Dahua 4216-16P NVR questions on new setup

[gregip]

A couple of queries from a newbie:
(1) after I've finished experimenting with camera setups, recording, etc I'd like to delete all the test video clips prior to going "live" so to speak. How can I do this in SmartPSS or the NVR interface?
(2) I can locate the camera "overlay" options in the NVR interface but cannot find the same feature in SmartPSS. Where is it?
(3) so far, after an hour of messing about, I don't see a big difference in the functionality of SmartPSS vs the NVR interface. What am I missing (apart from experience!)?

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

Still learning the similar model I installed earlier this year:
1. I simply re-initialized the HDD in the same way done when the drive was first installed
2. Only use the overlay in the cams, not the NVR.
3. So far, I find playback much less problematic via smartPSS vs NVR web GUI

 

[bigredfish]

I’ve found SmartPSS to be great for live viewing, playback, and downloading clips. But I would caution, like the NVR, not to use it to make setting changes.

Bottom line is if it can be done on the camera GUI itself, do it there.

 

[bradner]

I’ve found SmartPSS to be great for live viewing, playback, and downloading clips. But I would caution, like the NVR, not to use it to make setting changes.

Bottom line is if it can be done on the camera GUI itself, do it there.

Hi @bigredfish, I'm helping a friend (read that as I'm doing everything ) get a 5216 set up that I bought for him from Andy's BF sale. He's less techy than I even thought unfortunately, but anyways when I get his cams connected directly to the NVR will they get a "normal" IP address that I can access through IE/Chrome to make make changes to his cameras? Or should I be getting a separate POE switch and run the cams through that and then just "find" and add the cams based on their IP address from the network and not plug them directly into his NVR? That would add a bit more cost to his system I suppose but not a dealbreaker.

I'm used to my BI system where all my cams are on my 192.168.0.xxx network. I have the cams and NVR at his place currently waiting for some non-rainy weather to set-up. I'm just trying to plan ahead a bit before I get there. Thanks for any help.

 

[bigredfish]

If its an NVR with built-in PoE ports (ike 5216-16P-4k2se) then you can use the NVR PoE ports but you must login to the NVR and access them using the IE link. The benefit here is that they are isolated from the Interwebs and a bit of added security as well as "plug n play"



Or yes you could ignore the built in PoE ports and use and external switch connected to the LAN port of the NVR and have the switch connected to the home network and manually add them as you suggest.

or like me, you could do some combination of both. I have some connected via the NVR Poe ports and some I use to test regularly connected to an external switch.

 

[bradner]

Ok thanks. You're accessing the NVR via it's IP address not through it's own system. Looks like I need to bring a laptop there as he only has phones/tablets there at his place, no PC. I'll plug the cameras into his NVR directly then. Thanks for the help.

PS. I appreciate the info you've provided on other threads about the Dahua NVR's! Seems like the key is "don't make any camera changes through the NVR"

 

[bigredfish]

Yes use the NVR web interface. The only time you use the direct machine interface (with a connected monitor and mouse) is on initial setup to get the NVR up and running. Then never use it again

steps

-install HDs
-Connect monitor and mouse to NVR (no need to be connected to LAN)
-power up NVR
-run setup on NVR to point it says you’re done
-disconnect monitor/mouse
-connect NVR to LAN
- open browser on pc on LAN and go to 192.168.1.108 login to NVR web GUI

on the initial setup in the machine interface just do what it makes you do, essentials like time etc. you can go back and do all the settings via web GUI

 

[gregip]

The NVR manual and other internet search results only use the enabling of P2P on the NVR to set up remote NVR access via the gDMSS app. The "Add Mode" field on my gDMSS app's "Add Device" page also only has the "P2P" option.
I see, however, the recommendation from knowledgeable people on this forum that P2P is best to remain OFF for security reasons. Based on the list of data Dahua say they collect when P2P is enabled I tend to agree.
Is there a way of adding the NVR to my gDMSS app without enabling the P2P on the NVR? (I've tried but just get a message "Connection failed").

 

[bigredfish]

Yes, add via “IP/Domain” using your internal IP of your NVR. Likely 192.168.1.108 unless you changed it.

 

[gregip]

Yes, add via “IP/Domain” using your internal IP of your NVR. Likely 192.168.1.108 unless you changed it.

Thanks bigredfish, that's fixed it.

