Swann DVR16-1500 User Manual

16 Channel

Digital Video Recorder

DV R16-1500

EN

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Before You Begin

FCC Verification

Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the
FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with
the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the
equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna

• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver

• Connect 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 devices comply with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

These devices may not cause harmful interference, and

These devices must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Important note:

All jurisdictions have specific laws and regulations relating to the use of cameras. Before using any camera for any purpose, it
is the buyer’s responsibility to be aware of all applicable laws and regulations that prohibit or limit the use of cameras and to
comply with the 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 directly
or indirectly, a device operated pursuant to the provisions of this Part for the purpose of overhearing or recording the private
conversations of others unless such use is authorized by all of the parties engaging in the conversation.

WARNING

Modifications not approved by the party responsible for compliance could void user’s authority to operate the equipment.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

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

• Do not operate if wires and terminals are exposed

• Do not cover vents on the side or back of the DVR and allow adequate space for ventilation

DEFAULT PASSWORD INFORMATION

To ensure your privacy, this DVR supports password protection.

The default, all-access username is ‘admin’, the default password is ‘12345’.

To ensure your ongoing privacy, we strongly recommend setting 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.

2

Contents

Introduction

Before You Begin 2

Contents 3

Introduction 5

Basic Setup

Safety Notice 7

Top Panel of the DVR 7

Rear Panel of the DVR 8

Connection Diagram 9

Connecting Additional Devices 10

The Setup Wizard 11

Configuration: Network: UPnP  14

Configuration: Network: More Settings 14

Configuration: Network: DDNS 16

Configuration: Network: NTP 16

Configuration: Network: Email 17

Configuration: Network: General 18

Configuration: Network: PPPoE 19

The Quick Menu  20

The Quick Camera Menu 20

Operating the DVR locally 21

Menu Layout 21

Playback: Normal  29

Playback: Event/Tag  30

Playback: Smart Search 30

Export: Normal/Event 31

Manual: Record 32

HDD: General 33

HDD: Advanced/HDD Detect 33

Record: Schedule 34

Record: Encoding 35

Record: Advanced 36

Record: Holiday 36

Camera Management: OSD (On-Screen Display) 37

Camera Management: Image  38

Camera Management: Motion 39

Motion Detection Area Configuration 41

Camera Management: Privacy Mask 42

Camera Management: Tamper Proof 43

Camera Management: Video Loss 44

Maintenance: System Info 45

Maintenance: Log Information 45

Maintenance: Import/Export 46

Maintenance: Upgrade 46

Maintenance: Default 47

Maintenance: Net Detect 47

Advanced Configuration

Configuration: General 23

Configuration: General: DST Settings 24

Configuration: General: More Settings 24

Configuration: Live View: General 25

Configuration: Live View: View 26

Configuration: Live View: Channel-Zero

Encoding 26

Configuration: Exceptions 27

Configuration: User 28

Reference

Troubleshooting 49

Addendum: Third Party Hardware 50

Warranty Information 51

Helpdesk/Technical Support Details 52

3

Chapter

Chapter

1

1

Introduction

Introduction

4

IntroductionIntroduction

Congratulations on your purchase of this Swann Digital Video Recorder (DVR). You’ve made a fine choice for
keeping a watchful eye over your home or business. Let’s take a moment to talk about some of the features
this DVR offers, and how to get the most out of them.

Oh my, this is a big manual. How long will this take?

Yes, but you won’t have to read all of it - you should be up
and running by page 21!

It can take a few hours to connect everything and run
through the setup procedure.

The latter part of this manual is for advanced users only

- the DVR is seriously configurable - the out-of-the-box
settings do a great job in 90% of situations, but some
users will want to get into the nitty-gritty detail, so that
information is presented for those who need it.

Getting the DVR Setup

The default settings will cover most basic installation
requirements of the DVR.

To get the most out of your hard drive, we’ve configured the
DVR to record only when it detects motion - that way, you
won’t fill the hard drive with video of nothing happening.

There are two steps to getting your DVR set up. If you want
to use the default settings, you’ll only need to complete
steps one and two.

Advanced DVR Configuration

The latter part of this manual covers advanced DVR
operations.

This DVR comes with all the professional-grade
capabilities you’d expect from a quality Swann product,
but many advanced capabilities require detailed setup to
function correctly.

If you’re not an advanced user, don’t worry. The out-of­the-box settings really do work well, and we’d only suggest
changing them if you’ve got a really specific plan in mind.

Accessing this DVR from your Smartphone or Tablet

This DVR supports live viewing on your Smartphone or
Tablet. We have developed an app called SwannView Plus
for the Android and iOS platforms. For Android users,
please download the app from Google Play. If you have an
Apple device, please go to the Apple App Store. As we are
continually improving the documentation that we include
with our products, you can find the latest user guide for
our app at (www.swann.com).

INTRODUCTION

Before installing anything, connect the DVR and
cameras and test your system.

Step 1. Connecting the DVR (page 7 to page 10)

This section details what you can connect to the different
inputs/outputs of the DVR.

Everyone’s setup will vary a little bit - it depends on which
cameras came with the DVR (if any) and what device(s)
you’ve already got.

Step 2. Basic DVR Setup (page 11 to page 21)

The DVR needs a few things to be set properly before it
can do its thing. Follow the instructions from page 11 to
page 21 to get everything working.

5

Chapter

2

Basic Setup

6

Safety NoticeSafety Notice

• Do not expose the DVR to moisture. Water is the arch­enemy of electrical components and also poses a high
risk of electric shock.

• Avoid dusty locations. Dust has a tendency to build up
inside the DVR case, leading to a high risk of failure or
even fire.

• Only install the DVR in a well ventilated space. Like
all electronics, the circuitry and hard drive in the DVR
produce heat, and this heat needs a way out.

• Do not open the DVR case except to install/swap the hard
drive inside. There are no user serviceable parts inside.

Top Panel of the DVR

• Do not cut or modify any cable for any reason. Doing so
will void your warranty, as well as pose a great risk of fire
or electrical shock.

• Do not expose the DVR to sudden bumps or shocks
(for example, being dropped). The DVR is as robust as
possible, but many of the internal components are quite
fragile.

• Remember that the DVR is, in all likelihood, going to be
left on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Keep this in mind
when choosing a location for installation.

• Never open the case whilst the DVR is plugged in, and
never turn the DVR on whilst the case is open.

1

2

3

1) Power LED: Will be lit whenever the DVR is supplied

power and turned on.

2) HDD LED: Will flash whenever the DVR is writing to/

reading from the installed hard drive.

BASIC SETUP

3) LAN LED: Flashes rapidly when the DVR’s network port

is sending or receiving information.

7

Rear Panel of the DVRRear Panel of the DVR

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

1) Video Inputs 1 - 16: These are your primary video inputs.

The channels are labelled by number in the same order as
they will appear on your DVR’s interface.

2) Video Out: Connect a composite cable to the video or A/V

BASIC SETUP

input on your TV.

3) VGA Output: For connecting a television or PC monitor

with a VGA input.

4) Audio Input: RCA port for audio input. Used to connect

an audio source such as the camera’s built-in microphone.

