with the below issue.

since having my CCTV system installed my DMSS notifications have been spot on. I have a Qvis NVR and cameras and the SMD on them has been amazing.

Since Sunday evening the notifications have randomly stopped working without my changing any config on the NVR or DMSS app. The only thing I can find that seems to be an indication of something changing is an entry into the log on the NVR at roughly the time the notifications stopped saying ‘saved <p2p> config!’. I have realised that this also happens when I reboot my router which I am assuming is because the NVR is setup on DHCP. But around the time of the notification in question my router definitely did not reboot. This log message seems to happen almost daily and I rarely ever reboot my router. This leads me to believe that something is interfering with it (Virgin Hub 3.0), but I’m not sure what.

I have tried absolutely everything to get the notifications to work again, rebooted the NVR & Hub, removed the NVR from the DMSS app and added it again etc and even had the installers over to double check everything is OK which it is. They are going to contact Qvis support but I’m not too hopeful they will know as I believe it’s network based. To be clear, the SMD is still working 100% as I can watch the footage it captures on the NVR so there is definitely not a config issue with the NVR.

Now, the weird thing is that a once or twice when I’ve rebooted my router while trying to solve the issue, while it is turning on and booting up it will let one old notification through to my phone? This doesn’t happen every time however. Also, my girlfriend has the same cameras setup on her phone with the DMSS app and her notifications aren’t working either.

I did try and take a look at port forwarding on my router but it didn’t make any difference and I will be honest my network knowledge isn’t great. Please if anyone can help me in any way that would be great!

 

[blueyes]

My notifications issues started around the same time. I'm seeing notifications from the DMSS app but there's a delay. I see the alert for the previous (tripwire) event, not the current. But the current event seems to be the one pushing that previous notification. Very strange. I've re-started everything, turned notifications off and back on, re-started the NVR etc but still no dice.

 

[wittaj]

DMSS relies on P2P, which sends the data to a 3rd party (China) and back.

As you can imagine, it is routing through a lot of servers and back, so if any of them are acting up, you don't get the notification in a timely manner or at all. Most of the time it works as intended, but sometimes it doesn't. For example, Amazon web servers have been acting up this week, and a lot of companies use those servers, so that could be part of the problem.

Most here do not rely on that due to the hacking vulnerability and instead use other methods.

 

[blueyes]

Thanks @wittaj, it's helpful to know how it works. And makes sense if they're issues somewhere along the line.

 

[LukeStonio]

Thanks for both of your replies, appreciate it! Hopefully it is that rather than an issue with my router. What other methods do people use for push notifications @wittaj ?

 

[wittaj]

Folks will rely on email or text messages for notifications so that they can disable P2P. They then VPN back into their system if they need to access their video.

Others use the Pushover app if their cellular provider is blocking/delaying text messages from unmanned devices.

 

[LukeStonio]

Folks will rely on email or text messages for notifications so that they can disable P2P. They then VPN back into their system if they need to access their video.

Others use the Pushover app if their cellular provider is blocking/delaying text messages from unmanned devices.

the only issue I see with this is that I won’t be able to click the notifications to instantly watch the clip that was recorded via SMD. But this might be the only alternative if the DMSS app doesn’t sort itself out soon/having both emails and push notifications might be best. Appreciate the help!

 

[John Wilkinson]

My notifications issues started around the same time. I'm seeing notifications from the DMSS app but there's a delay. I see the alert for the previous (tripwire) event, not the current. But the current event seems to be the one pushing that previous notification. Very strange. I've re-started everything, turned notifications off and back on, re-started the NVR etc but still no dice.

Did you perhaps resolve this problem?
I have exactly the same....

 

[Ollie]

DMSS relies on P2P, which sends the data to a 3rd party (China) and back.

As you can imagine, it is routing through a lot of servers and back, so if any of them are acting up, you don't get the notification in a timely manner or at all. Most of the time it works as intended, but sometimes it doesn't. For example, Amazon web servers have been acting up this week, and a lot of companies use those servers, so that could be part of the problem.

Most here do not rely on that due to the hacking vulnerability and instead use other methods.

Hi, i'm using a vpn to get my video content remotely.
I'm also using push notifications to get the alerts.
Does it means that it uses P2P?
As far as i understand push notifications are one direction - from my vpn router to outside.
Does push notifications consider to have vulnerabilities?

 

[wittaj]

Hi, i'm using a vpn to get my video content remotely.
I'm also using push notifications to get the alerts.
Does it means that it uses P2P?
As far as i understand push notifications are one direction - from my vpn router to outside.
Does push notifications consider to have vulnerability?

In your situation it would not be using outside servers, so you would want to make sure you have P2P turned off in the system just in case they somehow get internet access and to in theory prevent it from trying to reach the servers and potentially bogging up the system with those attempts to reach the outside.

 

[Ollie]

In your situation it would not be using outside servers, so you would want to make sure you have P2P turned off in the system just in case they somehow get internet access and to in theory prevent it from trying to reach the servers and potentially bogging up the system with those attempts to reach the outside.

I believe i have turned it off (i'll check it later).
Just to understand; the push notifications are sent to some server (probably of Dahua), and then reached to my phone - is it correct?

 

[wittaj]

I believe i have turned it off (i'll check it later).
Just to understand; the push notifications are sent to some server (probably of Dahua), and then reached to my phone - is it correct?

Only if you are using P2P.

 

[Ollie]

Only if you are using P2P.

On my phone, I have a DMSS app.
I've added a device by its local ip (since i'm connected through a vpn).
When i'm connected through the vpn, i can see the video content as well as the push notifications.
When the vpn is down i can still get the push notifications, though i've added the device by its local ip (which supposed to reachable only if using the vpn).
I just wonder how it works...

 

[viking10002]

On my phone, I have a DMSS app.
I've added a device by its local ip (since i'm connected through a vpn).
When i'm connected through the vpn, i can see the video content as well as the push notifications.
When the vpn is down i can still get the push notifications, though i've added the device by its local ip (which supposed to reachable only if using the vpn).
I just wonder how it works...

Have the same configuration with VPN (P2P off) and I'm wondering about that too - how it works when VPN is down? Maybe this P2P it's not completely off?
How does my NVR know where to send the notifications?

 

[duplo]

he didnt blocked it from internet, so p2p/push is online but he is not using it.

push without internet is not possible.

your nvr is sending it to amazon servers, which dahua uses for their p2p/cloud

 

[viking10002]

your nvr is sending it to amazon servers, which dahua uses for their p2p/cloud

yes, I saw these connections to the amazon servers in the router logs, now I know what it was
but I rather suspected it was telemetry
thanks for the explanation