MacOS HikVision on a Mac

[DataDave]

Hi Guys

I am very new to CCTV and got a 4 camera HikVision 5mp system installed with a DVR-508-K1 3TB hard drive. I know you can access the cameras with an iPhone via the app and a web browser using the IP address on a Windows Browser.

I am having a lot of trouble accessing the cameras via an IP address using all Browsers on a Mac. I have tried, Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Chrome with IE extension. I have also tried a download from the Hikvision site. No luck. I have installed the plugins, still no luck.

Surely someone has managed to view the web cams via a browser on a Mac? Please can someone help me?

Thanks

 

[Dan]

Hi @DataDave

You have landed on one of Hikvision's biggest issues currently, browser access for Mac. Over a year ago, Safari removed support for the NPAPI plugin that Hikvision used, this left no browsers on a Mac that supported Hikvision.

Late last year Hikvision introduced a plugin-free solution for PC users and that massively improved the usability of Chrome & Firefox with Hikvision, but this solution has done very little to improve the situation for Mac users and so there are still no browsers that function at all well for Mac users.

Some users have found partial ways around the issue by using extensions like IE tab on Chrome, using old browsers like SeaMonkey, and using Parallels software to view a PC desktop on a Mac. All these solutions have their advantages but also none of them work perfectly, as we recently reported in another forum thread the latest update from Hikvision is that they continue to try and develop a solution for Mac users but currently the best way you can access Hikvision on a mac is to use their iVMS-4200 software.

 

[DataDave]

Hi Dan

Thank you for your response. I have tried the browsers you mention below and experienced this same problem. I also dowloaded the iVMS-4200 software and also found the images did not display. Do I need to do anything else with the software. I would like to give it a go again on the iVMS-4200 software.

cheers

Hi @DataDave

You have landed on one of Hikvision's biggest issues currently, browser access for Mac. Over a year ago, Safari removed support for the NPAPI plugin that Hikvision used, this left no browsers on a Mac that supported Hikvision.

Late last year Hikvision introduced a plugin-free solution for PC users and that massively improved the usability of Chrome & Firefox with Hikvision, but this solution has done very little to improve the situation for Mac users and so there are still no browsers that function at all well for Mac users.

Some users have found partial ways around the issue by using extensions like IE tab on Chrome, using old browsers like SeaMonkey, and using Parallels software to view a PC desktop on a Mac. All these solutions have their advantages but also none of them work perfectly, as we recently reported in another forum thread the latest update from Hikvision is that they continue to try and develop a solution for Mac users but currently the best way you can access Hikvision on a mac is to use their iVMS-4200 software.

 

[macman]

@DataDave, I haven't found a way to do that natively but can recommend the Parallels Desktop solution mention by Dan.

You can also view RTSP live streams via VLC in MacOs, locally and remotely.

 

[DataDave]

I have it working using the iVMS-4200 software! Thanks!!!

 

[DataDave]

The iVMS software on a MacBook pro displays, then says video can't be displayed, then comes back. I have a solid internet connection. Any ideas?

 

[lars.l]

Just wanted to say I share the same experience. No working browser and I find the iVMS is very slow and unreliable (still nothing new now on this a year later?!). Incredibly surprising that such a famous(?) brand as Hikvision has such basic shortcomings. I run Paralells Desktop Windows as suggested by Dan above, which luckily works pretty well, but still feels a bit cumbersome. Let's hope the Hikvision team can get it together soon and fix these rather annoying issues My setup is a 2019 Macbook Pro and 3 Hikvision cams, no NVR. Cheers