Help required for correct camera and NVR set up

[NewbieUser2024]

Hi,

So I recently purchased some Dahua cameras (IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV-S2) and NVR (NVR2108HS-P-I2) to set up some security around my property. Few of the cameras have been put up and plugged into the the NVR.

I have also downloaded the DMSS app in hope to be able to receive notifications on phone when motion is detected etc.

However I have started to play around with the settings on the NVR (screen connected to NVR), the web browser login version (after reading things online) and making changes on the DMSS app. I have been reading things on this forum and realised I should never have made any changes on the app.

I have now read a few things and realised there is only certain places where you should make changes. As currently the cameras are not working the way I want them to work which is to:

1. Pick up motions, intrusions etc
2. Records the motions/intrusions (currently just showing 24/7, record schedule just has green lines and no yellow points)
3. Notify me on my phone if there are motions/intrusions (provides notification for full camera view if I turn on SMD for human and vehicles in app but I just want specific regions)
4. Pick up motion/intrusions in specific regions
5. The smart illuminator light to turn on at night if motion/intrusion is picked up.

I think after I changed regions settings on the app the record schedule on the NVR stopped picking up specific motions and is only 24/7 but I am not sure if that is the cause.

I am not sure if I need to reset all the settings everywhere and start again? (Wouldn't know where to start to do this if I did need to reset everywhere) or if my current settings everywhere can be tweaked to correct what I have messed up.

I have read a few different threads here which have opened my eyes e.g using IVS over SMD, logging into the camera to makes changes to each camera, setting the correct sensitivity and threshold etc but I want to make sure I get the basics right before I jump into that.

Any help would be much appreciated but I am a newbie at this so dumbed down instructions would be great

Thanks

 

[wittaj]

You need to do as many of the settings in the camera GUI as possible - not on the NVR, not in DMSS.

Most of us have found that IVS rules are better than motion detection (MD/SMD).

I forget for that camera, but I do not believe it has the ability to turn the white light on during motion - it is either on or off. But even if it does have the ability to turn off and on, you will find that it messes with the exposure and you miss the clean capture of a perp, plus the white light is not a deterrent.

With that said, you have some problematic cameras - way too many threads here with the problems with that camera. So you may have problems with it detecting motion at night.

The 3849 is a horrible camera that should have never been sold.

This is active deterrence camera on an 8MP on a 1/2.8" sensor, so it is on a horrible MP/sensor ratio. You cannot have enough light at night for it to perform well. That sensor is designed for 2MP so a 2MP camera will kick its butt all night long.

Even worse, since this 8MP is on the same sensor and CPU as a 2MP non TIOC camera and there are many threads here showing how under-performing that 3849 is. They had to limit bitrate and other parameters on the 3849 to try to make it functional, and it just doesn't cut it.

In my opinion the 3849 should not be sold with that current MP/sensor and CPU combination, but alas everybody wants 4k and chases MP over sensor and this camera is the epitome of that thinking.

Further, the red/blue flashing lights are more gimmicky and are certainly not a deterrent. With any ambient light you won't see the red/blue flashing unless you are looking right at the camera.

If you want active deterrence, your best bet is to go with the 2MP IPC-T5241H-AS-PV that will blink the white light. This is on the ideal MP/sensor ratio and will perform comparably to any similar 2MP fixed lens camera by Dahua. I have two of them. I have some of the other active deterrence cams as well, and would opt for the 2MP in every instance except for indoor, one could go with the IPC-HDW3449HP-AS-PV that has the red/blue lights that will bounce off the walls and be much more impressive than outside.

Lot's of threads here where people showed how bad the 3849 camera is in performing:

IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV issues

IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV loses connection/reboots during the day

Replaced HDW5442TMP-ASE by HFW3849T1P

Dahua 8mp (TIOC): Full Colour, Active Deterrence & AI

IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV Video Quality

 

[bigredfish]

1,4,5 should be done on the camera
2 is done on the nvr

3- to enable alerts on your phone,
A) make sure P2P is enabled on the nvr
B) add the NVR to your phone by doing an Add device and scanning the QR code on your NVR screen (at the P2P page) to your phone
C) on phone DMSS under Device Details for your NVR (3 dots) chose Multi channel Alarm Subscription and toggle on what you want to send you an alert (SMD, tripwire etc) BY Channel
D) you will have to enable an account under ME icon with Dahua to get alerts

 

[NewbieUser2024]

Thanks for your replies. @wittaj I didn't realise it was such a bad camera, I just had a look on Dahua and thought it looked ok but again I have no experience with these cameras. Luckily for me I haven't had much exposure to these cameras so I don't know any better.

When I was playing around with the cameras the white light did turn on during motion and then turn off but only if it was pitch black. It has the "smart illuminator" option which is the non permanent choice.

@bigredfish I will follow those points. I think I will remove the device from DMSS and re add as I've probably messed it all up.

On point 2 which is to be done on the NVR I believe I have the correct setting however it is still not recording any motions. It is just recording 24/7 and not highlighting motions. When I first plugged the cameras in, it was highlighting the different motions on the record schedule but no longer does. Is there some specific settings I need to have for it to work? Or should I try to reset it all and start again?

 

[bigredfish]

Set the recording schedule by channel on the NVR and make sure it shows motion or intelligent/IVS colored bars for all days.

But you still need to go to the individual camera interface and set what you want to be recorded motion/SMD or IVS (preferred)

So the NVR determines when and what to record, the camera determines the mechanism (trigger) for initiating the event.

To make it easy, set the NVR to record ALL event types 24/7 every day. In the camera set your event triggers (motion or IVS). The NVR will only record what the camera tells it

 

[NewbieUser2024]

@bigredfish so on the recording schedule, by each channel I have now selected all the options so I now have different colour bars (picture attached)

On the individual camera I have enabled motion detection and set a region for where I want motion detected (picture attached).

