Swann 4500 Series Instruction Manual

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Digital Video Recorder

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

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Important Informaon

FCC Verification

Note: This equip ment has been te sted and found to comply with the limits for Class B digital dev ice, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. The se limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful inter ference in a residential instal lation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate r adio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instr uctions, may cause harmful inter ference to radio or television re ception, which can be deter mined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encour aged to try to corr ect the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient o r relocate the receivin g antenna

• Increas e the separation between the equipment and the recei ver

• Connec t the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/ TV technician for help

These de vices comply with par t 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the follo wing two conditions:

• These de vices may not cause harmful interference, and

• These de vices must accept any inter ference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

IMPORTANT NOTE

All jurisdictions have specific laws and regulations relating to the use of camer as. Before using any camer a for any purpose, it is the buyer’s responsibility to be aware of all applicable law s and regulations that prohibit or limit the use of camer as and to comply with th e applicable laws and

regulations.

FCC Regulation (for USA): Prohibition against eavesdropping

Except for the operations of law enforcement officers conducted under lawful authority, no person shall use, either direc tly or indirectly, a device operated pursuant to the provisions of this Par t for the purpos e of overhearing or recording the private conversations of others unles s such use is authorized

by all of the parties engaging in the conversation.

WARNING

Modific ations not approved by the part y responsible for compliance could void user’s authorit y to operate the equipment.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

• Make sure product is fixed correctly and stable if fastened in place

• Do not oper ate if wires and terminals are exposed

• Do not cover v ents on the side or back of the DV R and allow adequate space for ventil ation

DEFAULT PASSWORD INFORMATION

The default, all-access username is ‘admin’, the default password is ‘1234 5’.

To ensure your ongoing priv acy, we strongly recommend set ting a password as soon as possible

Choose something that you’ll remember, but that others would be unlikely to guess.

IMPORTANT NOTICE - Do NOT lose or forget your password. To ensure that your DVR has the best security possible, password recovery has been designed to be a complicated and time consuming process. Only a select number of staff at the Swann Technical Support Telephone Helpdesk can assist. Password retrieval can take several

days, which means you will NOT be able to access your DVR during this time.

BATTERY INFORMATION

This product contains a removable battery. If you need to replace or dispose of the internal battery. The battery is loc ated on the mainboard of the DV R. It is a primary lithium CR2 032 button cell .

To access, rem ove and/or replace th e battery:

• Ensure the DVR is turned OFF. NEVER open the DVR’s case while power is connected.

• Remove the five screw s holding the cover on the DVR.

• If replacing the battery, ensure that it is an exac t match for size, type and capacit y.

• Be sure to safely dispose of the batter y. The process for battery disposal/recycling varies f rom location to location, p lease check with the relevant local authorit y for method.

BATTERY SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

• Do NOT attempt to open, puncture, disassemble or modify the bat tery in any way.

• Do NOT subject it to sudden sho ck or heat.

• Do NOT dispose of battery in fire.

Important Information

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Contents

Important Information............................................................................................2

Contents .................................................................................................................. 3

1 Getting Started .............................................................................................. 5

Turning on the DVR ................................................................................................. 5

Shutting Down the DVR .......................................................................................... 5

Using the Mouse ..................................................................................................... 5

2 The Live View Screen .................................................................................... 6

Status Icons ............................................................................................................ 6

Channel Toolbar .....................................................................................................7

Mouse Menu ...........................................................................................................7

3 The Main Menu ...............................................................................................8

4 The Playback Menu ........................................................................................ 9

Overview of the Playback Interface ....................................................................... 9

Using the Video Playback Control Panel ...............................................................10

Smart Search ......................................................................................................... 11

5 The Export Menu ........................................................................................... 12

Normal ....................................................................................................................12

How to export recordings to a USB storage device? ..................................12

Event .......................................................................................................................13

How to export motion detection recordings to a USB storage device? .....13

6 The Manual Menu ..........................................................................................14

Record ..................................................................................................................... 14

Manual Video Quality Diagnostics .........................................................................14

7 The HDD Menu ............................................................................................... 15

General ...................................................................................................................15

How to add a NAS device or IP SAN? .......................................................... 15

Advanced ................................................................................................................ 16

How to set a HDD quota for a camera? .......................................................16

8 The Record Menu ........................................................................................... 17

Schedule .................................................................................................................17

How to change the camera’s recording schedule? ....................................17

Parameters .............................................................................................................18

Record Tab ...................................................................................................18

Substream Tab .............................................................................................19

Advanced ................................................................................................................ 20

Holiday ....................................................................................................................20

9 The Camera Menu.......................................................................................... 21

OSD .........................................................................................................................21

Image ......................................................................................................................22

Motion .....................................................................................................................23

How to set up the motion detection area? ..................................................23

Privacy Mask ..........................................................................................................24

Video Tampering .....................................................................................................24

Video Loss ...............................................................................................................25

Video Quality Diagnostics ....................................................................................... 25

10 The Configuration Menu .............................................................................. 26

General ...................................................................................................................26

General Tab ..................................................................................................26

DST Settings Tab ..........................................................................................27

More Settings Tab ........................................................................................ 27

Network ..................................................................................................................28

Extranet Access Tab ....................................................................................28

General Tab ..................................................................................................29

PP OE Tab ...................................................................................................... 30

NT P Tab .......................................................................................................30

Em ai l Ta b ...................................................................................................... 31

SNMP Tab .....................................................................................................32

NAT Tab ........................................................................................................ 33

Other Settings Tab .......................................................................................34

Live View .................................................................................................................35

General Tab ..................................................................................................35

View Tab .......................................................................................................35

Contents

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Contents

Exceptions ..............................................................................................................36

User .........................................................................................................................37

11 The Maintenance Menu ................................................................................ 38

System Information ................................................................................................ 38

De vice Tab .................................................................................................... 38

Camera Tab ..................................................................................................38

Record Tab ...................................................................................................39

Network Tab .................................................................................................39

HDD Tab........................................................................................................40

Log Information ...................................................................................................... 40

Log Search Tab ............................................................................................40

How to search for specific system information logs? ................................40

How to export system information logs? ....................................................41

Log Export Tab .............................................................................................41

Import/Export ........................................................................................................42

How to export your current configuration file? ..........................................42

How to import a configuration file? .............................................................42

Upgrade .................................................................................................................. 43

Local Upgrade Tab .......................................................................................43

How to upgrade DVR firmware using a USB device? .................................43

FTP Tab ........................................................................................................43

How to upgrade DVR firmware by FTP? ..................................................... 43

Default ....................................................................................................................44

Net Detect ............................................................................................................... 44

HDD Detect ............................................................................................................. 45

S.M.A.R.T. Settings Tab ................................................................................45

Bad Sector Detection Tab ............................................................................45

12 Troubleshooting ........................................................................................... 46

13 Warranty Information ..................................................................................48

Contents

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Geng Started

Turning on the DVR

The DVR starts automatically whenever it is supplied power via the connected power adapter.

Shutting Down the DVR

If you intend to turn off the DVR, we recommend doing it through the Shutdown menu. This helps to ensure the integrity of the data on the hard drive. You can also logout or restart the DVR via the Shutdown menu. Simply right-click on the Live View Screen > select Menu > select Shutdown and then select your desired option as shown below.

Using the Mouse

The easiest way to operate the DVR is to use the included USB optical mouse

- we put together the look and feel of the menu system specifically for mouse-friendly navigation.

Description

Left Button Single-click to:

• Select an item or confirm a choice

• Select channel and show the Quick Camera Toolbar

Double-click to:

• Switch between single and multiviews in live view

Right Button

Display mouse menu in live view

Exit current menu screen and return to main menu/live view.

