Hikvision Firmware 5.1.2 Chinese to English Fix

[buellwinkle 0]

This is not for the faint of heart, so you have been warned. Thanks to CBX for figuring this out on 5.1. This is for people that have 5.1.2 already installed on the camera.

 

The latest firmware, 5.1.2, even if you install the English firmware on China region cameras will be all in Chinese with no option to change to English. If you follow the instructions, you can use 5.1.2 all in English including the day of week and all the menus.

 

HARD WAY

 

1.First, if you are doing this from Windows, pickup a few free tools (putty, 7-zip & HxD)

2.Login to the camera via the browser

3.Go to Advanced Configuration -> first category (System) -> last tab -> check Telnet

 

 

4.Use Putty (or your favorite telnet program) to login. Use the browser password (admin/12345)

5.FTP the Davinci file to your FTP server (you can get free software for this, but I used my NAS at 192.168.0.3) - /bin/ftpput -u username -p password 192.168.0.3 davinci.tar.gz /dav/davinci.tar.gz

6.Grab the davinci.tar.gz file from your FTP server

7.Use 7-Zip on Windows (or whatever tool you want to use to unzip, un-tar the file) and first unzip the file, then tar the file to extract the davinci file, almost 10MB.

8.Open the file with the hex editor (I use HxD)

9.Search for 8a 30 dd e5 38 a0 9d e5 53 90 c4 e5 14 90 9d e5

 

 

10.Change string from 38 a0 9d e5 to 01 a0 a0 e3

 

BEFORE

 

AFTER

 

11.Save

12.Tar the file, gzip the tar file (I used 7-Zip)

 

 

 

13.Copy the file to your FTP server

14.Put the file back in the camera - /bin/ftpget -u username -p password 192.168.0.3 /dav/davinci.tar.gz davinci.tar.gz

15.reboot (just type reboot in telnet)

16.Login to the camera and all is in English -

 

 

 

EASY WAY

 

Some people like it easy, so here it is.

 

1. Follow steps 1-4 above to log into the camera

2. Download the davinci.tar.gz file from -

http://www.networkcameracritic.com/Hikvision/davinci.tar.gz

3. Start from step 13 above.

[Securame 0]

I do not have any chinese Hik cameras, but that is some awesome info

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[buellwinkle 0]

I tried the easy way on a few different Hikvision cameras including 3332, 2032 and 2732 and no problems. It's actually a faster process than loading 5.1 on top of 5.1.2.

 

BTW, I played with the NAS CIFS/SMB stuff with 5.1.2 and it does the same thing as with 5.1. It lets me format it and as soon as you try and write an event video to it, it goes uninitialized. The only thing that I can see that's fixed over 5.1 is the ability to get a snapshot using an URL command like what worked in versions prior to 5.1. Low light performance seems the same to me.

[mroek 0]

Very nice writeup, buellwinkle!

 

While not being too difficult, it would have been even better if we could change the actual embedded camera region from Chinese to English.

 

I'm fairly certain that CBX, given his extensive digging into these things, could figure out how to do that, but there is of course a risk of permanent bricking. Perhaps we could do a small crowdfunding to get him a camera to experiment with? I'd be willing to throw in some money for this, provided that he'd be willing to try, of course.

[CBX 0]

Thanks to buellwinkle for that write up - I did the patch for me, but glad my patch is actually useful to some others too

 

I didn't post the binary as you are posting copyrighted code, but hopefully Hikvision won't mind I don't know why they don't include an option to have day of the week in English on all cams so what do I know!

 

The problem with changing the flash, aside from the technicial difficulties, is that it would be detected in future firmware updates if Hikvision were so minded to check. They could do anything they wanted to your camera (up to and including disabling it). Without knowing their motivation for having the day of the week limitation, and the recent added issue of all menus in Chinese (which seems an escalation of their part), I'd be reluctant to make permanent changes.

 

Has anyone asked them why they do this?

 

For reference the original patch info and other tech notes is here:

http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=39874

[buellwinkle 0]

It's very clear why they do this. They feel they can command a much higher price for their product in the U.S. market than in other markets and grey market Hikvision cameras affect their ability to get these inflated prices. They also feel the DIY/hobbyist market is undercutting their biggest customer, the installer/integrator. So their goal is to cut people like you and me out, saying you can only buy their products from installers/integrators. Siding with installers is common in the industry. With some like Avigilon, their product is limited only to installers/integrators and while some resell the camera, if they get caught, Avigilon could drop them.

 

BUT, we have a back door, grey market Hikvision cameras. Now they really hate that because not only are we affecting their installers/integrators, but little they can do about it. No laws preventing you from getting a product in a different country and doing what you want with it. So they are try to shut all of us down by making firmware that is language specific. Actually Dahua tried this too by limiting China resellers to PAL cameras only but likely because Hikvision put a damper on their sales, they are now selling in U.S. through partners to resellers.

 

The good news is that it's temporary, meaning that for a year, Dahua is all people spoke about here. This year it's Hikvision. Next year, who knows.

[CBX 0]

You appear to understand the marketplace forces at work whereas I don't.

 

So let's we flash the firmware with a new language code, and they decide to look for and detect that in a future firmware update. What's to stop them disabling or bricking the camera at that point?

