Firmware Updating Hikvision IP cameras firmware via my NVR?

[Ken Welham]

Hi,
Whenever I try to update my cameras via my NVR monitor, I get the message "update failed". I don't see the relevant sections on my iMac when I log in to the NVR via my Safari browser. My set up is as follows:
Mac OS Catalina 10.15.7
Safari browser 15.1
Cameras are 1x cube camera DS-2CD2442FWD-IW-4mm and 1 x dome camera DS-2CD2142FWD-I-2.8mm
My cameras are about 5 years old.

 

[Dan]

Hi @Ken Welham

What NVR model do you have?

 

[Ken Welham]

It is DS-7604NI-K1-4P. It is fully updated (although updates support stopped some time ago) and was bought at the same time as the cameras in March 2017.

 

[Dan]

Ok,

To update the firmware of directly connected cameras you will need to login to the NVR and enable Virtual Host which creates virtual links to allow you to log in to each camera directly and update the firmware.

 

[Ken Welham]

Thanks for your quick reply. I've found the "Enable Virtual Host" button. I will explore this after I get back from my holidays in a couple of weeks. At the moment, all is working well so I can get remote viewing (via SecuritySpy application). I don't want to risk my cameras going down during an update before I go away...I seem to suffer an undue number of accidents when I tinker with settings. I'll let you know how I get on in due course.

 

[Ken Welham]

Ok,

To update the firmware of directly connected cameras you will need to login to the NVR and enable Virtual Host which creates virtual links to allow you to log in to each camera directly and update the firmware.

I've located and enabled Virtual Host and can now see under Camera Management the IP address of each of my two cameras. However, I cannot get any further. When I click on the camera IP address, I get back to my old (and unresolved) problem of the "No plug-in detected" window. I feel as if I'm going round in circles. Surely, things shouldn't be this difficult! I am running an iMac with the Catalina (10.15.7) OS. I've almost given up on ever getting iVMS 4200 working and now rely on another application (SecuritySpy) to view my cameras remotely while away from home; but I would still like to upgrade my cameras to the latest versions. Can I progress or do I have a lost cause?

 

[Dan]

Hi @Ken Welham

When you are logged in directly to each camera using virtual host can you go to Configuration > Maintenance > Upgrade & Maintenance and can you load the firmware file or do you see a "no plug-in detected" message on the maintenance menu?

When logged directly into the cameras can you confirm the firmware versions they are currently running? (should find this information under System > Basic Information)

You said before you had tried updating via the direct monitor but it failed, what exact steps did you take to try and update on the direct monitor?

 

[Ken Welham]

Dan,
I see the "no plug-in detected" message on the maintenance menu when I am logged in to each camera using virtual host. The firmware version of each of my cameras is V5.4.3 build 160902 for both DS-2CD2142FWD-I and DS-2CD2442FWD-IW.

On the direct monitor, I go to Menu, Camera, Upgrade and this gives me a list of old downloads on my USB stick which is plugged in to the back (front?) of my NVR. Usually, one of the list is highlighted but this USB stick has been in and out of my NVR and possibly has other stuff on it as well as some old NVR update downloads (digicam format). Hope this helps.

 

[Dan]

Ok,

I would take that USB stick out of the NVR and plug it into your Mac, remove any non-firmware file and if there are multiple digicap.dav files already there remove them as well (stops you getting confused when looking at the files in the NVR menus).

With all those files removed, download the latest firmware for your cameras - v5.5.82 - and move the file to the USB stick, unzip it so the digicap.dav file is visible before moving the USB stick back to the NVR.

Once you have plugged the USB stick back into the NVR you should be able to follow the same steps as before (Menu > Camera > Update) to update the camera firmware.

 

[Ken Welham]

Thanks for pointing me to download file. When I attempt to unzip it, I get message: "The StuffIt Engine was unable to determine the file format." If I place the digicap file on the USB stick without unzipping it, in my direct TV monitor its size is read as 4,96B (the comma is deliberate), whereas an older digicap file on the same USB stick is given a size of 31.75MB.This file is dated 09/09/2019. So it seems as if I have successfully unzipped a digicap file in the past, but I can't remember how I did it.

 

[Dan]

Hi @Ken Welham

Are you getting that error message when trying to unzip the file on the Mac? If you right-click the zip file and hover over 'open with' what software options do you get to open the zip file?

 

[Ken Welham]

Hi Dan,
I think maybe I've reached a conclusion, part of which is that I'm definitely getting too old! Without going into too much detail, double clicking the digicap file seems to unzip it and gives me the 33 MB version which has a 2019 date. I have now successfully used this to update each camera. Presumably, this is the latest version available. In other words Hikvision don't seem to have anything newer. Is this a reasonable assumption? And if so, do you think Hikvision have abandoned updates on these cameras? Two and a half years seems a long time to go without anything newer appearing.

I probably updated these cameras about a year ago, but the 2019 date led me to believe that I had not upgraded for two and a half years. My memory (at 79 years old) is obviously not what it was. Anyway, I thank you for your help and I'll try not to be so needy in the future.

 

[Dan]

Hi @Ken Welham

Yes, this is the latest and most likely last firmware for these cameras as they have been superseded by several generations of cameras.

Sorry that it has been so tricky, unfortunately, Hikvision introduced lots of improvements to things like browser access in the camera generations after the R6 models you have and so this means that as those newer models have progressed forward while the R6 cameras have stagnated and got harder to use.