Scroll Wheel

• Display previous/next video channel in live view (single channel display only)

• Select previous/next item in mouse menu.

Note: Wireless mice and Bluetooth devices are NOT compatible with the DVR.

Use the USB optical mouse supplied.

Getting Started

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The Live View Screen

After you have completed the initial setup of your Digital Video Recorder (DVR) through the Setup Wizard, whenever you power on your DVR, the first thing you’ll see is the Live View screen. Live View is the default display mode of the DVR. It is where you can watch live images from your cameras and do things on your DVR.

Read this chapter to learn about the Live View status icons and how to control and manage your DVR using the channel toolbar and mouse menu.

Status Icons

Status icons appear when something is happening on the channel screen. At a glance, you can quickly get useful information on your DVR and cameras’ status.

The following table describes what the icons represent:

Icon Description

Indicates that an alarm event such as motion detection, video loss or tampering has occurred.

Indicates that the DVR is is currently recording video from this camera. This icon will be the same whether the recording was scheduled, initiated manually or triggered by motion (though the Alarm Bell icon will also be present if there’s motion detected).

(Optional - Event Hint setting must be enabled in the “Exceptions” screen in the Configuration menu.) Indicates that an alarm event or exception has occurred. Click the icon to access the Alarm/Exception Information log where you can find specific details about the event.

Indicates that the channel displaying this has lost the feed from the corresponding camera. This may be caused by a disconnected/ damaged cable, the camera may have lost power or the camera may have been de-registered from the channel. This also appears if you do not have a camera connected to the channel.

The Live View Screen

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The Live View Screen

Channel Toolbar

The Channel Toolbar is a ‘shortcut’ to commonly used DVR functions which you can use to operate a par ticular channel. Whether you want to playback recordings, zoom in on the image or just adjust the camera’s image settings, the Channel Toolbar is a quick and convenient way to keep up with what’s happening on your cameras.

To open the Channel Toolbar, simply left-click on the channel you would like to operate.

Button Description

Recording: Start or stop live recording.

Instant Playback: Playback the last 5 minutes of recorded video.

Audio On: Enable or disable live audio.

PTZ Control (This function is model-dependent): Display the control

panel to operate a PTZ camera that’s connected and configured correctly with the DVR.

Digital Zoom: Enter Digital Zoom mode. Use the PIP (Picture-inPicture) screen at the bottom right corner to select a different area to zoom in. You can also click and drag to draw a par ticular area to zoom in.

Image Settings: Make adjustments such as brightness, contrast, saturation, hue , sharpness and denoising, to how image coming from your camera appears on the screen, or select from one of the preset image modes.

Close the toolbar.

Mouse Menu

The Mouse Menu lets you adjust the channel display format, star t recording instantly, watch recorded videos from the current day, and more. It is also where you can access the DVR’s Main Menu to configure and manage settings for many of the DVR functionalities.

Open the Main Menu

Open a single channel for viewing in full-screen mode. The slide-out menu contains a list of channels to choose from.

Select a multi-screen viewing option, where you’ll be able to see multiple video feeds at once.

Display the previous set of channel(s).

Display the next set of channel(s).

Turn on sequence mode to automatically switch view between channels at specific intervals (also known as Dwell Time).

Begin Normal or Motion Detection recording on all channels immediately, regardless of the current recording schedule.

Allows you to set the video output mode to one of the following - Standard, Bright, Gentle or Vivid.

Playback all recordings of the current day from the selec ted channel.

Display the “PTZ Control Panel” (this function is model-dependent.)

Stop the beeping of the current audible warning.

To display the Mouse Menu, right-click on the Live View screen.

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The Main Menu

The main menu lets you access many of the DVR’s great features. You can customize camera names, keep track of recent events, create recording schedules, configure advanced motion detection settings, check up on the the hard drive’s condition and change other DVR settings.

Button Description

Playback: Search and watch all video recordings by channel, type of

recording, date or time period.

Export: Copy or backup footage from the DVR. You’ll need a compatible USB Flash Drive to store the data (FAT32 file format only).

Button Description

Manual: Access manual controls for the recording function of the

DVR.

HDD: Check on the status of your DVR’s installed hard drive and adjust the settings.

Record: Set up recording schedules for the cameras and customize how the DVR records footage and “encodes” the files.

Camera: Configure various camera settings such as OSD information, display, motion detection, privacy mask and more.

Configuration: Access general DVR system settings, including date and time, network, live view display, exception handling and user accounts.

Maintenance: Find general information about your DVR system. This is also where you can perform various system maintenance tasks including upgrading the DVR’s firmware, resetting the DVR to its default settings, and running hard drive diagnostic tests.

Shutdown: Shut down or reboot the DVR, or simply log out of the user account you’re logged in as. To ensure the integrity of your data and recordings, always select Shutdown when powering off the DVR.

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The Playback Menu

Overview of the Playback Interface

Playback Type

You can choose what video

recordings to playback.

Options are Normal (i.e.,

Manual and Scheduled),

Event (i.e., Motion), Tag,

Smart and External File.

Video Screen

Video recordings are played

here when you click Play

from the Playback toolbar

below, If you have selected

more than one camera, the

Video screen will appear

in a multiview format. You

can easily view a particular

camera in full-screen by

simply double-clicking on

the camera’s screen. To

return to the multiview

display, double-click on the

screen again.

Calendar

Appears when you select Normal playback. Highlighted dates indicate recordings are available for viewing on these days from the selected cameras.

Video Playback Control Panel

You can perform various playback operations such as pause, slow and reverse/forward. You can also clip interesting parts of the video recording and save to external USB storage media. For more details, see

“Using the Video Playback Control Panel” on page 10.

Camera Selection

You can search for recordings from one or more cameras.

Full Screen Display

Show the Video Screen only and hide ever ything else..

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The Playback Menu

Using the Video Playback Control Panel

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18

Item Description

1 For Normal playback, this Indicates the start time of the first available video

recording and the end time of the last video recording made.

2 The video timeline. You can click any point of the video timeline to quickly scan

through video events.

3 Mute: Turn off sound from the video.

4 Start/Stop Clipping: Clip interesting par ts of the recorded video by setting the

mark in and mark out points on the video recording. When a video file is playing, click the Start Clipping button at the mark in point and click it again at the mark out point. Multiple mark in and mar k out points can be applied.

5 Save Clip(s): Display the Clips Expor t screen where you can export your video

clips to a USB flash drive or USB hard drive.

6 Add Default Tag: Tags are descriptive key words you can add to your video

at certain time positions to record information such as people or activit y. By adding tags, you can easily find the video content that you want to view. Click this button to add a default tag called TAG. To add a customized tag, click the Add Customized Tag button on the right of this button. You can add up to 64 tags on a single video.

7 Add Customized Tag: Enter a name for the tag you are adding.

8 Tag Management: Edit or delete tags that you have added to the current video.

9 Zoom In: Enter Digital Zoom mode. Use the PIP (Picture-in-Picture) screen at the

bottom right corner to select a different area to zoom in. You can also click and drag to draw a particular area to zoom in.

10 Playback the video in reverse.

Item Description

11 Stop playback.

12 Pause playback. Click again to resume playback.

13 Rewind video by 30 seconds.

14 Fast for ward video by 30 seconds.

15 Slow down video playback (x1/2, x1/4, x1/8, Single Frame)

16 Speed up video playback (x2, x4, x8, xMA X)

17 For Normal playback, start playing the previous day’s recordings.

For Event playback, start playing the previous motion detection recording. For Tag playback, start playing the previous tagged event.

18 For Normal playback, start playing the next day’s recordings.

For Event playback, start playing the next motion detection recording. For Tag playback, start playing the next tagged event.

