Trying to set up 1 powered IP cam, recording to 1 laptop - configuring IP side is killing me. pls help

[Davidthomh]

Hi all,
Hope someone can help -

I have an IP cam (a brand new H.view model HV-500G2 which came with it's own IP address and username/password). I want to connect it to a laptop to 24/7 monitor my front yard.

Remote viewing from my phone will not be required and recording video from the camera will be the only thing that the laptop will be doing.
(The laptop has been reformatted, had a clean windows install and an ssd fitted - running windows 7)

I have spent 3 weeks and scores of times trying to configure the IP address in the laptop 'network settings', 'ipv4' the camera, and all the rest with zero success, it's driving me insane.
(I watched pretty much all of the YT vids concerning this, followed the instructions - still couldn't get it)

Can anyone please show mercy and take an idiot through the process - simply ?

Any suggestions on software to use ? - I bought Xeoma but can't get cam to work, so no idea if it's any good/easy to use

Any help would be very much appreciated

 

[David]

Hi all,
Hope someone can help -

I have an IP cam (a brand new H.view model HV-500G2 which came with it's own IP address and username/password). I want to connect it to a laptop to 24/7 monitor my front yard.

Remote viewing from my phone will not be required and recording video from the camera will be the only thing that the laptop will be doing.
(The laptop has been reformatted, had a clean windows install and an ssd fitted - running windows 7)

I have spent 3 weeks and scores of times trying to configure the IP address in the laptop 'network settings', 'ipv4' the camera, and all the rest with zero success, it's driving me insane.
(I watched pretty much all of the YT vids concerning this, followed the instructions - still couldn't get it)

Can anyone please show mercy and take an idiot through the process - simply ?

Any suggestions on software to use ? - I bought Xeoma but can't get cam to work, so no idea if it's any good/easy to use

Any help would be very much appreciated

@Davidthomh Have you tried this?

How to change the camera IP to DHCP in SmartClient - H.VIEW - Support Team

hview.kf5.com

 

[Davidthomh]

@Davidthomh Have you tried this?

How to change the camera IP to DHCP in SmartClient - H.VIEW - Support Team

hview.kf5.com

Hi there,
Thank you for the link - I have tried that, and follow the instructions exactly, and get a 'success' but after that, unfortunately I only get - 'state connecting, state offline' constantly in the Device list box.

My connections are - (not using poe switch box) : Mains power adapter (which is 12volt/2amp) connected to the camera pigtail and lan cable connected from camera pigtail lan connector, to the laptop.
(Using poe switch box) : camera conected by lan cable to a poe socket on the switch box, and a lan cable connected from 'uplink' socket on poe switch box to the laptop lan socket)

I bought 4 new rj45 cables just to make sure the cables have no issues

The infra red leds in the camera glow from time to time but that's as far as I get.

Any other help would be greatly appreciated (the camera was bought from Amazon 3/4 weeks ago and I've spent a major part of that time trying to set it up, trawling the web/youtube for solutions, obviously with no luck)

 

[David]

Hi there,
Thank you for the link - I have tried that, and follow the instructions exactly, and get a 'success' but after that, unfortunately I only get - 'state connecting, state offline' constantly in the Device list box.

My connections are - (not using poe switch box) : Mains power adapter (which is 12volt/2amp) connected to the camera pigtail and lan cable connected from camera pigtail lan connector, to the laptop.
(Using poe switch box) : camera conected by lan cable to a poe socket on the switch box, and a lan cable connected from 'uplink' socket on poe switch box to the laptop lan socket)

I bought 4 new rj45 cables just to make sure the cables have no issues

The infra red leds in the camera glow from time to time but that's as far as I get.

Any other help would be greatly appreciated (the camera was bought from Amazon 3/4 weeks ago and I've spent a major part of that time trying to set it up, trawling the web/youtube for solutions, obviously with no luck)

Hi David, there's no mention of a router in your setup are you assigning fixed (static) IP addresses to your camera and laptop? If you are what are the fixed IP's and the subnet mask?

 

[Davidthomh]

Hi David, there's no mention of a router in your setup are you assigning fixed (static) IP addresses to your camera and laptop? If you are what are the fixed IP's and the subnet mask?

Hi there, thanks for getting back to me.