5) Audio Output: RCA port for audio output. Used to connect

your speaker or headphone.

6) Network Port: Where you can connect the DVR to a

network, typically directly into the router or network
switch.

7) USB 2.0 Ports: The supplied mouse connects here. You

can also connect USB external storage devices for backup
or for applying new firmware (FAT32 file support only).

8) Power Input: Where you connect the included power

adapter.

8

Connection Diagram

Connect the BNC
outputs from your
cameras into the
BNC inputs on the
rear of the DVR.

Connect the DC 12V
Output from the power
adapter to the power
input.

Connect your
cameras to
power, using a
power splitter (if
included).

Connect the
power adapter(s)
to a wall outlet.

BASIC SETUP

Or you can connect the
composite video output to
your TV.

You can connect your
PC monitor to the
VGA output.

Connect an ethernet
cable from the LAN
port on the DVR to a
spare port on your
router.

9

BASIC SETUP

Connecting Additional Devices

The Audio In port can be used
to connect audio devices to the
DVR. Obviously, your microphone
probably won’t look like that one ­they’re often built into cameras.

The Audio Out port can be
used to connect a stereo,
speakers, headphones
or other external sound
device.

Operating the USB Mouse

The controls are pretty easy to remember - heck, there are
only two buttons. It couldn’t be simpler.

Left click:

• Selects an item or confirms a choice.
Right click:

• Opens the menu bar from the live viewing screen.

• Returns one ‘step’ from a sub-menu.

• Opens a context menu in some settings screens.
The Scroll Wheel:

• Can be used to adjust the values of sliders and scales
when highlighted by the mouse.

The rear USB 2.0 Ports
can be used to connect
the provided mouse for
navigation and for backing
up footage to a USB Flash
Drive.

10

Wireless Mice and Bluetooth devices

Note that Wireless Mice and Bluetooth devices are not
compatible with this DVR. Please use the USB optical mouse
supplied.

The Setup Wizard

Starting the DVR for the first time:

When you first boot the DVR, it will automatically start ‘The
Setup Wizard’ which will guide you through the various setup
options available. The wizard contains six quick setup screens
which will allow you to choose how you want the DVR to
behave. Please be patient as it can take up to 40 seconds for

the wizard to appear after the DVR is turned on.

You’ll be asked to:

• Select a language.

• Set a password for the ADMIN account.

• Configure the time, date and time zone for your location.

• Configure the DVR so it can operate on your network and
access (and be accessed from) the Internet.

• Initialize and format your hard drive(s), if required.

Setup Wizard: Language

System Language: Select the language you’d like the menu

system to be displayed in.

Setup Wizard: Wizard

When this check-box is left ticked, the setup wizard will run again
the next time the DVR is rebooted or powered on. If you don’t want
the wizard to start next time the DVR is turned on, uncheck this
box.

To access the wizard once it’s been disabled, open Main Menu >
Configuration > General and select Enable Wizard.

BASIC SETUP

11

The Setup Wizard

Default Password Information

Setup Wizard: Admin Password

For your on-going security and peace of mind, we strongly
suggest setting a password for your Admin account. A password
can be any combination of numbers (no letters) up to 16 numerals
long.

Admin Password: Enter the existing Admin password here. The

default password for the Admin account is 123 45. Don’t enter
what you’d like the password to be - that goes in the fields below
this one.

New Admin Password (check-box): When checked, the DVR will

accept a new password for the Admin account.

New Password/Confirm: Enter what you’d like the new password

to be in the upper field, and then confirm it in the lower field.

BASIC SETUP

To ensure your privacy, this DVR supports password protection.

The default, all-access username is ‘admin’, the default password is ‘12345’.

To ensure your on-going privacy, we strongly recommend setting 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.

Wizard: Time, Date, Location, Live View

It’s important to ensure that your DVR has the correct time and
date, as well as the correct time zone set. This is particularly
true in a legal context when a mistaken time or date can mean
the difference between your security footage being regarded as
legitimate evidence or not!

Time Zone: Select your location from the list. The East Coast

of the United States is GMT -05:00 and the West Coast is GMT

-08:00. The UK is at GMT+ 00:00 and the East Coast of Australia

is at GMT +10:00.
Remember that these values will be displaced by an hour during

DST (daylight savings time) if that applies in your locale. However,
don’t set that here - the DVR supports automatically adjusting the
time during DST - see page 24.

Date Format: How you’d like the date to be displayed. For best results, use the standard format for your location (MM-DD-YYYY

for the USA, DD-MM-YYYY for the UK and Australia).

System Date: The current date setting on the DVR. To alter this value, select the small calendar icon.
System Time: The current time setting on the DVR. To alter this value, select the small clock icon.
Note for NTP Users: Setting the date and time is less important if you’re using NTP (Network Time Protocol) but we still

recommend you set it here first. Just in case.

Live View Mode: 4 x 4 is the default live view mode. This will display up to 16 video channels on-screen at a single time. Selecting

1 x 1 will display the first video channel full-screen - see page 25.

12

The Setup Wizard

Wizard: Network Settings

NIC Type: What sort of network you’re using. There are a few to

choose from. The vast majority of users will use the default option
of 10M/100M/1000M Self-adaptive. If you’re using a network
other than this type, chances are you know about that.

Enable DHCP (check-box): Ensure that this is checked unless

you’re specifically running a manually addressed network
(sometimes called static IP addressing) or your router doesn’t
support DHCP.

IPv4 Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway: When you’re using
DHCP, these values will self-populate. If you’re using a manually
addressed network, you’ll need to set these to match the other
devices on your network.

To learn more about the Network settings of the DVR - see page

18.

When you have completed the setup wizard, it is very important

to check the settings for UPnP on page 14 and More Settings
on page 15. The Server Port (8000) is used to access the DVR

remotely using the SwannView Plus client software on your

computer and the SwannView Plus app on your Smartphone or

Tablet.

Wizard: HDD Management

Here, you can view and initialize the hard drive(s) in the DVR.
Typically, there will be only one entry here, the HDD which came
with the DVR (if one was included). Each drive will be identified
and be listed along with statistics such as Capacity, Status and
Free Space.

If you’re booting the DVR for the first time, the HDD should already
be initialized or if you’ve just installed a new HDD, then you’ll need
to initialize the drive.

Init: Initializes the HDD so that it’s ready to accept data.
Warning: Don’t initialize a drive that already has data on it, as the

initialization process will erase any information on the drive.

BASIC SETUP

13

Now that you have completed the setup wizard, the next step is to make sure that the DVR can communicate with the Internet.
This will allow you to use the SwannView Plus app on your Smartphone or Tablet and the SwannView Plus client software on
the computer, to monitor events where the DVR is located. We also recommend creating a DNS account via our SwannDNS
service and to setup an email account to receive notifications. Follow the instructions from page 14 to page 19 to get everything
working.

BASIC SETUP

Communicating with the Internet

Configuration: Network: UPnP

Enable UPnP: 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 do 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 necessary 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.

Mapping Type: We recommend changing this to the Auto

setting.

Edit: Allows you to change the current External Port

number.
Make sure that the number used for the External Port

and Internal Port match, otherwise the UPnP function will
not work. See page 15 on how to change the internal port
numbers.