On the DMSS I have selected what I want notifications for (picture attached).

On my record schedule I finally see some yellow lines! Which means the NVR is recording the motion. However the video is running at a reduced speed, not sure where the settings for that are so it can be played at normal speed. Any idea?

But also I am still not receiving the notification on my phone to say there was a trigger. I must be missing something

 

[bigredfish]

When you say the video is running at reduced speed, do you mean while viewing playback of recorded video? On your phone?
- Try viewing directly on the NVR playback screen. Does it run at normal speed there?

Alerts on phone

• Is P2P enabled on the NVR?
• Are you signed into a Dahua account on the phone?

 

[NewbieUser2024]

Yes, so in the NVR browser when viewing playback everything seems to be running at a slower speed. On my phone the playback is normal speed however not getting notifications and phone playback doesn't highlight motion areas.

Yes P2P is enabled and account signed in. On the app if I turn on notifications for SMD and select human and vehicles, i will receive notifications on my phone however this will be for the whole camera view. This is not useful as it picks up cars and people constantly. I just want it to provide me a notification for the set region that I have selected in the camera gui.

 

[bigredfish]

That’s one of the problems with SMD\MD. SMD seems to apply to the whole view. It still sucks in comparison to IVS. Most of us turn it off and never look back

 

[bigredfish]

On speed, it’s playing regular on your phone so on the NVR you can adjust playback speed on the playback page. Make sure you’re using IE or you may not see all of the controls. Edge in IE mode works almost as good

 

[bigredfish]

make sure the Also on the Storage/Record tab make sure you have the times set to 24hr for each channel and have the record page look like mine

 

[flynreelow]

1,4,5 should be done on the camera
2 is done on the nvr

3- to enable alerts on your phone,
A) make sure P2P is enabled on the nvr
B) add the NVR to your phone by doing an Add device and scanning the QR code on your NVR screen (at the P2P page) to your phone
C) on phone DMSS under Device Details for your NVR (3 dots) chose Multi channel Alarm Subscription and toggle on what you want to send you an alert (SMD, tripwire etc) BY Channel
D) you will have to enable an account under ME icon with Dahua to get alerts

isnt P2P bad?

should u be using a VPN?

 

[bigredfish]

Not BAD, but yes VPN is better. But when trying to help newbies who start with 5 problems out of the gate, I like to get the core stuff figured out before heading off to networking.

P2P isnt all that bad, I use it on occasion mostly because I had to figure it out myself to be able to help folks. I hear all the supposed horror stories, but cant recall in 8 years here anyone actually getting hacked because of it

 

[flynreelow]

Not BAD, but yes VPN is better. But when trying to help newbies who start with 5 problems out of the gate, I like to get the core stuff figured out before heading off to networking.

P2P isnt all that bad, I use it on occasion mostly because I had to figure it out myself to be able to help folks. I hear all the supposed horror stories, but cant recall in 8 years here anyone actually getting hacked because of it

thank you so much. got a newbie that i have taken under my wing, and dont want to go the pivpn route just out of the gates.

hes going to want to be able to watch his cams (attached to the POE NVR) from outside his home.

is P2P the easiest to get this done? how exactly ? trying to make this as easy as possible for him?

 

[bigredfish]

Easier for those who dont understand basic networking, yeah I think so.

A) make sure P2P is enabled on the nvr
B) add the NVR to your phone by doing an Add device and scanning the QR code on your NVR screen (at the P2P page) to your phone
C) for alerts on phone (DMSS) under Device Details for your NVR (3 dots) choose Multi channel Alarm Subscription and toggle on what you want to send you an alert (SMD, tripwire etc) BY Channel
D) you will have to create/enable an account under ME icon with Dahua to get alerts

If he has some basic network knowledge and a router with OpenVPN built in, like many Asus routers, then its not too tough setting that up either. Much more intimidating to someone who's never seen their routers GUI or knows nothing about networking,

 

[flynreelow]

Easier for those who dont understand basic networking, yeah I think so.

A) make sure P2P is enabled on the nvr
B) add the NVR to your phone by doing an Add device and scanning the QR code on your NVR screen (at the P2P page) to your phone
C) for alerts on phone (DMSS) under Device Details for your NVR (3 dots) choose Multi channel Alarm Subscription and toggle on what you want to send you an alert (SMD, tripwire etc) BY Channel
D) you will have to create/enable an account under ME icon with Dahua to get alerts

If he has some basic network knowledge and a router with OpenVPN built in, like many Asus routers, then its not too tough setting that up either. Much more intimidating to someone who's never seen their routers GUI or knows nothing about networking,

is the ME icon on the NVR or the DMSS app.

never really used either...

 

[bigredfish]

bottom of the DMSS app

 

[flynreelow]

bottom of the DMSS app

out of these 3, is this the best phone app for the Dahua Nvr?

 

[bigredfish]

DMSS is the phone app

SmartPSS is an app for your PC, great for live viewing, playback, downloading clips. Much better than the NVR interface.

DSS I believe is not free

 

[NewbieUser2024]

@bigredfish so I mirrored the settings you have on the storage/record (see attached). Although on the record schedule after I click on intelligent and save it, it always reverts back to the general box but not sure if that matters.

Also I managed to get the notification working on my phone, I realised that the motion detection had a schedule set as "custom" so I changed to full time which may have solved the issue.

So the way I understand it is that SMD will pick up the whole camera view and MD will base it off the selected area, is that correct?

I turned off SMD and just used MD with a set area but realised it gives a lot of false negatives picking up car headlights, shadows, birds flying pass. Is this where I need to switch to IVS to get better results?