Hik-Connect New System Questions

[nathanb]

Hi,

My kit finally arrived and I have the system installed and been playing around with it for past few days. Mostly impressed, and I'm glad I went for the ColorVu cameras. The nighttime image is great, compared to IR black & white for residential property.

Anyways I've figured most things but have some questions. Any help/recommendation/resources would be appreciated.

Thanks

DS-7608NI-I2 + ColorVu (plug and play install)

1. Any guides or recommendations for encoding parameters? Video quality: higher vs highest? What frame rate should be minimum? Currently running full frame rate which to me is excessive. Have a good size disk. Waiting to see how many days this will give me. What max bitrate to use? Is it autoset? Half the cameras have one value, the other half a second value?
2. What is the Picture menu in the nvr used for? Same question for Application menu?
3. Does above nvr support motion detection highlighting in the playback timeline? I was always impressed with an old system I used before, which would analyse the footage and overlay a graph to show lengths of the playbook footage where activity was occurring. Does this nvr support anything similar? If so, how is it viewable, in the nvr web browser, or using ivms4200 or only at the nvr locally?
4. Same question above, but this time instead of highlighting when playback footage has motion, can the nvr overlay when smart events were triggered?
5. I have HikConnect setup and working fine. Is it possible to disable smart events from being triggered with a single button from the app? i,e. not to stop app notifications but just to let the NVR know, I am now home, I don't need any intrusion detection till I leave again?
6. Would be great if 5 was possible and even better, with geolocation. So when the app detects I've left home it enables smart events
7. Finally, already getting lots of false alerts for intrusion detection, even with ROI defined and min object size drawn. I think spider webs is going to be an issue. What is best home solution? Spider repellent off ebay?

Take your pick and please help me get to my desired end system.

Thanks

 

[David]

@nathanb for spiders webs I use a feather duster when the cameras are dry. I have tried persistent spray on insecticides but they do not really work. All my external cameras are at 1.8m so are easily de-webbed.

 

[Kyle]

1. Any guides or recommendations for encoding parameters? Video quality: higher vs highest? What frame rate should be minimum? Currently running full frame rate which to me is excessive. Have a good size disk. Waiting to see how many days this will give me. What max bitrate to use? Is it autoset? Half the cameras have one value, the other half a second value?
2. What is the Picture menu in the nvr used for? Same question for Application menu?
3. Does above nvr support motion detection highlighting in the playback timeline? I was always impressed with an old system I used before, which would analyse the footage and overlay a graph to show lengths of the playbook footage where activity was occurring. Does this nvr support anything similar? If so, how is it viewable, in the nvr web browser, or using ivms4200 or only at the nvr locally?
4. Same question above, but this time instead of highlighting when playback footage has motion, can the nvr overlay when smart events were triggered?
5. I have HikConnect setup and working fine. Is it possible to disable smart events from being triggered with a single button from the app? i,e. not to stop app notifications but just to let the NVR know, I am now home, I don't need any intrusion detection till I leave again?
6. Would be great if 5 was possible and even better, with geolocation. So when the app detects I've left home it enables smart events
7. Finally, already getting lots of false alerts for intrusion detection, even with ROI defined and min object size drawn. I think spider webs is going to be an issue. What is best home solution? Spider repellent off ebay?

Hi @nathanb,

In answer to your questions:

1. For a minimum frame rate, 12-15fps is sufficient and will allow you to maintain a smoothness to your video while saving on bandwidth and memory.
   
   This guide explains how you can calculate the the storage time that your hard drive can offer, and how to maximise this - How do I use Western Digital’s Storage Calculator to identify how much storage space I’ll need for my CCTV system?
   
   On video quality - many chose to use the highest setting to get the best picture that the camera can deliver. However, this will increase the bandwidth used by the camera, so you need to make sure that you have the bandwidth budget on your NVR and network to support this.
   
   This section on Hikvision's YouTube video on video feel quality shows what the optimum max. bitrate to set for your camera is, depending on encoding version, resolution and frame rate. We always recommend using H.265+ encoding wherever possible, but it means that you cannot use smart events. Otherwise, H.265 is best.
   
   
2. The Picture menu lets you search for and captures of stills stored on your NVR. The Application menu only applies to specialist cameras, such as for Hikvision's people counting cameras, for the handling of the data that these cameras send to the NVR.
   
   
3. Yes, this guide shows where you can find event markers on the NVR's local playback menu - What is the Difference Between Normal, Smart, and Custom(Event) Playback when using a Monitor on a Hikvision NVR?
   
