Does registration on Hik-connect via PC restrict device sharing in some way?

[chisel]

Hi there!
New to the forum and have been reading here for a bit.
I'm in charge of five Hikvision DVRS for a business place and registered each via PC on the Hik-connect portal.
Each has shown the status ' online'. The video from the recorders is to be shared to three staff members via their smartphones.
A technician hired to programme the smartphones has insisted that the devices must be un-bound and moved from the portal, in order for this distribution (sharing) to take place.
Is this so? What would be the point then of having the option to register the devices on www.hik-connect.com ?
The DVRS are all Turbo HD series e.g DS-7208HUI-K2 with the P2P feature.

 

[JB1970]

I can't see why that would be necessary. If each of the five DVRs have been registered to a single Hik Connect account, then the owner of that account (you presumably) would share access to each of the five DVRs via the app to each of the three staff members. They would need to register their own Hik Connect account first and once you shared access the devices would appear within their app.

I'm guessing this and so the rest of this post relates to how accurate this guess is, but it may be that the technician prefers to use the Hik Connect app without using Hik Connect registration. That involves creating separate user accounts on the DVRs for the three staff members and setting user privileges for those users. As the holder of the admin user account you could create those three user accounts and add, delete users as necessary.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods:

With Hik Connect you can share access directly from the app, there's no need to set up user accounts on the DVRs, and push notifications can be received to the app. However with Hik Connect the connection to the DVRs is via the Hik Connect service and so not "direct" and each user still needs their own Hik Connect account and login.

With IP/Domain access to the DVRs and user accounts set, connection is effectively direct without going through Hikvisions servers, the other users do not need to have Hik Connect accounts (they still use the app without an account necessary), you can easily manage the user accounts on the DVRs yourself enabling/disabling permissions as required (from a limited list). However you cannot receive push notifications of events using this method (though you can to some extent if you use the older iVMS-4500 app)

I personally think that unless you specifically need push notifications of events to the users phones, that the IP/Domain is the better way to go especially for a business and it's how I set up all of my systems - providing customers with a dynamic DNS address if they don't have a static (or Virgin Media) IP address. If you can't connect, either you have no internet connection to your phone or there's an issue with network connection on site. You don't have to consider whether the Hik Connect service is up and running. The Hik Connect service is convenient when it plays nice for home users setting up the connection themselves but can be a PITA for an installer at times trying diagnose when it's not working.

 

[David]

I can't see why that would be necessary. If each of the five DVRs have been registered to a single Hik Connect account, then the owner of that account (you presumably) would share access to each of the five DVRs via the app to each of the three staff members. They would need to register their own Hik Connect account first and once you shared access the devices would appear within their app.

I'm guessing this and so the rest of this post relates to how accurate this guess is, but it may be that the technician prefers to use the Hik Connect app without using Hik Connect registration. That involves creating separate user accounts on the DVRs for the three staff members and setting user privileges for those users. As the holder of the admin user account you could create those three user accounts and add, delete users as necessary.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods:

With Hik Connect you can share access directly from the app, there's no need to set up user accounts on the DVRs, and push notifications can be received to the app. However with Hik Connect the connection to the DVRs is via the Hik Connect service and so not "direct" and each user still needs their own Hik Connect account and login.

With IP/Domain access to the DVRs and user accounts set, connection is effectively direct without going through Hikvisions servers, the other users do not need to have Hik Connect accounts (they still use the app without an account necessary), you can easily manage the user accounts on the DVRs yourself enabling/disabling permissions as required (from a limited list). However you cannot receive push notifications of events using this method (though you can to some extent if you use the older iVMS-4500 app)

I personally think that unless you specifically need push notifications of events to the users phones, that the IP/Domain is the better way to go especially for a business and it's how I set up all of my systems - providing customers with a dynamic DNS address if they don't have a static (or Virgin Media) IP address. If you can't connect, either you have no internet connection to your phone or there's an issue with network connection on site. You don't have to consider whether the Hik Connect service is up and running. The Hik Connect service is convenient when it plays nice for home users setting up the connection themselves but can be a PITA for an installer at times trying diagnose when it's not working.

I've never liked using external servers or cloud setups. I used to use the classic DDNS and port forwarding for a while and then moved to the VPN server (more secure) on my router. In another thread I asked about NAT and UPnP for Hikconnect but now realise I don't need to sign into a Hik account.

 

[JB1970]

I've never liked using external servers or cloud setups. I used to use the classic DDNS and port forwarding for a while and then moved to the VPN server (more secure) on my router. In another thread I asked about NAT and UPnP for Hikconnect but now realise I don't need to sign into a Hik account.

I agree - it just annoys me that I'm forced to use the Hik Connect server for the best experience with regard to alarms and push notifications. I like instant push notifications to my phone/watch (though there's quite a variation in the time it takes to receive a push notification through Hik Connect - sometimes instant sometimes delayed to the point of it being no use) iVMS-4500 works to a point with push notifications and would be fine over VPN but it's just not as slick in operation - no thumbnails etc.

