HiWatch DS-N204 User manual

Network Video Recorder
Quick Start Guide

Network Video Recorder Quick Start Guide
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 Description of Panels .....................................................................................................................6
1.1 Front Panel...........................................................................................................................................6
1.2 Rear Panel............................................................................................................................................6
Chapter 2 Installation and Connections.........................................................................................................9
2.1 NVR Installation..................................................................................................................................9
2.2 Hard Disk Installation ..........................................................................................................................9
2.3 HDD Storage Calculation Chart......................................................................................................... 11
Chapter 3 Menu Operation...........................................................................................................................12
3.1 Menu Structure...................................................................................................................................12
3.2 Startup and Shutdown ........................................................................................................................12
3.3 Activating Your Device......................................................................................................................13
3.4 Login and Logout...............................................................................................................................15
3.5 One-touch Adding IP Camera ............................................................................................................16
3.6 Using the Setup Wizard......................................................................................................................17
3.7 Network Settings................................................................................................................................17
3.8 Adding IP Cameras ............................................................................................................................18
3.9 Live View...........................................................................................................................................19
3.10 Recording Settings...........................................................................................................................19
3.11 Playback...........................................................................................................................................20
Chapter 4 Accessing by Web Browser..........................................................................................................22
Network Video Recorder
Quick Start Guide

Network Video Recorder Quick Start Guide
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Quick Start Guide
About this Manual
This Manual is applicable to Network Video Recorder (NVR).
The Manual includes instructions for using and managing the product. Pictures, charts, images and all other
information hereinafter are for description and explanation only. The information contained in the Manual is
subject to change, without notice, due to firmware updates or other reasons. Please find the latest version in the
company website.
Please use this user manual under the guidance of professionals.
Legal Disclaimer
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE PRODUCT DESCRIBED, WITH ITS HARDWARE,
SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE, IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITH ALL FAULTS AND ERRORS, AND OUR COMPANY MAKES
NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY
QUALITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY. IN NO EVENT WILL
OUR COMPANY, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY SPECIAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR INDIRECT DAMAGES, INCLUDING, AMONG OTHERS, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF
BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, OR LOSS OF DATA OR DOCUMENTATION, IN CONNECTION WITH
THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT, EVEN IF OUR COMPANY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
REGARDING TO THE PRODUCT WITH INTERNET ACCESS, THE USE OF PRODUCT SHALL BE WHOLLY AT YOUR OWN
RISKS. OUR COMPANY SHALL NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITES FOR ABNORMAL OPERATION, PRIVACY LEAKAGE OR
OTHER DAMAGES RESULTING FROM CYBER ATTACK, HACKER ATTACK, VIRUS INSPECTION, OR OTHER INTERNET
SECURITY RISKS; HOWEVER, OUR COMPANY WILL PROVIDE TIMELY TECHNICAL SUPPORT IF REQUIRED.
SURVEILLANCE LAWS VARY BY JURISDICTION. PLEASE CHECK ALL RELEVANT LAWS IN YOUR JURISDICTION BEFORE
USING THIS PRODUCT IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT YOUR USE CONFORMS THE APPLICABLE LAW. OUR COMPANY
SHALL NOT BE LIABLE IN THE EVENT THAT THIS PRODUCT IS USED WITH ILLEGITIMATE PURPOSES.
IN THE EVENT OF ANY CONFLICTS BETWEEN THIS MANUAL AND THE APPLICABLE LAW, THE LATER PREVAILS
SURVEILLANCE LAWS VARY BY JURISDICTION. PLEASE CHECK ALL RELEVANT LAWS IN YOUR JURISDICTION BEFORE
USING THIS PRODUCT IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT YOUR USE CONFORMS THE APPLICABLE LAW. OUR COMPANY
SHALL NOT BE LIABLE IN THE EVENT THAT THIS PRODUCT IS USED WITH ILLEGITIMATE PURPOSES.
IN THE EVENT OF ANY CONFLICTS BETWEEN THIS MANUAL AND THE APPLICABLE LAW, THE LATER PREVAILS.

