Night Owl cameras without the NVR?

[AndrewMRI]

So, I've got a broken Night Owl NVR-H5B-32 (stuck on Night Owl boot logo) and 16 cameras (CM-H54MPW-BU) at one of my offices. I want to keep using the cameras if possible, but Night Owl support, as you know, is completely useless and can't/won't give me any answers.

1. Technical support tells me the NVR is no longer available. They completely ignore my questions about whether my cameras are compatible with one of their new NVR and just copy pastes a generic "please contact sales to purchase a new one" message.
2. Sales says there isn't a standalone NVR available and can't tell me if I can use my cameras with another one of their own products, so they send me back to Tech.
3. I ask Tech Round 2 if I can access the cameras via web browser without the NVR if I connect them to a POE switch (i.e, I just want to run BlueIris/iSpy/ZoneMinder from the location's on-site server). They tell me it's impossible to access them via web browser (really?). I ask again if they have another NVR unit that I can use my existing cameras with or if I just throw thousands of dollars worth of working equipment in the garbage because one piece is broken. They tell me to check Amazon and Walmart (LOL???), and try to pass me to Sales again.

Enough with that.

I know I can pass an RTSP link from an NVR connected Night Owl camera into iSpy/ZoneMInder as I've already got that working at some other sites through some of the other very helpful posts here, but can I do the same when the camera is NOT connected to the NVR and just sitting on a POE switch instead? Can't seem to figure out which port and stream link to use for a direct connection. Actually, the other issue is I think the cameras are NOT taking DHCP from the server so I can't even try most of these

 

[TonyR]

Since there are so many unknown and variables, I'd try this:

• Install the Fing app on your smartphone.
• Get smartphone onto your LAN's Wi-Fi.
• If you have a POE switch, leave it UNpowered, plug a Ethernet cable into the cam and run it to the POE switch, run another Ethernet cable from the POE switch to a LAN port on your router; the intent is for the cam to obtain an IP via DHCP from your router. If you do NOT have a POE switch but you do have a 12VDC @ 1 amp supply and the cam has a pigtail with the female that accepts the 12VDC plug, then power the cam that way and run an Ethernet cable from the cam to your router (NEVER use a POE switch or injector AND the 12VDC supply at the same time); do NOT power up the adapter just yet.
• Download and install Blue Iris' demo on a Windows 8 or above PC.
• Insure the PC is on a LAN port on your router.
• Power up the cam, wait a full minute then launch the Fing app on your phone and scan your LAN, looking for the IP of the cam.
• Open Blue Iris, create a "new camera", put in that IP then let BI "Find/Inspect" for the cam.

FWIW, the manual here says the cams are ONVIF compatible, so even ODM should be able to get a URL for you if they support RTSP.

EDIT: If you get the first one going, the other 15 should be easy-peasy. Ultimately, you'll want to assign all 16 a unique, static IP address in the same subnet as your LAN but outside of your router's DHCP pool.

 

[AndrewMRI]

Thanks Tony,

Sorry, my first post ended up being more rant and less info than I intended, so I should clarify that I have already done the following:

• Removed the NVR
• Installed iSpy on a 2012 R2 app server (and ZoneMinder on a VM to test as I wanted to check it out as well)
• Connected a camera to the POE switch (DHCP is run from a second 2012 R2 server)

At this point, there is no sign of the camera in Advanced IP Scanner, ZoneMinder's camera detection setup, or ODM. I kind of have the feeling they may have somehow been set to static instead of DHCP (I inherited this system and can't confirm since the NVR is dead) so they aren't joining the LAN as expected.

 

[TonyR]

A reset of the cam might be in order. If there's no reset button on pigtail or no access door on bottom, I'd consider opening in a dry environment to look for one...you have nothing to lose, as of now they only make good doorstops or paperweights until they work as designed.

If warm when brought indoors I'd let them sit for at least 3-4 hours to stabilize temp before opening up to look. Re-assemble in the same environment (as mentioned above, should be as dry as possible.)

 

[xbened02]

Thanks Tony,

Sorry, my first post ended up being more rant and less info than I intended, so I should clarify that I have already done the following:

• Removed the NVR
• Installed iSpy on a 2012 R2 app server (and ZoneMinder on a VM to test as I wanted to check it out as well)
• Connected a camera to the POE switch (DHCP is run from a second 2012 R2 server)

At this point, there is no sign of the camera in Advanced IP Scanner, ZoneMinder's camera detection setup, or ODM. I kind of have the feeling they may have somehow been set to static instead of DHCP (I inherited this system and can't confirm since the NVR is dead) so they aren't joining the LAN as expected.

Hi.
Accorning to the manual for NVR-IH8 (newer version what i have) your cameras what you have should work with this nvr.

i also tried to use odm to locate camera ip adress with success. See the attachement.

After you know the ip adress it is easy to add them into ispy software.

have a nice day