How To Configure Hikvision iVMS-4200 Camera Management Software

iVMS-4200 is a camera management software that is made and maintained by Hikvision. It can be used to monitor, playback, adjust settings, and manage the cameras from a computer or a laptop. So, instead of doing all the surveillance via the DVR or NVR, you can perform everything from a computer.

It's very convenient if the unit is installed somewhere else, and you can manage everything from the comfort of your chair.

This easy-to-follow guide shows how to configure the iVMS-4200 software, how to add your camera system, how to modify settings, etc. The instructions serve as a good start for someone who just installed the software on the computer and is looking forward to managing their cameras.

How to initialize iVMS-4200 software

The first thing that you have to do is download and install the iVMS-4200 on your Windows PC or Mac.

Once the software has been installed, you can open iVMS-4200 and use the Device Management screen found in the Device Management tab and to add, configure new and existing devices, as well as remove devices.

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How to add a new device on iVMS-4200

To add a new device (which can be a standalone IP camera, DVR, NVR) click on the Add button located under the Device for Management header.

If you are adding a device that is on your local network, you should see it listed at the bottom under Online Device. If you do see it, just click on it then click Add + under Online Device.

If you are adding a device remotely (that is on the internet), you should click Add + under Device for Management near the top middle area of your screen.

Add window

Then you should see the Add Window with default settings on Adding Mode of IP/Domain. The most commonly used modes encountered here are IP/Domain and Cloud P2P.
Nickname: Enter a name for the location such as “my home”, “my store”, etc. This nickname is used to identify your system/location in the iVMS-4200 client in case you have a lot of systems added for display.

Address: Enter the IP address or Dynamic DNS name for the device. It can be just an external IP address of the DDNS hostname. If you're not sure, check with the installer or inspect the phone app and mirror the settings.

Port: 8000 (this is the default one unless you have modified it).

User Name: This is the username of your security camera system. This name may be admin or a different name if you've created another account.

Password: This is the password used on or set up on the Hikvision system. In other words, it's the password of your NVR, DVR, or standalone IP camera.

Synchronize Device Time: Leave this box un-ticked.

Export to Group: Leave this box checked.

Once all fields have been entered and confirmed correct, click the Add button. Once it is added, click the Next button. Click Finish when complete. That's all, your system has now been added.

Cloud P2P Domain (via Hik-Connect)

New Hikvision devices can now use a Hikvision cloud-based P2P method for connecting and viewing cameras remotely over the internet without the need to open any ports or make special rules on the firewall.
To add a Hik-Connect or Cloud P2P device, you should:

• Click on Add New Device Type button listed under the Device Type in the Device Management screen.
• Place a checkmark next to Cloud P2P Device and click OK.
• Click on Cloud P2P Device now listed under Device Type in the Device Management screen.
• Click the Login button shown and enter your Hik-Connect user information and click Login or if you do not have an account, click on Register and fill out the information requested.

Once added, come back to this screen and add the devices to iVMS-4200 by placing a checkmark next to the device(s) and clicking the Add button.
If you do not go through these steps you'll see a message that says: “Please log in to the Cloud 2P2 account first before using this function.”

Note: You can create a Hik-Connect account, log in, change sharing settings, and more by using the Hik-Connect app

Modifying a Device

To modify an existing device, click on the device listed and choose the Modify option under the Device for Management heading.
Nickname: Enter a Nickname for this location's system. This nickname is used to identify your system/location in the iVMS-4200 client. For example, you can use “home”, “store”, “building 1”, etc.

Address: Enter the IP address or Dynamic DNS name for the device. You should get this information from the installer or on the device's settings.

Port: 8000 (this is the default port)
User Name: This is the username of the DVR or the NVR. This name may be admin or a different name if you have created other accounts

Password: This is the password used to access the DVR or the NVR

Synchronize Device Time – Leave this box unchecked

Once all fields have been entered and confirmed correct, click the Modify button. If all is done correctly, your system has now been modified!

Add Devices via the Video Wizard

This is another method to add your system to the iVMS-4200. Access the video wizard by clicking on Help > Open Video Wizard at the top of the iVMS-4200 application. Click on the Device and Storage Schedule Configuration button and follow the prompts in the wizard.

