I have my H-series system from nellys and I'm anxious to get the cameras up. I'm taking TGM's advice and setting up a mobile viewing rig with my laptop and a POE power injector. The ports on the injector are marked "P+D/out" and "Data/In". I assume the IP camera gets plugged into the Out using the cat5 and the laptop gets plugged into the "in". Is this correct or do I have then backwards?

How do I view on my laptop what the camera is seeing? On pg 25 TGM says to "login and view". What website am I logging in to?

P+D Out is Power + Data Out which goes to the camera.

The Data In port will go to your laptop, or eventually a switch port on your network once you're at that point.

The website you login to is the default IP address of the camera.  You'll need to consult the manual or other info for the camera to see what that and the login credentials are.  Your laptop and the camera will also need to be on the same subnet if connected directly together, so you may need to manually configure an IP address on the laptop.

I've put up 11 hikvision cameras, that I bought over a period of months, all off of Amazon.  Most of which I paid less than $90 for.  I've had no issue.  I did put all of them in the network closet for 2-3 weeks and let them burn in to see if I would have any issues.  


Of course now that I've said that, every damn one of them is going to fail.

How do the Arlo cameras?

Luxriot vs Blue Iris vs I Spy

GrayMan and others... I am probably going to download and play with all three of these, but Lex Evo and iSpy are both free (unless I am reading it wrong), while BI is not, although it is reasonably priced.

What are you using, and why?

GrayMan in particular, I recall a post where you said you are running Lux.  I assume you've tried just about everything out there.  Why did you settle on Lux?

I am hoping to run this in a VM, I know that's not the best practice but I've got an i7 with 32GB RAM that I use for a few other VMs, nothing particularly resource hungry, and can commit quite a bit of real estate to a video monitoring VM.  

Thanks.

I had zero problems setting up the Nellys and B&H cameras but with the ones I got off amazon I had to change the default IP in my router and then connect to the SADP software and I had three different IP ranges and passwords. but I attribute that to the different vendors selling Chinese versions, that said I had no problem with the first two Amazon cameras I purchased, in hindsight I should have stuck with the better vendors.

I used the SADP and found the camera, but the subnets were not the same. I ran the cmd function to find my computers subnet and there isn't a subnet mask listed under "Ethernet adapter local area connection". There is one under "wireless lan adapter wireless network connection". I took this subnet mask from and changed the cameras subnet to that, but when I enter the cameras IP address in the browser it still won't load the page.

Odd I never had to do that with the SADP tool and some of the cameras had some really odd IP addresses.  With SADP, I just changed the camera IP address to the one I wanted to use on my Routers domain, logged in the camera and off I went.  

Is the software that comes with Hik cameras spyware?  I am completely paranoid, rightfully so, of installing software on any of my systems that comes from China.  Maybe it will discover my camera and do other cool stuff, but will it phone home to China like Hik's cameras do?  Or worse?

Thanks.

Ugh.  Thanks.  May set up a sacrificial system and put a packet sniffer on it and see where this software and camera are trying to send packets.  I've read things about best practices being to put IP cams on their own VLAN and restrict all outbound access at the firewall, using only the video server/client to monitor the cams from outside the network.  Seems like a good idea but now I'm curious.

Got a Hik DS-2CD2432F today.  English version, retail kit, came with a power adapter.

Took me an hour to connect.

Scared to install Chicom software, went with web browser setup.  Manual says 192.168.1.64 for camera.  Directly connected my laptop via ethernet, set my laptop to same subnet, tried to ping and connect via http -- no dice.  Both interfaces were up, electrically.

Googled, found various posts saying default IP is 192.168.0.64, tried it.  Nope.  Another post said 192.0.0.64, tried it, nope.

Manually added arp entries on my laptop for the MAC address listed on the back of the camera for all of the aforementioned addresses, nope.  

Factory reset camera several times, nope.  

Brought in a spare router, hoping the cam would get an address via DHCP.  Nope.  Told the router to add a static arp entry based on MAC on camera.  Nope.

Gave up and installed the SADP software, tried all of the aforementioned things again using the software (various addresses, direct connect vs connected through switch ports on router, DHCP on/off on router, etc).  No dice.