 

[gregip]

Another question...
I've added several cameras to the NVR by simply plugging in to the NVR and waiting. I've also setup Intrusion zones on all cameras via the NVR's web GUI via Internet Explorer on my laptop. Thanks go to bigredfish for his handy tips in the thread "***PSA for those with a New Dahua NVR...."
Using my laptop is not as easy or as nice as using the NVR plus large monitor plus mouse so I've now removed my laptop and am just using the NVR plus large monitor plus mouse. On the "Live" screen one of the six cameras has a little red bell and a date/time box up in the top right corner of its window. No other cameras have this and despite lots of fiddling I cannot figure out why it is there, what it means or how to get rid of it. Hovering the cursor over it gives an "Arming" drop down box and if I click on it the bell turns white with a slash through it and the drop down box says "Disarming".
Any suggestions?
Edit..... the red bell and date/time box have nothing to do with that one camera. It is in the same position on the monitor even when I change the Live view screen from say 9 cameras down to 4 cameras.
But my question still stands. What does the little red bell mean?

 

[bigredfish]

Turning on/off alarm monitoring on the NVR live view. I don’t use it.

You should try SmartPSS on the laptop and connecting to the NVR web GUI to manage. The direct NVR machine interface with mouse/monitor sucks in comparison and doesn’t actually display all features.

 

[bradner]

Thanks go to bigredfish for his handy tips in the thread "***PSA for those with a New Dahua NVR...."

Adding the link to that thread here...

***PSA for those with a New DAHUA NVR with Built-in PoE switch

 

[gregip]

Okay, three more questions:

You should try SmartPSS on the laptop and connecting to the NVR web GUI to manage.

Yes I've done both of those and hence my preference for the NVR/monitor/mouse option. SmartPSS has a slow response time on my laptop, I find the font size is far too small and the playback is inefficient compared to the NVR/monitor/mouse option.
As for playback, perhaps I have missed something..... on the NVR/monitor I can look at the NVR's "Alarm Info" log, click on the "Play" icon next to the log and instantly get the playback of the event. That's nice on my big monitor. Using SmartPSS on my laptop I can see the alarm log but to see the playback of the event I have to memorise the camera and the time and then go to the playback screen and search for it. Question (1): Is there a faster way than this on SmartPSS?

You are also correct on the little red bell icon on the NVR's monitor. Provided the alarm buzzer has been enabled, this little red bell is useful to toggle on/off when I want the NVR's buzzer to sound whenever there is an alarm event. The NVR is sitting in the office downstairs and I enable this alarm buzzer at night so we can hear it from the bedroom upstairs. At the moment I'm using my laptop upstairs with a WIFI connection to the NVR downstairs. When there is an intrusion event at night I hear the downstairs NVR buzzer, crawl out of bed, crawl half asleep over to the laptop running SmartPSS and look up the playback (via the painful way I explained above). Question (2): Is there a way to get SmartPSS on my laptop upstairs to buzz at the same time as the NVR downstairs when an alarm event occurs?

A note for readers: I used the NVR web GUI via Internet Explorer to log onto each camera individually to set up the IVS rules, etc as recommended here. As expected, that seem to be reflected correctly in the NVR when I subsequently used the NVR/monitor/mouse. However on the last two cameras I decided to try using the NVR instead and set up the IVS rules, etc using the NVR/monitor/mouse. This was a lot quicker and easier to do compared to logging onto each camera separately via Internet Explorer. Then I logged onto each camera separately via Internet Explorer just to see if all the details had been copied to the camera by the NVR and all seemed to be good. So question (3): Since I've only just purchased my system I'm wondering if it is only previous versions of the NVR software that caused problems with camera set up and that's why the recommendation was to change camera parameters directly on the camera instead of via the NVR?

Hopefully others reading these questions/answers will get their systems up and running quicker than me.

 

[roaoro]

I've rarely had any issues controlling cameras or setting through the NVR and it is my preferred way. I install a lot of these, and is a much quicker and easier way for me. I also keep everything updated. Every once in a while I'll get one of the cameras getting wonky, and not syncing the settings. It's usually an older FW version that I missed.

 

[gregip]

Thanks for the reply roaoro.
Would you have an opinion on answers to my Question (1) and question (2) above?

 

[roaoro]

I mainly use SmartPSS for remote settings management for my customers. I don't use it for much of anything else, due to the issues that you have discovered. Playback is the worse for me. You have to search out for the day, but I believe you can filter it by motion. Much cleaner on the NVR GUI. The NVR Chrome browser GUI is slightly better than SmartPSS. If you are able to get an ethernet connection to your bedroom (to your network), I would just buy a cheap 4116 4ks2 NVR to connect to your network and use as a viewing point in your bedroom. An alternative would be to use a tablet (I prefer Android) for a viewer.
SmartPSS uses quite a bit of processing power, and will run slower on anything not newer and up to date. There's also an "alarm config" button that I believe you can configure alert sounds for. I've not tried it though.