 

I'm not saying they would do this, but I'm a 1s and 0s linux sysadmin guy, not a business man

[venturis 0]

I was in the market for another Hikvision 2CD3332 camera to add to my existing 4 but when I discovered the limitations introduced in the latest firmware I decided to buy the only slightly more expensive 2CD2332 which I believe is exactly the same product made for the US and European market hence, all in english.

 

I was wondering if once I have the new camera and future firmware updates become available, can I update the 2CD2332 with the new firmware first, extract the davinci file, and dump it into the 2CD3332 cams and get the same result?

 

Its seems to me as though it is the same as modding the file and then reloading back into the cams.

[buellwinkle 0]

I doubt that would work because the file is the same for Chinese or English cameras.

[CBX 0]

buellwinkle is right - the files are all the same.

 

It's the settings stored in the flash that matter which aren't touched by the firmware (at present).

[klascctv 0]

Just applied the fix. Thanks for the steps! I was wondering if there is a way to make this permanent change. I take it when they release 5.1.3 we'll have to follow the same process?

[buellwinkle 0]

Yes, each release will need something, but most of my Hikvision I have installed, USA or Chinese still have 5.0.2 running on them, so I personally not a fan of putting firmware updates just for the fun of it.

 

I think we get used to that from our smartphones as my Android devices are constantly asking me to update apps, drives me crazy and then they take a perfectly good app and make it not work anymore, so I turn updating off.

[dvb 0]

Hi,

Thanks for the tips ! I think that "NFS workaround" isn't fixed in this firmware.

Do you think the workaround (*) for 5.1 is working on this 5.1.2 ?

 

Cheers !

 

 

(*)

5.1 Version

search for the following hex string:

5001DCC09DE54900001A0B005CE14700001A

and change it to

5001DCC09DE5000000000B005CE100000000

[hkcctvpro 0]

we according to downgrade for sell this camera。

 

Thanks for your buellwinkle,works fine.

[siknit 0]

will this work with CS-D1-104W (english version DS-7104HWI-SL) DVR too?

[Roswell426 0]

Thank you Buellwinkle, it in nice to see the menu screens in English, and not have to wait for google translator to try to fix the chinese menu screens.

 

After I got the menues in English, I modified the davinci file for the NFS workaround mentioned above by dvb. That fix allowed me to get to 'Normal' state with my Asustor AS-604T NAS and both Hikvision DS-2CD2432F-IW cameras. It is recording mp4 files now on the NAS!

[Temon 0]

Hi buellwinkle,

 

Hikvision 5.1.2 Chinese to English your instructions can use for those models ?

2DE7172-A, DS-2DE7174-A

I'm new for HIKVISION cameras, want to use IR network speed dome camera

 

taobao link is

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.3.w4002-2508745638.14.gDe8HN&id=26565072867

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.5.w4002-4899132606.44.6NGlS7&id=35850642710

[buellwinkle 0]

I don't know what the differences are between the Raptor firmware models and others. If it was me, I would extract the davinci file and see if you can find the same code because it's quite possible they all share that same code base.

[UncleRedz 0]

If this is the fix for those that are not faint of heart, then here is a workaround for those that are.

 

Using Chrome or similar browser with web developer console,

 

1. Go to the camera logon page.

2. Open the developer console. (In Chrome, hit F12 or Ctrl+Shift+J)

3. Type: chooseLanguage("en") and then hit enter. The language should automatically change to English.

4. Continue with the logon.

 

This is not as permanent as the solution discussed in this thread, but it works well without changing anything in the camera. The JavaScript function, chooseLanguage, is what would have been called, if you had the choice of selecting English in the combo box on the logon page.

[Temon 0]

Is there have way change HIKVISION NVR chinese version to English language menu ?

 

Thanks,

[ride525 0]

Quick question, why would anyone use the "hard way" instead of the "easy way"?

 

Thanks

[buellwinkle 0]

Two reason, one is they come out with say 5.1.3, you would have to get the Davinci tar file and see if you can apply the same fix by searching for the string. The other reason is understanding how to modify the code as CBX has published changes for other issues like the NAS issues but is a Linux guy but you can use the process above to apply his fixes but in the a Windows framework.

[Mele 0]

I tried it as your described,But still display chinese version.i don't understand it,Pls help,

[CBX 0]

The other reason is understanding how to modify the code as CBX has published changes for other issues like the NAS issues but is a Linux guy but you can use the process above to apply his fixes but in the a Windows framework.

 

Well the Chinese > English patch is mine, and some other stuff I've posted in a different thread - but the NAS fix is who done by someone else so the credit for that goes to them (not sure who that was as I don't use it).

 

I don't actually change the bytes in the davinci file or it's tar container, but rather patch the program in memory just before it runs. But that means changing a script on the (linux) camera which isn't for everyone and runs the risk of having to reflash your camera if you mess it up.

 

And as for the hard way issue - posting the patched binary may be a copyright violation of Hikvision's code - whereas posting the bytes to change isn't. Though in practice they could object to one, neither or both if they wanted to to some degree.

[buellwinkle 0]

I tried it as your described,But still display chinese version.i don't understand it,Pls help,

 

It can still display in Chinese, but gives you a language drop down in the upper right where you can select English before you log into the camera. I've done this on dozens of cameras and maybe 1 or 2 I had to set it to English from the drop down.