Mapping IP Address: Will display the public IP address of

the router that the DVR is connected to.

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.

14

Configuration: Network: More Settings

Alarm Host IP: The 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. The most important things
are:

• You’ll need to enable UPnP on your router so your router
can selectively open these ports, allowing the DVR to
communicate via the Internet. If your router doesn’t
support UPnP, you have two options. You can either get
a new router (which we’d actually recommend - UPnP
is such a good feature!) or you can manually forward
ports from the router to the DVR. Port forwarding is a
technical and involved process, recommended only for
the technically inclined.

• The default port number is 8000, which is not used by
many other devices/programs. However, particularly if
you have another DVR or DVR-like device, something
might be using this port already. If this is the case,
change this value to be unique.

• You’ll need to know this port value when logging
within your network or remotely - so, if you change it,
remember what it is!

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

HTTP Port: This is the port through which you will be able

to log in to the DVR.

• Like the RTSP port, it will need to be forwarded
properly in order to ensure smooth, latency-free
communication. The default value is ‘85’, as this port is
seldom used by other devices or applications. If there
is another device on your network using this port,
you’ll need to change it to be unique.

• You’ll need to know this port value when logging
within your network or remotely - so, if you change it,
remember what it is!

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 (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) Port: This port is

used to stream real-time images through, and is the port
that will be used to communicate with mobile devices.
If you are having issues streaming video to your mobile
device or your mobile service provider is blocking access,
we recommend to change this value to 5554. Do not change
this if everything is working ok.

What port number(s) should I use?

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 is 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.

BASIC SETUP

15

Configuration: Network: DDNS

In much the same way as your home network can use static
or dynamic IP addresses, many Internet providers don’t
issue (or charge more for) a static IP address for users. The
easiest way to find out is to contact your Internet service
provider. Alternately, you can access the (www.whatismyip.
com) service, make a note of your IP, then reboot your router/
gateway. This should refresh your Internet connection. If your
IP address changes, you have a dynamic IP address. If it

BASIC SETUP

stays the same, you may have a static IP - contact your ISP
to confirm.

One option is to contact your ISP and request a static IP
address. They’ll usually charge a small fee for doing this. It’s
worth noting that not all ISPs offer static IP addresses.

If your ISP does not offer static IP addresses then you can use
a dynamic referencing service. We provide one free of charge.

Static and Dynamic IP Addresses

How do I deal with a dynamic IP address?

We recommend using SwannDNS as your DNS service.
This is a free service for Swann DVR/NVR owners, which we
directly support.

To create an account with SwannDNS, go to the following:
(www.swanndvr.com) and click the ‘Registration’ button.
Follow the prompts to create your account.

DDNS Type: SwannDNS is automatically selected as the DNS

service (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).

Username/Password/Confirm: Enter the username and

password you setup with your DDNS server. These do not
have to match your username/password combination in
either your DVR or router (for the sake of security, we suggest
making them different). Confirm your password in the field
provided.

For SwannDNS users: Your username is the email address

you used to register the account. The password is whatever
you selected when you registered.

Configuration: Network: NTP

NTP (Network Time Protocol): If you’ve got the DVR connected

to the Internet, you can have it automatically sync time with
an online server.

If you’re using NTP, then it is essential that your Time Zone
(see page 23) and DST (daylight savings time - see page 24)
be set correctly.

16

Interval (min): The amount of time in minutes that will

elapse between the DVR updating its internal clock to match
that of the NTP server. The default period of 60 minutes is
recommended.

NTP Server: The server you’d like to use for NTP. There are

many available online - the default (pool.ntp.org) works just
fine.

NTP Port: The port used by the NTP server of your choice. The

default for pool.ntp.org is 123.

Configuration: Network: Email

smtp.gmail.com

Username for email account

465

Password for email account

Name for sender account

smtp.gmail.com

outgoing@email address

Name for receiver account

receiver@email address

Name fo r sender acc ount

outgoing@email address

Name fo r receive r account

receiver@em ail add ress

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.

For the Auto-Mail function to work correctly, the DVR will
need to be correctly configured with the details of the
email servers and addresses you want to use.

Enable Server Authentication: If your outgoing mail server

requires authentication, ensure this box is checked.

Sender Username/Sender Password: The username and

password for the outgoing email account.

SMTP Server: The name of the SMTP server of the email

provider that you have selected. Here are the SMTP
server names for Gmail (Google), Yahoo Mail and Outlook
(Microsoft):

Gmail (Google): smtp.gmail.com

Yahoo Mail: smtp.mail.yahoo.com

Outlook (Microsoft): smtp.live.com

Enable SSL: Whether the email server you’re using

requires a secure link. This should be left on if you’re using
any of the preset email servers.

If you want to use your ISP’s outgoing email, then you’ll
need to contact your ISP to learn the correct values for the
other fields (such as the correct SMTP server, SMTP port,
SSL requirements and so on).

Sender’s 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
server. For example: ([e-mail]) or similar.

Select Receivers: You can select up to three different

receivers to send an email to.

Receiver’s 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 certain conditions.

Enable Attached Picture: When this is selected, the DVR

will attach three small images to each email alert (where
applicable).

For motion-based email alerts, this will be an image of
whatever triggered the motion detection.

BASIC SETUP

You’ll need to setup an account with one of these email
providers. All offer free email accounts. To signup, visit the
email provider’s website:

Gmail (Google): www.gmail.com

Yahoo Mail: www.mail.yahoo.com

Outlook (Microsoft): www.outlook.com

SMTP Port: The SMTP port used by the email provider of

your choice. The SMTP port for Gmail users is 465.

Interval: The length of time that must elapse after the DVR

sends an email alert before it will send another.

Short Interval 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
interval 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 fine­tune this setting to get the results you’re after - it’ll be
different for everyone’s unique circumstances.

17

BASIC SETUP

Configuration: Network: General

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 (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 network. This option is enabled by default
and is the recommended way 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: Static networks require all devices to have their

IP addresses manually defined, as there is no device
dedicated to automatically assigning addresses.

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 neighbourhood. This will
be formatted in a similar way to the IP address (i.e. four
numbers up to 255 separated by periods) but contain very
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 latest 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 IPv6. As the DVR 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 hard 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 www.
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.

18

Configuration: Network: PPPoE

PPPoE is an advanced protocol that allows the DVR to

be more directly connected via a DSL modem. This is an
option for advanced users only.

Username: Enter the username for your DSL account

provider.

Password: Enter the password for your DSL account

provider.

BASIC SETUP

19

BASIC SETUP

To access the Quick Menu, right click the USB mouse once.

Menu: Opens the Main Menu (see page 21).

Single Screen: Opens a single channel for viewing in

full-screen mode. The slide-out menu contains a list of
channels to choose from.

Multi-Screen: Select a multi-screen viewing option, where

you’ll be able to see multiple video feeds at once.

Previous Screen: Moves to the previous channel.

Next Screen: Moves to the next channel.

The Quick Menu

Start Auto-switch: Will periodically display a different

video feed from each channel available.

Start Recording: Begins recording on all channels

immediately, regardless of the current recording schedule.

