remote recording using PC-NVR

[Ollie]

Hi,
I'm trying to use PC-NVR of smart pss for recording my cameras stream.
The smart pss and PC-NVR located on local pc and my xvr(nvr) located remotly at my store.
Currently, i added all devices using their S/N - Dahua P2P and i can indeed watch a live view and get events alerts.
I created a PC-NVR with my local ip and port 37777 (ip and port are determined by the smart pss).
When i try to select a channel for recording, i see no channels.
I believe that the PC-NVR look for local devices, hence doesn't shown any.
Is that right?
Can pc-nvr woks with P2P connection?

Second, i wonder whether a vpn connection (as opposite to P2P) will show my remoted camera as they are local.
By that i will be able to see the camera channels and i will be able to finally record them.

 

[tigerwillow1]

This is a very unscientific and possibly unfair report. I tried PC-NVR a few years ago. After giving up getting it to work in a way I considered useful I uninstalled it. If somebody has a better report, consider mine to be user error.

 

[bigredfish]

I second that experience

Love SmartPSS for a viewer/playback and downloading clips, not so much as a VMS

 

[wittaj]

I will third it LOL. I could never get it to work properly/quickly or to my satisfaction and seemed to need more horsepower than BI to operate as a VMS. Either get an NVR or go with BI.

 

[Ollie]

I just wanted to be sure, before changing my modem-router (for the benefit of one with a vpn built in server) - to be sure, whether moving to vpn will let me connect and record the stream if the remoted device.
Any recomendation for a very basic router (even modem only), which has a built-in vpn server?
(Bitrate 100-300bps is also okay. Must be DSL).

 

[flint350]

While I also use SmartPSS extensively with my NVR 5208-16-4K, the one thing I don't like about it is having all cameras on its subnet (10.1.1.1 vs PC 192.168.1). This limits easy direct access to each camera for configuration. It can be done but is clunky IMO. The other day I wanted to evaluate Blue Iris as an alternative, but I would have to remove the cameras from the NVR first and change all of their IP addresses. I gave up.

 

[bigredfish]

You can add an external switch and bypass the NVR PoE ports and their isolated subnet. The NVR will accept both

 

[bigredfish]

Here's an example. This NVR (4208 8P) is running one camera off of an external switch, and 2 plugged into its PoE ports

NVR LAN port runs to the external switch as does the 192.168.1.x camera

 

[bigredfish]

And you know you can log into the Web UI of the NVR and from there click on each PoE connected camera (The Blue IE button in the image above) and reach it fine right?

 

[flint350]

Yes, I know, that is the clunky part I was referring to. Plus, while I like SmartPSS, it doesn't allow direct access to the E-PTZ features of 1 of my cameras which is one of the reasons I was thinking about BI. I also used to do the cameras-into-switch route and may well return to it. After I moved to my new home and re-established all my cameras, I just went straight to the NVR again and have lived with it for 2 years now. Old habits and all that...

 

[Ollie]

Here's an example. This NVR (4208 8P) is running one camera off of an external switch, and 2 plugged into its PoE ports

NVR LAN port runs to the external switch as does the 192.168.1.x camera

View attachment 154095

I also use an external switch devices, but then I loose all of the AI capabilities of my XVR.
I believe it is because I have an XVR and this is its limitation (XVR has COAX/AHD inputs, but can work with external switch devices).
I should have bought an NVR...

 

[bigredfish]

Yes, you only want an XVR if you have analog cameras. (HDCVI) though it can accept IP cameras also, but when you do you lose AI on the analog cameras.