Fired up wireshark while directly connected to the cam.  Shortly after rebooting, the cam began telling the network it was 169.254.14.41, a reserved address for the souls of lost network devices.  Configured my laptop on same subnet, was able to connect via web browser.  Set address to 192.168.0.200, set password, saved.  Seems to be working, however I can't get wifi to work.  I don't plan on using it wirelessly, but it makes it easier for me to put it somewhere there will be motion and then test and admin it from my office while I evaluate various software.

Did not expect this to be a lab exercise ala Network Admin 101, based on all the reviews I've read!!!!!

Also, it wants me to download plug-ins to view the camera live in my browser.  Are these plug-ins legit, or more scary Chicom software?????  

I think I am going to leave it wired to my laptop directly and run wireshark for 24 hours to see who this camera tries to talk to on that big continent to the east.......

Not impressed so far!




ETA


Within minutes of being rebooted, this camera is attempting to communicate with a dialup host in Brazil, at least that's what it looks like at first glance.  More testing needed.  Camera began looking for 201.0.168.192:









Not sure what to make of this.  Camera is also doing a lot of IPV6 stuff.

The firmware that came with the camera is V5.3.0 build 151016

The version available on Hik's site is v5.3.0_150513.  

So the latest version is NOT available on Hik's site?

You'll need the web plug in.  For some reason if it's not installed you can't tweak the picture settings like brightness contrast etc.

Any chance that you're interpreting the IP address backwards?  I ask because if you flip it, it becomes 192.168.0.201

I initially thought the same thing, however 201 has never existed on my network, and 200 is what I have configured the camera to be.  So it wouldn't have seen 201 from the dhcp server (which is still has never managed to work with...) or anywhere else on my network.  Plus I'm not sure why wireshark would be listing an IP address in reverse, although I'm no jedi with that software.  

I'll have to look into it more and maybe keep a sniffer running for a few days while I use the camera to see what else happens, but as it stands now, I will be blocking ALL of my cameras at the firewall and putting them on their own VLAN such that they will be like islands in the sea.  I plan on running a server with either two NICs or one NIC and VLANs, either way, the cameras will only communicate with the server, on a separate network, and then I will communicate with the server on another network altogether.  I intend to keep these Chicom cameras completely isolated, initially for network performance reasons, and now because I don't trust whatever else may be going on (and again, have read elsewhere that people have had Chinese networking products directly communicating with hosts in China)

Makes me want to grab a day's worth of packets from my firewall's LAN interface to see what all the other made-in-China stuff I have bought over the years is doing on the network!!!

What protocol or port is being used with that IP?

The only time I've ever seen a backwards IP is with reverse DNS lookup.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_DNS_lookup

Interesting.  It was an mDNS query.  So good call.  That has to be what it was.  Still no idea where it was getting the .201 in the last octet, that host has never existed on my network.  Especially considering it was connected directly to my laptop at the time.

Well now, that would be a tricky thing for a Hacker to do...  

I have a samsung camera system with dvr. I have it set up so I can view it remotly, but how do I set up a cloud storage? I tried angelcam but to get in my DVR requires a username and password, the angelcam site only has a box to insert your password.

I am open to suggestions.

I recommend installing questionable software like this in a virtual machine.You may have to tweak the networking a bit so that the VM isn't on its own private subnet and so that it can sniff packets for camera discovery.

To all..... Any experience with Milestone?  Specifically the "Go" (free) home version?

I have tried zoneminder, motion, Blue Iris, Luxriot, iSpy, and the Hickvision iVMS software.  I just tried Milestone, and literally within 60 seconds of installing it, had motion capture events recording to my disk, testing playback, etc.  In addition, on my Core2Duo test system, it literally took zero CPU during motion events (I presume it is offloading to the camera but don't know for sure).  The bottom line for me at least is that Milestone was the most intuitive, easy to set up system I have tried thus far, and I'm thinking about sticking with it.

The Hik software was also fairly easy, however I never could get it to record motion events.  I realize a little googling will fix that, but everything else I've tried pales in comparison to Milestone, east-of-use-wise.

Comments welcome.

Its PRIME day - anyone spot any good camera deals?

I wound up with a 4 camera LaView system for $451 and change.  2MP bullet cameras and a 2TB HDD in the DVR.  Figured I'll probably have to add a camera or two eventually, but this sounded good for a starter kit.  Any known issues with these, or does this look GTG?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VN7UG9O/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If I add the camera IP's to the outbound list and block them on the firewall of my router, it will keep them off the internet or no?

MAC filtering would be a better idea, but I like being able to see my cameras on the road.  