Over on the IPCAM talk forum many prefer using their own PC for recording, running Blue Iris software and a VPN. Unfortunately to get the required specification of hardware for the PC it gets very expensive....

 

[David]

though there's quite a variation in the time it takes to receive a push notification through Hik Connect - sometimes instant sometimes delayed to the point of it being no use)

For me emails from the cameras were more reliable and timely, not sure if that would work with the alarm inputs.

 

[David]

Over on the IPCAM talk forum many prefer using their own PC for recording, running Blue Iris software and a VPN. Unfortunately to get the required specification of hardware for the PC it gets very expensive....

especially if you are running a bloated win10, is there anything on the Linux front?

 

[chisel]

I can't see why that would be necessary. If each of the five DVRs have been registered to a single Hik Connect account, then the owner of that account (you presumably) would share access to each of the five DVRs via the app to each of the three staff members. They would need to register their own Hik Connect account first and once you shared access the devices would appear within their app.

I'm guessing this and so the rest of this post relates to how accurate this guess is, but it may be that the technician prefers to use the Hik Connect app without using Hik Connect registration. That involves creating separate user accounts on the DVRs for the three staff members and setting user privileges for those users. As the holder of the admin user account you could create those three user accounts and add, delete users as necessary.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods:

With Hik Connect you can share access directly from the app, there's no need to set up user accounts on the DVRs, and push notifications can be received to the app. However with Hik Connect the connection to the DVRs is via the Hik Connect service and so not "direct" and each user still needs their own Hik Connect account and login.

With IP/Domain access to the DVRs and user accounts set, connection is effectively direct without going through Hikvisions servers, the other users do not need to have Hik Connect accounts (they still use the app without an account necessary), you can easily manage the user accounts on the DVRs yourself enabling/disabling permissions as required (from a limited list). However you cannot receive push notifications of events using this method (though you can to some extent if you use the older iVMS-4500 app)

I personally think that unless you specifically need push notifications of events to the users phones, that the IP/Domain is the better way to go especially for a business and it's how I set up all of my systems - providing customers with a dynamic DNS address if they don't have a static (or Virgin Media) IP address. If you can't connect, either you have no internet connection to your phone or there's an issue with network connection on site. You don't have to consider whether the Hik Connect service is up and running. The Hik Connect service is convenient when it plays nice for home users setting up the connection themselves but can be a PITA for an installer at times trying diagnose when it's not working.

Goodness! If you were not so far away I would ship you a case of malts!
I appreciate your kind response.

"..They would need to register their own Hik Connect account first and once you shared access the devices would appear within their app."

Completly missed this while reviewing the Hikvision configuration theory so thanks particularly for this.

I have responsibility for the DVRs but am not the owner. Be assured that the technician did not set up accounts on the DVRs but removed them as devices from my Hik-connect resistered account and shared them to designated phones.
Since this was all done on location, would he not have to re-register them (presumably with his own particulars) in order to gain access himself and to share?
If his phone is already setup with an account and previously registered devices, I suppose it would take just a few taps to unbind, re-register and share. In his last escapade, he did ask for the password to the (#5) DVR. Cheeky devil!

The technician's participation is a management edict - one I endorse as I'm not adept at mobile phone configuration.

You mention IP/Domain access to the DVRs and I assume you are referring to port forwarding?
This must be implemented asap as I cannot see how an admin can otherwise truly manage off-site recording and storage.

 

[JB1970]

Goodness! If you were not so far away I would ship you a case of malts!
I appreciate your kind response.

"..They would need to register their own Hik Connect account first and once you shared access the devices would appear within their app."

Completly missed this while reviewing the Hikvision configuration theory so thanks particularly for this.

I have responsibility for the DVRs but am not the owner. Be assured that the technician did not set up accounts on the DVRs but removed them as devices from my Hik-connect resistered account and shared them to designated phones.
Since this was all done on location, would he not have to re-register them (presumably with his own particulars) in order to gain access himself and to share?
If his phone is already setup with an account and previously registered devices, I suppose it would take just a few taps to unbind, re-register and share. In his last escapade, he did ask for the password to the (#5) DVR. Cheeky devil!

The technician's participation is a management edict - one I endorse as I'm not adept at mobile phone configuration.

You mention IP/Domain access to the DVRs and I assume you are referring to port forwarding?
This must be implemented asap as I cannot see how an admin can otherwise truly manage off-site recording and storage.

There are various ways of setting up access to the DVRs. It might be that he has a Hik Pro Connect account and added the DVRs to that. The idea of Hik Pro Connect is that the installer invites the administrator to take ownership of the DVR via their app. They can then monitor the systems health and be alerted of any issues within their app without needing the admin password. The holder of the admin account can set or remove permissions for the installer - configuration, live view, playback etc from within their app. This keeps the owner of the system in control, while allowing the installer to maintain the system, make changes to programming etc.

Yes when I mentioned IP/Domain I was referring to port forwarding. Even if the system is added using Hik Connect registration, you would still be able to access it with valid user credentials via it's external IP or dynamic domain name with port forwarding in place.

 

[chisel]

Thanks again my friend.
I've learnt more in these responses than in wading through dozens of YouTube videos and posts associated with them.