19 represent normal event recording (manual and schedule) segments on the

video timeline.

represents motion detection event recording segments on the video timeline.

20 Zoom in (to show shorter. detailed time period) or out of the video timeline.

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The Playback Menu

Smart Search

Smart Search allows you to select an area of the video that may have detected motion. The DVR will then display these areas of motion with a green highlight on the timeline (see above). This makes it very easy to navigate to the sections of video that has motion recording related to that area.

How to use Smart Search?

1. From Playback Type at the top left of the Playback Interface, select Smart.

2. From Camera Selection, select a camera.

3. On the calendar, select a date. Highlighted dates indicate recordings are available for viewing on these days from the selected camera.

4. Click Play to start video playback.

5. Click Smart. This displays the Smart Screen Interface. Read the next section to learn how to set up smar t search areas in the recording.

How to define Smart Search areas?

By default, all areas of the video screen are highlighted for smart motion detection. To define your smart search areas:

1. On the toolbar, click Delete to clear the red grid boxes on the screen.

2. Click and drag to select the area you want to search for motion. You will see a grid of red boxes over the selected area. Repeat this step to highlight more areas of the screen.

3. On the toolbar, click Play to confirm your selection and start playback. The DVR will fast-forward the video until it arrives at the section where there is action on the defined smart search areas. After the DVR finishes playing the smart motion event, it will fast for ward the video again until the next smar t search segment, and so on. Alternatively, you can also click any green segments on the video timeline to quickly skip ahead to any smart motion event .

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The Export Menu

Normal

When a video is recorded, it is stored as a file on the DVR’s hard drive. You can copy video recordings on the DVR’s hard drive to an external storage device such as a USB flash drive.

How to export recordings to a USB storage device?

1. Connect a USB storage device to the USB port on the back of the DVR.

2. Specify the channel(s), record type, file type and time period to search for recordings.

3. Click Search. The DVR shows you all of your recordings matching your search criteria,

when they were recorded and what channel they were recorded (see screenshot on the right).

4. Select the recordings you want to copy, and then click Export, or to select all recordings, click Export All. The DVR displays the Export screen.

5. In the Device Name list, make sure your USB device is the current selection. You can also create a new folder in your USB device to store your DVR recordings by clicking New Folder.

6. Click Export.

7. Select V ideo and Log, and then click OK to begin copying the selected recordings to your USB stor age device. Wait until the “Export finished” message is displayed before removing your USB storage device.

Note: If you require a media player to watch video files on your computer, repeat step 6, select Player and then click OK to copy a media player application to your USB device.

The Export Menu

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The Export Menu

Event

You can copy only recordings that were triggered by the DVR detecting motion to an external storage device such as a USB flash drive.

How to export motion detection recordings to a USB storage device?

1. Connect your USB storage device to the USB port on the back of the DVR.

2. Specify the time period and channel(s) to search for motion detection recordings.

3. Click Search. The DVR shows you all motion detection recordings matching your search

criteria, when they were recorded and what channel they were recorded (see screenshot on the right).

4. Select the recordings you want to copy. You can preview selected recordings and find details such as file size by clicking Details.

5. Click Quick Expor t. The DVR displays the Export screen.

6. In the Device Name list, make sure your USB device is selected. You can also create a new folder in your USB device to store your DVR recordings by clicking New Folder.

7. Click Export.

8. Select Video and Log, and then click OK to begin copying the selected recordings to your USB storage device. Wait until the “Export finished” message is displayed before removing your USB storage device.

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The Manual Menu

Record

You can override any default recording schedules in place. The recording schedule for each connected camera can be changed. Clicking the OFF/ON button next to Analog will manually start/stop recording on all cameras. You can also manually control recording on each camera individually by clicking the OFF/ON button next to the camera name.

Note: If you reboot your DVR, all manual recordings on the cameras will be cancelled.

Manual Video Quality Diagnostics

You can check on the quality of the camera’s video signal. Simply select the cameras you want to check, and then click Diagnose. If your camera is performing normally, you should see the result as “Normal”; however if the result show up as “Blurred Image”, “Abnormal Brightness” or “Colour Cast”, you should inspect the camera’s video cable connection for signs of damage or any loose points.

The Manual Menu

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The HDD Menu

General

You can initialize the hard drive(s) in the DVR. Don’t initialize a drive that already has data on it, as the initialization process will erase any information on the drive. You also have the option of adding up to eight Network-attached storage (NAS) drives or one IP based storage area network (IP SAN) disk that you can record to.

Option Description

Add Set up and configure details for your NAS drive / IP SAN. Init If you install a new hard drive in the DVR, it must be initialized

before it can be used.

How to add a NAS device or IP SAN?

1. Click Add.

2. In the Typ e list, select the type of network storage: NAS or IP SAN

3. Configure the NAS or IP SAN settings.

For NAS:

a. In the NetHDD IP Address field, enter the IP address. b. Click Search to search for available NAS drives based on the IP entered. c. Select the NAS drive from the list of NAS drives found. For example,

d. Click OK to finish adding the configured NAS drive.

The HDD Menu

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The HDD Menu

For IP SAN:

a. In the NetHDD IP Address field, enter the IP address .

b. Click Search to search for available IP SAN drives based on the IP entered.

c. Select the IP SAN drive from the list of IP SAN drives found. For example,

d. Click OK to finish adding the configured IP SAN drive.

Advanced

You can configure a quota on the HDD for each camera that is connected to the DVR. Each camera can be allocated a certain amount of space on the HDD.

How to set a HDD quota for a camera?

1. In the Camera list, select the camera you want to configure a HDD quota for.

2. In the Max. Record Capacity field, enter the maximum record capacity in Gigabyte (GB) to be allocated for the selected camera. You can also copy the current quota setting of the selected camera to other cameras. Simply click Copy, select which cameras, and then click OK.

3. Click Apply.

Note: Default Max. Record Capacity is set to 0, which means there is no limit to the amount of hard disk space each cameras can use.

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The Record Menu

Schedule

You can specify when the DVR records video and under what modes for each channel. By default, all channels are armed to use Motion Detection as their recording mode.

The schedule presented on-screen applies to one channel only over one whole week. There is a 24-hour timeline for each day of the week. Each square in the timeline represents an hour in the 24-hour period.

Be careful when programming your schedule. It’s one of the most important aspects of setting up your DVR, an d if it’s wrong in any way, it could lead to disastrous complicatio ns la ter.

When defining a recording schedule, there are 3 types of recording to choose from:

Recording

Mode

Description

Continuous (Blue)

The DVR will constantly record for any period. You won’t miss anything, but constant recording will fill your hard drive very quickly. Typically, we suggest Motion as a better recording mode for most users.

Motion (Green)

The default and recommended recording setting. The DVR will only record when it detects something moving in front of a camera, and will then only record footage from the camera(s) that do detect motion.

It is recommended that Motion Detection is properly configured for the channel(s) you want to associate with it. See for more information about setting up and configuring Motion Detection.

None (Black) The DVR will not record anything.

How to change the camera’s recording schedule?

1. In the Camera list, select a channel.

2a. To set a recording mode for a specific time and day, first select the mode and

then click the corresponding square(s) in the timeline. The colour of the square changes to the assigned recording mode. To quickly cover a large portion of time squares, you can simply click and drag the mouse over the squares corresponding to your desired days and times.

2b. You can also set up a daily recording schedule by clicking Edit. On the Edit

screen, select the day, and then specify up to 8 different time periods the desired star t/end time and the associated recording mode. Repeat this step for the other days of the week. You can also easily copy the current daily recording schedule to other days of the week by clicking Copy and then selecting number corresponding to the days of the week. For example, 1 for Monday, 2 for Tuesday, and so on. Remember to click OK to save your settings.

