Sentry US TVI Quick Start Manual

Digital Video Recorder

Quick Start Guide

Digital Video Recorder Quick Start Guide

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1Description of Panels ...................................................................................................................... 6

1.1 Front Panel ...................................................................................................................................... 6

1.2 Rear Panel ....................................................................................................................................... 7

Chapter 2Installation and Connections .......................................................................................................... 9

2.1 DVR Installation .............................................................................................................................. 9

2.2 Hard Disk Installation ...................................................................................................................... 9

2.3 RS-485 and Controller Connection................................................................................................ 11

2.4 HDD Storage Calculation Chart .................................................................................................... 12

Chapter 3Menu Operation ............................................................................................................................ 13

3.1 Menu Structure .............................................................................................................................. 13

3.2 Startup and Shutdown .................................................................................................................... 13

3.3 Activating Your Device ................................................................................................................. 14

3.4 Login and Logout .......................................................................................................................... 15

User Login ....................................................................................................................................... 15

User Logout ..................................................................................................................................... 16

3.5 Configuring the Signal Input ................................ ................................................................ ......... 17

3.6 Using the Setup Wizard ................................................................................................................. 18

3.7 Network Settings ........................................................................................................................... 19

3.8 Adding IP Cameras ........................................................................................................................ 20

3.9 Live View ...................................................................................................................................... 21

3.10 Recording Settings......................................................................................................................... 21

3.11 Playback ........................................................................................................................................ 22

Chapter 4Accessing by Web Browser ........................................................................................................... 24

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Quick Start Guide

This Manual is applicable to TVI HD Digital Video Recorder (DVR).
The Manual includes instructions for using and managing the product. Pictures, charts, images and all other
information hereinafter are for description and explanation only. The information contained in the Manual is
subject to change, without notice, due to firmware updates or other reasons. Please find the latest version in the
company website
Please use this user manual under the guidance of professionals.

Legal Disclaimer

REGARDING TO THE PRODUCT WITH INTERNET ACCESS, THE USE OF PRODUCT SHALL BE
WHOLLY AT YOUR OWN RISKS. OUR COMPANY SHALL NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITES FOR
ABNORMAL OPERATION, PRIVACY LEAKAGE OR OTHER DAMAGES RESULTING FROM CYBER
ATTACK, HACKER ATTACK, VIRUS INSPECTION, OR OTHER INTERNET SECURITY RISKS;
HOWEVER, OUR COMPANY WILL PROVIDE TIMELY TECHNICAL SUPPORT IF REQUIRED.
SURVEILLANCE LAWS VARY BY JURISDICTION. PLEASE CHECK ALL RELEVANT LAWS IN YOUR
JURISDICTION BEFORE USING THIS PRODUCT IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT YOUR USE CONFORMS
THE APPLICABLE LAW. OUR COMPANY SHALL NOT BE LIABLE IN THE EVENT THAT THIS
PRODUCT IS USED WITH ILLEGITIMATE PURPOSES.
IN THE EVENT OF ANY CONFLICTS BETWEEN THIS MANUAL AND THE APPLICABLE LAW, THE
LATER PREVAILS.

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Regulatory Information
FCC Information

Please take attention that changes or modification not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance

could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
FCC compliance: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,

pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and
can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to
cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

FCC Conditions

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause harmful interference.

2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

EU Conformity Statement

This product and - if applicable - the supplied accessories too are marked with "CE" and comply
therefore with the applicable harmonized European standards listed under the EMC Directive

2014/30/EU, the LVD Directive 2014/35/EU, the RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU.

2012/19/EU (WEEE directive): Products marked with this symbol cannot be disposed of as unsorted
municipal waste in the European Union. For proper recycling, return this product to your local
supplier upon the purchase of equivalent new equipment, or dispose of it at designated collection

points. For more information see: www.recyclethis.info

2006/66/EC (battery directive): This product contains a battery that cannot be disposed of as unsorted
municipal waste in the European Union. See the product documentation for specific battery

information. The battery is marked with this symbol, which may include lettering to indicate
cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), or mercury (Hg). For proper recycling, return the battery to your supplier or to a
designated collection point. For more information see: www.recyclethis.info

Industry Canada ICES-003 Compliance

This device meets the CAN ICES-3 (A)/NMB-3(A) standards requirements.

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Safety Instruction

These instructions are intended to ensure that user can use the product correctly to avoid danger or property loss.
The precaution measure is divided into “Warnings” and “Cautions”

Warnings: Serious injury or death may occur if any of the warnings are neglected.
Cautions: Injury or equipment damage may occur if any of the cautions are neglected.

