Hello All,
I have this unit as well. I actually like it a lot EXCEPT for one deal breaker, while I have never experienced the NVR itself freezing, I do experience constant picture freezing in single camera view with the i-VMS client...
I got this unit through an authorized distributor for a client, so it's an official American model with a HDD factory installed. I'm using it with the following cameras: (6) DS-2CD2032-I 3MP Hikvision cameras, and (1) DS-2CD2632F-I 3MP Varifocal Hikvision camera for a total of 7 cameras. Installing everything and setting everything up was a breeze. The image from the cameras is very good in my opinion. The i-VMS 4200 client works really well, the i-VMS 4200 client for android is nice too (except you can't zoom in as far as I can tell). The web interface is OK.
Here's the one issue that has been causing me countless hours of extra labor trying to figure out: When viewing the cameras in the i-VMS client in 9 camera (or a custom 7 camera mode) everything works fine. These views use the lower resolution substream. When I double click on a camera to put it into single camera view to view the high res main stream, the image typically tends to freeze as the client switches from sub stream to main stream. Sometimes the stream will eventually start playing, sometimes it will sit there frozen (on a low res view) indefinitely. Sometimes it works completely fine. It is no particular camera, and no particular time. It is seemingly completely random. When I use the web client, I get the same result. I have used 4 different computers now all with the same result. On the live view of the NVR itself hooked up to HDMI it never seems to do this (although I'm not 100% certain that the live view uses the main stream).
I am an IT professional with a good knowledge of surveillance systems so I proceeded to eliminate all the variables that make sense. Here is the long list of all the things I have tried to remedy it:
* Use different computers
* Switched out Ethernet cables (except for the camera runs)
* Used a new high end router (this is on the LAN so it's only using the switch anyways)
* Connected directly to the NVR itself via Ethernet
* Upgraded NVR and Camera firmwares
* Restarted NVRs and Cameras several times
* Factory defaulted cameras, NVR, and re initialized HDD several times
* Reinstalled client software and Internet Explorer plugin.
* Spent hours trying different resolutions, bitrates, and I-Frame settings.
* Set camera main stream and sub streams to lowest resolution and bitrate (to eliminate possibility of the NVR not being able to process 3MP feeds or high bitrates)
* Switched cameras around on different network ports on NVR
* REPLACED NVR, same issue.
I spent several hours with Hikvision Tech support which was rude, condescending, and worse yet was trying to hose-and-close me. They were running through a list of non-NVR issues (such as not enough Internet bandwidth which I told him that this is on LAN, that it is a bad switch/router which I told him I have the same issue when plugged directly into the NVR, even going so far as telling me I had too many TCP connections open on the computer of which there were only 40ish which is nothing, they can get up into the thousands.) They were even remotely connected to the client computer. Thank god I am an I.T. professional and knew about all the B.S. issues that would not be the case, as I assume they deal with mostly surveillance installers who do not have such a strong I.T. background and just do this to get people off the phone. In short they would not admit that the NVR was at fault and I had to demand an RMA number. I got a new unit and had the same issues immediately, so I'm not sure where to go next. I do not remember experiencing anything like this when I installed the system, and the client complained about this a few weeks after installation. Are all 7 of my cameras bad?
My client is pissed, frustrated, and wants me to return this unit and buy another brand altogether.
I have searched all over the Internet and cannot find any other people experiencing this same issue. Has anyone here experienced this?
Does anyone have success with another 8 channel NVR that supports 3MP cameras?
Apologies for the long post, but I like to be thorough..