3. (Optional) Use the Copy button to quickly assign identical schedule layouts to multiple channels at once. It copies the schedule from the channel you’re editing to one or more other channels.

Note: To disable the recording schedule for a particular channel, simply uncheck the Enable box.

The Record Menu

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The Record Menu

Parameters

You can customize how the DVR records footage and “encodes” the files. “Encoding” is a term which refers to the compression algorithm used by the DVR.

Re cord Ta b

Option Description

Camera Select the camera you want to configure. Camera

Resolution

The video resolution and frame rate of the selected camera.

Encoding Parameters

You can change Main Stream settings for both Continuous and Event recordings, and it is recommended to select the same settings for both recording types.

Str eam Type What kind of data you want the stream to contain. The cameras

included with the DVR stream video only.

Resolution We recommend setting the resolution for the video recordings to be

the same as your camera’s resolution.

Option Description

Frame Rate The number of frames per second (fps) that the DVR will record.

The default (and maximum) is referred to as “Full Frame” and is 30fps (NTSC) or 25fps (PAL).

Reducing the number of frames per second will not save hard drive space but potentially will improve the data-rate per frame (depending how you set the bitrate - see the next option).

Video Quality

The actual amount of data that the DVR uses to record video. Options are low, medium and high quality. The higher the bitrate, the more space each recording takes up on the hard disk. Generally speaking, recordings encoded at higher bitrates will be of better quality, especially when recording movement.

Pre-record The number of seconds the DVR will record before the scheduled

time or event occurs. For example, setting this to 30 seconds will enable recording for a motion event that occurred at 12:00:00 to actually contain footage from 11:59:30.

If you’re using Motion Detection (recommended) based recording as your primary recording method, then it’s a really good idea to use Pre-Record - sometimes, if an event is fast enough, it might have left view before the DVR can trigger a recording. With Pre-Record, there’s almost no chance you’ll miss it.

Post-record The number of seconds the DVR will continue recording after the

scheduled time or event occurs. For example, setting this to 30 seconds will enable recording for a motion event that occurred at 12:00:00 to stop recording at 12:00:30.

Expired Time (day)

The number of days to keep a video recording on the hard drive without it being overwritten. The default value 0, instructs the DVR to auto overwrite.

Video Stream

Select whether to use Main Stream or Sub Stream settings to record video. Substream settings can be configured on the

Substream tab.

Note: You can easily copy the current main stream recording settings of the selected to other cameras. Simply click Copy, select which cameras, and then click OK.

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The Record Menu

Substream Tab

Option Description

Camera Select the camera you want to configure. Str eam Type What kind of data you want the stream to contain. The cameras

included with the DVR stream video only.

Resolution A fraction of the Main Stream, and what you’ll see over the Internet

or via a mobile device. Typically, the Substream resolution will be of significantly lower quality and bitrate than the main stream.

Frame Rate The number of frames per second (fps) that the DVR will record.

The default (and maximum) is referred to as “real-time” and is 30fps (NTSC) or 25fps (PAL).

Reducing the number of frames per second will not save hard drive space but potentially will improve the data-rate per frame (depending how you set the bitrate - see the next option).

Option Description

Video Quality

Note: You can easily copy the current substream recording settings of the selected to other camera. Simply click Copy, select which cameras, and then click OK.

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The Record Menu

Advanced

The Overwrite option is enabled by default. This allows the DVR to be able to record events as they happen. If the hard drive is full, the DVR will record over recordings already stored on the hard drive. The DVR will always record over the oldest files on your hard drive first.

Note: We recommend exporting important recordings off the HDD regularly before they’re overwritten. For details on exporting recordings, see “The Export Menu” on

page 12 .

Holiday

There will be occasions when you don’t want the DVR to record using its normal programming. Perhaps you require it to record more, or less, or just at different times.

The Holiday Settings screen allows you to define periods of time where the DVR will employ an alternate recording mode. You can define up to 32 holiday periods. These periods can be categorized by date, week or month.

To set up a holiday recording schedule:

1. Double-click an unused holiday row.

2. In the Holiday Name field, enter a name.

3. Select the Enable checkbox.

4. Select the Mode (date, week or month)

5. Select the holiday’s start and end dates.

6. Click OK to save your holiday settings.

Page 21

The Camera Menu

OSD

You can configure the on-screen display for the display name, display date, date format, time format and font size.

Option Description

Camera Name

You can specify a name of up to 32 characters for the selected camera. By default, all channels are named as the Camera No.

field, but this can be set to anything you like. Display Name Select whether the name of the camera appears on the screen. Display Date Select whether the current date appears on the screen. We

strongly recommend leaving this box checked, and ensuring that

the date is correct! For best results, use NTP (see “NTP Tab” on

page 30).

Option Description

Display Week Select whether the current day of the week appears on the screen.

We strongly recommend leaving this box checked, and ensuring that the date is correct! For best results, use NTP (see “NTP Tab” on page 30).

Date Format Select how you want the date to be displayed. The default format is

MM-DD-YYYY.

Time Format Select how you want the time to be displayed. The default format is

24- hour.

Display Mode Select how the OSD appears on the screen. Bear in mind that

some OSD settings (such as Transparent and/or Flashing) are harder for a video forger to impersonate or modify than other settings - on the other hand, they’re harder to read. Select the best setting for your circumstances - it’s worth having a look at a few settings to see what options are available.

OSD Font Select the information text size that appears on the screen.

The Camera Menu

Page 22

The Camera Menu

Image

You can make adjustments to how the DVR displays the image coming from your cameras.

Option Description

Camera Select the camera you want to configure. Time

Segment

This determines the period that you would like to apply the settings

for. The default setting is for 24hrs. This is particular useful if you

would like to have different image settings for different times of

the day. You may want to have a different set of image settings for

daytime and night time for example. Mode There are four preset modes that you can select from: Standard,

Indoor, Dim Light and Outdoor. Brightness Change how light the image appears to be. However, it can’t make

the camera see further in the dark, or increase the clarity of an

image in low-light environment.

Option Description

Contrast Increase the difference between the blackest black and the

whitest white in the image. Useful if sections of the image “grey out” but setting the contrast too high will degrade image quality.

Saturation Alter how much color is displayed in the image. The higher the

saturation, the more bright and vivid colors will appear to be. Hue Change the color mix of the image. Sharpness How crisp your images will be. Setting the sharpness too high will

make your pictures look pixelated. On the other hand, setting the

sharpness too low will make everything look soft and blurry – a bit

like looking through lightly frosted glass. Denoising Select the level of noise reduction to be applied to the video signal.

Note: If the camera’s image does not turn out worse than before, you can always reset image settings to the default values by clicking Restore.

Note: You can easily copy the current camera’s image settings to other cameras. Simply click Copy, select which cameras, and then click OK.

Page 23

The Camera Menu

Motion

You can configure the motion detection settings and sensivity level for each camera. By default, the DVR has motion recording enabled on every channel, configured to operate at an average level of sensitivity. We think that motion detection is the best way to get your DVR to operate almost autonomously for long periods of time (typically weeks to months) without you having to worr y about losing old footage.

Option Description

Channel Select the channel you want to configure. Enable

Motion Detection

Select to enable motion detection feature on the selected channel.

All channels has motion detection enabled by default. Each

channel can be configured independently of one another. Settings Lets you specify how the DVR should respond and notify you when

it detects motion. You can trigger additional cameras to start

recording, you can adjust your arming schedule, send email alerts

or trigger the DVR’s internal alarm to sound. Sensitivity Move the slider to set a value between L (low) and H (high).

