Virtual Host on DS-E04NI-Q14P Missing?

[imtiyazp]

I have the DS-E04NI-Q14P NVR and cannot find the ‘Virtual Host’ flag setting in either the NVR interface or Web interface. Normally it is under the area as shown in the attachment.

My other Hik NVR has it and I realise that the DS-E04NI-Q14P is a low-end mini NVR, but surely the option should exist?

 

[Dan]

Hi @imtiyazp

Can you please confirm the firmware version your NVR is currently using?

 

[imtiyazp]

Hi, it is the latest firmware on the Hik product website, which is:
V4.30.079 build 240119

 

[Dan]

Thanks @imtiyazp

There has actually been a newer firmware released in the last few weeks - V4.30.400_240319

Can you please try updating to this firmware and see if that adds the Virtual Host feature?

We haven't really been hands-on with these SSD Mini NVRs, so we don't know all of the features/settings that they do & don't support.

If the feature is still not there after the update, let us know and we'll double-check with Hikvision support what the situation is with Virtual Host on these NVRs.

 

[imtiyazp]

Thanks Dan for the swift response.

I can confirm that I have updated to firmware V4.30.400_240319 and there is still no Virtual Host feature.

 

[Dan]

Thanks @imtiyazp

I've asked Hikvision support about this Virtual Host issue and their response is below, unfortunately it's not good news:

"Hi, the SSD NVR does not support the virtual host due to the device's performance limitation (it is a low-end mini NVR)."​

I then asked them how users with cameras directly connected to these NVRs are meant to access camera-specific settings that are not accessible in the NVR menus, they said:

"Sorry, for these settings mentioned, it has to disconnect the camera with the SSD NVR or be pre-configured separately."​

 

[imtiyazp]

So with the second question you asked, they mean connect the camera to the network directly and using the SADP tool to configure them and then plug that back in to the Mini NVR. A bit of an oversight on Hik's part, but thank you for following up so quickly.

 

[Dan]

Hi @imtiyazp

Yes, that is how we understood what they had said.

It is very annoying, we can understand that if these models are meant as very basic, simple system NVRs then some features & settings have to be removed to keep the NVRs performance stable and power consumption low, but if that is the case then Hikvision needs to make it clearer the features that are and aren't supported by these models.

As soon as they shared the above with us we were thinking "Why did Hikvision produce these basic NVRs with PoE ports if there was no easy way to log in directly to the cameras connected to the PoE ports?", they could have just made these non-PoE NVRs because without Virtual Host it is now only going to be sensible to use these NVRs with remote cameras.

 

[imtiyazp]

Ah well, at least we know now. Thanks for your support.