Just don't want them to be able to get out. My damn router doesnt have mac filtering somehow.

As a general rule, assuming one is using a PC as an NVR, and that that PC is doing motion detection, are we better off with more cores or a faster clock?  IE, a ~4GHz i5 or a ~2.7GHz i7?  I know there are many variables here.  I mean as a general rule of thumb.  My CPU budget will allow a blazing quad core or a semi-fast hyperthreaded quad core.

Thanks.

I picked up one of the discounted Amcrest  IP2M-841B cameras. It's my first home IP cam. I'm not seeing a lot of reviews of it on-line. I think/suspect it might be a rebranded or knock off of FOSCAM. I've only played with it a little, but it seems to provide a decent picture and the night vision indoors isn't bad. (Again, I'm a newbie, so you should just ignore my subjective opinion.) The only downside so far is that the micro-SD card slot didn't want to take a card. I tried both ways (connectors up/down) and I thought I had it right, but now it seems to be stuck in the camera and isn't being recognized.

Looks like I need to look into getting a system set up.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1888774_.html&page=1&anc=60864547#i60864547

I've skimmed over the first couple of pages, but honestly the amount of info in this thread is really overwhelming.

I'm going to put up some motion lights in a couple of spots out back.  If I mount something like this
https://www.amazon.com/Amcrest-960H-8CH-Security-System/dp/B00YZF88B4/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1468607838&sr=1-4&keywords=amcrest+8+channel

and put the cameras close to/ behind the motion lights, how will the cameras react?  Just wondering if they go from dark to completely illuminated if it will mess with things.

I'm looking for something simple that I can install that won't break the bank.

Afternoon gents,

I've read thru most of this thread as of late and have visited this forum for several years.

I'm now much more versed in the cctv language and feel much better about setting up my own system.

I'm liking the features and price of the hikvisions or h series from Nellys.

I'd like to start with 4-5 cams on a hikvision nvr.

Are the new 4mp Hiks and improvement over their 3mp cams? I'd probably start off with 2-3 2.8m domes and 2-3 bullets.

I'd also like to split the feed to one or two spare 32" screens mounted in my home. Will hdmi splitters be all that is necessary? Of course, I'd also like to be able to access remotely via an ios based device(s), what will I need for that?

What size tb drive(s) would be suggested for this application growing to maybe 8 cams in the future?

I would also like to run at least two ir illuminators for front and back coverage with motion lights as well.

Lastly, is cat6 an improvement over 5? I'll be pulling wire as the home was constructed almost a decade ago.

Thank you for the help and all the information here.

Category 5 vs 6 is up to you.  Personally, I like the slightly larger conductors in Cat 6 for POE applications. However, Lowes stocks Cat 5 CMX indoor / outdoor cable which is pretty affordable, so that's what I went with.  I would suggest getting at least riser rated (CMR) cable for peace of mind if you plan to run through multiple levels of the house - the price difference is quite small for the proper rating.  Also avoid CCA cable (copper clad aluminum).  Yes it's cheaper, and yes, some companies claim that it meets all Cat 5 and/or 6 specs, but last I checked it doesn't.  It's also much more likely to break during installs, develop intermittent problems, and isn't as good of a conductor which is a concern with POE.

I don't have any 4 MP cameras yet, but almost everything I've seen indicates they are improved. I think they are worth the small premium they command.

Storage size depends on how long you want to have footage stored. I went with 3 TB drives in a NAS with mirroring.  Unfortunately, the cameras don't like a partition of over 225 GB or so when configured to write to a NAS with the English hacked firmware I have.  It's still a decent amount of video, especially once you have motion detection figured out. I'd probably start with a 3 or 4 TB drive. Most of their better NVR's will hold 2 drives, so you could add a second one if that doesn't cover your needs adequately.  WD purples seem to be heavily recommended.

Thanks for the info.

re-reading first page.
Thanks

Haven't gotten that far yet. Probably write to a hik nvr.

Forgot to ask if we have anyone here running the new 4mp Hiks?

I have three of the 4mp so far, one with motorized zoom and focus, the firmware on the latest one from Nellys is nicer than the other older 3mp cameras I have. I have a problem with them not saving changes where the new firmware is smooth as silk.

Great. From Nellys? I may end up with more cameras down the line. I can see 6-7. Would you recommend just going with the 16 channel instead of the 8? I'll probably add my own 4tb purple drives.