Hikvision DS-2CD2132F-I
Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 9:49 pm
Hikvision seems to be pretty popular with Zoneminder. Seems like there are lots of people using these cameras with success. I haven't seen my specific model - DS-2CD2132F-I - mentioned in ZM context. However, it seems to more or less work right out of the box.
I first referenced the Zoneminder Wiki Page for Hikvision. I started out using the URL that was mentioned in the linked blogpost, i.e.:
This more or less worked. Though once I actually started defining my zones within ZM, I was getting lots of false alarms due to smearing/pixelation/garbled images. First thing I did to try to fix this was set the "I Frame Interval" to the same as my FPS settings: 15. Note, both the FPS and I Frame settings are in the actual camera's config, not ZM. This did not help with the smearing. So then I googled "hikvision rtsp url" and found this interesting page: Hikvision IP camera URL. So I thought maybe I'd try another URL. I changed the URL to this:
Which, ironically, is what the ZM Wiki recommends. (I don't know why I didn't try that first, and instead went with what that blog said.) Anyway, when I changed the URL, I also changed the "Remote Method" from RTP/Unicast to RTP/RTSP. I couldn't find any documentation on what these actually mean. I have a vague intuitive notion, but a precise definition would be helpful.
Anyway, not sure if it was the URL and/or the Remote Method change, but so far the smearing seems to be gone. Oh, I also lowered the sensitivity on one of my zones, so maybe that fixed it too. Anyway, the camera certainly works, and I just wanted to have a hit when people web search "zoneminder DS-2CD2132F".
I currently have the camera itself set to 1280x720 resolution and 15 FPS. Zoneminder's resolution is set to the same, 32bpp colorspace, and max FPS of 30. This is my first time using ZM, so I might still tweak the FPS and/or resolution settings.
This is on Zoneminder 1.30.0 running under CentOS 7.3, installed via zmrepo.
FWIW, this camera shipped with firmware version "V5.4.0 build 160530".
More FWIW: I purchased this camera from Amazon (I'm in the USA). It wasn't sold by Amazon directly, but via third-party. As far as I can tell, it is a true retail-boxed USA version, and, if I wanted to, I could theoretically install new firmware. However, I'm trying to determine if I actually have the three-year manufacturer warranty or not. Based on what I've read, it appears that you have three options for buying a Hikvision camera in the USA:
I first referenced the Zoneminder Wiki Page for Hikvision. I started out using the URL that was mentioned in the linked blogpost, i.e.:
Code: Select all
rtsp://username:password@192.168.1.120:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0?tcp
Code: Select all
rtsp://username:password@192.168.1.120:554//Streaming/Channels/1
Anyway, not sure if it was the URL and/or the Remote Method change, but so far the smearing seems to be gone. Oh, I also lowered the sensitivity on one of my zones, so maybe that fixed it too. Anyway, the camera certainly works, and I just wanted to have a hit when people web search "zoneminder DS-2CD2132F".
I currently have the camera itself set to 1280x720 resolution and 15 FPS. Zoneminder's resolution is set to the same, 32bpp colorspace, and max FPS of 30. This is my first time using ZM, so I might still tweak the FPS and/or resolution settings.
This is on Zoneminder 1.30.0 running under CentOS 7.3, installed via zmrepo.
FWIW, this camera shipped with firmware version "V5.4.0 build 160530".
More FWIW: I purchased this camera from Amazon (I'm in the USA). It wasn't sold by Amazon directly, but via third-party. As far as I can tell, it is a true retail-boxed USA version, and, if I wanted to, I could theoretically install new firmware. However, I'm trying to determine if I actually have the three-year manufacturer warranty or not. Based on what I've read, it appears that you have three options for buying a Hikvision camera in the USA:
- Buy a "grey market" camera from somewhere like eBay, AliExpress. This will be the cheapest option. However, you almost certainly won't get any warranty with it; and though it may ship configured for English, if you upgrade the firmware it will revert back to Chinese.
- Buy a "lighter shade of grey" market camera from a non-authorized USA retailer. Middle-priced option. If you go to the Hikvision USA website, at the very top right there is a link for Authorized Distributors. If the seller is not on this list, they may not be authorized (though you can ask to be sure). Upside is you should get a full-color retail-boxed product that was made to be sold in the USA (meaning you can upgrade the firmware and it will stay in English). Downside is you probably won't get the manufacturer's warranty.
- Buy from a truly authorized distributor, as listed on the Hikvision website. Highest-priced option, but no worries about grey market products or firmware upgrades or warranty issues.