Adding the Stream Key

If you get this error message: The video is encrypted Input the stream key to view the video error.
To increase security, Hik-Connect camera connections require a stream encryption key to be inputted before the live video will play. This is done to encrypt the whole streams and to avoid a hacker from being a middleman between you and your security system.

Enter the encryption key in the box and click the OK button for each camera connected. You can also add and copy the key to all cameras on the Device Management screen.

Add, Modify and Copy the Encrypted Video Stream Key via the Device Management screen

To add, modify or copy the stream key, click on Device Management > Group > find your camera number or name then highlight it by clicking on it then click Modify.

You can also copy the stream key to your other cameras by clicking on the Copy to… button. We always recommend encrypting your videos in order to increase the overall security of your system.

Install and Setup IVMS-4200 Client software (Windows PC)

INSTALLING IVMS-4200

If you haven't already downloaded the IVMS-4200 Client Software you can do so via the link below. When you visit the link below you will see a few IVMS-4200 versions, make sure you download the latest version (which ever the highest numbers showing after the “v” example: v2.x.x.x) and hence this tutorial is for windows, ensure you download the windows version and not the MAC.

Hikvision IVMS-4200 (Windows) download: https://www.hikvision.com/en/Support/Downloads/Client-Software

 

SETUP IVMS-4200

IVMS-4200 Software user login

The software should now be installed, open it. If you're using the software for the first time it will prompt you with a box requesting the following: Super User, Password, Confirm Password – This is the login details for the software ONLY, NOT for your recorder. Enter any username and password, enter the password again. If you don't want the software to keep asking you for the password every time the software is opened then check the Enable Auto-login box.

 

Adding recorder to IVMS-4200 software

On the top right corner of the IVMS-4200 software, click Control Panel, then on the Control Panel click Device Management. If the computer is connected to the same network and your recorder, on the bottom under Online Devices you will see your recorder listed, simply select the recorder and click Add to Client.

You will now be prompted with a dialogue box, use the following settings:

Nickname: (Any nickname, i.e John's CCTV)
Address: This is the recorder's IP address, the IP address will already be there, do not change it.
Port: This is the recorder's port, by default it should be 8000, do not change it.
User Name: This is the user name that you use to login to your recorder, unless another user has been added, by default you will have admin.
Password: This is the password associated to the user on the recorder, if you are using the admin account, this will be the password that it's been entered when the recorder was powered up for the first time.

Click Add to add the recorder to IVMS-4200.

Hikvision iVMS-4200 – Adding New NVR for Remote Access

In order to remotely access a Hikvision NVR from a computer, you will require several things:

1. Your NVR is configured for remote access (set up by the installer)
2. Your local network is configured to allow remote access to the NVR which usually entails port forwarding (usually setup by the installer though may require assistance from your IT department)
3. Hikvision's iVMS-4200 has been downloaded and installed on your computer (linked at Hikvision – Software)

Once you have installed iVMS and booted it up for the first time, it will ask you to setup a super user for the application. This is unrelated to any camera system you may want to setup on it. Once the super user is setup, you can proceed  with adding the camera system to the software. You can add multiple camera systems to iVMS (e.g., you have multiple sites with their own camera systems).

You can click on any image below to enlargen it for a better view.

From the Main Menu tab, go the Maintenance and Management menu on the far right and select Device Management

 

 

On the Maintenance and Management tab, near the top and on the left, select Device if not already selected in both locations (usually is selected by default)

 

 

To start adding a new Hikvision video recorder, click + Add (to the left of Online Device)

 

 

The Add dialogue window will appear on the right side

 

 

 

For  Adding Mode , make sure the radio button for IP/Domain is selected (filled in)

For Add Offline Device , make sure the check box is Disabled (left empty)

For Name , enter what you would like to call the recorder (for our example below, we are using Reed Test)

For Address ,  enter the NVR address provided by Reed Security (for our example below, we are using  reedtest.reedhd.com )

For Transmission Encryption , make sure the check box is  Disabled  (left empty)

For  Port , leave at 8000  (unless otherwise advised by Reed Security)

For User Name , use the one provided/setup by Reed Security for you (for our example, we are using reed test)

For Password , use the  one provided/setup by Reed Security for you (regardless of your password, it will show as a number of dots (  ● )

For Synchronize Time,  make sure the check box is  Disabled  (left empty)

For Import  to Group , make sure the check box is En abled  (checked marked)

If the connection information and login credentials are correctly entered, after a short interval, the NVR will appear in white, it will populate the Serial No., and will show the Resource Usage Status as  Online (see green box in example below)

If there is a configuration or login error, the NVR will appear in grey, will not populate the Serial No. and will show the Resource Usage Status as  Offline (see red box in example below). An error message will also appear in the lower right for a short period indicating if there is a connectivity issue or login issue.