Nope - no router. I wanted as non complicated and easily setup system as would do the job - (ie camera/mains adapter/laptop/software) it hasn't worked out too well so far lol
(I bought the poe switch box because trying to get the camera to work just with the camera >laptop wasn't working - buying the poe box didn't help either)

This part has me completely confused. - 'are you assigning fixed (static) IP addresses to your camera and laptop?
- The camera already has an IP address which is printed on it and shows up in the EZClient software (192.168.1.120), is this not it's IP address ?
and not sure I would know why/how to assign fixed(static) IP addresses to my laptop or camera

'If you are what are the fixed IP's and the subnet mask?' -
Sorry, unfortunately I have no idea of what these do or where I would get that information. When I bought the camera, I honestly didn't realise i'd have to know about configuring fixed IP addresses and subnet masks, but am very willing to learn.

 

[David]

Hi there, thanks for getting back to me.

Nope - no router. I wanted as non complicated and easily setup system as would do the job - (ie camera/mains adapter/laptop/software) it hasn't worked out too well so far lol
(I bought the poe switch box because trying to get the camera to work just with the camera >laptop wasn't working - buying the poe box didn't help either)

This part has me completely confused. - 'are you assigning fixed (static) IP addresses to your camera and laptop?
- The camera already has an IP address which is printed on it and shows up in the EZClient software (192.168.1.120), is this not it's IP address ?
and not sure I would know why/how to assign fixed(static) IP addresses to my laptop or camera

'If you are what are the fixed IP's and the subnet mask?' -
Sorry, unfortunately I have no idea of what these do or where I would get that information. When I bought the camera, I honestly didn't realise i'd have to know about configuring fixed IP addresses and subnet masks, but am very willing to learn.

What you want to do should be possible, need to check some things first.

Are you using the mains power supply or the POE supply?

From what you've said the ezviz software on the laptop can "see" the camera and the cameras IP address is 192.168.1.120. Let's assume the subnet mask is the default 255.255.255.0.

You may have already done this but set a static IP address for your laptop

RET - Networking Change IP Address Windows 7 | StarTech.com

How do I change my IP address in Windows 7?

www.startech.com

Laptop IP address 192.168.1.121
Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
after this restart your laptop

run the ezviz program and add the camera make sure the camera IP address is 192.168.1.120 and the subnet mask 255.255.255.0 Do NOT enable DHCP.
Could you take pictures of the ezviz screen when you add a camera?

 

[Davidthomh]

First I would like to thank you for taking the time to nurse me through this. Not eveyone has the time, interest or inclination to help, so it really is very much appreciated sir.

Ok,

For trying the changes you suggested I was using the mains adapter to the camera for power, although I could use the poe box if you think it would help.

I did do some screen captures :

Pic 1 changes to the laptop IP (after which, I rebooted the laptop as you suggested)
Pic 2 is when I click on 'add device'
Pic 3 this came up when I clicked on 'modify' (i didn't change anything, left it all as it was)
Pic 4 when I clicked on 'save', a message popped up in bottom right hand corner saying 'set failed', then disappeared after a couple of seconds so couldn't capture it to show you

For the EZClient software, apart from clicking 'add device', 'modify' and 'save' I changed nothing

.

 

[David]

First I would like to thank you for taking the time to nurse me through this. Not eveyone has the time, interest or inclination to help, so it really is very much appreciated sir.

Ok,

For trying the changes you suggested I was using the mains adapter to the camera for power, although I could use the poe box if you think it would help.

I did do some screen captures :

Pic 1 changes to the laptop IP (after which, I rebooted the laptop as you suggested)
Pic 2 is when I click on 'add device'
Pic 3 this came up when I clicked on 'modify' (i didn't change anything, left it all as it was)
Pic 4 when I clicked on 'save', a message popped up in bottom right hand corner saying 'set failed', then disappeared after a couple of seconds so couldn't capture it to show you

For the EZClient software, apart from clicking 'add device', 'modify' and 'save' I changed nothing

View attachment 5924

View attachment 5925

View attachment 5926

View attachment 5927

.

On your laptop open internet explorer, in the address bar type 192.168.1.120 and press enter. can you login to the camera?