Warnings

 Proper configuration of all passwords and other security settings is the responsibility of the installer

and/or end-user.

 In the use of the product, you must be in strict compliance with the electrical safety regulations of the

nation and region. Please refer to technical specifications for detailed information.

 Input voltage should meet both the SELV (Safety Extra Low Voltage) and the Limited Power Source

with 100~240 VAC or 12 VDC according to the IEC60950-1 standard. Please refer to technical
specifications for detailed information.

 Do not connect several devices to one power adapter as adapter overload may cause over-heating or a

fire hazard.

 Please make sure that the plug is firmly connected to the power socket.
 If smoke, odor or noise rise from the device, turn off the power at once and unplug the power cable, and

then please contact the service center.

Preventive and Cautionary Tips

Before connecting and operating your device, please be advised of the following tips:

 Ensure unit is installed in a well-ventilated, dust-free environment.
 Unit is designed for indoor use only.
 Keep all liquids away from the device.
 Ensure environmental conditions meet factory specifications.
 Ensure unit is properly secured to a rack or shelf. Major shocks or jolts to the unit as a result of dropping

it may cause damage to the sensitive electronics within the unit.

 Use the device in conjunction with an UPS if possible.
 Power down the unit before connecting and disconnecting accessories and peripherals.
 A factory recommended HDD should be used for this device.
 Improper use or replacement of the battery may result in hazard of explosion. Replace with the same or

equivalent type only. Dispose of used batteries according to the instructions provided by the battery
manufacturer.

Warnings Follow these
safeguards to prevent serious
injury or death.

Cautions Follow these precautions
to prevent potential injury or
material damage.

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Applicable Models

This manual is applicable to the TVI DVR series.

Symbol Conventions

The symbols that may be found in this document are defined as follows.

Symbol

Description

Indicates a potentially hazardous situation, which if not avoided,
could result in equipment damage, data loss, performance
degradation, or unexpected results.

Provides additional information to emphasize or supplement
important points of the main text.

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Chapter 1 Description of Panels

1.1 Front Panel

Figure 1. 1 Front Panel 2

Table 1. 1 Description of Front Panel 2

No.

Name

Function Description

1

POWER

Turns yellow when the device s running.

STATUS

Flickers red when data is being read from or written to HDD, and
turns yellow when the SHIFT function is realized.

Tx/Rx

Flickers yellow when network connection is functioning
properly.

2

Composite

Keys

SHIFT

Switches between the numeric or letter input and functions of the
composite keys.

1/MENU

Enters numeral “1”;
Accesses the main menu interface.

2/ABC/F1

Enters numeral “2”;

Enters letters “ABC”;

Uses the F1 button to select all items in a list field;

Turns on/off PTZ light in PTZ Control mode, and use it to zoom
out the image;

Switches between main and spot video output in live view or
playback mode.

3/DEF/F2

Enters numeral “3”;

Enters letters “DEF”;

Uses the F2 button to change the tab pages;

Zooms in the image in PTZ control mode.

4/GHI/ESC

Enters numeral “4”;

Enters letters “GHI”;

Exits and back to the previous menu.

5/JKL/EDIT

Enters numeral “5”;

Enters letters “JKL”;

Deletes characters before cursor;

Checks the checkbox and select the ON/OFF switch;

Starts/stops record clipping in playback.

6/MNO/PLAY

Enters numeral “6”;

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No.

Name

Function Description

Enters letters “MNO”;

Accesses to playback interface in Playback mode.

7/PQRS/REC

Enters numeral “7”;

Enters letters “PQRS”;

Accesses to manual record interface;
Manually enables/disables record.

8/TUV/PTZ

Enters numeral “8”;

Enters letters “TUV”;

Accesses PTZ control interface.

9/WXYZ/PREV

Enters numeral “9”;

Enters letters “WXYZ”;

Multi-channel display in live view.

0/A

Enters numeral “0”;

Shifts the input methods in the editing text field. (Upper and
lowercase, alphabet, symbols or numeric input).

3

DIRECTION

Navigates between different fields and items in menus.

Uses the Up and Down buttons to speed up and slow down the
playing of video files in Playback mode.
The Left and Right button will select the next and previous
record files.

Cycles through channels in Live View mode.

Controls the movement of the PTZ camera in PTZ control mode.

ENTER

Confirms selection in any of the menu modes.

Checks the checkbox.

Plays or pauses the playing of video files in Playback mode.

Advances the video by a single frame in single-frame Playback
mode.

Stops/starts auto switch in Auto-switch mode.

4

USB Interface

Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports for additional devices such as
USB mouse and USB Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

5

IR Receiver

Receiver for IR remote control.