If you need to edit any configuration information, click the Edit icon (  ) in the Operation section to the right end of the NVR's information in the Device screen of the Maintenance and Management tab. This is useful if you made an error when setting up the NVR.

View cameras live on IVMS-4200 software

To view live cameras on IVMS-4200 go to Control Panel and click on Main View.

At this point your cameras may not be showing, this is because you haven't selected the cameras that you want to view live.

Now depending how many cameras you have, the live view screen need to be split. Example, let's say you have 4 cameras on your recorder and you would like to view all 4 cameras simultaneously, simply click the   under Default View. The live view window will now split into 4 live view screens. Under Camera click and drag the camera to one of the four live view screens, select another camera and do the same thing (but drag it to the next screen) and so on. You should now have a camera on each live view screen.

View cameras live on IVMS-4200 software

To view live cameras on IVMS-4200 go to Control Panel and click on Main View.

At this point your cameras may not be showing, this is because you haven't selected the cameras that you want to view live.

Now depending how many cameras you have, the live view screen need to be split. Example, let's say you have 4 cameras on your recorder and you would like to view all 4 cameras simultaneously, simply click the   under Default View. The live view window will now split into 4 live view screens. Under Camera click and drag the camera to one of the four live view screens, select another camera and do the same thing (but drag it to the next screen) and so on. You should now have a camera on each live view screen.

Configure Hikvision iVMS-4200 Client

iVMS-4200 Client Software is a management software for Hikvision Devices. You can manage devices on the client, including adding, modifying and deleting devices. You can also perform operations such as checking online users and QR code for devices.

Install Hikvision iVMS-4200

Download and install iVMS-4200 Client Software on your local PC.

Register and Log in Hikvision iVMS-4200

You should register a super user and then you can log in the client with the super user account as administrator.

• Register a User

For the first time using the client software, you should register a super user for login.

Perform the following steps to register a super user for login.

• 1. After installing the client, double click   to run the software.

• 1. Create a user name and password for the super user.
  2. Confirm the password.
  3. Optional: Check the Enable Auto-login checkbox to log in to the software automatically.
  4. Click Register to register the super user.
• Login

Perform this task if you want to log in to the client software.

• 1. Run the client software to open login dialog.

• 1. Input the user name and password you registered.
  2. Check the Enable Auto-login checkbox to log in to the software automatically for next running.
  3. Click Login to log in to the client software.

Activate Intercom Video Devices

For some devices, you are required to create the password to activate them before they can be added to the software and work properly.

Perform this task to activate device:

1. Go to Device Management > Online Device.
2. Check the device status (shown on Security column) and select an inactive device.

1. Click Activate to open the Activation dialog.
2. Create a password in the Password field and confirm the password.

Add Devices to iVMS-4200 Client

All active online devices in the same local subnet with the client software will be displayed on the Online Device area. Add video intercom devices to iVMS-4200 Client so that you can configure and manage them on the client.

Choose one of the following methods:

• + Add to Client

You can add devices manually and specify nickname for identification on iVMS-4200 client.

• 1. Choose device and click + Add to Client.
  2. Specify Nickname for the device and click Add.

• 1. Nickname: Enter a name for the device to identify. In this example, enter DS-KD8003-IME1.
  2. Address: Enter IP address of the device. The IP address of the device is obtained automatically in this adding mode. In this example, IP address is 192.168.9.209.
  3. Port: Enter the device port number. The default value is 8000.
  4. User Name: Enter the user name to log in to the client. The default user name is admin.
  5. Password: Enter the password to log in to the client. The default password is 12345.
• + Add All

You can add all online devices to the client software with just one-click.

• 1. Click Add All > OK.
  2. Enter User Name and Password, and click Add. Then all available devices will be added to the iVMS-4200 Client with default setting.

User Name: Enter the user name to log in to the client. The default user name is admin.

Password: Enter the password to log in to the client. The default password is 12345.

For more information about iVMS-4200 Client, refer to iVMS-4200 User Manual.

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