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Regulatory Information
FCC Information
Please take attention that changes or modification not expressly approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
FCC compliance: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and
can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to
cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
FCC Conditions
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference.
2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
EU Conformity Statement
This product and - if applicable - the supplied accessories too are marked with "CE" and comply
therefore with the applicable harmonized European standards listed under the EMC Directive
2014/30/EU, the LVD Directive 2014/35/EU, the RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU.
2012/19/EU (WEEE directive): Products marked with this symbol cannot be disposed of as unsorted
municipal waste in the European Union. For proper recycling, return this product to your local
supplier upon the purchase of equivalent new equipment, or dispose of it at designated collection
points. For more information see: www.recyclethis.info
2006/66/EC (battery directive): This product contains a battery that cannot be disposed of as
unsorted municipal waste in the European Union. See the product documentation for specific
battery information. The battery is marked with this symbol, which may include lettering to indicate
cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), or mercury (Hg). For proper recycling, return the battery to your supplier or to a
designated collection point. For more information see: www.recyclethis.info

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Safety Instructions
Proper configuration of all passwords and other security settings is the
responsibility of the installer and/or end-user.
In the use of the product, you must be in strict compliance with the electrical
safety regulations of the nation and region. Please refer to technical
specifications for detailed information.
Input voltage should meet both the SELV (Safety Extra Low Voltage) and the
Limited Power Source with 100~240 VAC, 12 VDC or 48 VDC according to the
IEC60950-1 standard. Please refer to technical specifications for detailed
information.
Do not connect several devices to one power adapter as adapter overload may
cause over-heating or a fire hazard.
Please make sure that the plug is firmly connected to the power socket.
If smoke, odor or noise rise from the device, turn off the power at once and
unplug the power cable, and then please contact the service center.
If the POE ports of device do not comply with Limited Power Source, the
additional equipment connected to POE ports shall have fire enclosure.
The USB interface of the -P devices can be connected with the mouse and
U-flash disk storage device only.
Preventive and Cautionary Tips
Before connecting and operating your device, please be advised of the following tips:
Ensure unit is installed in a well-ventilated, dust-free environment.
Unit is designed for indoor use only.
Keep all liquids away from the device.
Ensure environmental conditions meet factory specifications.
Ensure unit is properly secured to a rack or shelf. Major shocks or jolts to the unit
as a result of dropping it may cause damage to the sensitive electronics within
the unit.
Use the device in conjunction with an UPS if possible.
Power down the unit before connecting and disconnecting accessories and
peripherals.
A factory recommended HDD should be used for this device.
Improper use or replacement of the battery may result in hazard of explosion.
Replace with the same or equivalent type only. Dispose of used batteries
according to the instructions provided by the battery manufacturer.

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Applicable Models
This manual is applicable to the models listed in the following table.
Series
Models
DS-N200
DS-N204
DS-N208
DS-N200-xP
DS-N204-4P
DS-N208-8P
Symbol Conventions
The symbols that may be found in this document are defined as follows.
Symbol
Description
Provides additional information to emphasize or supplement
important points of the main text.
Indicates a potentially hazardous situation, which if not avoided,
could result in equipment damage, data loss, performance
degradation, or unexpected results.
Indicates a hazard with a high level of risk, which if not avoided,
will result in death or serious injury.

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Chapter 1 Description of Panels
1.1 Front Panel
DS-N200-xP Series
Figure 1-1 DS-N200-xP Series
Table 1-1 Description of Front Panel
No.
Icon
Description
1
Indicator turns red when NVR is powered up.
2
Indicator lights in red when data is being read from or
written to HDD.
3
Indicator blinks blue when network connection is
functioning properly.
1.2 Rear Panel
The rear panel vaires according to different models.

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DS-N200
Figure 1-2 DS-N200
Table 1-2 Description of Interfaces
DS-N200-xP
Figure 1-3 DS-N204-4P
Figure 1-4 DS-N208-8P
No.
Item
Description
1
Power Supply
12 VDC power supply.
2
Audio In
RCA connector for two-way audio input.
3
HDMI Interface
HDMI video output connector.
4
Network
Interface
Connector for LAN (Local Area Network).
5
Audio Out
RCA connector for audio output.
6
VGA Output
DB9 connector for VGA output. Display local video
output and menu.
7
USB Interface
Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports for additional devices
such as USB mouse and USB Hard Disk Drive (HDD).
8
Ground
Ground (needs to be connected when NVR starts up).

