How to add ONVIF cameras to a DOSS NVR?

Update - 18th May 2020

We've put together a short video on the process, using a Hikvision 8MP/4K camera and our NVR8IQ4KV3.

You can find that here: https://youtu.be/DduXBQ1A7Xk

http://www.doss.com.au/category/allproducts/sec-and-int/nvrs/  http://www.doss.com.au/category/allproducts/sec-and-int/cctv-sec-and-int/cctv/

Main points:

• Most cameras need some kind of "activation" or "first-time setup", so using the software supplied by your camera supplier, or logging directly into the web GUI is recommended.
• Some cameras also need to have ONVIF turned on in their settings manually, along with adding a username and password.
• To manually add a camera like this, after using the NVR's search tool, make sure you add the username and password to that specific camera.
• Once added, you may find that not all changes from the NVR are sent/received properly by the camera. This is because ONVIF is more limited than using a protocol more closely integrated in both camera & NVR. In the case of Doss NVRs and cameras, using I8, I8H, I8S, I9 or SLINK is recommended.
• You may need to still use the camera's software or web GUI to tweak the performance to your requirements.

 Symptoms:

• “Can I use my old {insert brand name here} IP cameras with a Doss NVR? They’re ONVIF compliant.”
• “My customer likes the {specific style/colour/smell} of this ONVIF camera, how do I get that to work with the Doss NVR?”

Older text:

When you add any ONVIF protocol camera to the NVR, please make sure you have changed the IP address of the ONVIF camera before you add it to the NVR, it is also required to add user name and password info for each ONVIF camera in NVR channel settings, even there is no password set in the camera itself, as NVR has no permission to change ONVIF IP camera address and couldn’t access the camera without login credentials.  

When ONVIF camera is connected directly with any DOSS NVR8IQ4KV3 and NVR16IQ4KV2, NVR36IQ4K, you have to change the camera address to different subnet as the NVR before you add it, because those models have two network cards built in. For example NVR is Lan1, the IP address will like 192.168.1.189, all cameras connected to those NVRs should be set to address like 192.168.2.xxx. 

You can use some ONVIF tools to change the camera IP address or login directly to the camera via the computer to change. 

Ben's additional notes:

- Some cameras from other manufacturers may NOT have ONVIF enabled out of the box. To get these working, you'll have to run the manufacturer's configuration tools on your computer to find & setup the camera. In the settings page for these cameras, you should find a checkbox to enable ONVIF (possibly on an "Encoding" settings page). Once you've ticked that, changed the IP address of the camera to match the subnet of your system (192.168.1.x, 192.168.0.x, 15.0.0.x, etc.), and added a password for the admin account, you should then be able to search and find these cameras in the Doss NVR. Once you've found them, make sure to enter the username & password for that camera.

- ONVIF is a more limited but universal protocol, so to get the best from your camera, you will need to log directly into the camera to have access to all the options & features, at least when you first install it. For example, wide dynamic range (WDR) may be switched off by default, and not accessible via the Doss NVR's settings for that camera. Depending on the camera manufacturer and how they've integrated the ONVIF profile, you may need to do this for everything from time/date to adjusting frame rates or day/night options.