initialization of IP cam from a remote desktop

[piconut]

I am trying to setup/initialize a new EmpireTech IPC-T5442T-ZE 4MP IR Vari-Focal Turret camera (from @EMPIRETECANDY) using the ConfigTool.exe software but I'm running into a problem. The network that the camera is on has been configured with a gateway (router) address of 192.168.10.1 and I am on a remote network and accessing a computer on the 192.168.10.1 network using Anydesk (Similar to Team Viewer) for remote access, with the ConfigTool software installed. When I run the ConfigTool.exe, it doesn't find the new camera which is plugged into a POE switch. The switch has some other Hikvision cameras plugged into it and are all working fine. This is the first IPC (Dahua rebranded) camera that I got from @EMPIRETECANDY on Amazon. The instructions say that the camera has a default uninitialized IP of 192.168.1.108. However since I'm on a remote network, I can't reconfigure the router from the x.x.10.1 to a x.x.1.1 network in order to see the camera. For some reason that I can't figure out, the ConfigTool software seems to be unable to "look across" other subnets (like the SADP Hik tool does). Does anybody have any ideas as to what I should try in order for the ConfigTool software to see the camera so that I can initialize it?

Thanks,
Scott from Austin

 

[catcamstar]

Howdy Austin!
First question from my side: did you specify Configtool to actually look into the 192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.254 range? Because configtool can do some magic hocus pocus and look into other subnets.
If that does not work, what I would do on that remote pc: go into network configuration, go into Adapter Settings, enter the TCP-IPv4 properties. There you will see either the fixed IP (192.168.10.x) or that DHCP is enabled (from the 192.168.10.1 router). In any case: DO NOT TOUCH THOSE. Otherwise it's bye! But pick the second tab next to it (alternative configuration) and put 192.168.1.200 in it, with a subnet of 255.255.255.0. What it does: it loads an additional TCPIP stock on your network adapter. Take into account that no routing will happen on that subnet. Then open a dos prompt and try to ping 192.168.1.108. If it replies, then configtool is good to go. If it does not ping back, report back here.

Hope this helps!
CC

 

[piconut]

Howdy Austin!
First question from my side: did you specify Configtool to actually look into the 192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.254 range? Because configtool can do some magic hocus pocus and look into other subnets.
If that does not work, what I would do on that remote pc: go into network configuration, go into Adapter Settings, enter the TCP-IPv4 properties. There you will see either the fixed IP (192.168.10.x) or that DHCP is enabled (from the 192.168.10.1 router). In any case: DO NOT TOUCH THOSE. Otherwise it's bye! But pick the second tab next to it (alternative configuration) and put 192.168.1.200 in it, with a subnet of 255.255.255.0. What it does: it loads an additional TCPIP stock on your network adapter. Take into account that no routing will happen on that subnet. Then open a dos prompt and try to ping 192.168.1.108. If it replies, then configtool is good to go. If it does not ping back, report back here.

Hope this helps!
CC

Hi @catcamstar, thanks for responding so quickly.

To answer your first question, yes I tried editing those values for what you said (the 1.1 thru 1.254) and also tried using the local network of 192.168.10.1 thru 10.254 and neither worked. Also, under the ConfigTool's search settings function I made sure that the check boxes for both Current Segment Search and Other Segment Search were checked.

So I followed your directions to configure the alternate configuration with the 192.168.1.200 address and 255.255.255.0 subnet mask. I did not put anything in any of the other entries. I clicked OK twice to exit out of the network adapter properties. As soon as I did that, the Network Diagnostics automatically came up and tried to "resolve a network problem" but it couldn't identify the problem. Do I need to somehow renew the IP configuration so that the second IP that I configured is activated? When I go into IPCONFIG /ALL I get this which doesn't show the new alternate IP.

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : 9020MT-GARAGE
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : Home

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Home
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) Ethernet Connection I217-LM
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : EDITED_OUT
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : EDITED_OUT(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.10.99(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, November 7, 2020 12:44:10 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, November 8, 2020 12:44:10 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.10.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.10.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : EDITED_OUT
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . :EDITED_OUT
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : EDITED_OUT
EDITED_OUT
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

I could not ping the 192.168.1.108 address. I also tried to run the ConfigTool searching both subnets (the x.x.1.1 and the x.x.10.1) and still nothing.
I'm thinking that I have to somehow tell the computer to activate that second address, and I assume if it was working that I would see it under ipconfig.

What are your thoughts?