The closer to H the slider is set, the more sensitive the motion

detection will be. Full Screen Select the entire view area of the camera preview window for

motion detection. Clear Clear the entire view area of the camera preview window.

How to set up the motion detection area?

On the camera preview window,

• You will see a grid of red boxes on the selected channel. The outlined boxes mark the area that is sensitive to motion.

• By clicking an area in the grid, you can toggle motion detection ON or OFF in that location.

• Areas marked by red boxes will be sensitive to motion, those not marked will not be.

• Click and drag to quickly highlight a large area you want to select or de-select.

• You can define what will happen when the camera you’ve selected detects motion by clicking Settings.

• You can set motion sensitivity level adjusting the Sensitivity slider on the right.

• Once you’ve highlighted the area(s) in the camera preview window to monitor for motion, click Apply to save your configuration.

Page 24

The Camera Menu

Privacy Mask

You can create and place “privacy masks” to conceal parts of the camera’s image on the screen. This restricts what can be seen in Live View and on the video recording useful when you want to protect personal privacy or sensitve areas.

You can place up to four zones per camera to hide from view.

• Click and drag on the preview window to select the area you want to hide.

• To remove an existing privacy mask, click on the Clear Zone button associated with the outline colour of the privacy mask.

Video Tampering

Video Tampering can be used in scenarios where someone may cover up the camera’s field of view or if they are attempting to tamper with the video signal.

Option Description

Camera Select the camera you want to configure.

Enable Enable video tampering monitoring on the selected camera.

Settings Lets you specify the DVR’s actions when it detects tampering on the selected

camera. Options available are:

• Full Screen Monitoring: The affected camera’s screen is displayed in full

screen mode.

• Audible Warning: A continuous audible beeping is heard from the DVR.

• Alert CMS software: A warning message is sent to the SwannView Plus

client software installed on your computer.

• Send Email: If you’ve have configured your email account details, an alert

is sent to your email address.

Sensitivity Move the slider to increase or decrease the level of sensitivity.

Page 25

The Camera Menu

Video Loss

Video loss is regarded as a potential alarm event, and is considered to occur any time that the DVR doesn’t receive an active video signal on any of its inputs.

The default behaviour of the DVR, when a channel has no incoming video signal, is simply to display “Video Loss” in white text on a black background over the associated channel. If you’re not using all the inputs on your DVR, then some channels will be in “permanent” Video Loss state. Just be sure that you don’t enable a video loss action for these channels.

Option Description

Camera Select the camera you want to configure.

Enable Enable video loss monitoring on the selected camera.

Settings Lets you specify the DVR’s actions when the selected camera loses it’s video

feed. Options available are:

• Full Screen Monitoring: The affected camera’s screen is displayed in full

screen mode.

• Audible Warning: A continuous audible beeping is heard from the DVR.

• Alert CMS software: A warning message is sent to the SwannView Plus

client software installed on your computer.

• Send Email: If you’ve have configured your email account details, an alert

is sent to your email address.

Video Quality Diagnostics

The DVR can monitor the camera’s video signal quality. When a deterioration in the video signal conditions such as blurred image, abnormal brightness and color cast is detected, you can specif y what actions the DVR should perform.

Option Description

Camera Select the camera you want to configure.

Enable Enable video quality monitoring on the selected camera.

Handling Lets you specify the DVR’s actions when the selected camera’s video signal

quality drops below a cer tain threshold. Options available are:

• Full Screen Monitoring: The affected camera’s screen is displayed in full

screen mode.

• Audible Warning: A continuous audible beeping is heard from the DVR.

• Alert CMS software: A warning message is sent to the SwannView Plus

client software installed on your computer.

• Send Email: If you’ve have configured your email account details, an alert

is sent to your email address.

Diagnostic Mode

There are three diagnostic t ypes you can enable: Blurred Image, Abnor mal Brightness and Color Cast. Move the slider to set the threshold level for each diagnostic type.

Page 26

The Conguraon Menu

General

You can configure general DVR settings such as language, time and date, mouse pointer speed, and more.

General Tab

Option Description

Language The language to display the DVR’s menus, alerts and other

communications. Available language options are English, Russian, French and Spanish.

Resolution The number of “little dots” that make up an image. This should be

set as high as possible, but equal to or lower than the maximum resolution your screen/monitor can display. Things change a little depending on what kind of monitor you’re using, and how it’s connected.

Time Zone Par ticularly important if you’ve enabled NTP - set this to the time

zone where you happen to be. For example, people in eastern Australia (Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne) choose GMT+10:00, whilst the Eastern Time zone in the USA and Canada is GMT05:00. (GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time - it’s the baseline

that keeps all the different time zones in sync.) Date Format The format of the date (DD/MM/Y YY Y or MM DD/YY YY and so on). System Date This can be edited manually, or set to update automatically by

using NTP (see “NTP Tab” on page 30). System Time This can be edited manually, or set to update automatically by

using NTP (see “NTP Tab” on page 30). Mouse Pointer

Speed

Move the slider to increase or decrease the mouse pointer speed.

Enable Wizard When checked, the DVR will automatically run the setup wizard

when the DVR is switched on. The wizard itself contains the

option to disable it. Enable

Password

When enabled, the DVR will require a password for any operation

to be performed. It’s advisable to enable password protection.

The Configuration Menu

Page 27

The Conguraon Menu

DST Settings Tab

Option Description

Enable DST Enable this setting if you want the DVR to adjust the time when

daylight savings time begins.

From / To Define when daylight savings applies to your location. There are

many different standards for DST which can vary dramatically even in the same time zone, so you’ll need to tell the DVR when it applies to you.

DST Bias This refers to the difference in minutes, between Coordinated

Universal Time (UTC) and the local time. Select the time that DST has increased by in your time zone, which is typically 60 minutes in many locations.

More Settings Tab

Option Description

Device Name The default name of the DVR. You can also enter your own name

for the DVR. Device No. The internal device number of the DVR. Auto Logout Select how long a menu screen remains inactive before the DVR

closes the menu screen and displays Live View screen

Page 28

The Conguraon Menu

Network

You can manually configure network settings for the DVR. It is usually not required as the DVR automatically configures them for you when you connect the DVR to your router via the Ethernet cable.

Note: Many of the following networking settings are not required when using SwannLink P2P for remote access.

Extranet Access Tab

A Dynamic DNS is a service which lets you assign an address to your DVR so you can access it via the Internet. We recommend using SwannDns as your DNS service. This is a free ser vice for Swann DVR owners, which we directly support.

To create an account with SwannDns, go to: http://www.swanndvr.com/ and click the Registration button. Follow the on-screen instructions to create your account.

Option Description

Enable Enable the DVR to connect to a DDNS service.

DDNS Type Choose the ser ver that you’re using. We recommend SwannDVR -

you can sign up for a free account at www.swanndvr.net.

Device Domain Name

Enter the host name that you set up in your DDNS service. This is the address you use to access your network. For example:

yourhostname.swannDVR.net

User Name Enter the username you have created for your DDNS service. For

SwannDVR users, your username is the email address you used to

register the account. Password Enter the password you have created for your DDNS service. Tes t Check if the DDNS is working. After a short delay, a message will

be displayed on-screen, informing you whether the connection

was successful or not.

If the test is unsuccessful, an “ERROR” message will appear

onscreen. This could mean there’s a problem with your network

setup, or there’s a problem with the DDNS Account Name and

Password you’re using.

Page 29

The Conguraon Menu

General Tab

Option Description

NIC Type The DVR has the ability to connect to your LAN (Local Area Network)

at various speeds and can adjust itself accordingly depending on the network traffic. It is recommended to leave the current default setting for the best streaming performance.

