Replacing HIK Vision IVMS4200 software
Hi, i'm looking for a replacement software package for my HIK Vision IVMS4200 for my home, 3 camera CCTV system because it is preventing me from updating my IOS from Sonoma 14.7.1 to the new Sequoia because currently, they are not compatible. I'd like to know if the Security Spy software can provide me with similar functionality as the IVMS4200 which are :
a) Set up Line Crossing detection on the two front of house cameras (i can only configure my system for two camera detection).
b) The ability to search my DVR and download video and pictures of any events to a remote drive
c) The purchase and any subscription costs of the Security Spy software and any "extra" hardware/software i may need to purchase to make the switch.
Many thanks and look forwards to your response.
Mick, from the UK.
Comments
Hi Mick - SecuritySpy can certainly work with your Hikvision hardware, however SecuritySpy is itself an NVR (Network Video Recorder) and it isn't designed to simply be a viewer into another recorder device. To switch over to SecuritySpy you have two basic options:
SecuritySpy replaces the Hikvision NVR - it connects directly to the cameras. The Hikvision NVR box becomes redundant.
SecuritySpy works in parallel with the Hikvision NVR, obtaining the camera's streams with the Hikvision NVR as an intermediary.
In both cases, SecuritySpy does its own motion detection and recording, to a drive connected to your Mac (e.g. an external USB SSD). To address your questions in more detail:
a. While SecuritySpy doesn't specifically have a line crossing feature, it has accurate motion and human detection, and can trigger recording/notifications when a human is detected in a particular area in any camera's view.
b. As mentioned, SecuritySpy is not a viewer into the Hikvision system - it does its own recording. All recordings are then available via SecuritySpy's macOS user interface, web interface (available from any desktop web browser), and iOS app.
c. Purchase costs can be seen via the SecuritySpy Online Store page and if you click the "Terms and Conditions" link on this page you will see details about ongoing costs (in summary, your initial purchase comes with a two-year support period after which there are optional modest payments to extend this yearly to continue to receive access to software updates and technical help).
Let me know if you have any further questions!
Hi, currently my HIK Vision DVR is located in my loft where the cables for the three cameras are routed and connects to my Network via a tp-link AV1300 passthrough powerline with an ethernet cable. Would it be possible to provide me with a sketch or a schematic diagram showing how the Security Spy NVR is installed or how it would fit into my system, i really need to be sure it will work without having to spend the same amount as it originally cost please?
Thanks
Mick
Hi Mick, so that I can advise you further, can you please clarify the following:
Are the cameras connected into the back of the DVR? Or, is the DVR along with the cameras connected into a separate Ethernet switch? Also, what is the model number of your DVR?
Hi Ben, yes all three cameras are connected into the back of the DVR using a Power Over Coax arrangement. The model of the DVR is
DS-7204HUHI-K1/P. It's the DVR that is connected to the tp link AV1300 using an ethernet cable and to the best of my knowledge it's this that provides the access to the WiFi
Since this is quite a common query, we have been working on a blog post that describes the various options in this situation - you'll find it here: Replacing a Hardware NVR With SecuritySpy. For your particular case, expand the section called "If your cameras plug directly into the NVR", and then the section called "Connect SecuritySpy to your NVR". This section has some specific instructions for Hikvision NVRs. Please let me know your results once you've had a chance to test this, and if you think that anything in the blog post is unclear so that we can add further detail to it where needed.
Hi Ben, i've looked at the details and my scenario in the security spy software and to a seasoned guy with Networking knowledge it sounds quite straightforwards but to me then i think it would help if you showed each step of each set up using pictures. the words make it sound simple but pictures tell a much better story. So what about doing one for the HIKvision NVR and that might persuade me to purchase? By the way is it the Security Spy that's the one i'd be looking at or is it just the camera viewer package, i'm not clear??
Since you would be keeping your NVR, this is one of the simpler scenarios. The best thing for you to do would be to download and install SecuritySpy on your Mac (you will get a 30-day fully-featured trial), and attempt to add cameras from your NVR. As described in the blog post, the setup would be:
If this works to pull in the first camera, repeat the above using different "Input/stream number" settings to add the remaining cameras.
I agree the blog post is a bit word-heavy, we'll see if we can improve this over time. It's quite a difficult post to organise, since there is so much variation in how the NVR system could be configured. Plus, the subject matter doesn't easily lend itself to pictures. We'll see what we can do, but this won't happen immediately. I hope you have enough information at this point in time to proceed.
SecuritySpy is the software that you need. Once set up, there are various options for viewing from another Mac, PC, web browser, iOS device etc., but the first thing would be to get SecuritySpy set up on your Mac and receiving video from your NVR/cameras.
