Need help identifying Swann/Hikvision dome IP camera

[nate32745894377]

I have some (identical) Swann IP POE dome cameras that I'm about to use with a Hikvision NVR. From what I understand, Swann cameras are just rebranded Hikvision. These cameras have been sitting for a while, unused, and I can't find any info/upgrades for the cameras on Swann's website/support. So I want to convert/upgrade these cameras to Hikvision so they can be updated, and stay updated, but I can't figure out the exact model/equivalent of Hikvision camera in order to know which Hikvision firmware to use. I have done a lot of searching and checking and I cannot determine the corresponding/actual Hikvision camera.
Can someone please help me?
The camera has NHD-C3MPCAM on the box/camera label. I've already connected one of the cameras to the Hikvision NVR and it identifies the camera model as SWNHD-821CAM. The camera seems to work fine with the Hikvision NVR but I really want to update the firmware on them and convert them to Hikvision.

This is a link to the original product page from back when I purchased the cameras (they came as a DVR kit):
Swann8-Channel 3MP NVR with 2TB HDD and 8 3MP Outdoor Dome Cameras

There are about 4 different dome IP cameras on Hikvision's website that I think could possibly be my cameras, based on specs and photos. But there are slight differences in the Hikvision specs and what I see in other places for my Swann model number. So I don't know which Hikvision firmware to use. And I prefer not to just try one and see what happens. Does anyone know a way to positively identify the equivalent Hikvision camera model?

 

[pozzello]

The camera seems to work fine with the Hikvision NVR but I really want to update the firmware on them and convert them to Hikvision.

why, if they're working?

 

[nate32745894377]

I want to update the camera firmware.
I am curious if updating the firmware will affect some issues I'm seeing with the OSD/overlay settings.
Swann's firmware update page is useless. It lists like one camera.
And besides, these cameras were purchased new in 2016 and they're discontinued now.
So no hope of ever updating firmware through Swann I don't think.
So I want to figure out which Hikvision firmware to use.

 

[pozzello]

they look like 2CD2132's to me (R0 firmware in hik-speak) but they might be something newer...

 

[nate32745894377]

I thought the same thing based on looking at the images of discontinued cameras, and focusing on the 3MP ones:
Network Camera

But I don't know if it's the vandal resistant model (DS-2CD2132F-I) or the vandal proof model (DS-2CD2132F-IWS).
And it's not just the dome that's presumably different--these cameras have different specs.
And the firmware listed for those 2132 cameras are different.

Further, the specs listed on Hikvision's website for those cameras don't line up with what's shown for my NHD-C3MPCAM cams. As an example, mine are listed as having a 75 degree field of view but the "horizontal angle of view" for those 2132's is way different (based on 6mm lens, which is what my Swann cams are listed as having).

Really want to update the firmware but I'm afraid of bricking one of these cameras.
And I've read about ways of restoring/resetting one via ftp and whatnot, if you brick it, but I'd really like to avoid that.

Just wish there was some way to know for sure which cam this is.
I have also searched some numbers I found on the inside of the camera but it didn't turn up any leads.

Arg.

 

[alastairstevenson]

Really want to update the firmware but I'm afraid of bricking one of these cameras.

Easy enough to try, and there should be enough validation in the firmware update process to reject incompatible firmware.
This could well happen anyway even with the right firmware if what's currently installed is fussy about the OEM field in the firmware header.
The Hikvision firmware for R0 series cameras can be found here : R0 series DS-2CD2x32x-Ixx IP camera firmware
But to help choose which one would be closest, check System Information in the camera web GUI for any match in version and build date.

And I've read about ways of restoring/resetting one via ftp and whatnot, if you brick it, but I'd really like to avoid that.

For R0 cameras, which is what they look like, easy enough to fix up.
See my sig below.

 

[nate32745894377]

Thanks for the feedback.
I'm not sure about accessing the camera directly--I don't have a POE switch, aside from the one built into the DVR, and I don't have an external power supply to plug into the power pigtail on the camera.
So I will have to work at accessing one of the cameras directly to get at their web gui.
But the Hikvision DVR identifies the camera as model number SWNHD-821CAM with firmware version 5.2.0 build 150825.
Does this help?
Is it worth trying to access one of the camera's web gui's directly??--will that give me any additional options/information?
Otherwise,would I just try first updating to IPC_R0_EN_STD_5.2.3_14102 on the page you linked to? (where do these firmware files come from? I see only a few firmwares listed on Hikvision's pages for the discontinued DS-2CD2132F-I and DS-2CD2132F-IWS cameras and those are different from what is shown on the R0 page you linked to)

 

[nate32745894377]

So I decided to just assume/hope that my cams are the DS-2CD2132-I cams.
I downloaded the available firmware for that cam from Hikvision's site (on page for discontinued cameras).
I successfully upgraded the firmware, one by one in order, from these firmwares listed on Hikvision's website (the only firmware files listed for the 2132-I cams).
ds-2xx2_5.3.0_151016
ds-2xx2_5.4.0_160530
ipc_2xx2_en_std_5.4.5_170123
So part of my issue is resolved now--the firmware on the cam is updated to the latest Hikvision.

