I noticed that my cameras all have different times ranging from a few seconds to 1/2 an hour or more. Turning off DST and syncing the cameras time to the computers gets them all close but it seems like network time is faster for some reason. For instance, I can go adjust all the cameras time synced with the pc but by the time I am finished the first cameras are already 5 minutes faster than the last camera I synced. Would NTP resolve this problem? If so, what server would be best to use for this? Oh, these are Hikvision DS-2CD2132F-IS cameras. I have a 7608 nvr as well. It would make sense that the cams would be able to get a common time from the nvr. Is this possible?
I can't get the cameras time synced
- Thread starter rotartiller
- Start date
Q™
IPCT Contributor
Here's what I do to solve this issue...
Login to each camera, navigate to "System > Time Settings" and set "Time Sync." to the IP address of your Blue Iris server. Set "NTP Port" to 123 & "Interval" as desired. Then install this "NetTime" timer server utility on your Blue Iris Server...
http://www.timesynctool.com/
Problem solved!
Edit: NTP port should be"123"
Login to each camera, navigate to "System > Time Settings" and set "Time Sync." to the IP address of your Blue Iris server. Set "NTP Port" to 123 & "Interval" as desired. Then install this "NetTime" timer server utility on your Blue Iris Server...
http://www.timesynctool.com/
Problem solved!
Edit: NTP port should be"123"
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm not sure Blue Iris is being used here. But if there is an always-on windows machine, it could act as the time server using that tool.
Maybe the Hikvision NVR can act as NTP server? I've never owned one so I have no idea. Whatever you do, it sounds like you need a fairly fast NTP update interval. Syncing time once a minute for each camera couldn't hurt as long as your NTP server is on the LAN.
My Hikvision cams stay in sync very well using that app as the time server. Other cams from other manufacturers, not so much.
Maybe the Hikvision NVR can act as NTP server? I've never owned one so I have no idea. Whatever you do, it sounds like you need a fairly fast NTP update interval. Syncing time once a minute for each camera couldn't hurt as long as your NTP server is on the LAN.
My Hikvision cams stay in sync very well using that app as the time server. Other cams from other manufacturers, not so much.
Q™
IPCT Contributor
There you go. Alternatively would not any "occaisional boot" WinOS machine do the trick as the cameras would time sync to it when it was booted and simply throw sync errors when it was down? How often do the cameras need to sync time to maintain a reasonable degree of accuracy anyway?
The way he said it makes it sound like they go immediately out of sync, badly.
I have to admit that sounds like exaggeration unless it took 2 months to sync the clocks on all the cams.
Q™
IPCT Contributor
Maybe there are multiple time servers configured for different cameras? Or maybe different time zones? Or perhaps some DST misconfiguration issue?
sjamieso
Young grasshopper
- Dec 13, 2017
- 55
- 21
Here's what I do to solve this issue...
Login to each camera, navigate to "System > Time Settings" and set "Time Sync." to the IP address of your Blue Iris server. Set "NTP Port" to 123 & "Interval" as desired. Then install this "NetTime" timer server utility on your Blue Iris Server...
NetTime - Network Time Synchronization Tool
Problem solved!
Edit: NTP port should be"123"
I have been trying this and have the network time server running on my PC, all my dahua 5231 cameras point to the port 123 on the IP of the IPCAM server every 30 min, but none of them sync.
Do I have to point to the IPCAM servers IP plus the port? EG 192.168.1.58:8084 or just 192.168.1.58? (that is not my IP by the way just an example)
Or do I have to open another port on my router to allow the time sync to occur? They are on the same network, and the computers clock adjusted to the daylight savings time change, and so did the time server, but none of my cameras did.
Not sure what to try next, seems I'm missing something
If you have the cameras running through a router and have set up rules to block the cameras then, yeah, opening camera access to 123 may be necessary.
sjamieso
Young grasshopper
- Dec 13, 2017
- 55
- 21
I have 8 dahua cams running into a ciso POE switch that is plugged into the DSL router (Bell home hub 2000) that handles all the routing, and the IPCAM server is also plugged into the same switch.
The only special instructions I have put in the DSL router are port forwarding rules for the Blue iris Server which works great. Everything has been running for a year or so, my network time sync has never run properly.
So I have not gone out of my way to block my IP Cameras or given any other special network direction. I briefly dabbled into trying to setup a VPN tunnel but never had any luck. I'm not really sure if that means my IP cams are directly exposed to the internet or not, but they all have static IP addresses that are internal and different than the WAN address of my network.
Really not sure if opening port 123 on the router is an issue, but come to think of it I guess that was my whole question.
If you have the time server running on your PC then it may be you need to open Windows(?) firewall to allow incoming connections on port 123 for the public or private classification of the network adapter.
Also, in the time server setting, are you positive you checked the "allow other devices to sync to this computer"?
FWIW, you may want to consider adding a second NIC to the PC just for the camera LAN and dispense with the router from that picture. You still have to set up the time server properly but then internet blocking pretty much takes care of itself with no need for any work in the router to block/allow the camera traffic.
Also, in the time server setting, are you positive you checked the "allow other devices to sync to this computer"?
FWIW, you may want to consider adding a second NIC to the PC just for the camera LAN and dispense with the router from that picture. You still have to set up the time server properly but then internet blocking pretty much takes care of itself with no need for any work in the router to block/allow the camera traffic.
Last edited:
sjamieso
Young grasshopper
- Dec 13, 2017
- 55
- 21
I did not check the box "allow other devices to sync with this computer" so I did that and left it for a couple hours and no time sync still
do I have to check the box "Always provide time" right below the first box?
Did you confirm there is Windows firewall rule allowing incoming connections to port 123? I had to make that a rule on my W10 machine.
FWIW, there isn't any need to wait a long time to see if it works. Just change the NTP update interval in one of your cameras to a couple minutes.
FWIW, there isn't any need to wait a long time to see if it works. Just change the NTP update interval in one of your cameras to a couple minutes.
bob2701
Getting comfortable
sjamieso
Young grasshopper
- Dec 13, 2017
- 55
- 21
sjamieso
Young grasshopper
- Dec 13, 2017
- 55
- 21
I did what you suggested and finally found the windows firewall page, and my cameras are finally sync'ing now, thanks everyone for the help, it was all very worthwhile and helpful!
Steve
