Hikvison Permanent Region Code Hack

[whoslooking]

So if fair to charge a tourist more for a coffee or beer than a local? No it's not! a product has a value that should be the same to all, Over charging and price market fixing is illegal for a reason. yet it's done everday it not commerce, region coding has always been about market and price control why should we be over charged?

 

[Q™]

Please be patient. Don is busy working on his 2,000 word response and it will be available for the general enlightenment very soon now.

 

[fenderman]

Yes, if we all dont start buying from authorized hikvision dealers we are all doomed this has been going on for years and will not stop...they could stop this in 5 minuets if they wanted...aliexpress is a publicly traded company ....Hikvision could stop them anytime they wanted. Furthermore, if Chinese government subsidized goods (though i do not believe this to be the case) are being exported for profit, the Chinese government would shut it down. Hikvision could easily stop the sale of all hikvision from china to the US..They choose not to...its not like end users can even purchase from hikvision authorized dealers except a select few..most others will only sell to installers... We will all be ok as long as we are never forced to resort to foscam.
@Q2U's estimate is not far off...uber has 801 words there, give it a few edits and it can easily grow to 2000.

 

[whoslooking]

Local taxation has nothing to do with over charging, here in the UK, we are ripped off more than any other country in the world, that is fact! But paying 4 times the price for an IP Camera is not a fair pricing structure.

A few pounds is onething but the difference we pay is close to $200 per camera, that Don is why we do what we do.

 

[AKalm]

He made an 5.1.6 which can be bootable in most cases, won't brick if you downgrade, give it a try, if it boots, then mtd hack, and upgrade back to 5.2.5.

HIKVISION 5.16 Full English including days of the weeks.

works with all 2cd2xxx models. Just flash with TFTP.

will work with some 5.2.8 models, if your 5.2.8 camera bricks just reflash back to 5.2.5 (this is not the firmware it's your Camera)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/k0jejxhyvnufpvf/Chinese Full English 5.1.6.rar?dl=0

Enjoy!

You are awesome!!!

I have 2732f-is and 2132f thats the only Problem. Maybe we can get it working

 

[wxman]

Re: Hikvison Permanent Region Code Hack - almost completed the final step

Mtd hack works on 5.2.8 (5.2.5) camera's!!

Just need to calculate a new checksum when you are modifying the mtd's (change 02 to 01 that's done at the red circled byte), analysis - checksum.. - checksum-16, and write the result 2 bytes before F4, pictures attached for example:

This works for 5.2.8 (5.2.5) cameras:
2032, 2232, 2332 tested 100%

Still bricking: 2132, 2732 (different type of checksum)

Not tested: 2432, 2532, 2632 (don't have 5.2.8 at home)

Just to clarify, what all does doing this actually accomplish? Does it make the cam permanent US region to where firmware from HIK-USA can be loaded? Does it correct the issue of having the day of the week displayed in Chinese?

 

[AKalm]

Re: Hikvison Permanent Region Code Hack - almost completed the final step

If you do this solution, then you can update to any firmware (because the language flag will be english permanently). This means that the camera will be full english including the day of week.
If your camera was a multilanguage one, it will be the same with default english, and english day of week.

Just to clarify, what all does doing this actually accomplish? Does it make the cam permanent US region to where firmware from HIK-USA can be loaded? Does it correct the issue of having the day of the week displayed in Chinese?

 

[alastairstevenson]

Another useful benefit is that cameras can be successfully added to a Hikvision NVR that would otherwise complain of a 'language mismatch'.
That's increasingly going to occur as NVRs with updated firmware are purchased.
It's quite a bit harder to change NVR hardware settings than it is cameras, there are more protection mechanisms.

 

[whoslooking]

To true, at the moment with Hiktools The NVR is easier than a camera to correct the language. But this won't last forever. The easy way around this is buy all from 1 region.
I.E Chinese NVR Chinese Camera's no Language mismatch.

Or just strip the header from NVR file when you flash.

 

[alastairstevenson]

Apologies but I need to offer a correction.

To true, at the moment with Hiktools The NVR is easier than a camera to correct the language.

The mtdblock0 holding the hardware descriptor with the region code in the NVRs is protected from change by the Linux kernel, the bootloader command access is removed, and new introduced binaries are not allowed to execute.
Neither stripping the header from a firmware file nor Hiktools lang option changes the region code of the NVR, it changes the language of the firmware file the NVR will accept, so it would still reject cameras from a different region than its own, no change there.
So the NVR has more protection than a camera at this time.
How have you managed to change the region code in an NVR?