1.2 Rear Panel

The rear panel vaires according to different models. Please refer to the actual product. The following figure is for
reference only.

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Figure 1. 2 Rear Panel

Table 1. 2 Description of Front Panel

No.

Item

Description

1

VIDEO IN

BNC interface for TVI and analog video input.

2

AUDIO IN

RCA connector

3

AUDIO OUT

RCA connector.

4

VGA

DB15 connector for VGA output. Display local video output and
menu.

5

HDMI

HDMI video output connector.

6

USB

Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports for additional devices

7

Network Interface

Connector for network

8

RS-485

Half-duplex connector for RS-485 devices.

9

Power Supply

12VDC power supply.

10

Power Switch

Switch for turning on/off the device.

11

GND

Ground (needs to be connected when NVR starts up).

12

VIDEO OUT

BNC connector for video output.

13

GND

Ground (needs to be connected when NVR starts up).

14

Alarm Interface

Connector for alarm input.

Connector for alarm output.

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Chapter 2 Installation and Connections

2.1 DVR Installation

During the installation of the DVR:

1. Use brackets for rack mounting.

2. Ensure there is ample room for audio and video cables.

3. When installing cables, ensure that the bend radius of the cables are no less than five times than its diameter.

4. Connect both the alarm and RS-485 cable.

5. Allow at least 2cm (≈0.75-inch) of space between racks mounted devices.

6. Ensure the DVR is grounded.

7. Environmental temperature should be within the range of -10º C to 55º C, 14º F to 131º F.

8. Environmental humidity should be within the range of 10% to 90%.

2.2 Hard Disk Installation

Before you start:

Before installing a hard disk drive (HDD), please make sure the power is disconnected from the DVR. A factory
recommended HDD should be used for this installation.
One or two SATA hard disks can be installed depending on different models.
Tools Required: Screwdriver.

As the installation steps of HDD are similar among different models, here we take the steps of one model as the
example.

Steps:

1. Remove the cover from the DVR by unfastening the screws on the back and side.

Figure 2. 1 Remove the Cover

2. Connect one end of the data cable to the motherboard of DVR and the other end to the HDD.

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Figure 2. 2 Connect the Data Cable

3. Connect the power cable to the HDD.

Figure 2. 3 Connect the Power Cable

4. Place the HDD on the bottom of the device and then fasten the screws on the bottom to fix the HDD.

Figure 2. 4 Install the HDD

5. Re-install the cover of the DVR and fasten screws.

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2.3 RS-485 and Controller Connection

Typical Connection :

Figure 2. 5 Controller Connection A

To connect PTZ to the DVR:

1. Disconnect pluggable block from the RS-485 terminal block.

2. Press and hold the orange part of the pluggable block; insert signal cables into slots and release the orange

part. Ensure signal cables are in tight.

3. Connect A+ on PTZ to D+ on terminal block and B- on controller to D- on terminal block. Fasten stop

screws.

4. Connect pluggable block back into terminal block.

Make sure both the controller and DVR are grounded.

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2.4 HDD Storage Calculation Chart

The following chart shows an estimation of storage space used based on recording at one channel for an hour at a
fixed bit rate.

Bit Rate

Storage Used

96K

42M

128K

56M

160K

70M

192K

84M

224K

98M

256K

112M

320K

140M

384K

168M

448K

196M

512K

225M

640K

281M

768K

337M

896K

393M

1024K

450M

1280K

562M

1536K

675M

1792K

787M

2048K

900M

4096K

1.76G

8192K

3.52G

16384K

7.03G

Please note that supplied values for storage space used are just for reference. Storage space used is estimated by
formulas and may have some deviation from actual value.

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Chapter 3 Menu Operation

3.1 Menu Structure

The menu structure varies according to different models.

Menu

Export

Manual

HDD Camera

Maintenance

Shutdown

Record

Configuration

Playback

Normal

Record

General

Schedule Camera General

System Info

Logout

Event

Advanced

Parameters OSD

Network

Log

Information

Shutdown

Advanced

Image

Import/

Export

Reboot

Holiday PTZ

Upgrade

Motion

Live View

Default

Privacy Mask

Exceptions

Net Detect

Video

Tampering

User

Video Loss

HDD Detect

Alarm

VCA

Normal

Event

Tag

Smart

Sub-periods

External

File

VCA Search

Behavior

Search

Face Search

People

Counting

Heat Map

Alarm

Manual Video

Quality

Diagnostics

Video Quality

Diagnostics

Figure 3. 1 Menu Structure

3.2 Startup and Shutdown

Proper startup and shutdown procedures are crucial to expanding the life of the DVR.
To start your DVR:

1. Check the power supply is plugged into an electrical outlet. It is HIGHLY recommended that an

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) be used in conjunction with the device. The Power button) on the front
panel should be red, indicating the device is receiving the power.

