Finding & Adding Cameras on a Switch
How to bring cameras that aren't plugged straight into the NVR onto your system
A camera is 'on a switch' when it isn't plugged straight into one of the NVR's built-in PoE ports. There are two common versions of this, and they're handled slightly differently.
On your main network switch (or router). The camera sits on the same general network as the NVR, like any other device.
On a PoE switch hanging off the NVR. You've connected a separate PoE switch into one of the NVR's PoE ports to gain more camera connections.
Why this matters: a camera on a PoE port is on the NVR's own private network and configures itself. A camera on a switch is somewhere else on the network, so the NVR needs to be pointed at it.
Devices can only talk to each other directly if they share the same network segment - think of it as being on the same street. If your NVR's address looks like 192.168.1.x, a camera at 192.168.1.50 is on the same street and will be found easily. A camera at 192.168.8.50 is on a different street and needs extra steps.
You don't have to do networking by hand, though. This NVR has a feature called Channel IP Planning that will automatically give a camera a matching address when you add it - as long as the camera's password matches the NVR's default camera password. Keep that in your back pocket; it solves most 'different street' problems.
Use this for cameras on your main network switch or router.
Go to Start > Settings > Camera > Add Camera (or click the Add Camera button on the live view).
On the Quickly Add tab, click 'Refresh'. The NVR scans the local network and lists the online cameras it can see.
Look at the Activation state column. 'Activated' cameras are ready to add; 'Unactivated' cameras need to be activated first (tick the camera and click 'Activate', using the default or a custom password).
If a camera you expect isn't listed, it's almost always on a different segment or simply not powered - see Troubleshooting below.
Tip: the search only finds cameras already powered on and on the same local network as the NVR. A brand-new camera at its factory IP may need its address changed first, or you can add it manually by IP.
On the Quickly Add tab, tick the cameras you want (or click 'Add All' for a batch).
If the cameras aren't in the NVR's segment, click 'More' > 'Channel IP Planning' and enable it - the NVR will assign matching IPs automatically (the camera password must match the NVR's default camera password).
Set or check the default camera password under 'More' > 'Camera Default Password' if needed.
Click 'Add'. The cameras come online in the next free channels.
Use this when search doesn't find the camera, or you already know its address.
On the Add Camera window, choose 'Add Manually'.
Enter the camera's IP address (or domain name), port, username and password.
Pick the channel number and the protocol (use the camera's native protocol if listed, otherwise ONVIF for third-party cameras).
Click 'Test' to confirm the details are correct, then click 'Add'.
Note on ONVIF cameras: if a camera has several lenses/channels, only one channel of a multi-channel ONVIF camera can be searched and added.
If you've added a PoE switch to expand beyond the NVR's built-in ports, those cameras need a one-time setup because they live behind the NVR's internal Ethernet port.
Go to Start > Settings > System > PoE Settings > PoE Plug-and-Play Settings and disable PnP on the port the switch is plugged into.
Connect the PoE switch to that port, then connect the cameras to the switch.
Go to Start > Settings > Network > Internal Ethernet Port and set the IP address segment/mode so it matches the cameras.
Go to Camera > Edit Camera > Add Camera and add the cameras manually (their IPs must be in the same segment as the internal Ethernet port).
Remember: cameras added through a PoE switch still use up PoE port resources. On a 16-port NVR, if one port feeds a switch with 8 cameras, only 8 direct-connect ports remain.
This NVR splits its channels between network cameras and direct PoE cameras, which is the cause of most 'why won't it add?' surprises.
Network-added cameras fill channels from the top - CH1, CH2, CH3, and so on.
Direct PoE cameras take the upper channels that match their port (for example CH9-CH16 on a 16-channel unit).
So if you add a lot of cameras over the network, they can use up channels that a PoE port later wants - the NVR will show a 'resource conflict'. The fix is to delete a network-added camera that's occupying that channel, then connect the PoE camera again.
Camera not found when searching. Check it's powered on and on the same local network as the NVR. If it's on a different segment, change the camera's IP (or enable DHCP on it) so it matches, or add it manually by IP. See FAQ Q6 in the manual.
Camera on a PoE port/switch not showing automatically. For ONVIF cameras the camera must have DHCP enabled, or its IP must be in the same segment as the internal Ethernet port.
Added but offline / no image. Almost always a wrong username or password. Fix it under Camera > Edit Camera (FAQ Q7).
'Resource conflict' when connecting a PoE camera. A network-added camera is occupying that PoE channel - delete it, then reconnect the PoE camera.
Too many cameras. If you hit the maximum channel count, the NVR will tell you the camera count exceeds the limit.
Switch - a box that splits one network connection into many. A PoE switch also delivers power to the cameras.
Network segment - a group of addresses that can talk directly (e.g. everything starting 192.168.1.). Devices must share one to connect.
Internal Ethernet port - the NVR's private network behind its PoE ports. If it's offline, the PoE ports stop working.
Channel IP Planning - an NVR feature that auto-assigns matching IPs to cameras so they come online even if they started on a different segment.
DHCP - a setting that lets a device get an IP address automatically instead of you typing one in.
ONVIF - the open standard used to add third-party (non-matching brand) cameras.
Bottom line: to add a camera that's on a switch, make sure it's on the same network segment as the NVR (or let Channel IP Planning handle it), then find it with 'Refresh' or add it manually by IP. For cameras on a PoE switch off the NVR, disable PnP on that port, set the internal Ethernet port segment, and add them by hand.