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Table 1-3 Description of Interfaces
No.
Item
Description
1
Power Supply
48 VDC power supply.
2
Audio In
RCA connector for two-way audio input.
3
HDMI Interface
HDMI video output connector.
4
Network Interface
Connector for LAN (Local Area Network).
5
Audio Out
RCA connector for audio output.
6
VGA Output
DB9 connector for VGA output. Display local video
output and menu.
7
USB Interface
Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports for additional
devices such as USB mouse and USB Hard Disk Drive
(HDD).
8
Ground
Ground (needs to be connected when NVR starts
up).
9
Network Interfaces
with PoE function
Network interface for the cameras and to provide
power over Ethernet.

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Chapter 2 Installation and Connections
2.1 NVR Installation
During installation of the NVR:
Use brackets for rack mounting.
Ensure ample room for audio and video cables.
When routing cables, ensure that the bend radius of the cables are no less than
five times than its diameter.
Connect the alarm cable.
Allow at least 2cm (≈0.75-inch) of space between racks mounted devices.
Ensure the NVR is grounded.
Environmental temperature should be within the range of -10 ºC to 55 ºC, 14ºF
to 131ºF.
Environmental humidity should be within the range of 10% to 90%.
2.2 Hard Disk Installation
Before you start:
Disconnect the power from the NVR before installing a hard disk drive (HDD). A
factory recommended HDD should be used for this installation.
1 SATA hard disks can be installed on your NVR.
Tools Required: Screwdriver.
Step 1 Remove the cover from the NVR by unfastening the screws on the bottom.
Figure 2-1 Remove the Cover
Step 2 Place the HDD on the bottom of the device and then fasten the screws on the
bottom to fix the HDD.

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Figure 2-2 Fix the HDD
Step 3 Connect one end of the data cable to the motherboard of NVR and the other
end to the HDD.
Step 4 Connect the power cable to the HDD.
Figure 2-3 Connect Cables
Step 5 Re-install the cover of the NVR and fasten screws.

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2.3 HDD Storage Calculation Chart
The following chart shows an estimation of storage space used based on recording at
one channel for an hour at a fixed bit rate.
Bit Rate
Storage Used
96K
42M
128K
56M
160K
70M
192K
84M
224K
98M
256K
112M
320K
140M
384K
168M
448K
196M
512K
225M
640K
281M
768K
337M
896K
393M
1024K
450M
1280K
562M
1536K
675M
1792K
787M
2048K
900M
4096K
1.8G
8192K
3.6G
16384K
7.2G
Please note that supplied values for storage space used is just for reference. The
storage values in the chart are estimated by formulas and may have some deviation
from actual value.

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Chapter 3 Menu Operation
3.1 Menu Structure
Refer to the following figure for the menu structure:
Menu
Export Manual HDD Camera Maintenance Shutdown Record Configuration
Playback
Normal Record General Schedule Camera General System Info Logout
Event Advanced Parameters OSD Network Log
Information Shutdown
Advanced Image Import/Export Reboot
Holiday PTZ Upgrade
Motion
Live View
Default
Privacy
Mask
Exceptions
Net Detect
Video
Tampering
User
Video Loss
HDD Detect
Alarm
Alarm
VCA
Normal
/Smart
Event
Tag
External
File
Figure 3-1 Menu Structure
The menu structure may vary according to different models.
3.2 Startup and Shutdown
Proper startup and shutdown procedures are crucial to expanding the life of the NVR.
Start Your NVR
Step 1 Check the power supply is plugged into an electrical outlet. It is HIGHLY
recommended that an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) be used in
conjunction with the device.
Step 2 Press the POWER button on the front panel. The Power LED turns green.

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Step 3 After the device starting up, the wizard will guide you through the initial
settings, including modifying password, date and time settings, network
settings, HDD initializing, and recording.
Shut Down Your NVR:
Step 1 Enter the Shutdown menu.
Menu > Shutdown
Figure 3-2 Shutdown
Step 2 Select the Shutdown button.
Step 3 Click the Yes button.
Step 4 Turn off the power switch on the rear panel when the attention pops up.
Figure 3-3 Power off
3.3 Activating Your Device
Purpose:
For the first-time access, you need to activate the device by setting an admin
password. No operation is allowed before activation. You can also activate the device
via Web Browser, SADP or client software.
Step 1 Input the same password in the text field of Create New Password and
Confirm New Password.

