Connecting cameras to Hikvision NVR?

[Elvira]

Hi,
I have a Hikvision DS-7600 series NVR (8 x POE port) which is connected to our main router via LAN cable. I am trying to connect our cameras which currently run via our Wifi. The NVR will pick these cameras up automatically from our wifi as soon as we turn it on, we dont have to search for them or enter any settings, they just appear in the camera management and in live view.
Due to wanting to relocate these cameras to areas where our wifi doesnt reach, I am trying to connect them to the NVR via the POE ports. The cameras are ONVIF, not Hikvision, but they are POE and NVR compatable.
Despite knowing the IP address of these cameras, and all the settings that the NVR uses when on WiFi, as soon as I plug the POE cable in they loose the connection and wont reconnect by entering the settings manually.
I have reset these cameras and plugged them in as if they were new but they just cannot be seen by the NVR box unless they are running via our wifi. We also have another POE camera by a different manufacturer and this one works fine, when we loose the live view because of an IP address change then a simple search on the network in the NVR finds it and I can add it back in with its new settings, but these other cameras will not be picked up on any search, when connected directly to the NVR via POE or when on wifi.
It feels as if these cameras are blocked somehow but I dont understand how, or how to fix it.
Any advice that can be provided would be gratefully recieved - thank you!

 

[Dan]

Hi @Elvira

Hikvision NVRs do not support plug & play for 3rd-party ONVIF cameras or already activated Hikvision cameras, the P&P method only works for inactive Hikvision cameras.

For your ONVIF camera you will need to add it to your local network via a PoE switch/injector and then change the IP details of the camera, either using the camera manufacturer's IP utility or by logging in to the device with a browser.

You will need to change the camera to match the subnet range of the NVR, which is 192.168.254.1

You will need to set the gateway of the device to this address and then set the IP address of the device to an address on this IP range (e.g. 192.168.254.4 / 192.168.254.5 /192.168.254.8 / etc... --- has to be an address not used by any other directly connected camera)

Once the IP details are changed you can then unplug the camera from the PoE switch and reconnect the camera to the PoE ports on the NVR, then you need to go to camera management and select the corresponding channel to the port you connected the camera to. (e.g. D1 is for port 1)

Once selected from the list you then need to click modify, this should bring up a box with the IP details for that channel, set the channel to manual instead of P&P and then enter the IP address, gateway address, and password of the camera and then click ok. (for the ONVIF camera you will also need to change the protocol from Hikvision to ONVIF)

After a minute or 2, the connection should be made, and you should be getting a live picture from the cameras.

 

[Elvira]

Hi @Elvira

Hikvision NVRs do not support plug & play for 3rd-party ONVIF cameras or already activated Hikvision cameras, the P&P method only works for inactive Hikvision cameras.

For your ONVIF camera you will need to add it to your local network via a PoE switch/injector and then change the IP details of the camera, either using the camera manufacturer's IP utility or by logging in to the device with a browser.

You will need to change the camera to match the subnet range of the NVR, which is 192.168.254.1

You will need to set the gateway of the device to this address and then set the IP address of the device to an address on this IP range (e.g. 192.168.254.4 / 192.168.254.5 /192.168.254.8 / etc... --- has to be an address not used by any other directly connected camera)

Once the IP details are changed you can then unplug the camera from the PoE switch and reconnect the camera to the PoE ports on the NVR, then you need to go to camera management and select the corresponding channel to the port you connected the camera to. (e.g. D1 is for port 1)

Once selected from the list you then need to click modify, this should bring up a box with the IP details for that channel, set the channel to manual instead of P&P and then enter the IP address, gateway address, and password of the camera and then click ok. (for the ONVIF camera you will also need to change the protocol from Hikvision to ONVIF)

After a minute or 2, the connection should be made, and you should be getting a live picture from the cameras.

Hi Dan,

Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time for that detailed reply, and secondly I have shocked myself that I think I almost understand what to do! (new to all this - can you tell?).

I have been trying to add them manually as I knew P&P wasnt going to work, but I have been using the IP address that is shown for them when attached to either the WiFi (192.168.1.88) or direct to the router (192.168.1.24) but I understand now that these might not be in the right range for the NVR box from what you have said.

I have accessed the cameras web browser interface before to change their IP addresses (we have 3 of them and they all default to 192.168.1.88 when first plugged in so I had a IP address conflict situation) so I think know how to do it, but will it be ok to change their IP addresses to the range of 192.168.254 etc that you have suggested, just by accessing the cameras interface while connected via our WiFi or direct to the router via LAN cable, rather than the additonal PoE switch/injector you mentioned?

Your help is much appreciated - thank you!

 

[Dan]

Yes, whichever way you access the camera should be fine for changing the IP address. When you do change it to a 192.168.254.xxx address the camera's browser access will disconnect/go offline because the camera is no longer on an IP range that is visible to the PC you are accessing it from. But once the new address is set you can move it to the PoE ports on the NVR. (you may want to leave the camera for a minute or 2 after changing the address as some camera models do reboot and if you unplug it to early the address change may not have completed)

 

[Elvira]

Dan, thank you so much for your guidance, I am delighted to say it worked! So relieved and you have no idea how much hair pulling out you have saved!
Thank you very much