HIK Vision 1 camera showing as offline?

[Chip]

Hi

I stumbled across this extremely informative site / forum whilst trying to sort an issue I have with my HIK system.

I have 9 cameras on my property; 4 are connected directly into the NVR & 5 (which are situated away from the house) by PoE. All have worked completely fine since they were installed a couple of years ago.

Recently, one of the PoE cameras (D4) has started showing as offline and I am unable to view it either via the HIK Connect app or via the NVR interface. The other 8 (including the other 4 PoEs) are still working without issue

Having spent hours trying to find a solution (to no avail) on the internet I came across this site. I’ve read through the various similar threads but I’m either doing something wrong or not grasping what is needed.

I attach a couple of pictures of the camera configuration and would be grateful if anyone could offer any words of advice. Although I am reasonably tech savvy with day to day stuff, I might need to be treated like a child with anything too in-depth!

Many, many thanks in advance

 

[Chip]

Superstar, thank you! I won’t be able to attempt this until I have someone who can help foot the ladders etc, but I’ll keep you posted.

Once it’s reset (hopefully it’ll work) how do I re-add it to my NVR / portal / app etc?

 

[Dan]

If the cameras are being plugged directly into the PoE ports on the NVR then they should be automatically activated and assigned the NVRs password/camera activation password.

 

[Chip]

The faulty camera in question (along with 4 others that are working fine) is plugged into an separate PoE switch in an outbuilding. So I’m guessing it’s a different process to re-add it?

 

[Dan]

If they are on a separate PoE switch then you will need to install the Hikvision SADP Tool to find the cameras on your local network and activate them using the below instructions:

How-to: - How do I activate my Hikvision device?

As a security measure, any device that is brand new or has been reset to its factory settings needs to be "activated" with a strong password before it can be used. Devices running old firmware may still be using the default Hikvision password of "12345". If this is the case for your device, you...

www.use-ip.co.uk

 

[Chip]

Thank you so much and thanks for being so patient with me! I will keep you updated with how I get on.

 

[Chip]

Ok… after a few technical issues, here’s an update

I manage to reset the camera - pressed and held the reset button whilst connecting power etc. The camera clicked and the IR lights flashed (which I believe means it has reset)

However, having downloaded the SADP tool (and being connected to the local network) I cannot see any devices at all (including the working ones)

I have tried multiple different laptops which run different operating software. I have tried turning off the antivirus software and have also uninstalled and reinstalled it several times, but to no avail…. Any suggestions? I suspect I’m doing something wrong (clearly) but can’t figure out what!

Cheers

 

[Dan]

Hi @Chip

The PC/Laptop you are running SADP on, is that hard-wired to the local network (e.g. plugged into the router or a switch on the network) or are you connected via WiFi?

 

[Chip]

Ahh via wifi. Should I be connecting via an Ethernet cable?

 

[Dan]

Yes, an Ethernet-connected device is best for scanning with SADP because when connected with WiFi the laptop is not exactly on the same IP range as the hard-wired cameras.

 

[Chip]

I've tried connecting to the router / network via ethernet and I'm still getting a blank SADP....

 

[Chip]

Yes, an Ethernet-connected device is best for scanning with SADP because when connected with WiFi the laptop is not exactly on the same IP range as the hard-wired cameras.

As that’s still not working for me, Dan, is there anything else I can / should try?

 

[Dan]

Hi @Chip

Apologies for the slow response but I'm really struggling to understand what is going on with your network.

Are you able to post a sketch of your system layout? It is helpful for us to have a visual guide of exactly how all the devices on your network/in your system are connected to each other because there may be some elements of your layout that you have not even thought to mention that might be the cause of the problem. (please include switches, the router, and any other network hardware)

 

[Chip]

Hi Dan

I come bearing good news!! I’ve spent the last 4 hours trying and retrying to get this sorted. I’m still not entirely sure how I did it (I managed to find the cameras and the inactive one after connecting my laptop directly into a random port on the remote PoE switch, rather than the router) but after a lot of shouting and swearing all cameras are now working.

I can’t thank you enough for your help and patience!

I don’t want to push my luck but I’m guessing I now need to update the firmware on the cameras now? Dare I ask how I do that?

 

[Dan]

Hi @Chip

Good to hear you've figured it out, I did think it was going to have something to do with your network layout/configuration.

The below forum thread explains how to update the firmware of Hikvision devices:

How-to: - How do I update the firmware on my Hikvision camera or NVR?

It is vital that you keep the firmware of your Hikvision devices up-to-date, which means installing the newest version as soon as it becomes available. The best and easiest way to do this is to use the device’s web browser interface. The below steps will show you where to find the newest...

www.use-ip.co.uk

 

[Chip]

Thanks, Dan. I saw that but didn’t know if, like the NVR, I should update in a particular order rather than jump to the latest version

 

[Dan]

Which firmware versions are you currently running?

 

[Chip]

Hi Dan

These are the versions they're currently running (on models DS-2CD2623G0-IZS & DS-2CD2355FWD-I)

Firmware Version V5.5.82 build 181211
Encoding Version V7.3 build 181121
Web Version V4.0.1 build 181019
Plugin Version V3.0.6.46

Since updating the NVR I've been having issues with viewing the cameras via the app. They all appear OK at first (although they're clunky and not synced / timed properly, ie you'll see a car pass on one but has yet to appear on another which it would've passed first), but after a short while they each take it turn to randomly say "network is unstable connecting again". Some then do reconnect and show the live view, a few say "failed to play video" and others appear with the play symbol which once clicked starts the live view again. Then the whole cycle starts again of stopping and starting so you can never have the app open and see them all working properly at the same time. Like I say, this has only occurred since the NVR update.

Thanks again

 

[Dan]

Hi @Chip

The latest firmware for your cameras can be found here at the Hikvision Download Portal

You are 7 versions behind so we would probably recommend updating to the below versions one at a time:

V5.5.83 190221
V5.6.1 190604
V5.6.5 200316
V5.6.6 210625

 

[Chip]

Many thanks, Dan! I've managed to update the PoE cameras but am struggling with the ones directly connected to the NVR. When I try to configure the NVR to enable Virtual Host I get the attached error message (parameter error) when trying to save the changes

 

[Dan]

Hi @Chip

Can you try logging into the NVR using Internet Explorer instead of Chrome and then try enabling the Virtual Host setting? The K-series NVRs don't offer full support for modern browser access.