2. Press the POWER button on the front panel. The Power LED should turn blue. The unit will begin to start.

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After the device starts up, the wizard will guide you through the initial settings, including modifying
password, date and time settings, network settings, HDD initializing, and recording.

To shut down the DVR:

1. Enter the Shutdown menu.

Menu > Shutdown

Figure 3. 2 Shutdown

2. Select the Shutdown button.

3. Click the Yes button.

3.3 Activating Your Device

Purpose:

For the first-time access, you need to activate the device by setting an admin password. No operation is allowed
before activation. You can also activate the device via Web Browser, SADP or client software.

Steps:

1. Input the same password in the text field of Create New Password and Confirm New Password.

Figure 3. 3 Set Admin Password

STRONG PASSWORD RECOMMENDED– We highly recommend you create a strong
password of your own choosing (using a minimum of 8 characters, including upper case letters,
lower case letters, numbers, and special characters) in order to increase the security of your
product. And we recommend you reset your password regularly, especially in the high security
system, resetting the password monthly or weekly can better protect your product.

2. Click OK to save the password and activate the device.

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For the old version device, if you upgrade it to the new version, the following dialog box will pop up once the
device starts up. You can click YES and follow the wizard to set a strong password.

Figure 3. 4 Warning of Weak Password

3.4 Login and Logout

User Login

Purpose:

You have to log in to the device before operating the menu and other functions.

Steps:

1. Select the User Name in the dropdown list.

Figure 3. 5 Login

2. Input Password.

3. Click OK to log in.

In the Login interface, for the admin, if you have entered the wrong password for 7 times, the account will be
locked for 60 seconds. For the operator, if you have entered the wrong password for 5 times, the account will be
locked for 60 seconds.

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Figure 3. 6 User Account Protection for the Admin

Figure 3. 7 User Account Protection for the Operator

User Logout

Purpose:

After logging out, the monitor turns to the live view mode and if you want to perform any operations, you need to
enter user name and password log in again.

Steps:

1. Enter the Shutdown menu.

Menu > Shutdown

Figure 3. 8 Logout

2. Click Logout.

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After you have logged out the system, menu operation on the screen is invalid. It is required to input a user name
and password to unlock the system.

3.5 Configuring the Signal Input

After the startup and login, the device system enters the Wizard for configuring the signal input.

Steps:

1. Check the checkbox to select different signal input types: TVI/CVBS, AHD, and IP.

2. Click Apply to save the settings.

Figure 3. 9 Configure Signal Input Type

You can also click Menu > Camera > Signal Input Status to configure the signal input.

Steps:

1. Enter the Signal Input Status interface.

Menu > Camera > Signal Input Status

2. Check the checkbox to select different signal input types: TVI/CVBS, AHD or IP (For E series DVR, there is

no signal input configuration interface.).

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Figure 3. 10 Configure Signal Input Type

3. Click Apply to save the settings.

 For this series DVR, each two video channels are grouped in sequence, e.g., CH01 and CH02, CH03 and

CH04..., and each two channels in the same group must be connected with the same type of video source
selected on GUI. For example, when the TVI/CVBS signal mode is selected, then either TVI or CVBS signal
input can be connected to the channels in the same group; and when the AHD signal mode is selected, only
the AHD signal input can be connected.

 The default TVI/CVBS signal input type also supports the auto detection of 3MP signal. Each two types of

the signals can be mixed randomly.

 In the live view interface, when there is no video signal of the analog channel, the corresponding connectable

video signal type message can be displayed on the screen.

 The IP channels will not be displayed on the interface and you can view the max. IP camera accessible

number in the Max. IP Camera Access text field.

3.6 Using the Setup Wizard

The Setup Wizard can walk you through some important settings of the device. By default, the Setup Wizard starts
once the device has loaded.
Check the checkbox to enable Setup Wizard when device starts. Click Next to continue the setup wizard. Follow
the guide of the Setup Wizard to configure the system resolution, system date/time, network settings, HDD
management, record settings, etc.

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Figure 3. 11 Wizard

3.7 Network Settings

Purpose:

Network settings must be properly configured before you operate DVR over network.

Steps:

1. Enter the Network Settings interface.

Menu > Configuration > Network

Figure 3. 12 Network Settings

1 self-adaptive 10M/100M/1000M network interface or 1 self-adaptive 10M/100Mbps network interface provided
for other models. .