Enable DHCP DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is a system where one

device on your network (usually a router) will automatically assign IP addresses to devices connected to the net work. This option is enabled by default and is the recommended w ay for the DVR to receive an IP address from your router.

If you require the DVR to have a static IP address, you will need to disable this option. Static networks require all devices to have their IP addresses manually defined, as there is no device dedicated to automatically assigning addresses.

Option Description

IPv4 Address Just as houses and businesses need to have an address which identifies

their location on the road network, so too do computers and other devices

need addresses (called IP ADDRESSES) to identify their position on the

electronic network. The DVR uses IPv4 addressing, which consists of

four groups of numbers between 0 and 255, separated by periods. For

example, a typical IP address might be “192.168.1.24” or something

similar. The most important thing when setting the IP address is that

nothing else on your network shares that IP address.

IPv4 Subnet Mask

If the IP address is like a street address, then a subnetwork is like your

neighborhood. This will be formatted in a similar way to the IP address

(i.e. four numbers up to 255 separ ated by periods) but contain ver y

different numbers. In the above example, the Subnet Mask might be

something like: “255.255.255.0”.

IPv4 Default Gateway

This is the address of the “way to the Internet” - to continue the road

analogy, this is like your local access point to the highway. This is an IP

address in the same format as the others, and is typically very similar to

the IP address of the DVR. To continue the above examples, it might be

something such as: “192.168.1.254”.

IPv6 Address 1/2/Default Gateway

IPv6 is the l atest revision of the Internet Protocol (IP). It will eventually

replace the older IPv4 system for assigning IP addresses to devices on

your network. The majority of internet server providers (ISPs) are still

using the IPv4 system but will eventually transition to IP v6. As the DV R

supports IPv6, you will be able to take advantage of the new system when

it arrives.

MAC Address The Media Access Control address. This is a unique code which nothing

else should share. You can’t change this one - it’s pre-set when the DVR

ships out.

MTU (Bytes) The MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) is the size of the largest

datagram that can be sent over a network. It is recommended to leave the

default setting.

Preferred DNS Server

“Domain Name System”. Everything on the Internet is located via an IP

address - however, for ease of use, we associate domain names (such as

“ww w.exampledomainname.com”) with those IP addresses. This index

is accessible in many locations online, and we call those locations “DNS

servers”.

Alternate DNS Server

A backup DNS server. This is here as a redundancy - your DVR will

probably work without one.

UID The DVR’s Unique IDentifier code for SwannLink P2P. For convenience,

you can have this code sent to your email account by clicking Send Email

(provided that you’ve already set up your email account).

Page 30

The Conguraon Menu

PPOE Tab

PPPOE is an advanced protocol that allows the DVR to be more directly connected via a DSL modem. This option is for advanced users only.

Option Description

Enable PPPOE Enable to set up a PPPOE connection.

User Name Enter the username for your DSL account provider.

Password Enter the password for your DSL account provider.

NTP Tab

You can configure the NTP server details to obtain current date and time.

Note: If you’re using NTP, then it is essential that your Time Zone (see “NTP Tab” on page 30) and DST (daylight savings time - see “DST Settings Tab” on page 27)

are set correctly.

Option Description

Enable NTP Enable the DVR to connect to a NTP server. Interval (min) The amount of time in minutes that will elapse between the DVR

updating its internal clock to match that of the NTP ser ver. The

default period of 60 minutes is recommended. NTP Server The default server used to obtain accurate date and time. NTP Port The default is 123. You should only change this if you’re using a

different NTP server, and you know they use a different port. If

you’re using pool.ntp.org, ensure the port is 123.

Page 31

The Conguraon Menu

Email Tab

You can configure your email account details to enable the DVR to send notifications if an event occurs.

Note: We suggest using Gmail as your email client - it’s quite easy to set up an account and use it solely for the DVR. We’ve tested the email procedure with Gmail, and it does work. Other email servers may not work correctly - many interpret the procedurally generated email from the DVR as spam and block the mail from being sent.

Option Description

Enable Server Authentication

If your outgoing mail ser ver requires authentication, ensure this

box is checked. User Name The username for the outgoing email account. Password The password for the outgoing email account. SMTP Server The SMTP server address of your email provider. For commonly

used mail server settings, see “Popular Email Provider Settings”

on page. If your email provider is not listed in the table, use

your Internet browser to easily find your email provider’s server

address and port by searching ‘smtp settings’ followed by the

name of your email provider. SMTP Port The SMTP port used by your email provider. Enable SSL Whether the email server you’re using requires a secure link. Sender Enter a name to identify the sender of the email notification. Sender

Address

The address you’re sending the email from. This will be the

username you’ve set up for the email server you’re using, followed

by “@” and then the email ser ver. For example: “youraddress@

gmail.com” or similar. Select

Receiver

Select an e-mail recipient to configure. The DVR can send email

notifications to up to three receivers. Recipient

Address

The email address you want the DVR to send emails to. This can

be any email address you like, however, bear in mind that the DVR

might send a large number of automatic emails under cer tain

conditions. Enable Attach

Picture

When this is selected, the DVR will attach a small image to each

email alert (where applicable). For motion-based email alerts,

this will be an image of whatever triggered the motion detection. Interval The length of time that must elapse after the DVR sends an email

alert before it can send another.

Short inter val settings are likely to lead to huge numbers of

alerts being sent by the DVR - perhaps even several emails

for one event (if that one event lasts longer than the inter val

setting). On the other hand, a long interval setting might mean

you’ll miss a specific update that you needed. There’s no right

answer, and you’ll probably have to fine-tune this setting to get

the results you’re after - it’ll be different for ever yone’s unique

circumstances.

Page 32

The Conguraon Menu

Popular Email Provider Settings

The following table contains mail ser ver settings for some of the most commonly used email providers.

Provider

Settings

Gmail Server Address: smtp.gmail.com

Port: 465 or 587 Requires SSL: Yes

Hotmail/ Live.com

Server Address: smtp.live.com Port: 465 Requires SSL: Yes

AOL Server Address: mail.aol.com

Port: 465 Requires SSL: Yes

Yahoo Server Address: smtp.mail.yahoo.com

Port: 465 or 587 Requires SSL: Yes

iCloud Server Address: smtp.mail.me.com

Port: 587 Requires SSL: Yes

Outlook.com Server Address: smtp.live.com

Port: 587 Requires SSL: Yes

SN MP Tab

If your network is setup to use SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) then you can configure it here.

Option Description

Enable SNMP Enable SNMP if it is in use. If not, then ensure this stays disabled. The

SNMP protocol can interfere with normal net working functionality.

SNMP Version The version of SNMP currently being used.

SNMP Port The SNMP port currently being used. This is t ypically port 161, however

exceptions exist.

Read Community

Who has read-only access to information on the network (can view, but not change).

Write Community

Who has control over information on the network (can view, modify, change, create or delete information).

Tra p Addr es s The address of the network trap (the asynchronous notification from

agent to manager).

Tra p Port The port being used for the trap.

Page 33

The Conguraon Menu

NAT Tab

Note: This feature is not required if you are using SwannLink P2P to access the DVR.

UPnP makes configuring your network easier and faster. To use the UPnP setting on the DVR, you’ll need a router which supports this feature, with UPnP enabled. Note that many routers which support UPnP do not come with the feature enabled by default. You may need to ask your Internet service provider to turn it on.

When UPnP is enabled on your DVR and your router, the Ports that the DVR requires to be open for access to and from the Internet will automatically be opened and closed as necessar y by your router, saving you the trouble of manually forwarding these ports. If UPnP is not enabled, or your router does not support this feature, you’ll need to forward the ports the DVR uses from the router to the DVR - since this is a technically challenging process; we strongly recommend using UPnP if possible.

