Hik NVR-DS-7616N-E2-8P bought on aliexpress(CCTV CAMERA CHINA) and firmware issue

[voltron81]

Hi all,

I hav bought last month the DS7616N-E2 NVR on Aliexpress from CCTV CAMERA CHINA.
The NVR came with a very old firmware (3.0.8) and when I complained with the vendor, the reply was that it was their latest firmware.
Today, after a month, I have asked if a newer firmware was available for their product.
The reply was just a shock:

So think about it when you buy to those vendors, they are not professional unfortunately

 

[whoslooking]

Just download from the Chinese website the latest version and upgrade via the Web interface, if you really need to update.

But remember to use the backup settings before and after you upgrade and keep this very safe!
Your NVR will remain English, but if you use the restore defaults it will become Chinese again, using your backup of your settings will restore it back to English if you mess up.

 

[voltron81]

there is any tutorial for that?
I do have also 8 hik camera that currently mounts firmware version 5.2.5.
My understanding was that I risk some incompatibility then... isn't it?

 

[alastairstevenson]

Strictly - the resellers should not be changing the firmware on the products they sell, nor offering modified Hikvision firmware - the item should be sold as-is.
In practice what they are doing is in favour of the buyer by sourcing and selling the products at cheap prices and updating with modified firmware that allows the device to operate in a way that Hikvision would rather it didn't.

As @whoslooking suggests - there is absolutely no problem updating with the publically-available firmware that Hikvision offers for download - but you must do some reading on this very useful forum and understand the tradeoffs between the extra features of the newer firmware and the possible adverse consequences of updating, depending on the rest of your system.

It is possible to protect yourself from any consequences you'd like to retreat from by taking a backup of the as-is firmware and configuration of the device - I have posted a few times here on the method that can be used for that.

 

[voltron81]

Thanks @alastairstevenson for your reply.
I can not agree with you more, those guys are putting Hik on a bad light because of their behaviour.

I really would like to upgrade the nvr, and I am sure that on the forum there are all the info, but there are too many threats about it that I am currently quite confused.
Do you know if perhaps I can find a kind of howto, a tutorial, or something close to it?
I have understood for example that first I do need to backup the current firmware installed, but I don't know how.
Then, because on my current firmware I can see just english and chinese, I suppose this current version is not a multi-language one.
For example, if I want to install the version 3.1.0 us version, as explained here: http://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php/4879-HIKVISION-NVR-DS-7616N-E2-8P-3-1-0-us-firmware-Virtual-Host-and-Smart-Event-features

I am just not sure that I have got all steps needed.

Then last question: if I will succeed on upgrade firmware, and for some reasons the hik cameras are not working anymore, how can I step back and return to the current firmware configuration?

Sorry about all those questions, but I would not brick the nvr and then cry here on the forum for help

 

[Del Boy]

Don't update it unless you really need line crossing from your NVR (you possibly won't get Virtual Host, I didn't). Your own words in another thread not mine:

To be honest, after all those comments, I gave up and I have not upgraded my NVR. 3.0.8 is working just fine and I don't want to brick it, expecially because it is located not where I live and I do need to work remotely on it... Anyway Hikvision have to improve a lot on making firmware upgrades stable and symple...

If you brick it, even temporarily, what are you going to do then? If it's physically in front of you for a few days, then that's different.

- - - Updated - - -

Here's the link if you want to ignore your own advice: http://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php/4321-DS-7832n-E2-Chinese-to-English/page2

 

[voltron81]

well, it is because I am planning to spend a weekend on my parents house, where the NVR is located.
What is driving me really crazy is that I have got another reply from Lulia Li of CCTV CAMERA CHINA:

hi,yes,have new english firmware ,but my developer set limit,i can not send you the new firmware,please understand,thx

So disappointed with this vendor!

There is actually another reason why I should move from 3.0.8: I can not find the way to upload on an FTP a screenshot (1 per second) of each camera, maybe at a low resolution... I guess that with newer firmware it can be done, isn't it?

ciao

 

[mayfer]

AS Hikvision rolls out new cameras, at some point you will need to upgrade the NVR just to make them work. It seems that someone at aliexpress has figured out how to modify the firmware in a certain way that masquerades or hides the language flag to make it appear to be an English model (language = 1.) When you upgrade with official NVR software, the true hardware language flag is exposed (language = 2.) I REALLY wish someone from aliexpress would release updated firmware in the same way. Hopefully that would allow us all to upgrade from 3.0.8 to the latest version and maintain the language = 1 flag. Maybe we need to keep begging the sellers or just find the right one that can help.

 

[Del Boy]

Mine work fine with language flag 2.
@voltron81, read that link I sent and make sure you understand the process first.