Quick Set > Output Mode: Allows you to change the contrast

level of the video display.

All-day Playback: Allows you to playback recordings from

a single channel for the current day.

Aux Monitor: Allows you to switch the main monitor view to

the composite video output. Select Main Monitor to switch
back to VGA output.

The Quick Camera Menu

To access the Quick Camera Menu, left click the USB
mouse once on one of the live video inputs available.

Recording: Start or stop live recording.

Instant Playback: Playback the last 5 minutes of recorded

video.

Audio On: Enable or disable live audio.

20

Digital Zoom: Enter Digital Zoom mode. Press the left click

button on the USB mouse to zoom, and press the right
click button to exit. Use the PIP (Picture-in-Picture) screen
on the bottom right to select a different area to zoom to.

Image Settings: Change the brightness, contrast,

saturation and hue of the live video feed.

Close: Close the menu.

Hovering the mouse cursor over each button or icon will
display a description of what it does.

Operating the DVR Locally

If you’re reading this page, it means that either:

• You’ve got the DVR setup, but its standard recording
program isn’t for you. Fair enough - we cater to all
requirements here.

• You’re interested in what other options and capabilities
the DVR has.

• Everything works except just that one thing that isn’t
right but you don’t know where the option is. Darn. We’ll
try and get you fixed up by the end of this page.

By Default...

• The DVR has motion recording enabled on every channel,
configured to operate at an average level of sensitivity.

• To be a little more likely to record a border-line motion
event than not (we think it’s better to get a false trigger
than miss an event).

To alter the DVR’s default behaviour, you’ll need to change
some of the advanced settings.

You can do this on the DVR directly or by using the SwannView
Plus client software located on the included CD. There is a
fairly comprehensive manual also included. You can also
access the DVR’s built-in web interface using your Internet
browser.

Quick Reference

Some of the more common reasons to have a look in the
Advanced Configuration include:

Altering the Recording Schedule

The recording schedule is one of the most important things to
get right when configuring the DVR. More information about
the schedule can be found at:

• ‘Record: Schedule’ on page 34

Altering the Motion Detection Settings

If you want to change the way the DVR handles motion, then
you’ll need to look at:

• ‘Camera Management: Motion’ on page 39

• ‘Camera Management: Image’ on page 38

Camera Management

If you want to change the image settings for the cameras
connected to the DVR and for enabling a privacy mask:

• ‘Camera Management: Image’ on page 38

• ‘Camera Management: Privacy Mask’ on page 42

BASIC SETUP

Menu Layout

Playback: To access recorded images, use the Playback menu.

There are several playback modes to choose from, such as
standard chronological playback mode, or event playback mode.

Export: To copy or backup footage from the DVR, use the Export

menu. You’ll need a compatible USB Flash Drive to store the
data (FAT32 file format only).

Manual: Access manual controls for the recording and alarm

functions of the DVR.

HDD: Where you’ll be able to access information about and

adjust the settings of your hard drive.

Record: Access recording options, such as quality, resolution,

bitrate and the recording schedule.

Camera: Adjusts and configures how the DVR looks for cameras

via the video inputs. Access to Motion Detection configuration is
located here.

Configuration: Access and configure many settings of the DVR,

including your network settings, adjusting the time and date and
creating or altering user accounts.

Maintenance: For changing how the DVR performs its automatic

maintenance and for upgrading the DVR’s firmware.

Shutdown: If you want to shut down or reboot the DVR, or simply

log out of the user account you’re logged in as, click the Shutdown
button. To ensure the integrity of your data and recordings, always
select Shutdown when powering off the DVR.

Hovering the mouse cursor over each button or icon will display
a description of what it does.

21

Chapter

3

Advanced Configuration

22

Configuration: General

Language: The language that the DVR’s menus, alerts and

other communications will use. Multiple languages are
available.

CVBS Output Standard: Lets you change the Video Out

display from NTSC to PAL. NTSC is used in countries with
60Hz power such as the United States and Canada. PAL is
used in countries with 50Hz power such as Australia and
the United Kingdom.

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.

The DVR has four formats available, in two different aspect
ratios:

Square (4:3) - 1024 x 768 or 1280 x 1024

Widescreen (16:9) - 1280 x 720 (720p) or 1920 x 1080

(1080p)

Square Monitor via VGA: Use one of the 4:3 formats to

correctly align the DVR’s output on your screen. Using a
widescreen format will ‘stretch’ the image vertically.

Widescreen Monitor via VGA: If possible, use the

widescreen (16:9) format. If your monitor can’t display that
resolution, you might need to enable letter-boxing on your
monitor and use a 4:3 format.

Time Zone: Particularly 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 GMT-05:00. (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/YYYY or MM/

DD/YYYY and so on).

System Date: This can be edited manually, or set to update

automatically by using NTP (see ‘Configuration: Network:
NTP’ on page 16).

System Time: This can be edited manually, or set to update

automatically by using NTP (see ‘Configuration: Network:
NTP’ on page 16).

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 ID Authentication: When enabled, the DVR will

require a username and password to access, even for local
users.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

23

Configuration: General: DST Settings

Enable DST (check-box): Enable this setting if you’d like the

DVR to adjust the time when daylight savings time begins.

From/To: Here you can 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.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

Configuration: General: More Settings

Some NTP servers are not fully compatible with DST
(Daylight Savings Time). This may cause your system to
double-count adding one or removing one more hour than
they should, or cancel each other out. You may need to
intentionally change your time zone to compensate, or simply
not use NTP and DST simultaneously.

Device Name: The name that the DVR considers to be its

own and what it will use to register an IP address with your
DHCP host.

Device No.: The internal device number of the DVR.

CVBS Output Brightness: Allows you to alter the brightness

level of the Video Out connection. Note; this does not affect
the image setting of your recordings.

24

Operation Timeout: Here you can change the time the DVR

will exit the menu screen and return to the camera viewing
screen if there is no activity.

Menu Output Mode: Allows you to select which display the

main menu will be output to. You can select either VGA or

Main CVBS.

Configuration: Live View: General

Video Output Interface: You can select from VGA or Main

CVBS.

Live Video Mode: 4 x 4 is the default live view mode. This

will display up to 16 video channels on-screen at a single
time. Selecting 1 x 1 will display the first video channel
full-screen. Other views available are 2 x 2, 3 x 3, 1 + 5 and
1 + 7.

Dwell Time: The time in seconds to dwell on a video

channel when enabling Start Auto-switch in Live View.
This only works when the Live Video Mode is set to 1 x 1.

Enable Audio Output: This will enable the audio output on

the DVR.

Event Output: You can select from VGA or Main CVBS.
Full Screen Monitoring Dwell Time: The time in seconds to

show an alarm event screen.

25

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

Configuration: Live View: View

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

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

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

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.

Configuration: Live View: Channel-Zero Encoding

Play: Pressing the Play button will start the live view of all

cameras connected to the DVR.

Stop: Pressing the Stop button will stop the live view of all

cameras connected to the DVR.

Pressing the Stop button means that you will not see a
real-time view of all the cameras connected to the DVR at
the main viewing screen. Press the Play button to enable
real-time view.

