Essential Guide On How To Setup A Hikvision DVR (Basic Configuration): Know The Most Effective Steps
About Hikvision DVR (Digital Video Recorder)
A Hikvision DVR is a piece of technology that transforms analog CCTV camera signals into digital ones. It also saves this data on its own hard disk. It also saves the data on its own hard disk drive. Moreover, the DVR sends a live video stream to other devices on the network. Most of the security cameras connect to the DVR input for proper surveillance. With so many DVR options, like Hikvision CCTV, users find it confusing to choose the best one.
One popular brand is Hikvision DVR. Most users worldwide use it. You must be among the users who have just purchased a Hikvision DVR but are unsure of what to do next this blog will guide you. All the proper procedures to have it effectively set up successfully will be outlined here as follows.
Setting up a Hikvision DVR for quick monitoring and basic recording is not such a daunting task. It usually takes about 10 minutes. After that, your cameras are installed and connected to the DVR. Let’s discuss the complete setup and configuration of your Hikvision DVR. This will let you use your surveillance system without issues. If you do not want to set up the Hikvision DVR, use Hikvision Dubai’s professional services.
Installation of DVR Hard Drive
You must install a hard disk drive (HDD) before setting up the DVR to record your cameras. You must install the HDD. Open the recorder and connect its power and data cables to their sockets. It is quite an easy procedure, and it does not require any technical knowledge or skills. When installing a hard disk drive, use a surveillance hard drive. The design allows it to work with recorders.
The Hikvision DVR Connections
Now, check whether you have installed and connected all your analog cameras to the DVR. You must also ensure that you are using quality coaxial cables and connectors. Also, check that the DVR is well connected to the network via the VGA or HDMI output. These are the minimum requirements to set up and operate your Hikvision DVR locally. We recommend using an HDMI cable since we no longer use the VGA track.
Setup Hikvision DVR
After connecting the cables and installing the hard disk drive, it’s now time to set up your Hikvision DVR. The configuration is done using a mouse to control a menu on the screen. Thus, ensure that you have a USB mouse connected to it.
Check And Verify the DVR Hard Drive
First of all, you need to check and verify whether the HDD is installed correctly. Once you find that the HDD is properly installed, you can proceed with the steps listed below:
- On the screen, click with the right button of the mouse and select “Menu.”
- Now, open the Hard Disk Drive configuration by clicking on the HDD button.
- As soon as you do this, you will notice that the HDD appears in the menu. Now, you need to format it to ensure that it is ready for footage recording.
- After that, choose the checkbox and click on “Init.”
- Clicking this option will display a message. It will inform you that all data will be erased from the hard disk drive.
- Next, you need to click on the “OK” option to proceed further.
- Now, the DVR formats the HDD, and everything is ready for recording.
Set The Date and Time On Hikvision DVR
Now, your Hikvision DVR is ready for recording. But, while recording, no one wants the wrong date and time. So, one must set them correctly to get the right ones. This is quite a simple process. To configure the time and date, you need to open the configuration menu. From there, select the correct date format and adjust the date and time correctly.
This will let your Hikvision DVR record all camera footage with the correct date and time. So, when something happens, you can search for the footage from the specified date.
Configure The Cameras
It is important to configure the cameras. This will ensure you are connected to the correct channel and have the best quality.
The Hikvision DVR allows you to set up each camera individually for:
- The information that is displayed on the screen.
- The technology that it is using, such as HD TV, HT CVI, AHD, CVBS, or IP.
- Image properties: Brightness, contrast, sharpness, color, design, saturation, hue and denoise.
- Motion Detection and PTZ Control.
- This blog covers only the essentials for setting up your Hikvision DVR to record footage. There are other options, but they are not mentioned here.
Procedure To Be Followed While Configuring Your Camera
First of all, open the camera menu
From there, you need to select the type of technology that your camera is using. The available options will be TVI, AHD, CVBS, or IP cameras as per your DVR model. For Samsung cameras, the default is AHD. For Hikvision cameras, it’s HD-TVI. For other low-res cameras, it’s CVBS.
You need to ensure which technology is being used by your camera, and then check the boxes.
Next, configure the on-screen display. It shows the date/time and camera name.
Then, for setup, select the cameras. Verify the info to display on the screen. Along with that, you should also change the camera’s name.
Then, go to the “Image” menu. There is the ability to set camera brightness, contrast, color, saturation, sharpening, and noise reduction. This will improve the image quality.
If you are using Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras, open the menu to set your parameters.
Finally, you can set up the camera’s motion detection from the “Motion” menu.
The Hikvision DVRs have the capability to analyze the image that is coming from the camera. This can check as well as detect if there are any movements in the scenario. Here, you can adjust where to detect motion. You can also change other settings, like sensitivity. You need these basic things to set up the Hikvision DVR. Then, you can start recording.
Recording Setup of Hikvision DVR
The recording setup of the Hikvision DVR is very simple. For that, you need to go through the steps described below:
- First of all, choose the camera and select how you want it recorded.
- Then, open the recording setup screen by clicking on the record button.
- After that, you need to choose the continuous or motion recording among other options.
Then, choose motions to have the video from the camera recorded only. This can also save you space on the hard drive.
You must set up the camera motion. Otherwise, the recording won’t capture it. If the camera is recording, you will know it as then an icon will be displayed on the screen. But if it is not, you can take help from experts for CCTV repair and CCTV maintenance.
Hikvision DVR Playback
If you set up your Hikvision DVR correctly, you can play the recorded videos. Because of that, the user needs to go to the screen and use the right button of the mouse to open the drop-down list containing the “Playback” button. At the playback menu, they can select the camera, date and time they wish to replay. Also, to this, you can see the colors that show the continuous or event recording.
Final Remark….
That’s all that you need for a Hikvision DVR setup. I hope this information is enough to configure and run the system. Contact Hikvision CCTV Installation Service. They can help with the complex remote setup to view the DVR online. Also, contact them if you have problems with the above procedure. They can help you and clear up any confusion.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can one connect a Hikvision DVR without Internet?
To connect a Hikvision DVR without the internet, directly connect the DVR to the check. One can do it by connecting a check to your CCTV DVR either through vga or HDMI cable. Next, learn how to set the options on the CCTV DVR. Following that, one has to setup the Wi-Fi router for the DVR if necessary. Then, open your PC then plug the Wi-Fi LAN cable to the DVR. Thereafter, check its settings and connect it to any Android phone.
2. Can one use a CCTV camera without a DVR?
DVR is generally used for analog CCTV cameras. The IP cameras can work alone, like the SD card security cameras. They can be standalone surveillance devices, without DVRs or NVRs. You can also connect an IP camera to your phone, laptop, computer, or TV to stream its live feed. In this system, you do not require an NVR or a DVR.
3. What is a DVR for CCTV?
A DVR or CCTV digital video recorder is a computer. It saves security video images to a hard drive. Most of the security cameras used nowadays capture an analog picture. Moreover, the DVR also converts the analog signal to digital and then compresses it.
4. Can IP cameras record to a DVR?
Generally, the DVRs are not compatible with IP cameras. But the IP cameras have their own IP address and web server. So it is easier to bypass the DVR completely. One can also use a smartphone, tablet, or computer to check and record the video from the camera.