Hi Ben, ok i'm happy to proceed on that basis, what exactly is a 30 day "fully featured trial"? Please send me the link for the download and, do i have pay a subscription?
Nearly forgot, are you certain i will be able to update my IOS to Sequoia 15.2 after the successful installation of SecuritySpy?
Thanks
You can download the software here: SecuritySpy Download. The first time you open it on your Mac, your free trial period will begin, and the software will operate for 30 days without restriction. After the 30 days, if you are happy with the software, you can proceed to purchase a license via our online store (all costs are shown here, with further details via the "Terms and Conditions" link on this page).
SecuritySpy is compatible with all macOS systems from 10.13 ("High Sierra") to 15 ("Sequoia"). Note that these are macOS systems that run on your Mac - you mention iOS, which is the operating system for your iPhone/iPad if you have these devices. We also have a SecuritySpy iOS app that will run on your iOS devices (which is compatible with the latest iOS version), which will act as a viewer into your server instance of SecuritySpy that is running on your Mac.
I hope this answers your questions - please let me know if you need to know anything else!
Hi Ben, thanks for clarifying that iOS is for i phones and i pads, i didn't know that ! But it does raise my last question, is the app free to download as part of the SecuritySpy licence or a separate purchase?
The SecuritySpy iOS app is free to download and use, but it does require a fully-functional macOS SecuritySpy installation on your Mac (either in trial mode, or a paid license after the trial mode ends). This is because the iOS app is not a standalone product - is is a viewer into macOS SecuritySpy. All the work to process the video streams, do motion detection, record, generate alerts and so on happens in SecuritySpy running on your Mac.
In summary, you will need to purchase SecuritySpy for your Mac (after the 30 day free trial), but the iOS app is a free add-on without any additional cost.
Hi Ben, i managed to download/install the software and get to view through all three cameras, i did need the instructions :-)
i intend to set up some alarms today but have a couple of questions first:
q) i don't know what the technical term for this is called but watching people walk in front of the house this morning, via two cameras, the people keep stopping and starting- i haven't seen this before in the IVMS 4200.
q) for example, using the IVMS4200 if i wanted to say look at what happened in front of my house yesterday morning at twenty past eight am then it was easy to do but how do i do that with Security Spy. Does the system constantly record like the IVMS system did?
q) By the way, what happens to the hard drive on my NVR now? Is it redundant or does SecuritySpy somehow utilose it? im not really understanding this element yet but i'm sure i'll pick it up...
Thanks
Hi Mick, great to hear you managed to get this working. To answer your questions:
q1) This isn't normal - there are a few possibilities:
q2) Please check out the Recording and Schedules section of the user manual to understand how to control SecuritySpy's recording. As long as Motion Capture mode is armed, SecuritySpy will record movies of all motion, and you can locate these via the Browser feature or via the web interface or via the iOS app.
q3) SecuritySpy cannot use the NVR's storage. You should obtain an external SSD drive, format it to APFS format using Disk Utility, connect it to your Mac, and set it as the capture destination in the Storage settings.
Hi Ben:
q1)
q2)
q3)
Final question: i can only download the app for my i phone when i have completed my 30 day trial and paid for my licence, is that correct?
So far i'm loving it though, so much better than the ivms4200!!!
Great to hear the software is working well for you!
Generally Ethernet is going to be faster and more reliable than WiFi. Powerline may not be as fast as true Ethernet, but it's generally more performant than WiFi, with more stable transfer speeds, but this does depend on the particulars of the power wiring. If you are using older powerline hardware it may be worth upgrading, due to significant improvements in this technology over the years.
You can download and use the SecuritySpy iOS app anytime, even before you have paid for a license.
Hi Ben, thanks for the response and i will download the App.
Can you help me understand how the Continuous Capture works please? My train of thought was that it would behave how the NVR did in that it records all the time through my three cameras and, should the need arise, i could search and view from any of my cameras at any given day and any given time, as long as the video was still available, is that not the case?
For your info, ref q3 from previous chat, i already had an external drive attached that holds all my day to day documents that i use so i partitioned it and formatted to APFS as you suggested and i have set it as my Default Capture Destination but i'm not getting the impression that it is recording ? Any ideas please?
Mick
Hi Mick, for most users, the best option is generally to use Motion Capture only. This will record only when there is something happening, and makes playback and finding events much easier. To do this, set Motion Capture mode to a suitable schedule like "Armed 24/7" (schedules are explained here: Recording and Schedules).
You could instead use Continuous Capture mode to record all the time, however this takes much more storage space (therefore you will get a much shorter history of recordings), and makes locating recorded events harder. If you do want to recording continuously, then the best way to play back is to use the Browser feature in the software. This allows you to play back video from any time. And, if you have enabled the "Movie Search Metadata" options under Settings > Cameras > Triggers, you can also search by event in the continuous recordings (e.g. for motion or for human/vehicle/animal detection).
To ensure that recording is taking place, make sure that your external drive is selected as the capture destination under Settings > Storage, and make sure that either Motion Capture mode (M) or Continuous Capture mode (C) is armed on a suitable schedule such as the "Armed 24/7" schedule.
Thanks Ben, i have done just that so we'll see how it goes.
Things are going all ok now with your system and i'm getting more used to it by the day so would it be ok for me to now update my OS from Sonoma to Sequoia?
Oh, nearly forgot Ben, can you explain when i'm watching live from my i phone people are stop starting and quite jittery, just as they were when i first set my mac up...... and i think that will be all.
Mick
Hi Mick, if you have no particular issue with Sonoma I'd say stick with that; Sequoia has a new privacy option for access to the local network that is causing problems for some users. However, only a handful of users are affected at this time, so if you want to update to Sequoia for other reasons it should be fine to do so.
Movement should be quite smooth on your phone. Is the problem definitely limited to the phone, with the video showing smoothly on the Mac itself? It's difficult to know why this could be the case, but we can investigate further if you email us and include a debug file from SecuritySpy (SecuritySpy menu > Debug > Create Debug File On Desktop). Make sure to create the debug file at a moment in time when you're viewing on the phone, and the problem is evident.
Hi Ben, the mere mention of of the issue with my phone seems to have miraculously cured it, motion is as smooth as it is on my mac so all is now good with me thanks.
I will try installing and running Sequoia because there were certainly some aspects that i really liked before i had to "unwind" due to IVMS 4200 so i may as well bite the bullet...
Great to hear that. For most users the update to Sequoia goes smoothly. If you see the message "no route to host" in SecuritySpy when you first open it under Sequoia, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network, and toggle the permission option for SecuritySpy off and then on again. This is usually all it takes to resolve this particular problem (which is the only issue that we are aware of on Sequoia).
Hi Ben, Sequoia installed successfully and your software is working fine too, no tweaks required.
If i can refer back to when i watch back video it still appears to me that the playback particularly of people walking past the house if quite jittery and i fins it hard to focus properly, could you give any further advice please. i've tried to attach a short video for you to look at but it's not the correct format (what should it be) and the settings of the NVA to see if it helps-you might note that i have increased the fps from the previous setting from 10 to 12.
If it's specifically the recordings that are uneven, this sounds like an issue with the frame timestamps that are being generated and transmitted by the NVR.
The thing to try here is to go to Settings > Cameras > [camera name] > Setup in SecuritySpy, click the "Advanced Options" button, and enable the option called "Generate new frame timestamps". Then click OK and save the settings.
This will cause SecuritySpy to generate its own timestamps for the frames, which will hopefully lead to smoother recordings - please let me know.
Thanks Ben, i've made that change and will monitor it. I noticed that all the camera clocks were reading different times so referred to the instructions which led me to install the NTP server but it doesn't seemed to have worked, see uploaded image.
Hi Ben, ignore everything i've said today please!!! The "old" if in doubt restart the machine has done the trick. The clocks are all synchronised and people walking by seems to be smoother, not sure how smooth though i will monitor! thanks again.
Good to hear things are working smoothly now - hopefully they will continue to do so!
Hi Ben, the clocks on the cameras are not synchronising, please see attached screenshot and you can see the times and you can see that the van is in a different position on camera 1 & 2.
I can see there is some discrepancy in the timestamps, and also some unusual frame rate numbers. So that we can investigate this, please email us and include a debug file (SecuritySpy menu > Debug > Create Debug File On Desktop). Please create the debug file at a point in time when you are seeing this issue occur.
This may have more to do with the Hikvision setup rather than with SecuritySpy.
I have a similar setup (Hikvision NVR and HiLook cameras, and SecuritySpy interfacing with the NVR.
The time on the cameras easily go out of sync - several seconds per day.
Although the NVR is part of my home's 192.168.1.x network, the cameras are on a subnet (192.168.254.x) and cannot connect to the Internet or my Mac. I have tried install a NTP server on my Mac, but the cameras could not see it. I have scoured the Internet looking for a solution and have not come across one that is straightforward, only quite extreme ones like running a second network cable from a Mac (running a time server) to a free port on the NVR.
The resolution I have come up with, with my setup, is to use Keyboard Maestro to automate logging into each camera's config screen via a browser and syncing the time that way, on a daily basis (just after midnight). It works. When my NVR or NVR hard drive wears out, I may plug the cameras into a Network POE switch and control them with my Mac that way.