ak_camguy

Yes. I have my cameras all running hik firmware that I purchased from costco.

Thanks Max. I haven't read up on the bugs in the new software to see if its going to cause an issue for me or not. I will wait until I receive the cams and go from there. Thanks for the feedback.

Something you guys are doing must be wrong... I use IVMS-4200 PCNVR and it records the files to the drive, allows me to do live view, setup grids for motion detection etc etc. I haven't ran into a single issue with this software. I am running 2 hik bullet cameras and just purchased two more. I am able to view the live feed and playback from my samsung S5. I had issues with IVMS-4500, so I downgraded back to 4200. Make sure you are port forwarding port 8000 in order to use the mobile app, as that's the port it uses... For example. PCNVR server is setup using 192.168.1.100, make sure you allow port 8000 on our router and map it to 192.168.1.100. Good luck!

I already ordered two of these cameras from amazon because they were half the price... $88 shipped per camera. I assume these are going to be Chinese based cameras? Will Firmware 5.1.6 work on these cameras? That's what I am currently running and I want to keep my cameras all at the same level if possible. Also, do I need to do anything to enable English on these cameras? Sorry if this has been asked already, but I imagine for this price point many others are going to be interested in these cameras as well.

Well, I got the firmware loaded just fine. However, I still don't see any option to delete files once the device is full.... Any know where that setting is located? Had to poke around in the settings.... It's located under the record schedule. Take care fellas!

I currently am running 5.0 firmware as it was the only firmware at the time that would work flawlessly with my NFS and CIFS shares. The downside is that my cameras do not auto delete content in this firmware version and my NAS always fills up. I have had to write some custom scripts to fix this issue and it seems in the newer versions they have fixed this issue and added face detection and a few other items. I went to hikvisions ftp site and they no longer carry 5.1.6.... So if anyone could link a good working copy I would appreciate it. I need an English version. Much appreciated! ****Good old google******* http://www.wrightwoodsurveillance.com/stuff/English%205.1.6.zip

Yes you can save directly to a NAS. That is how I am doing it today... Pros: Doesn't require a dedicated computer/server Cons: Requires knowledge of NFS (network file system) configuration on cameras to connect to NFS share on NAS and can be a pain to initialize (format) the hard drive the first few times. Unable to view multiple cameras at once. If you want to monitor a camera you have to log into each individual camera and view the playback from each camera. My Setup: I personally have a server and a NAS. Hikivision cameras can backup to like 6 different resources effectively on a Gigabit network. I use the Server/workstation to view multiple camera feeds and the NAS is a backup in case someone were to steal my viewing station or if the drive dies on my viewing station. (both my systems use raid and western digital red drives, so I am not really concerned with it bringing down the raid array). I started just like you, and for 2 camera's its not too bad... You get more than that and it becomes a nightmare. good luck!

I "was" using a shared folder on my laptop called door. I then went into the camera and set it up to use the ip and /door for the location. IE: 192.168.1.10 /door SMB/CIFS Username:enterusername Password: enterpassword Worked fine... However, my 2TB NAS never worked with any firmware I had tried and it was just basically becoming a paper weight. I finally decided to downgrade to Firmware 5.0 and my 2TB NAS works flawless now! I have tried 5.1, 5.0.2, and now finally 5.0 I am sticking with Raptor 5.0 Firmware as it seems the most stable.

Habsfan: These are the camera's you want. I bought those exact ones. http://www.costco.com/Swann-HD-1080p-NVR-IP-Add-on-Bullet-Camera-2-pk.product.100039914.html

You need to clear your cache in your browser... Reset back to factory settings. IE: Tools, Internet Options, Advanced>Reset (Restore Advanced Settings). Tools>Internet Options> General> Delete>Delete. Try that... I would downgrade to 5.0 personally 5.1 seems buggy.

I am a satisfied customer with the SWANN bullet Hik branded cameras. I have two with the hik 5.1 software and I am extremely happy with them. I just wish they would support 2TB NFS/CIFS on the storage section. My 500GB NAS works fine, but the minute I throw 2TB drives in the same NAS the cameras fail. I am 100% its a timeout limit set in the camera while building the meta files. Other than the bigger hard disk problem, the cameras function great. Just wish they would fix this feature.

CIFS worked fine with my 500GB NAS. This is how I configured my camera.

I utilize a NAS device to backup all of my cameras. I was on really old software and I had problems with the camera's stopping to record data once the hard disk was full. In the new software they allow you to overwrite so that shouldn't be a problem anymore. I would suggest a 500GB drive/drives to be on the safe side. I have had problem with drives any larger. You could build a cheap 500GB Raid1 NAS for about $300, including the 2 hard drives.

I don't have that option.... *EDIT* Ok, updated one of my camera's to 5.1 and now I get the option to overwrite. I also notice it supports CIFS. I am trying to utilize CIFS as NFS hasn't been super reliable. I am trying to get the camera to save to my 2TB NAS now. I will give an update afterwards. Thanks again! *FINAL EDIT** Ok, 5.1 up on all cameras. It still wont mount my 2TB NAS device through NFS or CIFS. Gets to about 80% and then says "error". My 500GB NAS works fine. Hopefully the overwrite option will fix my issues.

It was in my last post.... Very bottom. The other thing I am having an issue with is that after the disk drive on my NAS fills up the cameras stop recording. The only way I can get the cameras to record again is to Format using the camera software again.... Anyone else having this issue? I have the Costco version of these cameras. I am willing to flash one with the original Hikvision software if someone would send me a link on how to go about doing it. I have used TFTP before for cisco routers and such, but never done a camera.