   This guide explains the situation here when viewing on a web browser - Is it Possible to get the same Functionality of a Hikvision NVR Accessed with a Direct Monitor when NOT Accessing with a Direct Monitor?
   
   
4. The Smart and Custom Playback options should help you here. Or, were you hoping to do something else?
   
   
5. Unfortunately not, the app only allows you to disable notifications sent out by the app. You need to log into the NVR in a web browser to disable the event entirely.
   
   
6. As above, the geolocation function would be a nice thing to do. At the moment, the access to NVR configuration that you have through the app is limited.
   
   
7. Cleaning the way @David suggests is best. SpiderEx spray is another common solution, but needs reapplying every so often.

 

[nathanb]

@nathanb for spiders webs I use a feather duster when the cameras are dry. I have tried persistent spray on insecticides but they do not really work. All my external cameras are at 1.8m so are easily de-webbed.

Thanks. I might just get a long pole for this purpose. How do you clean your cameras? They must accumulate grime over the period.

 

[nathanb]

Hi @nathanb,

In answer to your questions:

1. For a minimum frame rate, 12-15fps is sufficient and will allow you to maintain a smoothness to your video while saving on bandwidth and memory.
   
   This guide explains how you can calculate the the storage time that your hard drive can offer, and how to maximise this - How do I use Western Digital’s Storage Calculator to identify how much storage space I’ll need for my CCTV system?
   
   On video quality - many chose to use the highest setting to get the best picture that the camera can deliver. However, this will increase the bandwidth used by the camera, so you need to make sure that you have the bandwidth budget on your NVR and network to support this.
   
   This section on Hikvision's YouTube video on video feel quality shows what the optimum max. bitrate to set for your camera is, depending on encoding version, resolution and frame rate. We always recommend using H.265+ encoding wherever possible, but it means that you cannot use smart events. Otherwise, H.265 is best.
   
   
2. The Picture menu lets you search for and captures of stills stored on your NVR. The Application menu only applies to specialist cameras, such as for Hikvision's people counting cameras, for the handling of the data that these cameras send to the NVR.
   
   
3. Yes, this guide shows where you can find event markers on the NVR's local playback menu - What is the Difference Between Normal, Smart, and Custom(Event) Playback when using a Monitor on a Hikvision NVR?
   
   This guide explains the situation here when viewing on a web browser - Is it Possible to get the same Functionality of a Hikvision NVR Accessed with a Direct Monitor when NOT Accessing with a Direct Monitor?
   
   
4. The Smart and Custom Playback options should help you here. Or, were you hoping to do something else?
   
   
5. Unfortunately not, the app only allows you to disable notifications sent out by the app. You need to log into the NVR in a web browser to disable the event entirely.
   
   
6. As above, the geolocation function would be a nice thing to do. At the moment, the access to NVR configuration that you have through the app is limited.
   
   
7. Cleaning the way @David suggests is best. SpiderEx spray is another common solution, but needs reapplying every so often.

Thanks for the detailed response. I'm learning so much!

I am slightly confused when you and the HikVision video you linked refers to these configurable parameters. Are these referring to live view encoding parameters, or those used for storage/playback? i.e. If I set the channel to 15fps + 4mbps bitrate, is this what will be used for encoding/storage or for both live view and storage. On previous systems, you have two clear profiles, one for viewing and one for recording.

Currently the encoding is set to H.265. I was going to try H.265+ but I had not realised that this removes the smart events capability. Why is that out-of-curiosity?

Ah I see. When are the stills from pictures stored? From smart events etc? Is it only certain features that will dump images here? e.g. line detection?

I see. Basically yes the functionality exists for smart event overlay on the timeline, but is only available at the NVR itself. Right so I will need to run some extra cables to get this connected. Something to do on the weekend!

Some bonus questions:

1. I have intrusion detection enabled for all the cameras. I have drawn required regions and minimum sizes. However, I am still getting birds and cats causing lots of false alerts. Is intrusion detection the best bet to be alerted for someone on my property? Is line crossing better? I appreciate it is mostly trial and test, so will keep tweaking.
2. I am currently using HikConnect app. Just from a high-level, is this fully cloud based? i.e. do the clips the alerts send to my phone, get stored on Hik's servers or is the playback clip just streaming from my NVR?
3. Is it possible to administer the NVR remotely using HikConnect app or website? If not, I assume I need to open the ports on my router to access the Hik NVR server port
4. Finally, for single site, is the IVMS software worth the hassle? It was very slow on my oldish laptop so I didn't bother much and went back to the web browser. Is the software mainly designed for multi-site viewing?

 

[David]

Thanks. I might just get a long pole for this purpose. How do you clean your cameras? They must accumulate grime over the period.