2. Select the General tab.

3. In the General Settings interface, you can configure the following settings: NIC Type, IPv4 Address, IPv4

Gateway, MTU and DNS Server.
If the DHCP server is available, you can check the checkbox of DHCP to automatically obtain an IP address
and other network settings from that server.

4. After having configured the general settings, click the Apply button to save the settings.

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3.8 Adding IP Cameras

Purpose:

Before you can get live video or record the video files, you should add the network cameras to the connection list
of the device.

Before you start:

Ensure the network connection is valid and correct, and the IP camera to add has already been activated. Please
refer to the User Manual for activating the inactive IP camera.
You can select one of the following three options to add the IP camera.

 OPTION 1:

Steps:

1. Select the Add IP Camera option from the right-click menu in live view mode or click Menu> Camera>

Camera to enter the IP camera management interface.

Figure 3. 13 IP Camera Management

2. Select the IP camera from the list and click the button to add the camera (with the same admin

password of the DVR’s).

 OPTION 2:

Steps:

1. Click the Custom Adding button to pop up the Add IP Camera (Custom) interface.

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Figure 3. 14 Add IP Camera

2. Select the detected IP camera and click the Add button to add it directly, and you can click the Search button

to refresh the online IP camera manually.

 OPTION 3:

You can choose to custom add the IP camera by editing the parameters in the corresponding text field and
then click the Add button to add it.

3.9 Live View

Some icons are provided on screen in Live View mode to indicate different camera status. These icons include:

Live View Icons

In the live view mode, there are icons at the right top of the screen for each channel, showing the status of the
record and alarm in the channel, so that you can find problems as soon as possible.

Indicating that there is an alarm or are alarms. Alarm includes video loss, tampering, motion detection or

sensor alarm, etc.

Recording (manual record, continuous record, motion detection or alarm triggered record)

Alarm & Recording

Event/Exception (event and exception information, appears at the lower-left corner of the screen.)

3.10 Recording Settings

Before you start:

Make sure that the disk has already been installed. If not, please install a disk and initialize it. You may refer to the
user manual for detailed information.

Purpose:

Two kinds of record types are introduced in the following section, including Instant Record and All-day Record.

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And for other record types, you may refer to the user manual for detailed information.

After rebooting all the manual records enabled are canceled.

Steps:

1. On the live view window, right lick the window and move the cursor to the Start Recording option, and

select Continuous Record or Motion Detection Record on your demand.

Figure 3. 15 Start Recording from Right-Click Menu

2. Click the Yes button in the pop-up Attention message box to confirm the settings. All the channels will start

to record in the selected mode.

3.11 Playback

The recorded video files on the hard disk can be played back in the following modes: instant playback, all-day

playback for the specified channel, and playback by normal/event/smart/tag/sub-periods/external file search.

Steps:

1. Enter playback interface.

Click Menu>Playback or select Playback from the right-click menu

2. Check the checkbox of channel(s) in the channel list and then double-click to select a date on the calendar.

3. You can use the toolbar in the bottom part of Playback interface to control playing progress.

Figure 3. 16 Playback Interface

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4. Select the channel(s) you want to play back by checking the checkbox(s), or execute simultaneous playback

of multiple channels.

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Chapter 4 Accessing by Web Browser

You shall acknowledge that the use of the product with Internet access might be under network security risks. For
avoidance of any network attacks and information leakage, please strengthen your own protection. If the product
does not work properly, please contact with your dealer or the nearest service center.

Purpose:

You can get access to the device via web browser. You may use one of the following listed web browsers: Internet
Explorer 6.0, Internet Explorer 7.0, Internet Explorer 8.0, Internet Explorer 9.0, Internet Explorer 10.0, Apple
Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. The supported resolutions include 1024*768 and above.

Steps:

1. Open web browser, input the IP address of the device and then press Enter.

2. Log in to the device.

• If the device has not been activated, you need to activate the device first before login.

Figure 4. 1 Set Admin Password

1) Set the password for the admin user account.

2) Click OK to log in to the device.

STRONG PASSWORD RECOMMENDED– We highly recommend you create a strong
password of your own choosing (using a minimum of 8 characters, including upper case letters,
lower case letters, numbers, and special characters) in order to increase the security of your
product. And we recommend you reset your password regularly, especially in the high security
system, resetting the password monthly or weekly can better protect your product.

• If the device is already activated, enter the user name and password in the login interface, and click the

Login button.

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Figure 4. 2 Login

3. Install the plug-in before viewing the live video and managing the camera. Please follow the installation

prompts to install the plug-in.

You may have to close the web browser to finish the installation of the plug-in.

After login, you can perform the operation and configuration of the device, including the live view, playback, log
search, configuration, etc.