And, certainly from my experience and what I've seen elsewhere there isn't a reliable way to buy all from one region, even from the likes of Amazon. It's a bit of a lottery, so being able to harmonise your surveillance collection is good. IMHO of course!

 

[adderllyer]

Does this works for IP Cams with factory label 5.2.8?
please confirm the steps:
1. downgrade 5.2.8 to 5.2.5
2. flash 2cdxxx models to 5.16
3. do mtd hack
4. upgrade back to 5.2.5
is the steps correct?

He made an 5.1.6 which can be bootable in most cases, won't brick if you downgrade, give it a try, if it boots, then mtd hack, and upgrade back to 5.2.5.

 

[AKalm]

You can leave the first step, the rest is correct regarding to whoosloking who made the 5.1.6 (BIG THANK YOU)

Does this works for IP Cams with factory label 5.2.8?
please confirm the steps:
1. downgrade 5.2.8 to 5.2.5
2. flash 2cdxxx models to 5.16
3. do mtd hack
4. upgrade back to 5.2.5
is the steps correct?

 

[niofar]

I tried to downgrade from 5.2.5 to 5.2.0 or 5.1.6, but i brick the camera...I have a camera with full chinese menu language...

 

[AKalm]

Try with correct checksum
http://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php/3222-Hikvision-Checksum?goto=newpost
(if your camera is a 2032 or 2332 or 2232)

Or if it's bricking, or other type (different, newer) you can try this current working solution regarding whoslooking:

He made an 5.1.6 which can be bootable in most cases, won't brick if you downgrade, give it a try, if it boots, then do the mtd hack, and upgrade back to 5.2.5.

Originally Posted by whoslooking
HIKVISION 5.16 Full English including days of the weeks.

works with all 2cd2xxx models. Just flash with TFTP.

will work with some 5.2.8 models, if your 5.2.8 camera bricks just reflash back to 5.2.5 (this is not the firmware it's your Camera)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/k0jejxhyvn...5.1.6.rar?dl=0

Enjoy!

I tried to downgrade from 5.2.5 to 5.2.0 or 5.1.6, but i brick the camera...I have a camera with full chinese menu language...

 

[niofar]

Or if it's bricking, or other type (different, newer) you can try this current working solution regarding whoslooking:

He made an 5.1.6 which can be bootable in most cases, won't brick if you downgrade, give it a try, if it boots, then do the mtd hack, and upgrade back to 5.2.5.

My camera is a ds-2cd2032. I tried with 5.1.6 firmware you posted, i can downgrade, but the camera is not recognized by sadp. There is an IR led loop on off, and it is not working.

 

[AKalm]

Sorry I mistyped. 2032 can be mtd hacked (with correct checksum). Then leave the 5.1.6, upgrade back to 5.2.5, and do the mtd hack with good checksum. (check yourself that the actual checksum equals of the highlited area - analysis - checksum16 result).
If it equals, then you can modify the lang flag and write in the new checksum.

every details are posted on that thread


http://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread....m?goto=newpost
(if your camera is a 2032 or 2332 or 2232)

My camera is a ds-2cd2032. I tried with 5.1.6 firmware you posted, i can downgrade, but the camera is not recognized by sadp. There is an IR led loop on off, and it is not working.

 

[AKalm]

Upgrade back with TFTP to 5.2.5 that I wrote above

My camera is a ds-2cd2032. I tried with 5.1.6 firmware you posted, i can downgrade, but the camera is not recognized by sadp. There is an IR led loop on off, and it is not working.

 

[niofar]

Dear Akalm thank you for your help. I extracted mtd5 and mtd6 from camera and now I have not understand what to do with the checksum...

 

[ysmforum]

how about 5.3.0_150327, the factory release this version on 04/2015, anyone know how to hack this

 

[SirJMD]

Sorry I mistyped. 2032 can be mtd hacked (with correct checksum). Then leave the 5.1.6, upgrade back to 5.2.5, and do the mtd hack with good checksum. (check yourself that the actual checksum equals of the highlited area - analysis - checksum16 result).
If it equals, then you can modify the lang flag and write in the new checksum.

every details are posted on that thread


http://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread....m?goto=newpost
(if your camera is a 2032 or 2332 or 2232)

Will this also work for 3332? (I guess it should, but I'd rather be sure than have a dead camera)