Issue with one camera remote viewing

[Boggie]

Hi all,

Please excuse my newbie question but I have been tearing my hair out trying to resolve an issue for days....

I bought and installed two HIK EXIR Turret Cameras (DS-2CD2385FWD-I). They were bought at the same time, from a reputable UK dealer and they are UK versions. I activated and configured both cameras using the HIK SADP and iVMS-4200 software and imported them into a group and can see outputs from both cameras on my PC via LAN. I then scanned both QR codes into the HIK Connect Android app and when I am on the local network (via WiFi) I can see both cameras on the HIK connect app perfectly. However, as soon as I switch to mobile / cell network (i.e. a different network from the cameras, accessing the video via the internet), I lose one of the cameras.

I have checked the settings of both cameras and as far as I can see, they are both the same apart from firmware: The working camera is 5.5.8 and the problem camera is 5.6.3. What am I missing please?

Thanks!

 

[StewartM]

When you lose the connection to the camera is there a error message, a continuous spinning modal? When you switch your device to mobile data log out of the Hikconnect app, then close it down completely. Reload and log back in - Any difference?

 

[Boggie]

Hi Stewart, thanks for the reply. If I am on the same network as the cameras, both Cam1 and Cam2 playback fine on the HIK Connect Android App. As soon as I switch to another network, such as mobile data connection, the app says Cam1 is offline but Cam2 is fine. I tried logging out and back in, whilst on mobile connection but the result when I restarted the app and logged back in is the same; Cam1 offline, Cam2 working.

I have tried factory reset and reconfigured the camera, I have deleted and added the camera to the app many times (by QR, Manual and online device), exported the config from the "working" camera and tried to import this to camera that I cannot access outside of the network, but this fails. I have painstakingly been through each and every setting of both cameras in parallel and can see that they are setup exactly the same apart from the firmware: the older v5.5.8 camera is fine but the newer 5.6.3 camera is my problem but I cannot downgrade to see if this is the problem as the camera or software will not let me install an earlier version. I have even resorted to placing the camera in the DMZ of my router, just in case the router is blocking traffic but why would it do this for one and not the other. I am going around in circles and getting nowhere.

I am really regretting buying these HIK cameras. The hardware is well made and the image quality is very good but setup-wise they are awful. I have lost about 20 hours of my time so far trying to sort this one problem, hampered by the HIK unintuitive software, both mobile app and Windows desktop. I would really any appreciate help on this as I need security cameras I can rely upon and access remotely, after a number of break-ins over the last few weeks. I am very close to throwing them into the bin and getting a load of Ring cameras.

Thanks.

 

[Boggie]

Anyone else able to help please?

 

[JB1970]

Possibly some failure of UPnP in your router to successfully map the ports as by default both cameras on your network will use the same ports - Server 8000, http 80 and RTSP 554. I'd be inclined to setup a static IP address in each camera and modify the ports to suit. I'll use a standard UK Virgin Media setup as an example:

Camera 1 - IP 192.168.0.101, Subnet mask 255.255.255.0, Gateway 192.168.0.1, DNS 8.8.8.8. Http 2100, Server 2101, RTSP 2102
Camera 2 - IP 192.168.0.102, Subnet mask 255.255.255.0, Gateway 192.168.0.1, DNS 8.8.8.8. Http 2200, Server 2201, RTSP 2202

In the router map TCP port range 2100-2102 to 192.168.0.101 and 2200-2202 to 192.168.0.102

Add each camera in Hik Connect using the IP/Domain method using the external IP address and its server port number.

If you don't have a static IP address you may need to set up something like DYN DNS to update the ever changing external IP.

Depending on your router model if you can't see the cameras using the external IP address/domain while on your WiFi, you may need to add the cameras under devices a second time using their local LAN side IP addresses.

 

[JB1970]

One other thing. If you didn't configure the cameras before connecting them, then not only are they using the same ports, they'll both be using the same default IP address of 192.168.1.64 and no wonder you're having issues.

You say you bought the cameras from a reputable UK dealer. If they were any good they'd either be selling to trade only OR providing you with after sales support, free setup etc.

Hikvision make professional use products unlike Ring which are (trash) consumer products. They are designed to be installed professionally and while there's plenty of support around on forums like this, if you're installing them as an end user/consumer you should expect a certain amount of tinkering. They are certainly not awful to setup, you just need a little knowledge of networking as they're not consumer products.

The number of posts I see slating Hikvision, Hik Connect & IVMS apps on the App Store amuses me. Around 98 per cent of the posts originate from either someone who has set up their own system without the required knowledge or someone who's had their system installed by someone who's just left them to network it themselves. I've been installing for a lot of years and when installed and configured properly Hikvision is fairly bulletproof.

 

[Boggie]

Thanks so much, I will give your UPnP port suggestions a try but to note; if i turn one camera off, the other does not burst into life. They came from a UK dealer, bought via a fitter I know but he is now quite ill in hospital so I cannot ask him for assistance. I had switched off DCHP and assigned them to separate IPs within an IP range I dedicated to the cameras. I am with Plusnet, whose router is the same as BT. My contract provides me a static address too. Both cameras are accessible via local network but only one of them is accessible outside the home network. We have an illegal travellers' site in a field at the bottom of our road and crime in our quiet country area has coincidentally risen since their arrival. We have had 2 break-ins in the last few months and my family, particularly my youngest daughter, have been badly affected so I need to get the alerts and ring Police when whoever it is tries again. I will let you know how I get on with you suggested settings.

 

[Boggie]

I tried all of the suggestions above but still had no access remotely. However, the resolution turned out to be far far simpler. I found an excellent YouTube tutorial by "How To" that helped me find the root of this issue. Just incase anyone else has this problem, here is what I found out.

Accessing the device configuration page by entering the camera IP into Internet Explorer, I gained access to far more settings than are available through the HIK configuration and setup applications (SADP and iVMS). Comparing the two camera advanced network settings it turned out that firmware 5.5.80 has Platform Access enabled by default, but the latest firmware 5.6.3 (running on the camera I could not view remotely) has Platform Access disabled by default. The simple act of clicking the "Enable" check box and saving the configuration has resulted in remote access.

Cheers!

 

[JB1970]

Glad you got it sorted. Didn’t suggest the fix that you finally found as it was assumed you already had that set up from your initial post

I have painstakingly been through each and every setting of both cameras in parallel and can see that they are setup exactly the same apart from the firmware:

 

[macman]

Glad you found it. Are you saying that your camera doesn't have an Advanced Network settings tab in iVMS-4200?