Make sure that the number used for the External Port and Internal Port match, otherwise the UPnP function will not work.

Option Description

Mapping Type If Auto is selected, you will not be able to assign port numbers to the

HTTP, RSTP, Server and HTTPS ports. Port numbering will be done automatically by the router. To manually assign port numbers, select Manual.

Edit Change the current Exter nal Port number.

External IP Address

The public IP address of the router that the DVR is connected to is displayed.

UPnP Status If UPnP is working correctly, you will see Active displayed. If UPnP is not

enabled or you haven’t forwarded the correct port number, the status will be Inactive.

Page 34

The Conguraon Menu

Other Settings Tab

You can configure a remote alarm host which enables the DVR to send event or exception notifications to the alarm host when an alarm is triggered. The remote alarm host must have appropriate software installed for this feature to work properly.

Option Description

Alarm Host IPThe location on your network where an IP-based alarm system is

hosted.

Alarm Host Port

The port associated with the IP-based alarm system.

Server Port This is the internal port that the DVR will use to send information

through. HTTP Port This is the port through which you will be able to log in to the DVR. Multicast IP Multicast IP is a technique for one-to-many and many-to-many

real-time communication over an IP infrastructure in a network.

The receiver will receive data from that IP without the need to

contact individual devices directly. In most circumstances this

option is not required. RTSP Port This port is used to stream real-time images through, and is the

port that will be used to communicate with mobile devices.

Note: If the default port numbers are in use (85 and/or 8000) then the simplest solution is just to keep “adding one” until you find a port which is not in use. So, if 85 is already taken, try 86 or 87.

There’s no “right” port number(s) to use - any port number will work provided the DVR is the only device using it. For this reason, avoid using port numbers 80, 81, 82, 88, 90, and 99 as these are often used by other devices/programs/protocols.

Page 35

The Conguraon Menu

Live View

These options allow you to configure Live View display settings.

General Tab

Option Description

Video Output Interface

The default output is VGA/HDMI.

Live View Mode Select which multiview format to be the default in live view mode.

Dwell Time Set the number of seconds to dwell on a video channel before

switching to the next channel when enabling Start Auto-switch via the Mouse Menu in Live View.

Enable Audio Output

As the cameras supplied with the DVR do not support audio

capture, this option is not required. Event Output The default output is VGA/HDMI. Full Screen

Monitoring Dwell Time

The number of seconds to show an alarm event screen.

View Tab

In Live View, you can change the display order of each camera connected -

1. Select an available viewing window on the right-hand side.

2. Double click one of the available cameras on the left-hand side that you would like to place in the viewing window that you have selected.

Option Description

Play Start the live view of all cameras connected to the DVR. Stop Stop the live view of all cameras connected to the DVR.

Page 36

The Conguraon Menu

Exceptions

An exception is any deviation from the DVR’s normal behaviour - phrased another way, it’s like saying the DVR’s been working fine except for these events.

Option Description

Enable Event Hint

Enable the DV R to monitor for alarm events and s ystem exceptions.

When an exception occurs, the DVR displays the icon on the Live View screen.

Event Hint Settings

Select the type of alarm events and exceptions that will trigger the

display of the icon.

Option Description

Except ion Type Select the exceptions you want the DVR to reac t to. By configuring

the action for these events, you can create any combination of audio alerts or auto-email s to be sent for different event types. The t ypes of exception available are:

• HDD Full: Occurs when the DVR runs out of space on the hard

drive to save new footage. This event is redundant if you have Overwrite setting enabled, as the DVR will automatically delete old footage to ensure it can continue to record.

• HDD Error: Occurs when the DVR has trouble accessing its hard

drives, or when it cannot detect one at all.

• Network Disconnected: Occurs when the DVR has problems

connecting to the Internet. This may indicate a problem with the DVR’s configur ation, a fault with your network or a problem with your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

• IP Conflicted: Occurs when the DVR detects another device on

the same network with a conflicting IP address. Basically, it indicates that two devices are trying to use the same IP address. This shouldn’t occur if you’re using DHCP addressing, unless one or more devices is set to use a STATIC IP (the static addressing method overrides the automatic assignment process).

• Illegal Login: This will occur if the DVR detects a login with an

incorrec t username or password.

• Input/recording resolution mismatch: If the camer a connected is not capable of matching the resolution selected in the “Record Tab” menu.

• Record Exception: This will occur if there are unexpected errors during capture such as a HDD failure, if the HDD is full or if the HDD quota has been changed.

Note: Select All to enable the DVR to trigger action when any of the exceptions listed above occurs.

Audible Warning A continuous audible beeping is heard from the DVR when an exception

occurs.

Alert CMS software

A warning message is sent to the SwannView Plus client software installed on your computer when an exception occur s.

Send Email If you’ve have configured your email account detail s, an alert is sent to

your email address when an exception occurs.

Page 37

The Conguraon Menu

User

You can change the admin account’s password and configure Guest and Operator accounts to have restricted access to the DVR.

We suggest that at minimum the admin account be password protected, as it has access to all aspects of the DVR’s operation.

An Operator user account can access all camera operations including playback and exporting of video recordings with limited access to many menus. Any operation that requires changing the DVR or camera setting cannot be performed.

A Guest user account can only watch live view from the camera and playback camera recordings.

• To add additional users, select Add.

• To remove a user, select a user name from the table, and then click the Delete icon button.

Page 38

The Maintenance Menu

System Information

The System Information screen provides general details about the DVR. Click on the individual tabs to find out the current status of your cameras, recordings, network and hard drive. You may need some of the information shown here if you contact Swann Technical Support for assistance.

Dev ice Tab

On this tab, you can find out the DVR’s (default) name, model, serial number, firmware version and encoding version.

Camera Tab

On this tab, you can check on the status of each camera connected to the DVR. You can easily find out which DVR features such as motion detection, video tampering, etc, are being utilized by the cameras.

The Maintenance Menu

Page 39

The Maintenance Menu

Re cord Ta b

On this tab, you can check on the recording settings for each camera connected to the DVR. You can also find out if any camera has a recording in progress.

Net work Tab

On this tab, you can see a quick summary of your current network settings.

Page 40

The Maintenance Menu

HDD Tab

On this tab, you can check on the status of hard drives connected to the DVR.

External drives connected via USB will not appear on this list, and can’t be used to record footage - USB lacks the bandwidth to write multiple streams simultaneously. External USB drives can only be used for backing up recordings.

Log Information

The DVR continuously creates information logs for every alarm event, operation and exception as they happen. These logs are stored in the DVR’s hard drive and can be viewed and exported at any time.

Log Search Tab

On this tab, you can search log files for a specific log event.

How to search for specific system information logs?

1. Set the log search criteria including the Start Time, End Time, Major Type and Minor Type.

2. Click Search. After a few seconds, the DVR displays all the log files matching your search criteria. Detailed information on each log can be viewed by clicking

. If there is a related video file available for the log, simply click to play the

video.

Note: Up to 2000 log files can be displayed at a single time.

The log entries displayed here can be saved as a single text file onto an external USB device.

Page 41

The Maintenance Menu

How to export system information logs?

1. Plug in your USB storage device into the USB port on the back of the DVR, and

then click Export. This displays the Export window.

2. In the Device Name list, make sure your USB device is the current selection. You

can also create a new folder in your USB device to store your DVR system logs by clicking New Folder.

3. Click Export. Once this process is finished, the following appears:

The log file that was saved in your USB device is named according to the time it

was exported. For example, 2 0141031134001logBack.tx t.

