Some Dahua IP cameras come with a built-in microphone function that enables the camera to record audio from the surroundings. It’s a great solution if you don’t want to run external separate microphones.
By default, the audio in these types of cameras is disabled, meaning you need to enable the microphone first and then adjust the settings accordingly.
There are two ways to enable the audio: via the NVR’s interface or through the web interface. You can turn the microphone on the NVR (or DVR) or straight to the camera. Unless you’re using the camera as a standalone, it’s recommended to enable the mic via the recorder.
The same settings are applicable if you’re using a built-in mic (embedded on the camera’s motherboard) or an external microphone hooked up to the camera (which is called a line-in mic),
Dahua: Enable Audio Recording
How to enable the microphone (audio recording) via the NVR
Step 1. Go to your NVR, enter the username password, then right-click and select Main Menu then Camera.
Step 2. In the Camera section, select the channel that you intend for audio recording (in our case, channel 1). Hit Encode and then More Setting.
Step 3. On the next screen, enable the Audio Encode option. Select OK then the Apply button. Leave the Audio Source on default (normal) which will work for built-in mics.
If the microphone is external, select Line-In option. Also, leave the Audio Format G.711A.
Note: If you have multiple channels with microphones, you need to do the settings for all of them one by one. On the Camera section (step 1), select the channel and do the settings, go back and do the second camera, and so on.
How to enable the microphone via the camera’s web interface
Additionally, you can enable the audio recording by accessing the camera directly via the web interface (or you can access the NVR’s web interface).
Step 1. Login to the camera using your credentials, install any plugins required by the prompts, then navigate to Setting > Camera and select Audio.
Step 2. Tick Enable under Main Stream to enable the microphone for the Main Stream. This is the high-quality stream that is usually used for recording. So, the Main Stream feed gets recorded and you’d want the audio recording enabled for it.
Step 3. You can also select Enable under Sub Stream to enable the microphone for the Sub Stream. This is the low-quality stream that is usually used when you access the camera via a phone app (iDMSS, gDMSS, third-party apps, etc). The Sub Stream doesn’t get recorded and is solely for remote viewing.
Step 4. Set the AudioIn Type. Mic is for the built-in mic. Line-In is for a microphone that is wired in (an external mic hooked into the camera. These options may vary based on the camera model. Hit Save to apply the settings.
Leave the Encode Mode and Sampling Frequency on default mode. Additionally, you may adjust the microphone volume (some users complain that the volume on the playback is too low). Speaker Volume is applicable if you have a speaker hooked up to the camera.
The default settings will work just fine in most common situations. However, if you’re unhappy with the audio recording performance, you may tweak the settings until you get something that you’re happy with.
Once all is done, we’d suggest checking the playback and ensuring that the audio recording is functional on all the selected channels.
Conclusion
Now you know how to enable audio recording on Dahua, whether via the IP camera’s interface or straight through the local NVR or DVR. Check the footage with audio enabled and if you are not happy with the performance of the audio, you can revert to the audio settings and adjust them accordingly.
Lastly, make sure to check the playback to see if the audio is working on all channels.
