How-to Add Lorex IP Camera to Viewtron NVR: Enable ONVIF

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  • In our experience, most Lorex IP cameras already have ONVIF enabled and work plug and play when you connect them to the PoE ports on Viewtron IP camera NVRs. You ONLY need to enable ONVIF in the camera’s web interface if it is not already enabled, but most of the time it is.

    A customer asked us: “I have Lorex PoE IP cameras and want to use them with a Viewtron NVR. How do I enable ONVIF on Lorex IP cameras?”

    Most Lorex PoE IP cameras support ONVIF. Many Lorex PoE IP cameras use a web interface very similar to Dahua cameras, which is why the screenshots below are from a Dahua IP camera. Consumer Lorex Wi-Fi cameras (LNC series) generally do NOT support ONVIF.

    How do I enable ONVIF on a Lorex IP camera?

    If your Lorex camera does not show up your Viewtron NVR after you connect it to the NVR’s PoE port, ONVIF may be turned off. Follow these steps to check it and turn it on.

    1. Disconnect the camera from the NVR’s PoE port and connect it directly to your network using a PoE switch.

    2. Find the IP address of the camera. You can find it in your router’s DHCP client list, with an IP scanner, or on the Lorex NVR the camera was connected to before.

    3. Open a web browser and go to http://[camera-IP]. If the camera is new or was reset, it asks you to initialize it by creating an admin password.

    4. Go to SETUP / SYSTEM > NETWORK > ONVIF. On some models it is under NETWORK > CONNECTION > ONVIF, or NETWORK > ACCESS PLATFORM / INTEGRATION PROTOCOL. Turn ONVIF ON. If an authentication option is shown, leave it enabled (Digest or Basic). Note the ONVIF port, which is usually the HTTP port 80.

    Enable ONVIF on Lorex Dahua IP Camera Web Interface

    5. Create an ONVIF user. Go to SYSTEM > ACCOUNT > ONVIF USER and select ADD USER. Enter a user name (for example onvif) and a strong password, and give it the Administrator or Operator role. Some Lorex models do not have a separate ONVIF user and use the main admin account instead.

    Lorex IP Camera ONVIF User Account Settings

    6. Under NETWORK > CONNECTION (PORT), confirm the HTTP port is 80 and the RTSP port is 554.

    7. Save your settings and reboot the camera.

    8. Test the camera with ONVIF Device Manager on a PC, or add it to your NVR.

    How do I add a Lorex IP camera to a Viewtron NVR?

    Plug the camera into a PoE port on the Viewtron NVR. If the camera does not connect, go to START > SETTINGS > EDIT CAMERA, click the EDIT button next to the camera, and enter the ONVIF user name and password you created. The steps are the same as our Dahua IP camera to Viewtron NVR instructions.

    Viewtron NVR IP Camera Settings

    What is the RTSP URL for a Lorex IP camera?

    If your software supports RTSP instead of ONVIF, Lorex uses this RTSP address format:

    rtsp://admin:password@IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0

    subtype=0 is the main stream and subtype=1 is the sub stream. This is also how our Lorex IP camera to TV decoder solution pulls video from Lorex cameras.

    Lorex NVR Replacement – Viewtron NVRs

    IP Camera NVR

    Viewtron NVRs are a good choice to replace a Lorex NVR. Viewtron NVRs are NDAA compliant and support ONVIF IP cameras, so you can keep your Lorex PoE cameras and cables. You can also find all of our Viewtron ONVIF compliant cameras here.

    Going the other way? See which IP cameras are compatible with a Lorex NVR.

    Questions? Call us at 1-561-433-8488 or email info@cctvcamerapros.net with the exact make and model of your Lorex camera.