 

[Davidthomh]

On your laptop open internet explorer, in the address bar type 192.168.1.120 and press enter. can you login to the camera?

Hi there,

Sorry I haven't got back to you sooner but...

I haven't used IE for decades, it is on the laptop I'm using for the camera, but when I click IE icon, it won't open completely (hangs on opening) with the error message - 'Internet Explorer has stopped working' - 'A problem has cause the program to stop working correctly' etc

From the 'fix' search results on Google, it looks as if this is a very well known problem dating back years.
I have tried several of the fixes from online and on Youtube - none have worked. Which, given the success of this project so far, doesn't surprise me. I even downloaded IE11 from Microsoft site in case it was a problem with the version on the lap[top - still wouldn't open properly and still got the error message.

Any other suggestions gratefully accepted

 

[David]

Hi there,

Sorry I haven't got back to you sooner but...

I haven't used IE for decades, it is on the laptop I'm using for the camera, but when I click IE icon, it won't open completely (hangs on opening) with the error message - 'Internet Explorer has stopped working' - 'A problem has cause the program to stop working correctly' etc

From the 'fix' search results on Google, it looks as if this is a very well known problem dating back years.
I have tried several of the fixes from online and on Youtube - none have worked. Which, given the success of this project so far, doesn't surprise me. I even downloaded IE11 from Microsoft site in case it was a problem with the version on the lap[top - still wouldn't open properly and still got the error message.

Any other suggestions gratefully accepted

what about win7 browsers?

lets revert back to the ezclient software.
at the add device window just click Add and see if you get video.

 

[Davidthomh]

what about win7 browsers?

lets revert back to the ezclient software.
at the add device window just click Add and see if you get video.

Hi there,
Re EzClient. I opened the program, clicked 'add device'. In the Device list, my cam icon appears, and the text is now - 'State : logined' - which I guess is a move on from earlier. But still no picture - see PIC 1

With IE not working, I typed 192.168.1.120 into my Firefox browser and got PIC 2 (H.VIEW login screen), then PIC 3 (after login screen, )

When trying to download Flashplayer, the browser goes to Adobe site and tell us that Adobe Flash won't work, or cant be used after 2020. I assume that not having Flash will stop me from seeing online camera view, even if it was working in/through the software. As I mentioned in my first post, accessing it online isn't the be all and end all, would be nice I suppost, but getting it working on the laptop is my main thing

 

[Davidthomh]

Hi there,
Re EzClient. I opened the program, clicked 'add device'. In the Device list, my cam icon appears, and the text is now - 'State : logined' - which I guess is a move on from earlier. But still no picture - see PIC 1

With IE not working, I typed 192.168.1.120 into my Firefox browser and got PIC 2 (H.VIEW login screen), then PIC 3 (after login screen, )

When trying to download Flashplayer, the browser goes to Adobe site and tell us that Adobe Flash won't work, or cant be used after 2020. I assume that not having Flash will stop me from seeing online camera view, even if it was working in/through the software. As I mentioned in my first post, accessing it online isn't the be all and end all, would be nice I suppost, but getting it working on the laptop is my main thing

View attachment 5928

View attachment 5929

View attachment 5930

Just tried using poe switch box instead of mains adapter power :

EZClient will show 'connecting' then going to 'offline' 3 or 4 times (as it did using the mains adapter) before showing 'logined' when poe lan cable is plugged in

Getting the same browser screens as I did using mains adapter too

So, using mains or poe is showing no differences (did this just in case it was a problem with not enough or no power getting to the camera using the mains adapter)

 

[David]

Just tried using poe switch box instead of mains adapter power :

EZClient will show 'connecting' then going to 'offline' 3 or 4 times (as it did using the mains adapter) before showing 'logined' when poe lan cable is plugged in

Getting the same browser screens as I did using mains adapter too

So, using mains or poe is showing no differences (did this just in case it was a problem with not enough or no power getting to the camera using the mains adapter)

It surprises me that ezclient does not show video, did you click the play button? See my image top left red square. The flash player problem may be fixed by upgrading the firmware on your camera.

Click on the gear cog (my image bottom right red square) and check the camera settings to see if the video is enabled.

What camera software are you going to use to record?

 

[Davidthomh]

It surprises me that ezclient does not show video, did you click the play button? See my image top left red square. The flash player problem may be fixed by upgrading the firmware on your camera.

