Puncture 0 Posted August 10, 2012 Hi all, I have stumbled upon this forum having searched endlessly for some help! Right, I have: A virginmedia wifi connection in my house which has a laptop, ipad and mobile phone using it. A 'VONETS VAP11G' wifi bridge 'EN6404V' DVR (for home cctv) 'Avtech Eagle EyesHD (plus) 1.1.4.6' on the ipad What's happened so far?... By some pure fluke I've managed to get the Volnet wifi bridge to have its blue light on whilst plugged into the dvr's ethernet cable port. I have absolutely no idea about networking and 'gateways' and 'subnet masks' mean absolutely nothing to me I'm afraid! On the pre-loaded software on the dvr is a menu and settings for joining a network.... the three options are 'STATIC' , 'DHCP' or 'PPPOE' - each option as a multitude of ports / channels /gateways etc etc to fill in. I've tried googling what all these means and it just doesn't make sense to me! Could one of you guys please explain how on earth I get my non-wifi ip cameras to connect to my wifi network (so I can view on ipad / remotely etc.) using this vonets bridge I've purchased. I'm stumped! Many thanks, Sam Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TipoFloe 0 Posted August 10, 2012 Networking can be daunting at first, but if you understand the concept of it, it should be easy as slicing bread! 1. On your Virgin Media Wifi connection, where your laptop, ipad and etc are connected. 1-1. On your laptop. go to START, RUN. It should open a small window. Type in CMD (windows XP and up) and it will open up the command prompt (black window). 1-2. Type ipconfig in the command prompt, you should get a series of information, such as IP address, subnet mask and gateway - write them down. 1-3. IP address is a unique IP address assigned to your laptop. Subnet is just a division address types and gateway is the IP address of your Vifgin Media Wifi connection. 2. On your VONETS VAP11G wifi bridge. 2-1. Connect your laptop to the bridge via a network patch cable, and then access the IP address of the bridge. 2-2. See if your VONETS picks up your VIRGIN wifi signal. 2-3. set it to STATIC mode (the IP address never changes), and then assign an IP address that does not overlap with the rest of the products. If your laptop has 192.168.1.101, and so forth, you may want to assign the bridge 192.168.1.200. Subnet should be the same as on your laptop, and the gateway should be the same as your laptop as well. 2-4. On your laptops command prompt, PING one of the other devices that are already on the network (which can be often found within the router itself). If your iPad has an IP address of 192.168.1.102 for example, PING 192.168.1.102 and you should get 4 returns. 3. On your DVR or IP camera. 3-1. Go to the network setting of the DVR or the IP camera, set it to STATIC mode and then assign a unique IP address. Subnet and gateway should match the one on your laptop. 3-2. Get your laptop on your VIRGIN WIFI again, and then PING the IP address of the DVR or the IP camera. If you get returns, then you have a successful bridged connection. 4. Back to your Virgin Router 4-1. Go to the port forwarding section, and then open the appropriate ports for the DVR or the IP address. You should not have a problem accessing your device within your wireless LAN (using internal IP address as shown on your device) and from WAN (outside of your location) by accessing the PUBLIC IP address of your router - it can be easily found using http://www.whatismyipaddress.com. Or if your DVR or IP camera offers a DDNS service, then you can use that information to connect as well. Good luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Puncture 0 Posted August 10, 2012 Hi, Many, many thanks for your response! I'm a little confused here... 2. On your VONETS VAP11G wifi bridge. 2-1. Connect your laptop to the bridge via a network patch cable, and then access the IP address of the bridge. 2-2. See if your VONETS picks up your VIRGIN wifi signal. 2-3. set it to STATIC mode (the IP address never changes), and then assign an IP address that does not overlap with the rest of the products. If your laptop has 192.168.1.101, and so forth, you may want to assign the bridge 192.168.1.200. Subnet should be the same as on your laptop, and the gateway should be the same as your laptop as well. 2-4. On your laptops command prompt, PING one of the other devices that are already on the network (which can be often found within the router itself). If your iPad has an IP address of 192.168.1.102 for example, PING 192.168.1.102 and you should get 4 returns. I had already followed the user cd for the Vonets bridge (Had to plug into my laptop and install drivers / go through a set-up process etc.) and I've since unplugged it from my laptop and fixed it to the cctv dvr. It's flashing blue which (I think) means it's picking up my wifi signal....? I'm really sorry but I'm no good with this kinda stuff. The advert for it made it look so easy! EDIT:... how would I set the vonets bridge to 'static mode'? