SOLVED! Anyone else in my shoes, please read.
BTW, I like the idea of trying a switch (POE switch), I was using a 12V wall wart. Also, for anyone reading the this, this solution is only necessary if the
TFTP does not connect to the camera. For most people it does.
Here's my solution. Rather involved, but i'd like to help someone else repeat these steps if they need to.
To start, you need:
(a) the SADP tool (from hikvision.com)
(b) the TFTP tool (see elsewhere on forums)
(c) The right firmware (digicap.dav) for your camera. (What worked for me was the file that was 19,819,598 bytes)
(d) Enable telnet client in Windows (search online. It's just enable in Control Panel->Turn Windows Features On or Off.)
Steps:
(1) On laptop change the LAN adapter to 192.0.0.128. Disable wireless and firewall
(2) Plug in camera and use SADP to find it
(3) Use SADP to change camera IP to 192.0.0.64, but do not power down camera
Test that "ping 192.0.0.64" should now work
However, do NOT power cycle the camera, or it reverts to the other IP address that it seems to get stuck on
(4) From the TFTP directory (mine is on a USB stick, D: )
D:\TFTP> tftpserv.exe (and leave it running)
(6) Then telnet into the device:
D:\TFTP> telnet 192.0.0.64
(user: root password: 12345)
(7) Copy the digicap.dav file to the camera:
# tftp -r digicap.dav -g 192.0.0.128
(You should see connect/transmitting/completed text in the tftpserv window.)
(8) Then type "upgrade" (which is a command I found in the camera's bin\ directory):
# upgrade
(You should see the device upgrading)
(9) Reboot the device (while holding the reset button for 30 seconds if you have one)
(10) Rescan in SADP
VOILA! The camera should appear, still with 192.0.0.64 and have the correct device type!
(11) Change the camera's IP address to whatever you want
(12) Use IE or iVMS-4200 to set other camera configuration and verify the live feed works.
Lastly, change the laptop back to its normal settings (DHCP, enable firewall, enable wireless).
This whole process from start-to-finish took me 14 hours. If my time was worth money, I would've just bought new cameras! I really hope someone finds this useful.
