Hik-Connect push notifications from manually added Hik NVR ?

Moonshine

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So I have a Hikvision 7716NI-SP/16 NVR (firmware v3.4.5) with 9 Hik cameras all configured and port forwarding setup. The cameras have several smart events (tripwires) setup and linked to notify Surveillance Center.

Until recently, I'd been using the Hikvision iVMS-4500 iOS app with my NVR manually added using its static IP and port information. At home or remotely, I was able to play live video, playback recorded video, and receive push notifications (after enabling the Alarm Notifications for my NVR in the app), etc. There was one issue in that I'd have to click on the actual notification to be brought into the app and see it in the alarm list, but that's a different issue ;)

Recently I tried out the (newer?) Hik-Connect iOS app, and like some of the new features and UI quite a bit. However, after manually adding my NVR, I can't seem to find any way to enable push alerts (what it calls Messages) for it. In the Help for "Enabling/Disabling Alarm Notifications" it mentions going into Settings for the device where there is a switch to control this. However, I don't see the switch for my manually added NVR.

Now if I go and add register and enable the NVR through their Hik-Connect service, I do see a switch for enabling Alarm notifications (which presumably would work). However, I'd like to avoid using that route to connect.

So I guess my question is this. Is it not possible to configure and receive push notifications through the Hik-Connect app without connecting the NVR through the Hik-Connect service ?

It seems like it should be possible (at least it was using iVMS-4500), so I'd love to hear from anyone with a similar configuration. Really any input is welcome.

Thanks!
 

Carcus

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You are right the only way to do it is with the cloud service. Manually adding doesn't work as far as I can see.
 

Jeremy Spiering

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Yeah, it is pretty silly. In iVMS-4500, if you manually add a device, you can turn the notications on/off. If add a device to iVMS-4500 via Hik-Connect the notifications are turned ON, and there is no way to turn them off. By contrast, as you've found out, in the Hik-Connect app, you cannot enable notifications for manually added devices. The Hikvision mobile apps are SO close to be really great, but there are a few things about all of them that make them supremely aggravating. I am working on an Android app that will display Push notifications from Hikvision cameras, and pull up the live stream from the cameras that had the alert by clicking on the alert. It won't be a replacement for iVMS-4500, I will still use that for playing back video, but rather it will be used just for notifications and quickly viewing the live stream. That is another gripe I have with iVMS-4500. When a notification comes in, you have to click it to open the app, and then click the notification in the app, and then click the live view button. I want to view a live feed ASAP when an alert comes in.

I talk a little bit more about the app in the thread below. I will probably create a thread for it, when I am ready to release it for anybody who would like to use it. It won't be for the average person. Will be for techie people who can run/compile code.

A Hikvision journey of discovery (tips and tricks for the perfect setup)
 

Moonshine

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.... The Hikvision mobile apps are SO close to be really great, but there are a few things about all of them that make them supremely aggravating.
No doubt.. if the "best/working" parts of iVMS-4500 and the Hik-Connect app were just merged, they would really have something ;)

... I am working on an Android app that will display Push notifications from Hikvision cameras, and pull up the live stream from the cameras that had the alert by clicking on the alert.
Nice.. I went homebrew also and have been cooking something up which sends the alerts w/ camera image to Skype and Pushover so I can decide if I care to look or not. Just hoping Hik continues to improve their app so it become unnecessary.
 

imagio

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I can't get any pushes from iVMS-4500 or hikconnect. Tried manual connection, hik-connect service, everything.... the alarms/messages tabs are always blank. I know the alarms exist because I can see them in the playback tabs of my cameras. They are set to notify surveillance station, on latest firmware, everything is set up correctly as far as I can tell. I can get them to email me even, just the push notifications aren't working at all. I had to go through the hack to get iVMS-4500 to turn on push because apparently it is hardcoded to port 80 Cannot enable alarm notification on iVMS-4500 app (ios)
 

Moonshine

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I can't get any pushes from iVMS-4500 or hikconnect. Tried manual connection, hik-connect service, everything.... the alarms/messages tabs are always blank. I know the alarms exist because I can see them in the playback tabs of my cameras. They are set to notify surveillance station, on latest firmware, everything is set up correctly as far as I can tell. I can get them to email me even, just the push notifications aren't working at all. I had to go through the hack to get iVMS-4500 to turn on push because apparently it is hardcoded to port 80 Cannot enable alarm notification on iVMS-4500 app (ios)
In iVMS-4500 have you gone in and enabled them via the "Set Alarm Notification" link at the bottom of the Alarms page ?

