How to make a Hikvision IP camera work on other NVR brands

Hikvision cameras are very popular and many users want to use these IP cameras with other NVR brands. In this article, we will explain how to connect an IP camera to a third-party NVR. It’s easy and you should simply perform the steps.

When connecting a Hikvision IP camera to a Hikvision NVR, the setup is plug and play, the cameras will show automatically and there’s no need to do any configuration. However, it’s different when connecting two devices from different manufacturers.

There are a few things that you need to consider before hooking up an Hikvision IP camera to another brand of NVR.

Hikvision cameras have the capability of being added to third-party recorders if they support the ONVIF protocol. ONVIF is a protocol maintained by various manufactures that enables the cameras and the recorders to communicate with each other regardless of the manufacturer. In this case, make sure the third part NVR supports the ONVIF protocol.

Using the ONVIF, the camera is able to send the video feed to the recorder and the NVR is able to process and record accordingly. Ensure both the camera and the NVR is updated to the latest firmware.

The instructions shown below are applicable to all Hvkison cameras including the logo ones or OEM versions sold under other brand names. If the interface looks similar, then the cameras are Hikvision OEM regardless of the brand name.

The diagram shows how you could connect the devices is as shown below:

The camera goes to the router or PoE switch via an Ethernet cable. The laptop and the NVR are connected to the same network so they all can see each other.

In this case, we’re using a non-PoE NVR. If you’re using a PoE NVR, then the camera goes to the back of the NVR. But first, you need to configure the camera, and this configuration can be done only when the camera is connected straight to the router/switch.

How to connect a Hikvision IP camera to a third party NVR

Step 1. First, we need to run the Batch Config Tool which allows us to detect the camera’s IP address, modify it, and enable the ONVIF protocol. By default, the ONVIF protocol is disabled and needs to be enabled manually.

Download the Batch Config Tool, have it installed on your laptop/computer, and run it. The computer, the camera, and the NVR need to be plugged into the same network (wired or WiFi).

Once running, you should see the list of Hikvision IP cameras and devices that are on the same network as the PC.

Step 2. Now, you need to checkmark the device that you want to set up and click on the +Add Icon. The Tool will prompt for the device’s password, once entered, click OK.

Then you should see your device populate in the upper section of the Tool. In other words, once added the camera will show on the first section of the tool.
Step 3. In this step, we need to enable the ONVIF protocol. With the Device added, checkmark it in the upper section. Next, click on More > Configure Network Protocol > ONVIF.

Here you need to check the Enable ONVIF as well as Add User and create an Administrator User with the same credentials as your device login. Once done, Click OK.
Step 4. Disable Illegal Login Lock. This option needs to be disabled otherwise it will cause a lot of connectivity issues when connected to the third-party NVR.

From the Batch Config Tool, click on the gear icon next to the device added on the top portion of the tool. Select the System Tab, then Login Security. Uncheck Access Lock, and click Save.

After all these steps, you have to manually add the IP camera to the NVR. The procedure depends on the manufacturer and the interface of the recorder.

The logic is the same, you need to find the camera section on the NVR’s menu, and manually add the camera’s IP address using the ONVIF protocol.

For example, let’s add this IP camera to a Dahua NVR. Find the “Add Camera” section and click add a new camera. It should look similar to the screenshot shown below.
In this case, you can select the channel number where the camera will be displayed. The “manufacturer” has to be set to ONVIF, in some other brands the ONVIF option is labeled as “Protocol”. If you’re not sure, just use the drop menu and select “ONVIF”.

Enter the camera’s IP address (you can find that on the tool above), the RTSP port has to be 554 and HTTP port 80 (default). If you’ve modified these values, simply enter the new ones.

The username is admin and then type the camera’s password. Leave the reset the same and just hit OK. Usually, you may need to wait 2-5 minutes for the camera to come online.

This example was for Dahua, but the logic is the same regardless of the manufacturer. Basically, the third-party NVR will access the Hikvison IP camera using the ONVIF protocol and the HTTP/RTSP ports.

Enable the ONVIF protocol by accessing the camera directly

Another way to enable the ONVIF protocol on a Hikvision IP camera is by accessing the camera directly on the web browser. You need to know the IP address of the camera which you can locate using the SADP tool or the Batch Configuration tool. Then type that IP address on the URL bar of your browse in your laptop/PC.

Enter the camera credentials (username and password) and then navigate to the Configuration settings. Then go to Network > Advanced Settings > Integration Protocol.

There tick the Enable ONVIF box and then create a user for the ONVIF profile. This use should be allocated as Administrator (otherwise it may not work).  Next, same as shown above, you need to add the camera to the third-party NVR using its interface.