NVR Setup: Dealing with 3rd Party IP Camera Set to Static IP

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  • This is a common issue when you replace an old IP camera NVR (GW Security, Hikvision, Dahua, and others) with a Viewtron NVR and keep your existing IP cameras.

    If those IP cameras were connected to an external PoE switch, they are usually set to a static IP address. The PoE ports on a Viewtron NVR expect IP cameras to be set to DHCP. The NVR assigns the camera an IP address on a private camera network between the NVR and camera. That network is separate from your office LAN. An IP camera that is still on a static IP from the old network used by the NVR you are replacing will not come up on the Viewtron PoE port.

    Viewtron NVRs are ONVIF compatible, so they work with third-party IP cameras that have ONVIF enabled. You still have to get the camera onto DHCP before the PoE port can talk to it.

    What You Need

    • A computer on the same LAN as the cameras
    • The existing PoE switch (or a PoE injector) so the camera has power while you log into it
    • The camera’s web login URL, and username and password

    Do not plug the camera into the Viewtron NVR PoE ports for this step. Those ports are a closed network between the NVR and the cameras. Your PC will not see the camera there.

    1. Put the Camera on a Network Your PC Can Reach

    Leave the camera on the external PoE switch, with that switch connected to the same network as your PC. If you only have one camera to convert, a PoE injector into your switch or router works the same way.

    2. Find the Camera on the Network

    Use the network scan tool from the camera manufacturer (GW Security, Hikvision, Dahua, and most others publish one). Install it on the PC that is on the same LAN as the cameras. It will list the cameras and their current IP addresses so you can open them in a browser.

    Our Viewtron IP Installer is only for Viewtron IP cameras. It will not find GW or other third-party cameras.

    If the manufacturer tool does not find the camera, the static IP is probably outside your LAN range. Factory reset the camera (use the manufacturer’s reset procedure), then scan again. After a reset it should request a DHCP address from your router.

    3. Switch the Camera from Static IP to DHCP

    Open the camera’s address in a web browser and log in.

    In the network / TCP/IP settings, change the IPv4 mode from static (sometimes labeled “manual”) to DHCP (sometimes labeled “dynamic”). Save. The camera will reboot and take an address from DHCP.

    If this camera will go on a Viewtron PoE port next, DHCP is what you want. Do not set a new static IP for that port.

    4. Enable ONVIF if the Camera Requires It

    Some brands ship with ONVIF off. If the camera is Hikvision or Dahua, use these how-tos, then come back to the Viewtron PoE step:

    Other brands: look for ONVIF in the camera’s network or platform settings and enable it. Create an ONVIF user if the camera asks for one.

    5. Plug the Camera into a Viewtron NVR PoE Port

    Disconnect it from the switch and plug it into a PoE port on the back of the Viewtron NVR. The NVR should auto-detect it and assign an IP address. That is the plug-and-play path for cameras on the built-in PoE ports.

    If the channel stays empty, go to Start > Settings > Edit Camera, click Edit next to that port, and enter the ONVIF username and password you set on the camera.