In HikConnect there is a similar step as well, but that requires the HikConnect account for alerts unlike iVMS-4500.
 

imagio

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In iVMS-4500 have you gone in and enabled them via the "Set Alarm Notification" link at the bottom of the Alarms page ?

In HikConnect there is a similar step as well, but that requires the HikConnect account for alerts unlike iVMS-4500.
Yeah I enabled them in iVMS-4500. Like I was saying I had to use the hack from the other thread because iVMS-4500 apparently has port 80 hard coded when enabling alarm notifications. Is there some step to turn them on in hikconnect? I have the cameras connected both via ddns and hikconnect connections, push notifications are on in the settings, and all motion/smart/etc events are turned on for the cameras with notify surveillance station turned on.

Despite all this, no events in either app.

Edit: Aha! Figured it out at least for the hikconnect connected cameras. Swipe left on the camera to reveal the configuration option. Go there and there is an option to turn on Alarm Notification. Unfortunately this option doesn't appear for the same camera connected via ddns... This is a problem because actually connecting to the camera (live view) never works through hikconnect but is flawless and extremely fast through ddns connection.

What I really want is to connect to the camera directly via ddns and get push notifications that way. Is that even possible with either app?
 

Moonshine

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Well.. I have two systems, one at home with a 7716NI-SP/16 NVR (and PoE cameras directly attached), and at the office I have a solo Hik indoor cube cam on its own. Both locations have static IPs and dns entries, and I changed the Server Port from the standard 8000 at both and port forwarded it. Web port settings are defaults. I just use iVMS-4500 at this point as I don't want to run through HIKConnect, but I am able to get push alerts with that configuration from both after enabling them in the app.
 

imagio

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Do you have uPnP enabled? Are you forwarding your http port as well?

Enabling pushes didn't work for me with just a normal port forward like 8055 (external) -> 8000 (internal). Only once I enabled uPnP and hikconnect (or connected locally via port 80) would iVMS-4500 allow me to turn on pushes. Without that it just complained "connection failed" when attempting to toggle pushes on. It seems iVMS-4500 needs access to the http port but is using some unknown method to determine what port it should try to connect on. Maybe it is trying whatever port is configured on the camera (80 by default) OR whatever port is specified in uPnP. Since there is no way to specify what port to use for http when manually defining a connection I figure it must be something like that.
 

Moonshine

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uPnP is disabled on my routers and I don't forward http to the nvr or the camera. I forward http to an nginx proxy server at each location for some other projects, but they aren't configured to proxy any of the Hik http stuff. Only Hik port I forward is the protocol port, but I'm not doing port translation like you.

So I don't think you need http access to the Hik at all, just the the protocol port. It may be worth trying without port translation though. Just configure the Hik unit to use 8055 so you can forward straight through. Can't hurt.
 

pbc

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Hmmm...just went into my Hik 4500 app on my android phone, and in the Alarm section where I try to turn "on" alarms for my device, I get "not supported by the device". Is it referring to my Hik NVR? DS-7616 NI-E2/8P?
 

Moonshine

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Hmmm...just went into my Hik 4500 app on my android phone, and in the Alarm section where I try to turn "on" alarms for my device, I get "not supported by the device". Is it referring to my Hik NVR? DS-7616 NI-E2/8P?
I wouldn't think so, as even cheap sub $100 Hik cameras can do it directly. Maybe an old firmware on the NVR ? or app push permissions on the phone or something ?
 

pbc

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Hmmm...will check push notifications on the app itself. NVR is up to date firmware wise.
 

pbc

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Nope, app has all permissions on.
 
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