Enabling Channel-Zero Encoding will decrease the overall
network or Internet bandwidth required when viewing
remotely or with the SwannView Plus client software,
without sacrificing the image quality on the DVR. This
is suitable if you are trying to view multiple real-time
channels at the same time and you don’t want to increase
the network traffic or Internet bandwidth that is required.

26

Frame Rate: The number of frames per second (fps) that

the DVR will display when viewed remotely.

Maximum Bitrate Mode: This option is set to General and

cannot be changed.

Maximum Bitrate (Kbps): The amount of data that the DVR

will use when viewed remotely.

Configuration: 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.

Exception Type: What event type you’d like the DVR to

react to. By configuring the Action for these events, you
can create any combination of audio alerts (see below) or
auto-emails to be sent for different event types.

HDD Full: As the name suggests, this event occurs when

the DVR runs out of space on the hard drive to save new
footage. This event is redundant if you’ve got overwrite
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: Will occur if the DVR has problems

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

IP Conflicted: This event will occur if 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 incorrect username or password.

Input/Output Video Standard mismatch: If the camera

connected is not capable of matching the resolution
selected in the Record: Encoding menu and CVBS Output
Standard in the Configuration: General 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.

Audible Warning: The DVR will use its internal buzzer

to emit an alarm tone. It sounds like an old computer
indicating an error, or a large truck backing up.

Alert CMS Software: This will alert the SwannView Plus

client software installed on your computer.

Send Email: The DVR will send an auto-email alert when

the event type you’ve selected occurs.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

27

Configuration: User

The Configuration: User menu is where you can define

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

and configure the different levels of access various users
have 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.

To add additional users, choose Add.

To customize a user’s level of access, choose Edit.

To remove a user, choose Delete.

User’s MAC Address: To restrict remote user access, you

can input the MAC address of the remote computer that
will be used to access DVR. The DVR will only allow remote
access from a computer with this MAC address to gain
access.

You cannot modify the access level of the default admin
account - they can do everything.

This is to prevent an unfortunate incident where, for
example, no user has the permissions required to change
another user’s permissions - which could lead to the DVR
being, in at least some senses, inoperable.

28

Playback: Normal

To initiate playback:

Analog: Select the camera that you’d like to playback.

Up to sixteen cameras can be selected. Please note, the
Playback: Smart Search function will only work when you
select one camera for playback - see page 30.

Start/End time of record: This will display the start time

and date and the end time and date from when the DVR
was first configured to record video. This will typically be
the first day that you setup and configured the DVR right
through to the current day. If you have recently formatted
the hard drive, the start time and date will be displayed
from that day.

Record Type: Select the type(s) of video you’d like to

playback. The options are Normal, Motion, Manual and

All.

FileType: Select from Unlocked, Locked and All.

Start Time: Set your start date and time.

End Time: Set your end date and time.

• Select Search.

• Choose which event(s) you want to play back, and up to
four cameras you’d like to view the video(s) from.

• To initiate playback, select Play.

There are two additional options that you can also select -

Detail: This will display a graphical representation of the

type of video recorded. Each record type is color coded, for
example Normal is blue, Motion is green.

When you click the Search button, the Search result
dialogue box will appear as above. You will see a list of
video files located on the hard drive, according to the
search criteria that you selected. Select a file and click the
Play button to play the video. If you would like to keep the
video so it is not deleted by the overwrite option (see page

36), press the Lock button to lock the file. Press the Lock
button again to unlock the file.

While you’re playing back footage, the DVR continues
to monitor and record normally. Recording from multiple
channels simultaneously is so resource intensive that
playback performance may be sacrificed to ensure ongoing
reliable recording.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

Playback: To playback all normal and event recordings

from each camera at the same time. You can forward,
rewind and pause playback. Double-clicking any of the
available cameras will display it full-screen. Double-click
again to exit full-screen playback.

When we say ‘near real-time’, this doesn’t mean things
will be in slow motion. Rather, the action will unfold at
normal speed, but be represented by half the number of
frames per second (12.5fps/PAL or 15fps/NTSC).

29

Playback: Event/Tag

The Event Search menu (above) will show you recordings
that were triggered by the DVR detecting motion. Up to
sixteen cameras can be selected.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

Playback: Smart Search

The Tag Search menu (below) will isolate video events
based on the tag information that video carries. It’s similar
to Event playback, but it can be easier to group multiple
recordings of a similar type.

The Smart Search function 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.

• Use the mouse to move the cursor around the screen.

30

The menu controls allow you to select
full screen detection or to enable smart
search.

Right click in the play area to access the
smart search function.

• Click and drag to select the area you want to search for.

• You will see a grid of red boxes. The outlined boxes mark the
area that you want to select to search for motion.

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

• Multiple areas of the video can be selected.

Playback: Smart Search (ctd)

1 234 5 6

7

1) Mute: Mutes audio playback.

2) Start clipping: This button allows you to set mark in and mark

out points on your video which you can then export to a USB flash
drive or USB hard drive. It’s a basic way to edit a video file that you
have selected to play. When you have selected to play a video file,
press the Start clipping button at the mark in point and press
it again at the mark out point. To save the file, press the Exit
button. You will then be prompted if you would like to save the
file; click Yes to save. If you have made a mistake, click the Exit
button and click No. Repeat the above process. Multiple mark in
and mark out points can be applied.

3) Add default tag: Tagging allows you to record information

such as location or people at a certain point within the video. The
default tag name is TAG. Multiple tags can be added.

Export: Normal/Event

4) Add customized tag: Same as above but you can choose your

own tag name.

5) Tag management: This button allows you to edit or delete tags

that you have added to the video.

6) Play controls: These are your play, pause, rewind and forward

controls.

7) Video Search/Hide/Exit: These buttons allow you to go back to

video search, to hide the playback interface and to exit playback.

The Export: Normal menu (above) will show you all
recordings that you can export to a USB Flash Drive.

From the Record Type menu, select the type(s) of video
you’d like to playback. The options are Normal, Motion,

Manual and All. Set your Start Date/Time and your End
Date/Time and click the Search button.

The Export: Event menu (below) will show you recordings
that were triggered by the DVR detecting motion.

Event Type: Only Motion can be selected.

Set your Start Date/Time and your End Date/Time and
click the Search button.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

31

Manual: Record

The Manual: Record menu allows you to override any
default recording schedules in place. The recording
schedule for each camera connected, can be changed.
Pressing the button next to Analog will stop recording on
all cameras. You can also control each camera by pressing
the button next to each of the camera names. You can
select normal recording (Recording by manual operation)
or motion detection recording (Recording by schedule).

Normal: The DVR will constantly record for any period

where Normal is selected. You won’t miss anything, but
constant recording will fill your hard drive very quickly.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

The DVR does record the equivalent of a DVD film every
two hours on every channel, so that’s rather a lot of data.
Typically, we suggest motion as a better recording mode
for most users.

Motion: The recommended recording setting for most

applications. 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
unless you alter your Action settings ‘Camera Management:
Motion’ on page 39 to include other channels.

32

HDD: General

The HDD: General menu allows you to 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.

Init: Initializes the HDD so that it’s ready to accept data.