Click on the gear cog (my image bottom right red square) and check the camera settings to see if the video is enabled.

What camera software are you going to use to record?

View attachment 5932

Hi there,
Apologies for not getting back to you sooner - my internet connection went down just after my last post to you yesterday and has just been fixed.

Ok, I've taken screenshot of the EZClient video settings page and a pic of the Xeoma security video software screen. Xeoma vid software seemed to get good reviews online, so I bought that to use.

I also went to H.View site to see if they have any camera firmware downloads as you suggested.
There is a downloads page and Under 'POE IP Camera' 'Download list' - it has 8 links to eg Mobile App, User Manual, Manager tools, Firmware package etc - when clicked on, they all go to a '404 page not found' page. I think now, buying the H.View camera was a huge time guzzling soul destroying mistake, if H.View aren't even going to support it anymore, which it looks very much like. Again, H.view got many good reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. Just goes to show.

The camera seems to connect as per 'Logined', the software sees there's something connected but no picture. In the 3+ weeks of trying, I've not had even the shadow of a picture come up even temporarily.

I still have 7 days left to return the camera according to Amazon. I really don't want to waste any more of your valuable time pursuing this if the actual camera is at fault.

And, if I return it and buy another camera, I still want to be in your goodstanding for the help setting the next one up, which I will likely need, so I don't want to try your patients to snapping point, continuing with a camera which may be faulty and the company seems to have abandoned.

The specs on the camera were perfect too - bullet type, which is what I wanted, solid metal body, IR, 110 degree fov - shame

What do you think ? - and if you agree that returning the camera may be a better option, could you suggest one to replace it.

 

[David]

Hi there,
Apologies for not getting back to you sooner - my internet connection went down just after my last post to you yesterday and has just been fixed.

Ok, I've taken screenshot of the EZClient video settings page and a pic of the Xeoma security video software screen. Xeoma vid software seemed to get good reviews online, so I bought that to use.

I also went to H.View site to see if they have any camera firmware downloads as you suggested.
There is a downloads page and Under 'POE IP Camera' 'Download list' - it has 8 links to eg Mobile App, User Manual, Manager tools, Firmware package etc - when clicked on, they all go to a '404 page not found' page. I think now, buying the H.View camera was a huge time guzzling soul destroying mistake, if H.View aren't even going to support it anymore, which it looks very much like. Again, H.view got many good reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. Just goes to show.

The camera seems to connect as per 'Logined', the software sees there's something connected but no picture. In the 3+ weeks of trying, I've not had even the shadow of a picture come up even temporarily.

I still have 7 days left to return the camera according to Amazon. I really don't want to waste any more of your valuable time pursuing this if the actual camera is at fault.

And, if I return it and buy another camera, I still want to be in your goodstanding for the help setting the next one up, which I will likely need, so I don't want to try your patients to snapping point, continuing with a camera which may be faulty and the company seems to have abandoned.

View attachment 5935

View attachment 5936

The specs on the camera were perfect too - bullet type, which is what I wanted, solid metal body, IR, 110 degree fov - shame

What do you think ? - and if you agree that returning the camera may be a better option, could you suggest one to replace it.

I was not impressed either, I would change it. Their website is poorly setup.
Why not contact Use-IP website and see what they have to offer, they offer a 14 day try before you buy scheme. I've bought all my Hikvision ip cctv kit from them. @Phil @Dan

 

[Davidthomh]

Hi there,

Yeah, I've boxed up the camera and printed out the Amazon return label.
I mean it wasn't a cheap (for me) camera at £60, but the search begins again lol

Thanks for the link, I registered on the Use-IP website, so will have a look on there.

I want to thank you again for taking the time to help me through a setup, which ultimately ended up being a fruitless endevour - however you did teach me things and thats always good and appreciated.

No doubt I'll be back here shortly when I'm looking at the next (and hopefully more successful, final) camera purchase

Thanks again
David

 

[David]

Hi there,

Yeah, I've boxed up the camera and printed out the Amazon return label.
I mean it wasn't a cheap (for me) camera at £60, but the search begins again lol

Thanks for the link, I registered on the Use-IP website, so will have a look on there.