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Figure 3-4 Set Admin Password
You can hold the icon to show the password in plaintext you input, which is
supported by DS-N200 series NVR only.
STRONG PASSWORD RECOMMENDED––We highly recommend you create a strong
password of your own choosing (Using a minimum of 8 characters, including at least
three of the following categories: upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers, and
special characters.) in order to increase the security of your product. And we
recommend you reset your password regularly, especially in the high security system,
resetting the password monthly or weekly can better protect your product.
Step 2 Click OK to save the password and activate the device.
For the old version device, if you upgrade it to the new version, the following dialog
box will pop up once the device starts up. You can click YES and follow the wizard to
set a strong password.
Figure 3-5 Warning of Weak Password

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3.4 Login and Logout
User Login
Purpose:
If NVR has logged out, you must login the device before operating the menu and
other functions.
Step 1 Select the User Name in the dropdown list.
Figure 3-6 Login
Step 2 Input Password.
You can hold the icon to show the password in plaintext you input, which is
supported by DS-N200 series NVR only.
Step 3 Click OK to log in.
In the Login dialog box, if you enter the wrong password 7 times, the current user
account will be locked for 60 seconds.
User Logout
Purpose:
After logging out, the monitor turns to the live view mode and if you want to perform
any operations, you need to enter user name and password log in again.
Step 1 Enter the Shutdown menu.
Menu > Shutdown

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Figure 3-7 Logout
Step 2 Click Logout.
After you have logged out the system, menu operation on the screen is invalid. It is
required to input a user name and password to unlock the system.
3.5 One-touch Adding IP Camera
When the NVR starts up and enters the Wizard, you can add the IP camera in a smart
and fast way.
Step 1 Click the One-touch Adding to enter the add IP camera interface.
Figure 3-8 Add IP Camera
Step 2 Click the Add button to automatically detect and add the online IP camera (s).

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Figure 3-9 IP Camera Added
Step 3 After having added the IP camera (s), click Exit to back to the Wizard.
3.6 Using the Setup Wizard
The Setup Wizard can walk you through some important settings of the device. By
default, the Setup Wizard starts once the device has loaded.
Check the checkbox to enable Setup Wizard when device starts. Click Next to
continue the setup wizard. Follow the guide of the Setup Wizard to configure the
system resolution, system date/time, network settings, HDD management, record
settings, etc.
Figure 3-10 Wizard
3.7 Network Settings
Purpose:
Network settings must be properly configured before you operate NVR over network.

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Step 1 Enter the Network Settings interface.
Menu > Configuration > Network
Figure 3-11 Network Settings
Step 2 Select the General tab.
Step 3 In the General Settings interface, you can configure the following settings: NIC
Type, IPv4 Address, IPv4 Gateway, MTU and DNS Server.
If the DHCP server is available, you can check the checkbox of DHCP to
automatically obtain an IP address and other network settings from that
server.
Step 4 After having configured the general settings, click the Apply button to save the
settings.
3.8 Adding IP Cameras
Purpose:
Before you can get live video or record the video files, you should add the network
cameras to the connection list of the device.
Before you start:
Ensure the network connection is valid and correct, and the IP camera to add has
already been activated. Please refer to the User Manual for activating the inactive IP
camera.
You can select one of the following three options to add the IP camera.
OPTION 1:
Step 1 Click to select an idle window in the live view mode.
Step 2 Click the icon in the center of the window to pop up the Add IP Camera
interface.

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Figure 3-12 Add IP Camera
Step 3 Select the detected IP camera and click the Add button to add it directly, and
you can click the Search button to refresh the online IP camera manually.
Or you can choose to custom add the IP camera by editing the parameters in
the corresponding text field and then click the Add button to add it.
3.9 Live View
Icons are available on screen in Live View mode to indicate camera status. These
icons include:
Live View Icons
In the live view mode, there are icons at the upper-right corner of the screen for each
channel, showing the status of the record and alarm in the channel for quick
reference.
Alarm (video loss, tampering, motion detection)
Record (manual record, continuous record, motion detection alarm triggered
record)
Alarm and Record
Event/Exception (event and exception information, appears at the lower-left
corner of the screen.)
3.10 Recording Settings
Before you start:
Make sure you have installed that the disk to the device. If not, please install a disk
and initialize it. You may refer to the user manual for detailed information.