 

[piconut]

...I also tried rebooting but that didn't change things. I noted that in the Alternate Configuration tab, the Validate Settings, if changed upon exit was checked by default so that explains why when I made those changes originally and exited the IPv4 configuration, that the Network Diagnostic program came up.

 

[catcamstar]

Hello @piconut, goodmorning!
Indeed, Windows tries to outsmart people who are playing network tricks. This validation is triggered because you are trying to create a subnet that is not connected to a valid gateway/router to phone home to the internet. This would be great for a grandfather who has accidentially typed a wrong ip address (eg 192.168.2.100 instead of 192.168.1.100), however in your case, we are doing this intentionally. So that network problem solver should not be started, so if you untick that validate settings box, does it then work?

Good luck!
CC

 

[piconut]

Hello @piconut, goodmorning!
Indeed, Windows tries to outsmart people who are playing network tricks. This validation is triggered because you are trying to create a subnet that is not connected to a valid gateway/router to phone home to the internet. This would be great for a grandfather who has accidentially typed a wrong ip address (eg 192.168.2.100 instead of 192.168.1.100), however in your case, we are doing this intentionally. So that network problem solver should not be started, so if you untick that validate settings box, does it then work?

Good luck!
CC

Unfortunately, the ConfigTool doesn't work when unchecking that Validate Settings box either. IPCONFIG still only shows the one x.x.10.x IP on only one network adapter. Does the alternate configuration require any of the other entries to be filled in, like a (fake?) default gateway address?

 

[catcamstar]

Can you follow this link to see whether your settings are propagated to the registry (eg \\dchp\configuration) as per Is it possible to configure a static IP alternative for all adapters using the registry? ?

 

[catcamstar]

Hang on, I'm suspecting your primary TCPIP stack is on DHCP, is that correct?

Then you need to add a second IP address on the TCPIPv4 (first screen - advanced option) - for screens see here: Connect to two LAN networks with a single card

This should work, even on DHCP, tried here on w10.

Keep us posted!
CC

 

[piconut]

Can you follow this link to see whether your settings are propagated to the registry (eg \\dchp\configuration) as per Is it possible to configure a static IP alternative for all adapters using the registry? ?

I tried looking in the registry for the location mentioned in the link (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Services/Tcpip/Parameters) but the entries shown on the Superuser.com site are not present on my system at that registry location. I also tried searching for the phrase "IPAutoconfigurationEnabled" but it wasn't found at all in the registry. I would assume that means it didn't take, but I'm not completely confident I'm following the directions correctly.

 

[piconut]

Hang on, I'm suspecting your primary TCPIP stack is on DHCP, is that correct?

Then you need to add a second IP address on the TCPIPv4 (first screen - advanced option) - for screens see here: Connect to two LAN networks with a single card

This should work, even on DHCP, tried here on w10.

Keep us posted!
CC

Yes, I'm using DHCP on the computer (Win10). I assign a static IP from the router, but from the computer's perspective (in the IPv4 settings), it is requesting it's IP via DHCP.

So, I think I understand some of what you've pointed to, but I'm a bit confused from reading the Connect to two LAN networks with a single card page. It sounds like I first need to assign the current IP of the computer (192.168.10.99) as static by unchecking DHCP and setting the same address manually in the IPv4 properties. If I do this, do I need to delete the entry in the router that assigns the 10.99 address to the computer via it's MAC address, or can I leave that router setting alone? Then after I have made that change, I need go back and set the second IP address (the 192.168.1.200) using the advanced tab. Is that correct?

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[catcamstar]

What to do: open TCPIPv4 properties:

In that advanced, press Add on the IP settings and fill in 192.168.1.100 address with subnet 255.255.255.0 and, if asked, gateway: 192.168.1.1

Then repeat the "ping 192.168.1.108" and if positive: go on ConfigTool.exe.

 

[piconut]

Woo-hoo! As they say, "You da man!" That worked! All is well. I was worried about setting the static IP when the router was also setting that same IP but there wasn't any conflict (I guess since both were giving it the same IP). I was also worried that it would potentially lock me out remotely if I made a mistake. While it did knock me offline momentarily for the static IP to reset, I was able to log back in a configure the second IP in the x.x.1.x range. Then, just as you said, the Dahua ConfigTool was able to find the camera and I got it initialized and setup remotely.

So thanks again. I really appreciate you taking the time to figure this out and help me get it configured to work properly.

 

[catcamstar]

Hi @piconut, you're welcome! Sharing is caring, right?

Happy Camming!
CC