So now my DS-7616NI-I2/16P Hikvision NVR has the latest Hikvision firmware installed--4.1.61_180818.
And my Swann NHD-C3MPCAM camera has the Hikvision 5.4.5_170123 installed.

But the whole reason I set out to upgrade the cam firmware in the first place was to hopefully get more/different options on the OSD settings for the camera.
In the NVR settings, my camera's "Adding method" was set to Plug-and-Play, and the Protocol was set to Hikvision.
With those settings, here is what I see under the OSD section for the camera:

OSD Settings - Hikvision

• nate32745894377
• Jan 15, 2019

As you can see, there aren't many options.
And in particular, the only two options I can select for Display Mode are "Non Transparent & Not Flashing" and "Non Transparent & Flashing."
And the OSD font size option is greyed out.
And I have seen in many other places/posts where it shows choices for font color and many other options, none of which are shown in my OSD settings section. I understand that different cameras will have more or less options depending on the price and whatnot.
But surely these 2132 model cameras support some display mode other than one of the two "flashing" options shown. And at least font size/color, surely?

I changed the Adding Method of the camera to Manual and changed the protocol to ONVIF.
Then added default username and pwd.
The camera connects fine but on the OSD settings, I see even fewer options:

OSD Settings - ONVIF

• nate32745894377
• Jan 15, 2019

Display Week is greyed out and Display Mode isn't even shown.

What am I missing here?
Why can I not see anymore options than this?
Is this a limitation of the NVR or the camera?
I thought that this NVR was supposed to be a better unit than the E or K units but it sure doesn't seem like it.
If I connected directly to the camera's GUI, would I see additional options, and if so, could I set them there and them show up? Or would the NVR settings override anything I set on the camera? (I don't really understand how that works)
I don't understand why screenshots of this same DVR and other similar dome cameras show options for font size, etc., in the OSD settings section of the NVR, but mine doesn't?
Sorry for so many questions, but thank you in advance for your help!

 

[Silas]

I just checked my 2332 devices and when you go through the NVR, it is limited, so I then went to the web based access and that has more options and those are the ones that appear

 

[nate32745894377]

Thank you, Sir.
I will have to figure out how to connect directly to each camera--hopefully I can do that with the cameras still plugged into the POE switch built into the NVR.
I've seen a few ways of going about that, from just enabling Virtual Host option and using IE browser, changing a PC's network config to use an IP on the same subnet as the cam IP's, etc.
One thing I'm curious about that I have read about in different places, is after you've have changed various settings and fine tuned things via each camera's web utility, if power is lost or something else happens that causes the NVR to reboot, is there a way to ensure that the NVR will come back up and find all of your cameras just like they were before the reboot?
I've read that after you tinker with settings on each individual camera, via the camera's web app, that if the NVR reboots or has a power loss, it won't find the cameras when it comes back up.
Any experience with this, or know if it's an issue?

 

[alastairstevenson]

So part of my issue is resolved now--the firmware on the cam is updated to the latest Hikvision.

That's a good result, well done.

So now my DS-7616NI-I2/16P Hikvision NVR has the latest Hikvision firmware installed--4.1.61_180818.

And another good result - thanks for sharing that it's possible.

I've seen a few ways of going about that, from just enabling Virtual Host option and using IE browser

Virtual Host works well.

 

[nate32745894377]

OK, and any issues with those changes made directly via the cam's interface not showing up in the footage, or not being retained if the DVR loses power, or the NVR not finding the cams after a power failure (if you have changed settings directly via the camera's web interface)?

 

[alastairstevenson]

I've not see any configuration anomalies with either route to manage camera configurations.
But on the other hand - NVR uptimes are currently about 9 months, power failures are rare.

 

[nate32745894377]

Thanks, and I'll have mine plugged into a UPS so hopefully no issues.

One last thing, if I may--you seem very knowledgeable.
Right now, with latest NVR firmware and cam firmware, when I set the time format to 12 hour in the OSD settings (from the NVR), when it is midnight-anything, the time shown in the overlay uses an hour of 0 instead of 12.
So if it's 12:15:00 AM, the overlay text will have 00:15:00 AM, instead of 12:15:00 AM.
Have you noticed this?
It seems to be a bug in the firmware but I suppose Hikvision would argue it's subjective.
In my mind, it is completely objective--there is no such hour as zero in 12 hour time format; the valid hours are 1 through 12 in 12 hour time format.
This really bugs me. I don't understand why non-US manufacturers always seem to mess things like this up. Very frustrating.
Thoughts?

