Camera access from smartphone
Introduction
This article is part of a series dedicated to use cases involving RUT routers and Hikvision cameras. Here you will find instructions on how to configure a surveillance system that can be managed and controlled remotely via smartphone with the help of VPN and a single RUT router.
If you're looking for something else that is camera related, you may find the information you need in one of these related articles:
Overview
You will need
- a router from the RUT series (except RUT850);
- a smartphone with the Hik-Connect app installed;
- at least one Hikvision IP camera;
- access to or ownership of a VPN network;
- a PoE switch or another type of power supply for the cameras;
- a Hikvision NVR (Network Video Recorder).
Configuration scheme
Overview
The cameras and the NVR are connected via Ethernet cables to a PoE switch, which is connected to an RUT router, placing all devices in the same LAN. The RUT router is connected to a VPN making the network reachable to other VPN clients. The end user then connects to the NVR via the VPN IP address of RUT using the Hik-Connect smartphone app.
Step 1: configure VPN
First we will configure a VPN client on the router. A VPN connection will provide remote access to the router's local network and ensure data security. If your router has a static public IP address, you can access it without the help of VPN. However, it is not recommended because the absence of VPN leaves the camera's vulnerable on an unsafe public network with nothing but password protection.
The configuration will depend on the type of VPN that is available to you. You can find various VPN configuration guides here. For this guide we'll be using OpenVPN (click here for OpenVPN examples).
Once you set up a VPN connection or if you chose to skip this part and use the router's public IP instead, you can advance on to the next step.
Step 2: configure the NVR and cameras
The default IP address for both Hikvision cameras and NVRs is 192.168.1.64. Since we'll be configuring more than one device for this example, we'll need to set up the equipment to have different IP addresses. The setup we'll be using will have the following IPs:
To change the IP address of a Hikvision device, power it on, connect it to your PC or an Ethernet port of your RUT router (that is connected to the PC). Type the camera's default IP address (192.168.1.64) into the URL field of your web browser and press "Enter":
If this is the first time that you are connecting to the device, you will be required to create a user. Just follow the prompts and after you have successfully logged in go to the Configuration page (top left corner of the page) and navigate to the Network → Basic Settings → TCP/IP section. You can change the IP address from here, by editing the value of the IPv4 Address field:
Configure different IP addresses for all devices that you may be using and advance to the next step.
Step 3: Hik-Connect
Install the Hik-Connect app on your phone. Open the app and follow the instructions provided below:
- 1 - tap the "Add Device" button;
- 2 - scan the QR code on your NVR (it is located on the bottom of the device);
- 3 - tap the "Connect to a Network" button;
- 4 - make sure the NVR is connected to your router and tap "Connected and Next".
- 5 - wait for the connection to finish;
- 6 - read the terms of service and tap "Next";
- 7 - enter the NVR's password (the one configured in step 2;
- 8 - enter a verification code which will be used for encryption with the Hik-Connect service. Then tap the "Enable Hik-Connect Service" button.
- 9 - wait for the app to link the device to your account;
- 10 - tap "Next";
- 11 - enter a custom name for the device; tap "Save";
- 12 - back in the first window of the app, under the name of your device, you should see multiple thumbnails for each connected camera. Tap on one of them to see the live view;
- 13 - if you can see the live view, congratulations - your setup works! To view more than one camera at a time, select a number other than 1 from the list below the video streams.