HDD: Advanced/HDD Detect

The HDD: Advanced menu allows you to 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
that is available on the HDD.

The HDD: Detect menu will display technical specifications
of the hard drive installed. If you’re looking at this screen,
you’ve probably been directed to do so by Swann Technical
Support.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

33

Record: Schedule

Important Guidelines

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

The schedule presented on-screen applies to one channel
only.

Use the Copy function to quickly assign identical schedule
layouts to multiple channels at once.

Be careful when programming your schedule. It’s one
of the most important aspects of setting up your DVR,
and if it’s wrong in any way, it could lead to disastrous
complications later.

Camera: Select a camera that you would like to add a

schedule to.

Enable Schedule: Select this to enable the schedule.

Copy (Channel): Located at the base of the screen, this will

allow you to copy the schedule from the channel you’re
editing to another channel or channels.

The action options for Motion Detection will affect
the way the schedule works. By default, all channels are
armed to use Motion Detection as their recording mode.

Recording Modes:

There are two types of recording to choose from.

Normal: The DVR will constantly record for any period

where Normal is selected. You won’t miss anything, but
constant recording will fill your hard drive very quickly.
The DVR does record the equivalent of a DVD film every
two hours on every channel, so that’s rather a lot of data.
Typically, we suggest motion as a better recording mode
for most users.

Motion: The recommended recording setting for most

applications. 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.

Before setting any of your schedule to motion, ensure that
Motion Detection is properly configured for the channel(s)
you want to associate with it. See ‘Camera Management:
Motion’ on page 39 for more information about setting up
and configuring Motion Detection.

None: As the name suggests, the DVR will not record

anything.

34

Record: Encoding

Encoding Parameters: Each video feed of the DVR is

comprised of two components, the Main Stream and the
Substream.

Both the Main Stream and the Substream are always
active - you don’t have to choose one for the DVR to use
as it’s always using both. You can, however, change the
quality, size and types of compression used for either.

Camera: Select a camera that you would like to alter.

Main Stream: The images you’ll see in the live-view

interface of the DVR. This is the higher quality of the two
streams, and is what you’ll see on the DVR itself or via a
local network. You can alter settings for both Normal and
Event recording, and it is recommended to select the same
settings for both recording types.

Stream Type: What kind of data you want the stream to

contain. The cameras included with the DVR stream video
only.

Resolution: This DVR has a fixed resolution (D1) and cannot

be changed.

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).

Video Quality: The actual amount of data the DVR will use

to record video. You have the choice of low, medium and
high quality.

Pre-record: While Pre-record is enabled, the DVR will

record between X and Y seconds before an event occurs.
It’s a little like making the DVR psychic (but not really - it’s
actually just caching a few seconds of video which it adds
to event recordings as they occur).

If you’re using Motion Detection (recommended) 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: How long after an event occurs that the

DVR will continue to record. It can be very useful - for
example, if an intruder or potential target triggers the
motion detection but pauses in view; having Post-record
enabled will get a much better look at them. 30 seconds is
the recommended length for the Post-record setting, but
it can be set higher (the options are 5 seconds, 10 seconds,
30 seconds, 60 seconds, 120 seconds, 300 seconds, 600
seconds) depending on your unique circumstances.

Expired Time (day): Determines how long the video footage

will remain on the hard drive without it being overwritten.
The default value 0, instructs the DVR to auto overwrite.

Record Audio (check-box): Whether the DVR will record

audio from this camera. The camera must contain a
compatible audio device for this option to be selectable.

Substream: A fraction of the Main Stream, and what you’ll

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

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

35

Record: Advanced

Overwrite: When enabled, the DVR will record over the

files already stored on the hard drive. The DVR will always
record over the oldest files on your hard drive first.

Using the overwrite option is advisable, as the DVR will
always be able to record events as they happen. However,
it does mean that you’ll need to get important events off
the HDD before they’re overwritten.

Record: Holiday

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

The Record: Holiday menu 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 delineated by date, by weeks or by the month.

Holiday Name: Choose a title for the holiday period in

question.

Enable: Whether the selected holiday period is enabled or

not.

Mode: Select mode by date, week or month.

Start Date: Select a start date.

End Date: Select an end date.

36

Camera Management: OSD (On-screen Display)

The Camera Management: OSD menu is where you can
configure the on-screen display for the display name, display
date, date format, time format and font size.

Camera Name: Select a name for the camera you’ve

selected. By default, all channels are named as the
Camera No. field, but this can be set to anything you’d like
up to 32 characters.

Display Name: Whether the name of the camera will be

part of the OSD information. This is entirely optional, and
depends on your preference.

Display Date: Whether the current date will be part of the

OSD information. We strongly recommend leaving this box
checked, and ensuring that the date is correct. For best
results, use NTP (see ‘Configuration: Network: NTP’ ­page 16).

Display Week: Whether the current day will be part of the

OSD information. We strongly recommend leaving this box
checked, and ensuring that the date is correct. For best
results, use NTP (see ‘Configuration: Network: NTP’ ­page 16).

Date Format: How you’d like the date to be displayed. We

strongly suggest setting this to the default standard for
your locale. For example: MM-DD-YYYY for the USA or DD­MM-YYYY for the UK or Australia.

Time Format: Choose between 12-hour and 24-hour time.
Display Mode: How you would like the OSD to be

displayed. 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 Display Position: The inset OSD position window

allows you to set the exact positions of any overlaid text,
such as the camera name and the date and time.

Simply select any item you want to move (such as the
Channel Name and/or the Date and Time) and click and
drag it to the position you’d like it to be.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

37

Camera Management: Image

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

Camera: Select the camera that you would like to change

the image settings for.

Period 1: 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.

Period 2: If you have changed the settings for Period 1,

then the remaing hours will be set to Period 2.

Mode: There are four preset modes that you can select

from. These are Standard, Indoor, Dim Light and Outdoor.
You can select one of these modes for Period 1 and Period

2.

You also have the option of changing the following settings:

Brightness: Changes 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 ill-lit image.

Contrast: Increases 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: Alters how much color is displayed in the

image. The higher the saturation, the more bright and vivid
colors will appear to be. Again, setting this too high can
degrade image quality.

Hue: Changes the color mix of the image (this can have

very dramatic results). It’s somewhat like moving through
a rainbow.

Sharpness: How crisp your images will be. Setting the

sharpness too high will make your pictures look pixelated,
like old computer graphics. 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.

38

Camera Management: Motion

As Motion Detection is the default recording mode for the
DVR, it’s worth taking a moment to ensure it is properly
configured.

If the motion detection sensitivity is too sensitive, then the
DVR will record frequently or continually - any benefit of
motion detection will be lost.

If the motion detection sensitivity is not sensitive enough,
then the DVR will not record when it should and may not
record anything at all.

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
worry about losing old footage.

However, it can be important that it’s configured correctly!

How Motion Detection Works

The way that the DVR looks for motion is quite straight
forward - it’s a process where it compares one frame (that
is, a single image taken approximately a 25th/30th of a
second from the previous image) with the next. A certain
amount of ‘difference’ between these two ‘frames’ is
interpreted as motion.