I want to thank you again for taking the time to help me through a setup, which ultimately ended up being a fruitless endevour - however you did teach me things and thats always good and appreciated.

No doubt I'll be back here shortly when I'm looking at the next (and hopefully more successful, final) camera purchase

Thanks again
David

Take a look at the use-ip open box cameras, my first Hikvision bullet camera was open box and is still working 6 years later. I would pay a little bit more and get better features (intrusion detection and image compensation).
As you've already seen this forum has a wealth of knowledge and expertise that is vastly superior to what H.View offered. Good luck in your search.

 

[Davidthomh]

Hi David,

Thanks, I'll take a look at those. Spending the last month on this (and having little knowledge of this area previously), I would now sort of do my due dilligence in reverse - I wouldn't primarily focus on a specific camera first (Amazon gave the 2 cameras I bought many hundreds of great reviews between them and that seemed recommendation enough...).
I'd chose 2 or 3 brands which manufactured the camera type I may be interested in and then check to see what sort of backup, firmware downloads and other software the manufacturer provides, and are they kept current and updated ? - what is the customer support like, do they have a good presence on forums etc, and narrow it down from there.

Having found twice so far that you can buy what seem like good, appropriate, positively reviewed cameras for your requirements, it's the back-up and customer support/updated software etc which you really need to have a good experience with these things. eg, there's a company called Reolink which have worked on their browser software where you don't need IE or Adobe Flash to be able to view your camera output, it works with most popular browsers. That sort of work/solution should be a given for a company in the market, but as I have found to my cost, many makers aren't even bothering, they're just passing it on to the customer to try and botch together something that night work.

 

[David]

Hi David,

Thanks, I'll take a look at those. Spending the last month on this (and having little knowledge of this area previously), I would now sort of do my due dilligence in reverse - I wouldn't primarily focus on a specific camera first (Amazon gave the 2 cameras I bought many hundreds of great reviews between them and that seemed recommendation enough...).
I'd chose 2 or 3 brands which manufactured the camera type I may be interested in and then check to see what sort of backup, firmware downloads and other software the manufacturer provides, and are they kept current and updated ? - what is the customer support like, do they have a good presence on forums etc, and narrow it down from there.

Having found twice so far that you can buy what seem like good, appropriate, positively reviewed cameras for your requirements, it's the back-up and customer support/updated software etc which you really need to have a good experience with these things. eg, there's a company called Reolink which have worked on their browser software where you don't need IE or Adobe Flash to be able to view your camera output, it works with most popular browsers. That sort of work/solution should be a given for a company in the market, but as I have found to my cost, many makers aren't even bothering, they're just passing it on to the customer to try and botch together something that night work.

Also bear in mind you want to run this isolated from the internet / local network (is that right?). I did wonder if the H.View needed an internet connection before displaying live video. A camera that connects to the cloud may not be suitable.
If you are isolated from the network you will need to update the time on the laptop and camera. You'll also need internet connectivity for camera firmware updates and laptop windows updates.

 

[Davidthomh]

Yes indeed.
The laptop I'm using has wifi access (can use it for Google and used it to d/l different cam softwares), but I've really no requirement to see the camera view through my phone, which being able to access it through the browser enables (if I understand that correctly). So, I'd likely switch wifi off on the laptop, and just have it as a closed system, with the camera view being provided using camera software. This phone viewing facility does seem to be a common thing that most people seem to want though. I mean if it's easy to set up, the phone view might be quite handy, but it's not a huge thing for me.

On reading your points on date time updates/firmware updates etc maybe it would make more sense leaving wifi on... Or from time to time I could switch on wifi, do the updates and switch off again. I quite like the security that a possible access point to home network is closed and secure, though I have no idea of the statistics of attempted hacks through laptop wifi. Maybe I'm being over cautious though.

Hold on - my laptop accesses the internet through my Virgin hub wifi - does that mean I'd actually need to change the IP of laptop/camera to the IP of the Virgin Hub to access the browser camera view ? - or is that complete nonsense ? - and I'm clutching at straws lol

(Maybe you could answer an idiot's question for me - the actual lan ethernet socket in my laptop, does that have an IP address of it's own, or does it just take on or be assigned the IP address of whatever you plug into it ? )

Cheers David