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TipoFloe 0 Posted August 10, 2012 Hi, Many, many thanks for your response! I'm a little confused here... 2. On your VONETS VAP11G wifi bridge. 2-1. Connect your laptop to the bridge via a network patch cable, and then access the IP address of the bridge. 2-2. See if your VONETS picks up your VIRGIN wifi signal. 2-3. set it to STATIC mode (the IP address never changes), and then assign an IP address that does not overlap with the rest of the products. If your laptop has 192.168.1.101, and so forth, you may want to assign the bridge 192.168.1.200. Subnet should be the same as on your laptop, and the gateway should be the same as your laptop as well. 2-4. On your laptops command prompt, PING one of the other devices that are already on the network (which can be often found within the router itself). If your iPad has an IP address of 192.168.1.102 for example, PING 192.168.1.102 and you should get 4 returns. I had already followed the user cd for the Vonets bridge (Had to plug into my laptop and install drivers / go through a set-up process etc.) and I've since unplugged it from my laptop and fixed it to the cctv dvr. It's flashing blue which (I think) means it's picking up my wifi signal....? I'm really sorry but I'm no good with this kinda stuff. The advert for it made it look so easy! EDIT:... how would I set the vonets bridge to 'static mode'? Hello, I was just providing basic universal networking setup procedure. If you have set up your bridge already and you know it's working, then it's just matter of assigning the right IP address, subnet and gateway for your DVR. One way of verifying your bridge connection is to turn off WIFI on your laptop, connect via a network cable to the bridge and see if you can ping the rest of your devices (try pinging your VIRGIN router). I do not know if your bridge has such modes, but I'd figured it'd come with all the choices...? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Puncture 0 Posted August 10, 2012 Hello, I was just providing basic universal networking setup procedure. If you have set up your bridge already and you know it's working, then it's just matter of assigning the right IP address, subnet and gateway for your DVR. One way of verifying your bridge connection is to turn off WIFI on your laptop, connect via a network cable to the bridge and see if you can ping the rest of your devices (try pinging your VIRGIN router). I do not know if your bridge has such modes, but I'd figured it'd come with all the choices...? Hi, The wifi bridge is the same as this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vonets-VAP11G-WIFI-Bridge/dp/B0050AI804 Unfortunately the 'instructions' it came with was next to useless... I just followed the installer / set-up CD until it said 'congratulations... it's ready to use'. I plugged it into my dvr (the wifi bridge flashes blue... supposedly this means it is picking up my wifi signal) and went into the menu area of the dvr (to set up the network for the ip cameras) but haven't a clue what to put. I'm guessing the bridge device is working correctly but I have no idea about the IP side of things? Thanks, Sam Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TipoFloe 0 Posted August 10, 2012 Hello, I was just providing basic universal networking setup procedure. If you have set up your bridge already and you know it's working, then it's just matter of assigning the right IP address, subnet and gateway for your DVR. One way of verifying your bridge connection is to turn off WIFI on your laptop, connect via a network cable to the bridge and see if you can ping the rest of your devices (try pinging your VIRGIN router). I do not know if your bridge has such modes, but I'd figured it'd come with all the choices...? Hi, The wifi bridge is the same as this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vonets-VAP11G-WIFI-Bridge/dp/B0050AI804 Unfortunately the 'instructions' it came with was next to useless... I just followed the installer / set-up CD until it said 'congratulations... it's ready to use'. I plugged it into my dvr (the wifi