As a result, the DVR is able to detect when there is a change
in the picture. However, this does not necessarily need to
be something moving in the frame. For example, a light
being turned on or off, a lightning flash or even the sun
coming out momentarily on a cloudy day might be enough
to trigger the motion detection on the DVR. However, as
these events last only a moment (and are relatively rare)
they will only create a few very short redundant clips,
which will not take up too much space or pose a problem
with scanning through footage.

Here, you’ll be able to set the motion detection features
of the DVR for each channel. We suggest that motion
detection is, under most circumstances, the most practical
recording method for the DVR to employ.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

39

Camera Management: Motion (ctd)

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

False Triggers

Setting the motion detection at high sensitivity levels increases
the frequency of false alarms. On the other hand, low sensitivity
levels increase the risk that a significant motion event (such
as an intruder) will not trigger the motion detection to record.

Check the Motion Detection settings both during the day and
at night. In low-light conditions (or when your cameras are
using infrared night vision) the DVR may be more or less
sensitive to motion, depending on your unique circumstances.
The difference might be very dramatic!

Weather

The weather conditions are going to affect your motion
detection. Dramatic weather phenomenon such as heavy
rain, strong winds, lightning and so on, may trigger the
motion detection with surprising frequency.

On the other hand, things like fog, mist and other obscuring
kinds of weather might mask or obscure something moving
to the point that the DVR fails to detect them.

• Limit the motion sensitive area to only the areas in view
that a target could be. In particular, large featureless
areas in the camera’s view are the ones most likely to
give false triggers - turning off the motion sensitivity
to any area a target cannot move in front of will help
reduce false triggers - see page 41.

The motion detection feature will seem more sensitive at
night. We recommend that you test your motion detection
sensitivity both during the day and at night to ensure your
sensitivity setting is suitable for either lighting condition.

Some tips to customizing your motion detection
sensitivity and actions:

Which is the bigger problem - a dozen false triggers per day,
or missing one critical event?

There’s no magic setting which will make motion detection
work perfectly. There will always be some events that it’s
not sensitive enough to catch, or minor happenings that will
trigger an overly sensitive camera to record. Typically, the
best motion detection settings are one’s that give few false
triggers but don’t miss anything.

Even motion detection which false triggers a few times per
hour will still save a significant amount of hard drive space
compared with a constant recording schedule for the same
duration.

You can also use the Privacy Mask option to minimize false
triggers by obscuring different parts of your image - see page

42.

How it Works: Once motion detection has been enabled

for a channel, it will register to the DVR as a Motion
Event. Thus, you can use the motion recording mode in
the schedule to trigger the DVR to record when motion is
detected.

Enable Motion Detection: Whether or not motion detection

is enabled on a specific channel. Each channel can be
configured independently of one another.

Say, for example, you are trying to monitor your front yard,
whilst in the background there is a busy street, and the
cars driving past continually set off the motion detection.
What can you do about it? Setting only part of the camera’s
view to be motion sensitive might be the answer. This is
useful in a number of circumstances, such as monitoring
one particular door at the end of a busy hallway, or a
backyard with a tree that keeps blowing in the wind.

• Consider how important it is to be notified of motion
events as they happen.

Using the email alerts is a great way to be kept up-to-speed
on what’s happening, but may quickly become annoying
if something occurs which will generate a number of false
triggers. As a rule, we suggest employing the email alert
only on interior cameras during times that no one should be
moving about in front of them.

• It can be important to have a complete record of a
subject’s movements and actions for legal reasons.

If your cameras capture an illegal event (typically an intruder,
but we’re continually surprised by stories from our users) it
is important to have as much information as possible. For
example, images of someone in your home may not actually
prove that they broke in - but footage of them breaking a
window does. If you use a camera inside the home to trigger
all exterior cameras with pre-record enabled, then you will
have a record of how they entered in addition to what they did.

• Always consider what’s really important.

Handling: Here you can define what will happen when the

camera you’ve selected detects motion. You can trigger
additional cameras to start recording, you can adjust your
arming schedule, send alerts to the SwannView Plus client
software and to send an email.

40

Motion Detection Area Configuration

To set the MOTION DETECTION AREA

In the MOTION DETECTION menu, select the AREA SETUP
(shown above) for the channel you wish to setup the
MOTION DETECTION AREA for.

• You will see a grid of red boxes. The outlined boxes
mark the area that is sensitive to motion. The area
without the red outlines is not sensitive to motion.

• Use the mouse to move the cursor around the screen.

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

• Click and drag to select the area you want to select or
de-select.

In the sample image above, a person entering the room
through the window would trigger the motion detection.
However, a person entering from the right of screen should
avoid the motion sensitive area. This is a good solution to
monitor the windows (left of image) without getting false
triggers every time someone enters the room from the
right.

Sensitivity: The Sensitivity setting is controlled by a slider,

allowing you 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: Will select the entire area for motion detection.

Clear: Will clear the entire area.

Get an able-bodied volunteer to move about in front of
the cameras you’d like to tune the sensitivity for. The
ideal sensitivity level is when your volunteer moving
about always triggers the motion detection, but there are
no false triggers (or very few) when your volunteer isn’t
moving about.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

41

Camera Management: Privacy Mask

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

A Privacy Mask can be used if you want to obscure part
of your image. You can also use this option to minimize
false triggers for motion detection. You can define up to four
areas per channel to mask. Click and drag to select the
area you want to select or de-select.

Anything obscured by a privacy mask won’t be shown in
Live View and will not be recorded.

42

Camera Management: Tamper Proofing

Tamper Proofing 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.

Camera: Select the channel that you want to enable for

tamper proofing.

Enable Tamper-proof: Select this to enable.

Handling: Here you can define what will happen when the

camera you’ve selected detects tampering. You can adjust
your arming schedule, send alerts to the SwannView Plus
client software and to send an email.

Sensitivity: Increase or decrease the level of sensitivity.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

43

Camera Management: Video Loss

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

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 ‘No Video’
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.

Camera: Which channel/camera you’d like to set the video

loss behaviour for.

Enable Video Loss Alarm: Whether the selected channel

has video loss monitoring active or not.

Video Loss - Handling

Full Screen Monitoring: When the video signal has re-

established connection, the camera will display a full
screen image momentarily.

Audible Warning: The DVR will use its internal buzzer

to emit an alarm tone. It sounds like an old computer
indicating an error, or a large truck backing up.

Alert CMS Software: A warning message is sent to the

SwannView Plus client software installed on the computer.

Send Email: The DVR will send an auto-email alert when

the event type you’ve selected occurs. To configure your
email settings - see ‘Configuration: Network: Email’ on
page 17 for details.

44

Maintenance: System Info

If you’re looking at the System Information screen, you’ve
probably been directed to do so by Swann Technical
Support.

If we haven’t told you to come here, you might be wondering
what all the information means. On a day-to-day level, the
answer is ‘very little’. However, if you’re still curious:

Device Info: Displays the Device Name, Model, Serial

Number, Firmware and Encoding Version of the DVR.

Camera: Displays the cameras connected to the DVR.

Record: Displays the current recording settings.

Network: Displays the current network settings.

HDD: Displays the current status of the hard drive installed.

Please note, 0MB free is normal when the overwrite option
is enabled.