@nathanb I usually clean the front of the camera mid autumn / spring. I use a warm soapy solution to gently clean the IR light / Lens part and use spectacle wipes to finish the lens off.

 

[David]

Thanks for the detailed response. I'm learning so much!

I am slightly confused when you and the HikVision video you linked refers to these configurable parameters. Are these referring to live view encoding parameters, or those used for storage/playback? i.e. If I set the channel to 15fps + 4mbps bitrate, is this what will be used for encoding/storage or for both live view and storage. On previous systems, you have two clear profiles, one for viewing and one for recording.

Currently the encoding is set to H.265. I was going to try H.265+ but I had not realised that this removes the smart events capability. Why is that out-of-curiosity?

Ah I see. When are the stills from pictures stored? From smart events etc? Is it only certain features that will dump images here? e.g. line detection?

I see. Basically yes the functionality exists for smart event overlay on the timeline, but is only available at the NVR itself. Right so I will need to run some extra cables to get this connected. Something to do on the weekend!

Some bonus questions:

1. I have intrusion detection enabled for all the cameras. I have drawn required regions and minimum sizes. However, I am still getting birds and cats causing lots of false alerts. Is intrusion detection the best bet to be alerted for someone on my property? Is line crossing better? I appreciate it is mostly trial and test, so will keep tweaking.
2. I am currently using HikConnect app. Just from a high-level, is this fully cloud based? i.e. do the clips the alerts send to my phone, get stored on Hik's servers or is the playback clip just streaming from my NVR?
3. Is it possible to administer the NVR remotely using HikConnect app or website? If not, I assume I need to open the ports on my router to access the Hik NVR server port
4. Finally, for single site, is the IVMS software worth the hassle? It was very slow on my oldish laptop so I didn't bother much and went back to the web browser. Is the software mainly designed for multi-site viewing?

@nathanb for intrusion detection my minimum area is larger than a cat / dog and I adjust the sensitivity / threshold settings. you will always get some false alarms. Its a matter of tweaking your setup over time. At the moment falling leaves are a problem but that will end in a few weeks.

 

[Kyle]

I am slightly confused when you and the HikVision video you linked refers to these configurable parameters. Are these referring to live view encoding parameters, or those used for storage/playback? i.e. If I set the channel to 15fps + 4mbps bitrate, is this what will be used for encoding/storage or for both live view and storage. On previous systems, you have two clear profiles, one for viewing and one for recording.

You still have these two profiles - the 'Main Stream' s used for storage playback, while the 'Substream' is for the live viewing/streaming. When you log into the video settings for a camera, you should have to option to a select either stream and adjust the parameters as you need.

Currently the encoding is set to H.265. I was going to try H.265+ but I had not realised that this removes the smart events capability. Why is that out-of-curiosity?

The VCA all happens at the camera end. Being the most advanced CODEC, H.265+ uses much more of the camera's processing capabilities than the other options do, meaning some of the features need to be disabled. There's a more detailed explanation in this post - Face Detection missing.

When are the stills from pictures stored? From smart events etc? Is it only certain features that will dump images here? e.g. line detection?

Yes, only stills that you set up to be stored (such as on event triggers or a timed capture schedule), will be viewable here.

Some bonus questions:

1. I have intrusion detection enabled for all the cameras. I have drawn required regions and minimum sizes. However, I am still getting birds and cats causing lots of false alerts. Is intrusion detection the best bet to be alerted for someone on my property? Is line crossing better? I appreciate it is mostly trial and test, so will keep tweaking.
2. I am currently using HikConnect app. Just from a high-level, is this fully cloud based? i.e. do the clips the alerts send to my phone, get stored on Hik's servers or is the playback clip just streaming from my NVR?
3. Is it possible to administer the NVR remotely using HikConnect app or website? If not, I assume I need to open the ports on my router to access the Hik NVR server port
4. Finally, for single site, is the IVMS software worth the hassle? It was very slow on my oldish laptop so I didn't bother much and went back to the web browser. Is the software mainly designed for multi-site viewing?

1. The optimum smart event to use can vary with each scene, but it is usually either intrusion detection or line crossing. False alerts have always been an issue with VCA in general, which is why the AcuSense range was introduced, which uses hardware that focuses on filtering out these false positives. The key things to tweak that will help are the sensitivity and threshold levels, as @David says.
   
   
2. It isn't fully cloud based, but nothing is stored on Hikvision's servers. The encrypted footage is sent sent from your NVR to HIkvision's servers, and then to the app, where they are unencrypted again.
   
