Tiandy NVR setup: recording, permissions, remote access

Before handover, try playing back a recording on the NVR and on the client's phone. Check the time, the disk and the client's own permissions.

The three programs

SearchConfig Tool. Device discovery and configuration, for Windows and Mac. With it you find the device, assign an IP address, initialise the password, and batch-activate or batch-reset passwords. It takes the place of SADP and ConfigTool.

Easy7 VMS. Desktop management software for Windows. Multiple sites, multiple recorders, video walls, playback, users. It takes the place of iVMS-4200 and SmartPSS.

EasyLive Plus. Mobile app for iOS and Android. This is what the end user will use, so this is what you need to demonstrate at handover. It takes the place of Hik-Connect and DMSS.

Firmware, manuals and installers can be downloaded from the manufacturer's help site, by searching for the model, without signing in.

Recording schedule

If the recorder records everything continuously at full quality, the hard drive fills up and is overwritten sooner than the playback period you need. Check the recorder's default setting, and check these three points.

Two recording profiles, if the device supports them. If the NVR and camera support it, record continuously at a lower bitrate and at full quality on events, and test the switch-over and playback too. If they do not, size the storage for the actual constant bitrate.

Calculate the hard drive, do not guess. Channel count, bitrate and retention time give the capacity. If the end user asks for thirty days, work it out in advance, because changing the drive later means another site visit.

Check that overwrite is switched on. If it is not, the recorder stops recording when the drive is full, and this often only comes out when the recording is needed.

Users and permissions

Do not give the administrator password to the end user. Create a separate user for them, with live view and playback rights but no configuration rights. That way one wrong click does not reconfigure the system, and troubleshooting is faster because you know what cannot have changed.

Record the recovery owner with the client in the handover document: whose security question and recovery e-mail address are set. The system belongs to the client; if you keep the recovery as the installer, write that down too.

Remote access

Mobile access goes through the manufacturer's cloud service, without opening ports. This can work even if the provider's router has no public address.

Do not open ports unless you have to. A recorder exposed to the internet will be found by scanning scripts. If the customer does need direct access, use a VPN, not port forwarding.

Easy7 VMS and EasyLive Plus see the same system. It is worth setting up both on your own devices before handover, because then you can check a fault report before driving out.

Checks before handover

Check that every channel gives a picture, recordings can be searched by date and time, motion-triggered recording starts, the mobile app shows live view and playback, the time is correct, and the recorder reports the hard drive as healthy. Whatever you find here you can still fix on site.