bridge flashes blue... supposedly this means it is picking up my wifi signal) and went into the menu area of the dvr (to set up the network for the ip cameras) but haven't a clue what to put. I'm guessing the bridge device is working correctly but I have no idea about the IP side of things? Thanks, Sam Turn off your wifi on your laptop, connect the laptop via CAT5e network cable to the bridge and see what IP address it assigns you. If you followed step 1 properly, you should have 3 sets of numbers - IP address, subnet and gateway. After you connect the laptop to the bridge, see if you can obtain the same information from the command prompt first and write it down here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Puncture 0 Posted August 10, 2012 Hi again, Right, I've checked that the wifi bridge thing works how you've said and it does! I've jotted down the ip etc. details from viewing the connection in the 'details' section of the internet connection and since plugged the bridge back into the CCTV DVR. It's atill flashing blue which (I think) is a good sign. However, on the 'network' menu on the DVR software are three options: STATIC, DHCP and PPPOE. On STATIC, the things I need to fill in are: Media port (pre-filled in as 09000) Web Port (pre-filled in as 00080) Ip address: Subnet mask: Gateway: DNS: UPNP (what's this?) (ON/OFF options) then a sub menu of DDNS settings ^^^ Is this the option I want then? If so, what are the ports etc? Also, how does this transmit the video footage?.. and where to? Sorry for all the questions Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TipoFloe 0 Posted August 10, 2012 Hi again, Right, I've checked that the wifi bridge thing works how you've said and it does! I've jotted down the ip etc. details from viewing the connection in the 'details' section of the internet connection and since plugged the bridge back into the CCTV DVR. It's atill flashing blue which (I think) is a good sign. However, on the 'network' menu on the DVR software are three options: STATIC, DHCP and PPPOE. On STATIC, the things I need to fill in are: Media port (pre-filled in as 09000) Web Port (pre-filled in as 00080) Ip address: Subnet mask: Gateway: DNS: UPNP (what's this?) (ON/OFF options) then a sub menu of DDNS settings ^^^ Is this the option I want then? If so, what are the ports etc? Also, how does this transmit the video footage?.. and where to? Sorry for all the questions You're almost there. Your bridge is working fine. Connect the DVR to the bridge using the same network cable. Ports - leave the media port and web port alone. You can actually change them in case your VIRGIN router uses port 80 (and probably does). You may want to change the web port to 8000 or 8080. IP Address (unique number like your house number)- Enter a unique IP address like the one in the computer, but the last three numbers will have to be different. Subnet Mask (groups of IP addresses, or classes)- Enter the same subnet mask as your computer Gateway (how your DVR will transmit or access the internet) - enter the same gateway as your computer DNS (it's like the post office) you can enter 4.2.2.1 (or the one provided by your ISP - can be found on your laptop as well by typing ipconfig/all)- it keeps track of all the domain names associated with actual IP addresses. uPnP (universal plug and play) - IF THIS FUNCTION WORKS, THEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PORT FORWARDING There is one last piece of information that's missing - DDNS host name. Your DVR should have come with a unique DDNS host name, or a way to register so that it's also unique... Note that if you're using a web browser for connection to your dvr, you will have to use port 8080 if you've changed the web port above to 8080. For internal IP address (let's say that the DVR IP address is 192.168.1.99), you can simply type in http://192.168.1.99:8080 and it will open up your web browser interface. From the outside of your network (outside of your home) you will either have to type in the public IP (whatismyip.com) plus :8080 at the end. Don't forget the http:// in front. However, since MOST internet services offer dynamic IP, this will probably not work for you after a few days (even hours). This is where the DDNS comes in. So let's say that your DVR has the DDNS name of yourdvr.dvr.com then you'd type in http://yourdvr.dvr.com:8080 to connect to your DVR. Good luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Puncture 0 Posted August 11, 2012 Hi again, Regarding the DDNS part of the set-up... is that anything to do with the 'MAC ADDRESS'? - Can't seem to find much else on the 'info' part of the DVR's set-up menu. Secondly, do I need to go into my main wifi router (the one the internet provider supplied) and change anything? This seems to be incredibly hard! Cheers, Sam EDIT: Right, tried entering the ip numbers etc. but get 'Error 324 (net::ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE): The server closed the connection without sending any data.' when I try and connect via a web browser. (The DVR uses a browser type interface by the way). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TipoFloe 0 Posted August 11, 2012 Hi again, Regarding the DDNS part of the set-up... is that anything to do with the 'MAC ADDRESS'? - Can't seem to find much else on the 'info' part of the DVR's set-up menu. Secondly, do I need to go into my main wifi router (the one the internet provider supplied) and change anything? This seems to be incredibly hard! Cheers, Sam EDIT: Right, tried entering the ip numbers etc. but get 'Error 324 (net::ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE): The server closed the connection without sending any data.' when I try and connect via a web browser. (The DVR uses a browser type interface by the way). Most DVRs use their MAC address as their DDNS address, plus a domain and a ".com" at the end or a variant. The whole thing should take less than 15 mins to set up if you know what you are doing, but since this is your first time, this is how you learn I guess. I can't help you with the error messages as they seem proprietary to the DVR... Have you tried contacting the manufacturer? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yakky 0 Posted August 11, 2012 Find a kid that's into computers...pay him to figure it out. Networking isn't for the faint of heart, lots of stuff to learn. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Puncture 0 Posted August 11, 2012 Most DVRs use their MAC address as their DDNS address, plus a domain and a ".com" at the end or a variant. The whole thing should take less than 15 mins to set up if you know what you are doing, but since this is your first time, this is how you learn I guess. I can't help you with the error messages as they seem proprietary to the DVR... Have you tried contacting the manufacturer? Hi again, After a night's sleep I'm ready for having another go! The good news is that I've managed to find a pdf version of the instruction booklet for the DVR set-up. As for the 'Vonets' wifi bridge - The instructions (if you an call them that) that came with it on the cd are about as good as you're going to get... they are made in China and the instructions are very generic. I have 'restored' my laptop to 48hrs ago as I felt I had got myself into a little bit of a muddle with some of the connections and stuff. I'm going to follow the instructions on the PDF the best I can although it does not have anything about using a wifi bridge. However, regarding the STATIC/ DHCP / PPPOE options; I chose 'DHCP' to see if it would 'automatically' find the IP address... and it did. Still not sure what I need to do about the 'DDNS' settings and/or if I have a 'static ip' from my ISP (they're a cable provider) or a ever-changing one. I'll feel as though I'll be an expert after all of this! Cheers, Sam EDIT: ... and now neither Google Chrome nor IE will allow me to go to my router's web address?? EDIT (again) ^^ Right, I've managed to get on the router page... I appear to have somehow changed my router's address to 192.168.0.6? - The same address as what the DVR has picked up?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Puncture 0 Posted August 11, 2012 Hi again, Right, this is getting really frustrating! Would my 'plan b' be any easier?... Purchase a 15M Cat5e network cable and run it from the back of the DVR to one of the ethernet ports on the back of my ISP-provided wireless router? I would still have wireless internet in the house for the laptop / ipad / phone / printer etc. but the DVR would have a physical connection to the router... can that be done? If so, I'm guessing I could still access the cctv feed via the 'outside' internet and ipad app? Would this be easier for me to sort than using the wifi bridge? Regards, Sam Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Puncture 0 Posted August 14, 2012 Hi all, Right, I've gone for plan b and bought I 15m network cable. I've plugged one end into the ISP-provided WIFI router and the other to the DVR... where do I go with it this now? Cheers, Sam Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
