[App][Pro] HikVision


Start of development for camera support via NVR :slight_smile:

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Following that logic, this app is obsolete and “double work”. We already have ONVIF Camera app and all HikVision cameras support ONVIF (out of the box or by enabling it in the integration protocol settings) so we should all just use that one?

This debate is endless. I created this topic to inform that I am developing an application to support Hikvision cameras. If people are interested, they can participate, and that’s it.
This app might be redundant for your needs, maybe not for others.
What is certain is that it will not support ONVIF because the application already exists and works very well. This statement applies to all camera applications.
My app uses RTSP stream for video and ISAPI for data.

For your information, ONVIF is based on a standard protocol supported by Hikvision. ONVIF uses RTSP for video and something else for data.

What’s wrong with you guys? ONVIF app works really nice but HikVision is not only about cameras. With cameras it is only beginning. Everybody who owns HikVision doorbells hopes that these doorbells will be supported in the future also. But at first it is necessary to start with easy and basic stuff ofc.

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Yeah I could never get the ONVIF app to work with my hikvision cameras and pickup line crossing .etc. This app with the camera ive disconnected from my NVR and connected to my switch to test it works great.

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Hello new version!

  • Automatically selects a free network port (apologies to anyone who couldn’t start before – I saw the logs …. sorry !)

  • New UI for camera pairing

  • Initial support for NVR and its associated cameras (events not supported yet)

  • Various bug fixes

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That’s exactly my point. The other ONVIF app works fine, but as you mentioned, a dedicated HikVision integration could do far more.

Supporting only RTSP, which is essentially just a raw video stream, severely limits what’s possible. That’s why I brought up ONVIF in the first place, and why the response of “why not just use the other ONVIF app?” misses the point.

I’m running HikVision cameras and a video doorbell connected to an NVR, and I want to use advanced features like object detection (person, vehicle, animal), line crossing detection, audio detection, PTZ preset activation etc. in flows. None of that is achievable with RTSP alone, it requires ONVIF.

RTSP gives you video. ONVIF is what enables intelligence and automation.

How awesome would it be WHEN doorbell is ringing AND nobody is home THEN play “barking dog” on my Google Chromecast Audio connected speaker? :rofl:

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Hell yeah, definitely nice idea! :joy: I would choose barking of really angry dog :sweat_smile:

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And this is exactly where you are mistaken. With Hikvision cameras, it is not necessarily recommended to use ONVIF. It is preferable to use ISAPI, which is Hikvision’s proprietary protocol. This is what I have been telling you from the beginning.

ONVIF is multi-vendor, and manufacturers support it according to their own preferences, often with more or less complete functionality. As I have already mentioned, ONVIF uses RTSP for video streams (on Hikvision cameras) and an API protocol that I am not familiar with for data such as events.

ISAPI, on the other hand, is designed by and for Hikvision cameras. The cameras use RTSP for video streams and ISAPI for data (e.g., events), with full support from the camera.

New Version!

  • See live snapshots directly from your NVR cameras :camera_with_flash:

  • Big improvements in synchronous startup handling between NVR drivers and their cameras drivers :high_voltage:

happy new year :slight_smile:

Just installed the latest version and getting snapshots from the cameras that are on my NVR but none of the cameras trigger any motion. Has this not been implemented yet with the NVR and only on standalone cameras?

Thanks and happy new year

Yes. Events for nvr camera are not yet implemented. Next year :wink:

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I understand that. Unfortunately for many of us, ISAPI is a fairly new protocol (the previous CGI was discontinued in 2022) and older cameras are “stuck” with ONVIF for any kind of advanced control/automation. Anyways, keep up the good work and maybe it’s time to update my cameras :face_with_diagonal_mouth:

Hello everyone,

New version with initial event support for cameras connected to an NVR.
Only motion alarms are supported for now (no Flows or snapshots yet).

This is an early implementation and may contain bugs — your feedback and testing are very welcome.

Development will slow down a bit as I’m back to work tomorrow.

Minor bug fixed in version 1.2.3: a crash could occur when the NVR reported an event from a camera not registered in Homey.

I can’t seem to get any of my cameras to detect any motion through the NVR.

Ive got 16 cameras and I can’t seem to get any of them to work. Maybe I don’t have it setup correctly on my NVR.

What settings are you using? Motion or alarm , Event , Motion and Alarm. Are you enabling on the NVR itself or on each camera individually? Thanks

There might just be a bug in the app.
Could you try toggling the NVR and its cameras off/on from Homey?
In the network/advanced section of your NVR, you should have an alarm center with an entry corresponding to your Homey’s IP. If you don’t see anything, I’ll send you some curl requests to run.

Your NVR must be turned on in Homey, otherwise events won’t be reported to the cameras.


Did you properly create your cameras as NVR type?

Yeah created the cameras through the NVR. The off and on command for the NVR doesn’t do anything though and checked through the network/advanced settings of my NVR and don’t see anything related to my homeys IP.

Ive deleted everything to start again but now when I try to add my NVR and click test connection it comes back with ‘unable to connect to NVR’