Maintenance: Log Information

The Maintenance: Log Information menu contains
information for operation, exceptions and information of
the DVR.

1. Set the log search conditions to refine your search

including the Start Time, End Time, Major Type and Minor
Type.

2. Click the Search button to start searching the log files.

3. The matched log files will be displayed. Up to 2000 log

files can be displayed each time.

4. Double click each file to view detailed information

contained in the log.

5. Click the Play button to view the video that is related to

that log file.

6. If you want to export the log file, click the Export button

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

to enter the Export menu. Click the Search button first
otherwise the Export button will not be active.

7. Select the backup device from the Device Name

dropdown list. Click New Folder to create a new folder or
Format to format the backup device. Click Export to export
the log files to the backup device.

To export all the log files, click the Log Export option,
select the hard drive that you want to export, select the
backup device from the Device Name dropdown list, then
click the Export button.

45

Maintenance: Import/Export

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

The Maintenance: Import/Export menu allows you to
import or export your current configuration settings. This
will come in handy as it will save you time if you have to
reset the DVR back to factory default settings.

To export your current configuration file, select the backup
device from the Device Name dropdown list. Click New
Folder to create a new folder or Format to format the
backup device. Click Export to export the configuration file
to the backup device.

To import a previously saved configuration file, select the
backup device from the Device Name dropdown list. Select
the configuration file - it will be called devCfg_(serial
number)_(year/month/time).bin, then click the Import
button. After the configuration file has been imported, the
DVR will reboot automatically.

Maintenance: Upgrade

The Maintenance: Upgrade menu allows you to upgrade
the firmware of the DVR. You’ll only need to use these
options if instructed to do so by Swann Technical Support.

Local Upgrade: The firmware will be updated locally using

a USB Flash Drive or USB Hard Drive. Click the Upgrade
button to commence the update.

46

FTP: The firmware will 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). You
will need to download and install 3rd party TFTP software
onto your computer. Place the firmware file into the root
directory of the TFTP software and input the IP address of
your computer into the DVR. Click the Upgrade button to
commence the update.

Maintenance: Default

The System Maintenance: Default menu allows you to
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 pressing the OK button. Please
note, all data on the HDD will remain.

Maintenance: Net Detect

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION

The Maintenance: Net Detect menu allows you to check
network traffic and to obtain real-time information from
the DVR such as network detection, network status and
sending and receiving network traffic.

47

Chapter

4

Reference

48

Troubleshooting

Q: I can’t login to 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: The DVR will boot up and show live images, but there

are no menus being displayed. Why?

A: There might be a fault with one (or more) of the hard

drives installed in the DVR. Before the menu system is
displayed, the DVR attempts to detect what drives are
connected. If there is an ambiguous signal preventing the
DVR from ascertaining whether there is a drive connected
or not, then it will keep looking and waiting for the drive to
respond.

If you’ve just installed a new drive, disconnect it and see if
that fixes the problem. You can also try disconnecting one
drive at a time to see if that one is the culprit.

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 ‘Camera Management:
Motion’ on page 39 for more detailed information about
setting motion detection.)

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.

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 ‘Camera Management:
Motion’ on page 39 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.

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.

REFERENCE

49

Addendum: Third Party Hardware

Due to its nature as a networked device, the DVR is often
required to operate with third party hardware. We do
everything we can to ensure the DVR is compatible with as
many third party devices as possible; there will always be
some that require a little extra configuration.

Routers

I’m using a router which doesn’t support DHCP addressing,
or some devices on my network require STATIC addressing.

You’ll need to set the address of the DVR manually. You’ll
need to:

• Find Your Network’s IP Address Range

• Create a Unique IP Address

• Assign the IP address information to the DVR

Finding your Network’s IP Address Range

First, you’ll need to know the IP address, Subnet Mask and
DNS Server of at least one other device on your network.
It’s easiest to find these addresses by using a computer on
the same network.

Assigning the IP Address information to the DVR.

We recommend doing this locally (on the DVR itself) even
if you can access the DVR via the network (using the
SwannView Plus client software) in the meantime.

If you’re connected remotely and the networking
information changes, you might lose the connection to the
DVR.

• Open the ‘Configuration: Network: General’ menu on
your DVR (see page 18)

• Select Static addressing

• IP Address: Enter the unique IP that you created for

the DVR here

• Subnet Mask: Enter the same value as the computer’s

Subnet Mask

• DNS Server: Enter the same value as the computer’s

DNS

The DVR should now be accessible via your local network.

Before you can access the DVR remotely, you’ll need to
Forward Ports (STATIC addressing does not support UPnP,
see below).

For Windows-based PCs:

• Open the Start Menu, navigate to Accessories and
open Command Prompt

• Type ‘ipconfig’ and press Enter

• Your IP Address information will be displayed

For Mac-based systems:

• From the Apple menu, select System Preferences

• Click on the Network pane

• Click on the Advanced button and look under the TCP/
IP, DNS, and Ethernet tabs

Creating a Unique IP Address

REFERENCE

The IP Address of your computer will be made up of four
groups of numbers, separated by periods: (aaa.bbb.ccc.
ddd).

The first three groups of numbers (aaa.bbb.ccc) must be
the same as the other device on your network. The last
number (ddd) must be changed to something unique that
nothing else on your network uses.

For example:

I’m using a router which doesn’t support UPnP. How do I

‘forward ports’?

It depends on what type of router you have. There’s
no standard procedure for forwarding ports - each
manufacturer has their own user interface and procedure
for customising the behaviour of the router.

First, check the router’s documentation - the instructions
may be there.

If your router’s documentation doesn’t describe the
method for port forwarding, then open a web browser
and navigate to (www.portforward.com) - they’ve got
instructions on port forwarding for (literally) thousands of
different routers.

We can’t offer much more information about forwarding
ports here, as this is a process totally dependent on third­party hardware. If you do run into trouble, we suggest
contacting the manufacturer of the router.

Alternately, if you’re using an older router which doesn’t
support UPnP, then it might be time for an upgrade ­modern routers are increasingly powerful and are (in most
cases) easier than ever to setup. We think that UPnP is a
fantastic feature that’s well worth having, not just for DVRs.

If your computer’s IP address is (192.168.1.10), then
a suitable unique IP address for your DVR will be
(192.168.1.210). Each number in the IP address cannot
exceed 255.

50

Warranty Information

USA

Swann Communications USA Inc.

12636 Clark Street

Santa Fe Springs CA 90670

USA

Unit 13, 331 Ingles Street,

Australia

Swann Communications

Port Melbourne Vic 3207

Australia

United Kingdom

Swann Communications LTD.

Stag Gates House

63/64 The Avenue

SO171X S

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

REFERENCE

replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to major failure.

51

Helpdesk / Technical Support Details

Swann Technical Support

All Countries E-mail: [e-mail]

Telephone Helpdesk

USA Toll Free 1-800-627-2799

USA Exchange & Repairs 1-800-627-2799 (Option 1)

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

AUSTRALIA Toll Free 1300 138 324

NEW ZEALAND Toll Free 0800 479 266

UK 0203 027 0979

52

© Swann Communications 2013