 

[alastairstevenson]

So if it's 12:15:00 AM, the overlay text will have 00:15:00 AM, instead of 12:15:00 AM.
Have you noticed this?

This is not something I've noticed - presumably as I have OSDs set to 24 hours.

This really bugs me. I don't understand why non-US manufacturers always seem to mess things like this up. Very frustrating.
Thoughts?

Pass! Maybe a bit below my bug threshold.

 

[nate32745894377]

Thanks--appreciate all of your help!

Yes, I assume I'm the only human being on the planet that wants to see 9:24 PM instead of 21:24, etc.
The should just not even give you the option--just force everyone to use 24 hour time, if that's all that you're capable of getting right.
Definitely will never purchase anything Hikvision, or similar, again.
It is definitely worth saving my money for years if necessary, and getting quality products--ones where they have enough intelligence to code something like 12 hour time format correctly.

 

[nate32745894377]

Just thought I would post an update for this.

TL;DR-->Go to (***THE QUESTION***)

Even after connecting directly to the CD2132 camera's web interface, I still see only two options for Display Mode in the OSD Settings: Not transparent and not flashing, Not transparent and flashing.
This is so laughable.
Even when I directly connect to one of my other (identical, hardware-wise) CD2132 cameras that has the original Swann firmware from 2015 on it, I see the exact same options as with direct connect to the CD2132 with latest/greatest Hikvision firmware.
Yes, there are two additional OSD options (font size and font color) that I can set by directly connecting that aren't available in the NVR settings, but this is still laughable.
Not sure why the two display options aren't simply "Flashing" and "Not Flashing."
If both of my only two options are non-transparent, then what's the difference?
Might as well be "Invisible bananas and flashing" and "Invisible bananas and not flashing."

So $500 for the bare metal DS-7616NI-I2/16P NVR, plus $400 for hard drives for it.
And at the time, these cameras were about $250 each.
And for that, I get TWO options for how I want ALL of the text in my surveillance footage to look?
It would be one thing if the slim set of options they gave you actually worked, but they don't.
"12 hour time format" does not work-->I live in the US. I think in terms of 12 hour time format--AM and PM--9:15 PM, not 21:15. When it's half past midnight, we say, and write, that it's TWELVE thirty AM, not ZERO thirty AM.
"Display mode" option does not work-->Oh, the flashing part works--it will flash or not flash, depending on your setting. But the text that is flashing is not colored correctly. It is supposed to be self-adaptive and automatically set the characters to black or white to make them more readable. It just plain doesn't work. You will see alternating letter colors for a block of text whose characters are all in front of the same background. Their algorithm that decides character color based on contrast and whatnot does not work. All this option does is spot your text up like a zebra and makes it much more difficult to read the OSD text.
The list goes on...

There are hundreds of options in the NVR and camera settings, most of which no one will ever see, need, or want.
But let's make sure that the handful of actually useful ones, ones that affect how we view and review every second of our security footage, doesn't actually work.
Great job, Hikvision.

I'm just curious, are ALL Hikvision products this limited, or do you just have to spend thousands of dollars to get their "higher end" equipment?
From what I researched, I thought this DS-7616NI-I2/16P I-model NVR was supposed to be one of their better quality devices. No?
Very frustrating.
I wish I knew what I was getting into before I ever bought this Hikvision garbage.

(***THE QUESTION***) Are there any Hikvision NVR's/cameras where the OSD settings actually work correctly? Or for that matter, any Chinese-made equipment where it actually works correctly? I'm guessing Dahua, etc., are all going to have the same issues?

 

[fenderman]

Just thought I would post an update for this.

TL;DR-->Go to (***THE QUESTION***)

Even after connecting directly to the CD2132 camera's web interface, I still see only two options for Display Mode in the OSD Settings: Not transparent and not flashing, Not transparent and flashing.
This is so laughable.
Even when I directly connect to one of my other (identical, hardware-wise) CD2132 cameras that has the original Swann firmware from 2015 on it, I see the exact same options as with direct connect to the CD2132 with latest/greatest Hikvision firmware.
Yes, there are two additional OSD options (font size and font color) that I can set by directly connecting that aren't available in the NVR settings, but this is still laughable.
Not sure why the two display options aren't simply "Flashing" and "Not Flashing."
If both of my only two options are non-transparent, then what's the difference?
Might as well be "Invisible bananas and flashing" and "Invisible bananas and not flashing."