Log Export Tab

You can export all the information logs contained in the DVR’s hard drive. Simply select the hard drive that you want to export, and then follow the steps in “How to

export system information logs?”.

Page 42

The Maintenance Menu

Import/Export

You can export or import a configuration file containing all the DVR settings you have customized, including your recording settings, schedule, and so on, using a USB storage device. This will come in handy as it will save you time if you have to reset the DVR back to factory default settings.

How to export your current configuration file?

1. Connect a USB storage device to the USB port on the back of the DVR.

2. Click Refresh. In the Device Name list, make sure your USB device is the

current selection.

3. Click Export to save a copy of the DVR configuration file on your USB device.

How to import a configuration file?

1. Connect the USB storage device containing a previously saved DVR configuration file to the USB port on the back of the DVR.

2. Click Refresh. In the Device Name list, make sure your USB device is the current selection.

3. Select the configuration file - it will be called devCfg_(serial number)_(year/ month/time).bin, and then click Import. Once the configuration file is imported, the DVR reboots automatically.

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The Maintenance Menu

Upgrade

You can upgrade the firmware of the DVR by using a USB storage device or via a remote FTP server. You’ll only need to use these options if instructed to do so by Swann Technical Support.

Local Upgrade Tab

How to upgrade DVR firmware using a USB device?

1. Connect a USB storage device containing the firmware update file to the USB port on the back of the DVR.

2. Click Refresh. In the Device Name list, make sure your USB device is the current selection.

3. Select the firmware update file, and then click Upgrade. Once the update is complete, the DVR reboots automatically.

FTP Ta b

How to upgrade DVR firmware by FTP?

The firmware can be updated using your computer as a FTP server. Make sure that both your computer and DVR are connected to the same Local Area Network (LAN). Make sure you have a 3rd party FTP software installed on your computer.

1. Place the firmware file into the root director y of the FTP software.

2. In the FTP Ser ver Address field, enter your computer’s IP address.

3. Click Upgrade. Once the update is complete, the DVR reboots automatically.

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The Maintenance Menu

Default

You can reset the DVR and load factory default settings. There are two options available - you can select the first option which will reset all the parameters including network and user settings, or you can select the second option which will do the same but will maintain your network and user settings. The DVR will reboot after you click OK.

Net Detect

You can check network traffic and to obtain real-time information from the DVR such as network detection, network status, and sending and receiving network traffic.

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The Maintenance Menu

HDD Detect

You can easily check on the conditions of your DVR’s installed hard drive, and perform diagnostics to detect errors and bad sectors.

S.M.A.R.T. Settings Tab

S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) is your hard drive’s way of telling the DVR how it’s going. The status of each attribute indicates the various conditions of the hard drive. It should say “OK”. If it says anything else, this indicates there’s a problem with your hard drive. If you’re looking at this screen, you’ve probably been directed to do so by Swann Technical Support.

Bad Sector Detection Tab

You can perform a test on the hard drive for bad sectors. If you’re looking at this screen, you’ve probably been directed to do so by Swann Technical Support.

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Troubleshoong

Q: I can’t log into or unlock the DVR - it says my password is wrong.

A: The default username/password combination for the DVR is “admin” with the password “12345”.

If that doesn’t work (and you haven’t set a password of your own that you’ve forgotten) then something strange has happened - contact Swann technical support (contact details are on the rear cover).

Q: How do I eliminate false-triggers on my motion detection?

A: There’s no guaranteed way to eliminate false triggers, but - in the majority of cases - you can fine-tune the DVR’s motion detection settings to reduce the number of false triggers you’re likely to get. (See “Motion” on page 23 for more detailed information.)

1. Mask any redundant movement. This includes obvious things like trees blowing in the wind, roads with cars passing and so forth. Some less obvious things which might cause false triggers include: the “flickering” of screens, monitors or fluorescent lights, reflections of movement in windows/mirrors and so on, lights which are often turned on or off, shadows passing and so on. We can’t possibly imagine what you’re going to find in your unique circumstances, so we encourage you to experiment.

2. Fine-tune your sensitivity. There’s no substitute for getting a volunteer to play the part of intruder and experimenting. Some cameras are just more “touchy” than others, some lighting conditions are harder to get the settings “right” for.

3. Adjust your image settings (see “Image” on page 22). Unlike many image adjustment options, the DVR pre-processes video, which means that, when the DVR looks for motion, it’s looking at your already processed images. By reducing the amount of video noise in your image, you can increase the accuracy of the motion detection dramatically. Typically, the settings that most often require adjustment are Brightness and Contrast. Video noise is a problem with any video signal. It’s the very slight change in brightness and/or color of pixels between frames, and it’s commonly regarded as being “ just one of those things” when dealing with digital imaging. By tweaking the brightness and contrast, you can usually remove a good deal of this noise, as it tends to be most pronounced near the blacks (the really dark bits) and the whites (the really bright bits) of your images.

Q: I’m getting too many email alerts from the DVR.

A: There are a few things that might help, depending what’s generating the email alerts. Here are a few possibilities:

• The emails are for real events, however it is telling me about it multiple times.

This indicates that the DVR is functioning properly, but that the Interval setting for your email alerts is too low. Increasing the Interval time will decrease the number of email alerts the DVR sends.

• The DVR sends email alerts when nothing seems to be happening.

Troubleshooting

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Troubleshoong

This suggests that there might be something amiss with your Motion Detection settings, or with the configuration of your sensors (if used).

The most likely explanation is that there is something in view of your cameras which is moving, or causes the illusion of movement. Have a look at “Motion” on page 23 for some more information.

• The DVR keeps reporting errors (such as Video Loss, HDD Error or similar).

There seems to be a hardware or configuration fault with the DVR. These are most often caused by a faulty (or simply poorly connected) connection or cable. Check the integrity of your cables and connections.

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Warranty Informaon

USA

Swann Communications USA Inc.

12636 Clark Street

Santa Fe Springs CA 90670

USA

Australia

Swann Communications

Unit 13, 331 Ingles Street

Port Melbourne Vic 3207

Australia

United Kingdom

Swann Communications LTD.

Stag Gates House 63/64 The Avenue

SO171XS

United Kingdom

Warranty Terms & Conditions

Swann Communications warrants this product against defects in workmanship and material for a period of one (1) year from its original purchase date. You must present your receipt as proof of date of purchase for warranty validation. Any unit which proves defective during the stated period will be repaired without charge for parts or labour or replaced at the sole discretion of Swann. The end user is responsible for all freight charges incurred to send the product to Swann’s repair centres. The end user is responsible for all shipping costs incurred when shipping from and to any country other than the country of origin.

The warranty does not cover any incidental, accidental or consequential damages arising from the use of or the inability to use this product. Any costs associated with the fitting or removal of this product by a tradesman or other person or any other costs associated with its use are the responsibility of the end user. This warranty applies to the original purchaser of the product only and is not transferable to any third party. Unauthorized end user or third party modifications to any component or evidence of misuse or abuse of the device will render all warranties void.

By law some countries do not allow limitations on certain exclusions in this warranty. Where applicable by local laws, regulations and legal rights will take precedence.

For Australia: Our goods come with guarantees which cannot be excluded under Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and for compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to major failure.

Warranty Information

Page 49

Warranty Informaon

Swann Technical Support

All Countries E-mail: tech@swann.com

Telephone Helpdesk

USA Toll Free 1-800-627-2799

USA Parts & Warranty 1-800-627-2799

(M-F, 9am-5pm US PT)

AUSTRALIA 1300 138 324

NEW ZEALAND Toll Free 0800 479 266

UK 0203 027 0979

M4 8_ 4500 311014E

Swann 4500 Series Instruction Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual