How to access 2-way Audio on Hikvision cameras?
I installed a new Hikvision camera with speaker and microphone capabilities. I can HEAR the audio fine in Audio Preview mode or in recordings. Saw in release notes SecuritySpy was 2-way audio enabled for Hikvision back in September of 2016 (4.0.6) and I am running 4.1.1 as of this writing. I have a two-way audio capable Hikvision camera. Using the Hikvision profile in Security Spy. Configured my computer's built-in mic as the source for two-way audio in the General preferences. So all the pieces seem to be in place.
Like I said, listening (i.e. one-way audio) from the camera's mic works great.
But I can't for the life of me figure out how to talk TO the Hikvision camera/speaker from SecuritySpy to utilize the two-way audio!
I guess I was expecting to see some button on the UI of the camera feed similar to how there is a PTZ button to handle zoom and pan functions. But I don't see anything like that to talk to the camera and the right click context menu doesn't show anything like that either.
Ben, can you or someone who has one of the two-way audio supported cameras (Axis and Hikvision I believe) tell me what I need to do to utilize the two way audio? Is there a different profile to select to "tell" SS that I indeed have a two-way audio capable Hikvision camera? Some other configuration or preference I need to set?
Thanks in advance
Like I said, listening (i.e. one-way audio) from the camera's mic works great.
But I can't for the life of me figure out how to talk TO the Hikvision camera/speaker from SecuritySpy to utilize the two-way audio!
I guess I was expecting to see some button on the UI of the camera feed similar to how there is a PTZ button to handle zoom and pan functions. But I don't see anything like that to talk to the camera and the right click context menu doesn't show anything like that either.
Ben, can you or someone who has one of the two-way audio supported cameras (Axis and Hikvision I believe) tell me what I need to do to utilize the two way audio? Is there a different profile to select to "tell" SS that I indeed have a two-way audio capable Hikvision camera? Some other configuration or preference I need to set?
Thanks in advance
Comments
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Of course soon after I wrote this I kind of found the answer - I see I can do this from the Camera Info window. I don't normally have this window up though so I didn't see it.
Ben: Suggestion improvement...but a push-to-talk icon on the video feed window (preferably in the grid, but next best thing in the close-up window like the PTZ button). I think push to talk is best approach - hold down the Mic button while you want to talk and when you release it, it automatically goes back into audio preview mode (if you've set that up) so that you can hear the other person. I think this is more user-friendly than having to manually switch (a la the Camera Info interface) between talk and listen function. The push to talk type functionality would mirror a walkie-talkie...which these single duplex two way cameras seem similar to. -
When I say push to talk this is what I mean specifically is...
When you click the "push to talk" button it is the equivalent of turning on the mic AND turning OFF the speaker. When you let go, it's the reverse (turns off the mic and turns on the speaker).
Doing this 'double dance' manually in the Camera Info window is extremely awkward. And if you don't do the double switch, then there is a horrible feedback loop that makes it almost impossible to say more than a few words at a time until the camera mic picks up what you just said out the camera speaker and relays it back to the Mac which picks it up as input and sends it back to the camera speaker. So that's unusable and the only workable solution currently is to manually turn on the mic and turn off the speaker and then reverse that. That's two clicks (and they have to be boom-boom quick) for every attempted speaking or listening.
Having a single push to talk button that did the needful of switching the mic and speaker off and on appropriately would make 2-way audio pretty seamless. Please consider this. Thanks. -
Thanks for the feedback, I certainly see the problem you are outlining. The problem is that having proper 2-way full duplex audio can be quite useful for certain cameras, and not all of them suffer from such feedback problems (it depends on the relative positions of the mic and speakers).
So for some cameras, it is desirable to shut off the speaker when the Mic is on, and for other cameras this is undesirable. I think the best thing would be to add a setting to control this behaviour.
And mic/speaker buttons in the video windows are also a good idea, I'll add that to the "to do" list. -
Thanks Ben!
I agree that having some kind of option to do full duplex or half-duplex/push to talk/walkie-talkie mode would be most flexible.
When that support comes to SS, it will be great. And maybe to the iOS app at some point would be super awesome.
Thanks again -
Hi Cameron, you'll be pleased to hear this has all now been implemented - in the new 4.1.2 update (released yesterday - download link) there is a new option in the Preferences to automatically mute incoming audio when sending audio to cameras.
Also we have just released a new version of the iOS app that has two-way audio support. You can obtain this via the App Store on your iOS device.
Let me know your feedback! -
2-way IOS audio!
I just don't see the interface to enable the Mic... I hear... but don't know how to speak.
Using Hikvision DS-2CD2432F-IW
TIA
Jay -
For the above camera, DS-2CD2432F-IW, I don't see the option "send audio"
Options: Enable Notifications/ Hide in Multiplex / Control PTZ -
In the iOS app, when viewing the camera by itself, tap and hold on the camera's image (or tap the gear icon at the bottom right), and a few options will pop up, including "Send Audio".
If you don't see this option there, then it could be a permissions issue - in Preferences -> Web, check that the account you are using has permission to send audio to the camera.
Also check that you are using the Hikvision profile, not the ONVIF profile, under Preferences -> Cameras -> Device. -
Thanks.... but....
Two-way audio works fine with DS-2CD2432F-IW in the OS version of SecuritySpy.… Although I do wish I had access to the microphone from the contextual menu… I just don't keep the Camera Info window open.
I did need to enable "send audio" on the OS version. Using Hikvision profile.
I now see the "send audio" option in iOS. Microphone is granted permission.
I see the microphone ' levels' at the bottom of the iOS screen.
However NO audio is sent to the camera. I have 2 of these cameras, and neither is sending audio.
As a related sidebar… It appears when you enable send audio… That connection stays open even if you 2x home button and switch applications… Which could use a lot of data. I've switched to Unlimited so it's not a huge concern… But I just thought I'd pass it along to others.
Hope we can figure this out, this is a huge and important option for my overall security system... Nothing says ' stay away' like actually SAYING "stay away"
TIA
Jay