So $500 for the bare metal DS-7616NI-I2/16P NVR, plus $400 for hard drives for it.
And at the time, these cameras were about $250 each.
And for that, I get TWO options for how I want ALL of the text in my surveillance footage to look?
It would be one thing if the slim set of options they gave you actually worked, but they don't.
"12 hour time format" does not work-->I live in the US. I think in terms of 12 hour time format--AM and PM--9:15 PM, not 21:15. When it's half past midnight, we say, and write, that it's TWELVE thirty AM, not ZERO thirty AM.
"Display mode" option does not work-->Oh, the flashing part works--it will flash or not flash, depending on your setting. But the text that is flashing is not colored correctly. It is supposed to be self-adaptive and automatically set the characters to black or white to make them more readable. It just plain doesn't work. You will see alternating letter colors for a block of text whose characters are all in front of the same background. Their algorithm that decides character color based on contrast and whatnot does not work. All this option does is spot your text up like a zebra and makes it much more difficult to read the OSD text.
The list goes on...

There are hundreds of options in the NVR and camera settings, most of which no one will ever see, need, or want.
But let's make sure that the handful of actually useful ones, ones that affect how we view and review every second of our security footage, doesn't actually work.
Great job, Hikvision.

I'm just curious, are ALL Hikvision products this limited, or do you just have to spend thousands of dollars to get their "higher end" equipment?
From what I researched, I thought this DS-7616NI-I2/16P I-model NVR was supposed to be one of their better quality devices. No?
Very frustrating.
I wish I knew what I was getting into before I ever bought this Hikvision garbage.

(***THE QUESTION***) Are there any Hikvision NVR's/cameras where the OSD settings actually work correctly? Or for that matter, any Chinese-made equipment where it actually works correctly? I'm guessing Dahua, etc., are all going to have the same issues?

You dont understand. The Chinese dont cater to Americans with OCD. You are way overthinking the timestamp. Just pick a place for it and forget it.
Your assumption that higher end cameras will allow for more customization of the timestamp is incorrect. Professionals arent picky about the color of the timestamp.
Dahua cameras will display 12:00:00 AM. You can live with 00:00:00, I promise youll be fine. You overpaid for the cameras - even back then. They were 100-175max.
As far as any hikvision/dahua nvr is concerned, they all suck. Look for a software based vms like blue iris.

 

[nate32745894377]

Well I was guessing on the cam price.
When you mentioned how cheap they should have been, I got even more angry.
Then I went back to track down my original purchase at B&H back in 2015.
It was two identical Swann kits at $1100 each, where each kit had 8-channel NVR, 2TB HDD, and 8 of the "2132" dome cams.
So actually it was more like $100ish dollars for each cam?
Still, in my opinion, these cams are not even worth $50.
And I way overpaid.
They are just overpriced garbage, just like every other piece of....(cough)...electronic equipment we can purchase.

Anyway, point taken.
Regarding Hikvision and Dahua units all sucking--copy that.
I've learned my lesson.

And it doesn't seem like OCD to me.
I don't care about the font color--I don't want red, green, whatever.
I was just trying to find a way to make the text readable and predictable. And having a black "4" over a really dark area makes it difficult to see the 4, and it's because their algorithms that determine the color suck.
How about just giving me an option that isn't useless, like "black text on white bg" or "white text on black bg?"
Anything like that would be acceptable, if IT WORKS CORRECTLY--it's predictable and will always be readable, regardless if it's night/day.
But instead all we're given is the poorly implemented flashing or not flashing option--those are just stupid. If they worked, fine. But they don't work.
The real issue I have is that 12 time format is called 12 hour for a reason--there are TWELVE HOURS, not thirteen. The valid hours are 1 through 12, period. It is not open to interpretation.
But if you provide an option, it should work CORRECTLY.
Showing 00:15 AM instead of 12:15 AM is just plain wrong.
So instead of you just saying their crap is buggy, you say I have OCD? Nice.
Their implementation is wrong. It's a fact. It is not open to interpretation.
At best, what they actually have implemented is "Chinese interpreted 12 hour time format."
It might be mostly correct, but that's not the same thing as correct, now is it?
If you can't make it work correctly, then just don't offer it--offer whatever lesser/crappier options you are actually capable of implementing correctly.

Just sayin'.

 

[Silas]

Whilst I hear what you say, I have to point out that it could be that Swann have made some options to not be available to allow them to work 100% with the Swann NVR, and no amount of patching or flashing will suddenly allow 'hidden' options to appear, I remember 20-25 years ago Compaq (HP) used to do similar things to hardware, mainly hard drives, what appeared to be standard specked drives would fail or perform poorly when installed in non Compaq (HP) machines...

Hikvision (or whoever the actual manufacturers are) provide product to a VERY large number of suppliers, who in turn re-badge and/or modify to sell you the items they claim are special to them.... And having dealt with the Swann devices (in fact still dealing with them ) it has the same feeling.

I have two units that I bought at the beginning of my descent into CCTV and although I am able to flash them as english Hikvision units without issue, I can not ignore that my lack of success of feature xyz may be down to this.