Best way to implement Hikvision NVR and IP cameras

[sharky24]

Apologies for all the questions that are going follow, I'm new to the CCTV game...

I've got a brand new HIKVISION DS-7732NI-K4/16P NVR and several HIKVISION DS-2CD2346G2-I network cameras sitting on my desk and am in need of some guidance on the best way to set them up whilst planning for future expansion in terms of more cameras.

The NVR has 16 PoE RJ45 ports on the back which I believe I can simply connect up to 16 IP cameras into directly. There is also one more RJ45 port labeled "LAN".

My first question is what's the best practice in terms of networking the NVR and cameras? Should we be considering running dedicated cabling between the NVR and the cameras so they are physically isolated from our building's LAN? Or should/could we connect it to the existing LAN but configure a separate VLAN just for the camera and NVR traffic?

One concern I have is that our building is not exactly small. The distance between where we plan to put the NVR and the furthest camera(s) could be up to 300 metres. I don't believe that the power put out by the NVR RJ45 PoE ports will carry enough juice down a 300 metre cable. Is this correct? Will we need to boost the PoE power somewhere along the line between the cameras and NVR (or use a wall/floor power outlet to power the camera)?

On our LAN we have a number of PoE switches around the building which connect to our patch room via fibre. Would we be able to connect the cameras to these switches (to power the cameras) and the fibre will carry the camera(s) feed back to the NVR via the fibre backbone?

That would be using our existing network infrastructure rather than any dedicated CCTV network set up. But if a 100% dedicated CCTV network (with cabling and switches etc) is the best option then we could head down that route.

Regardless of how the CAT6/7 cables get between the NVR and cameras, do the cameras eventually HAVE to be connected to the (16) RJ45 ports on the back of the NVR? Could we connect a switch to the LAN port on the NVR and then connect the cameras to that? Would this work or would the LAN port be a potential bottleneck and choke?

Finally (for now), how do we plan for having more cameras connected to the NVR. Presumably if we can connect the cameras to a switch (which is connected to the NVR) then we could increase the number of cameras to a maximum of 32 (which is what the specs of the DVR state is possible (IP Video Input 32-ch).

I hope that all makes sense, I would like to get the network config as secure and simple as possible...

 

[Dan]

Hi @sharky24

That is a lot of questions

Below are the answers to your questions:

Q: what's the best practice in terms of networking the NVR and cameras? Should we be considering running dedicated cabling between the NVR and the cameras so they are physically isolated from our building's LAN? Or should/could we connect it to the existing LAN but configure a separate VLAN just for the camera and NVR traffic?
A: I think you are overthinking it, You can use the LAN port to connect the NVR to your local network and then you can decide to either connect all the cameras to the NVR PoE ports, all of them to separate PoE injectors/switches elsewhere on your local network, or a mix of both. If you do connect the cameras directly to the PoE ports on the NVR they will be connected to the NVRs subnet range (192.168.254.xxx) and these devices will not be visible from your LAN IP range.


Q: The distance between where we plan to put the NVR and the furthest camera(s) could be up to 300 metres. I don't believe that the power put out by the NVR RJ45 PoE ports will carry enough juice down a 300 metre cable. Is this correct? Will we need to boost the PoE power somewhere along the line between the cameras and NVR (or use a wall/floor power outlet to power the camera)?
A: Correct, the maximum distance for data/power over network cable is 100m so if the cameras are plugged directly into the NVR PoE ports you would need to insert PoE Extenders along the cable at each 100m length. Alternatively, if the entire building is on the same local network and there are network ports closer to the camera you can connect the camera to that port and then add the camera to the NVR over the local network. The only other option would be to use a WiFi solution like a Point to Point Bridge to extend the network over larger areas.


Q: On our LAN we have a number of PoE switches around the building which connect to our patch room via fibre. Would we be able to connect the cameras to these switches (to power the cameras) and the fibre will carry the camera(s) feed back to the NVR via the fibre backbone?
A: Yes, as explained in the last answer if you already have a local network that stretches over the entire building then you can connect the camera to those PoE switches that are already in place and connect the cameras to the NVR over the local network.


Q: That would be using our existing network infrastructure rather than any dedicated CCTV network set up. But if a 100% dedicated CCTV network (with cabling and switches etc) is the best option then we could head down that route.
A: With the system you currently have I don't think there would be any issues using the existing infrastructure, but if you think you may be expanding to multiple NVRs and beyond 64 cameras in the future then you may want to consider a separate dedicated network.


Q: Regardless of how the CAT6/7 cables get between the NVR and cameras, do the cameras eventually HAVE to be connected to the (16) RJ45 ports on the back of the NVR? Could we connect a switch to the LAN port on the NVR and then connect the cameras to that? Would this work or would the LAN port be a potential bottleneck and choke?
A: Again, as kind of explained earlier there would be no issue connecting the cameras to PoE switches and adding them over the local network. There shouldn't be any issues with data bottlenecks because of how the camera streams are compressed and your current camera choices should not exceed the maximum incoming bandwidth of the NVR (you can find this information on the NVR datasheet).


Q: Finally (for now), how do we plan for having more cameras connected to the NVR. Presumably, if we can connect the cameras to a switch (which is connected to the NVR) then we could increase the number of cameras to a maximum of 32
A: Yes, if you connect 16 cameras to the PoE ports on the NVR the other 16 would have to be connected to PoE injectors/switches elsewhere on the local network. Alternatively, if none of the camera positions are actually close to the NVR you can simply connect all 32 cameras over the local network.

 

[Des]

Hi Phil, I want to ask almost the reverse of this posters question. Having set up his NVR with all 16 /32 cams connected. If he wants to access his NVR within his building but remotely via the network how much functionality will he lose as opposed to accessing the NVR box directly. I am assuming he would lose any nice VGA/HDMI connectivity , but otherwise will he be able to view live , analyse, playback through some sort of GUI just the same?

 

[Dan]

Hi @Des

The core features (live view, playback, smart events, storage, etc...) can all be accessed remotely over the local network, although some features/settings might be found under different menus to when you access with a direct monitor.

There are a few minor features/settings not available from the network/browser access, but most of these are more advanced settings or settings that relate specifically to displaying via the direct monitor.