   
3. Not through the app, but you're right - to do so through the web browser interface, you would need to open the relevant port on your router.
   You can also use iVMS-4200 to access the NVR without opening ports, as per the steps in post #35 here - Hik-Connect Could P2P Setup on iVMS-4200.
   
   
4. Probably not in your case, you don't have any less access to config on a web browser than you do in the VMS. Many use only the web browser view and Hik-Connect for remote viewing - it's a case of what works best for you. The key benefit of the software is the ability to view multiple different sites in once place, as you mention.

Hope that all helps!

 

[nathanb]

@nathanb for intrusion detection my minimum area is larger than a cat / dog and I adjust the sensitivity / threshold settings. you will always get some false alarms. Its a matter of tweaking your setup over time. At the moment falling leaves are a problem but that will end in a few weeks.

Lens wipes are a good shout.

I have not yet played with sensitivity for intrusion detection, but perhaps I will try this next. The min. size boxes are larger than the animals being picked up.

 

[nathanb]

You still have these two profiles - the 'Main Stream' s used for storage playback, while the 'Substream' is for the live viewing/streaming. When you log into the video settings for a camera, you should have to option to a select either stream and adjust the parameters as you need.


The VCA all happens at the camera end. Being the most advanced CODEC, H.265+ uses much more of the camera's processing capabilities than the other options do, meaning some of the features need to be disabled. There's a more detailed explanation in this post - Face Detection missing.


Yes, only stills that you set up to be stored (such as on event triggers or a timed capture schedule), will be viewable here.

1. The optimum smart event to use can vary with each scene, but it is usually either intrusion detection or line crossing. False alerts have always been an issue with VCA in general, which is why the AcuSense range was introduced, which uses hardware that focuses on filtering out these false positives. The key things to tweak that will help are the sensitivity and threshold levels, as @David says.
   
   
2. It isn't fully cloud based, but nothing is stored on Hikvision's servers. The encrypted footage is sent sent from your NVR to HIkvision's servers, and then to the app, where they are unencrypted again.
   
   
3. Not through the app, but you're right - to do so through the web browser interface, you would need to open the relevant port on your router.
   You can also use iVMS-4200 to access the NVR without opening ports, as per the steps in post #35 here - Hik-Connect Could P2P Setup on iVMS-4200.
   
   
4. Probably not in your case, you don't have any less access to config on a web browser than you do in the VMS. Many use only the web browser view and Hik-Connect for remote viewing - it's a case of what works best for you. The key benefit of the software is the ability to view multiple different sites in once place, as you mention.

Hope that all helps!

"Main" and "Sub" for storage and playback respectively. Got it. As I used plug n play, I think a single option appears when changing this setting in the NVR config. Not at home at the moment to confirm exact word in on the NVR page but if need be I will log into the cameras and do it individually through the virtual bridge.

Form the link, I think intrusion detection should still be available with H.265+ but I will only look at using 265+ if storage becomes an issue.

Thanks, managed to remote administer the NVR using HikConnect account through ivms-4200. Will try more when I have time.

Re geolocation and disabling smart events, I did come across Stewart firing http requests to the NVR from an app here - Hik-Connect - Record from Hik Connect directly to Hikvision NVR. I do wonder if the NVR api exposes enable/disable for smart events. If it did, I could use the app used in that thread or write my own app to probably do the same.

I have one more question, but it's a specific issue/bug so will raise that in new post at a later time.

Think I am all set. Thanks for the help chaps

 

[Ijuj]

Hi All.
It's my first time in this forum.
Regarding question 3, what do the red and green colours mean around the motion. I see that they can change from red and green.

Thanks....

 

[Dan]

Hi @Ijuj

The colours you describe are part of what Hikvision call 'Rules' and basically, they just display event data on the cameras live stream & playback so for example with motion detection you will usually get either green boxes highlighting the object that is triggering motion detection or you will get a single green box around the whole object where ever it is in the scene which will go red when the object hit the set motion detection area. You should be able to disable rules in the local menu from a browser.

 

[Ijuj]

Hi @Ijuj

The colours you describe are part of what Hikvision call 'Rules' and basically, they just display event data on the cameras live stream & playback so for example with motion detection you will usually get either green boxes highlighting the object that is triggering motion detection or you will get a single green box around the whole object where ever it is in the scene which will go red when the object hit the set motion detection area. You should be able to disable rules in the local menu from a browser.

Hi.
Thanks for that info, very helpful. I’m using the Windows software as the browser isn’t very good at some things.
So, green box around a person means it’s seen the movement but hasn’t triggered and event, then when red it’s reached the settings I’ve setup and will be an event.
This will help setting it up to prevent false alarms with cats.