HARD DRIVES
What kind of hard drives can be used in IPCorder?
Generally you can use any SATA I or SATA II hard drive. We recommend to use RAID hard drive editions. Format and setup of the disc(s) is performed automatically during the initial storage configuration.
How many hard drive can be connected to IPCorder?
IPCorder KNR-090 allows insertion of 1 hard drive, KNR-200/202/206 offers the possibility of 2 hard drives in internal slots. Rack versions of KRR-416/KRR-424 can use up to 4 hard drives.
What is the maximum possible capacity of used drives / disk array?
All discs up to 3 TB passed our tests. Maximum total capacity of the RAID storage array (discontinued KNR-410, KNR-412 and KNR-400 models) is in current firmware releases limited by the used filesystem to 8 TB.
What RAID levels are supported by IPCorder KRR-416 and KRR-424?
Since 1.2 firmware version IPCorder supports following RAID levels: Single disk, RAID 0 (Disk Stripping), RAID 1 (Disk Mirroring), RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 and JBOD (Linear Disk Volume).
The GUI offers only RAID levels that are possible to achieve with currently inserted hard drives.
For description of all RAID levels please see e. g. Wikipedia.
INITIAL IPCORDER SETUP
Although detailed description can be found in Quick Installation Guide and User manual, here is the procedure briefly:
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After insertion of drive(s) it is necessary to find IPCorder on the network using IPCorder Discover utility from the supplied CD. Older versions (not Java based) require Microsoft .NET; firewall, sometimes even antivirius need to be off. By default, IPCorder attempts to acquire DHCP lease - if it fails, default static IP address 192.168.1.78 is used. Then follow the instructions based on which IPCorder model you have:
- KNR-100
Connect to your IPCorder using your favourite internet browser and provide system part of the firmware from the supplied CD or from http://updates.ipcorder.com website. Version of the system part of the firmware must exactly match firmware version in the flash memory in your IPCorder - you can learn firmware version in flash from the GUI of IPCorder or using the IPCorder Discover utility. With the newly bought units the right version is always included on the supplied CD.
Perform firmware upgrade to the latest stable firmware version. - KNR-410, KNR-412
Connect to your IPCorder using your favourite internet browser and choose requested RAID storage level - IPCorder shows only options available with currently installed hard drive(s).
Perform firmware upgrade to the latest stable firmware version.
For viewing images from cameras you need to have Java JRE installed in your system, we recommend the latest available release.
REMOTE ACCESS
Is it possible to access IPCorder and connected cameras remotely via the Internet?
Yes, sure, that is the basic functionality of IPCorder and connected IP cameras. Remote access also requires configuration of your router. There are two options how to setup your router for remote access to your IPCorder (menu Management -> Configuration -> Remote Access):
- Automatic Router Control
If this option is selected, IPCorder will try to configure port forwarding on the router automatically using the UPnP Port Forwarding feature. This feature must be supported and enabled in the router. If everything works good, IPCorder shows Status: OK and shows public IP address and port to which you need to connect from the Internet. This remote access setup method is preferred because it does not require any configuration of the router and is also more secure - because ports of cameras are forwarded only when user sucessfully authenticates on the IPCorder, otherwise cameras are not accessible from the Internet. - Manual Router Setup
If UPnP Port Forwarding feature can't be used, proceed to the manual router configuration. First it is necessary to understand how camera videos are transmitted from the IPCorder. IPCorder does not perform restreaming, thus even if you are observing live video from the camera via the IPCorder web interface, technically you are still connected directly to the camera, only using another technology than when visiting webpages of the camera direcly. In this case it is necessary to setup port forwarding on the router not only for IPCorder (required ports 80 for web and 1567 for recorded videos streaming), but also for each camera (ports depends on camera type, usually two ports per camera). What ports are necessary to be forwarded on the router you can learn from the table that appears after pushing Print static tunnels button, which will appear on the same page after saving. For proper remote access functionality router must be configured exactly as indicated in this table. Router configuration is different for different manufacturers and firmware versions. If necessary, consult with your router vendor.
Note:
Because IPCorder till firmware version 1.3 requires usage of default port numbers on cameras (80 for web etc.), it is necessary that your router can forward one port number on the gateway to a different port number in the local network (eg. port 5000 on the gateway forward to port 80 of the local network address). This feature is called by the router manufacturers by different names, eg. Virtual Server, Port Triggering, PAT, etc.
Is it possible to use other than default port numbers on cameras?
Till version 1.2 of IPCorder firmware it is necessary to keep default port values coming from camera manufacturer (eg. 80 for web and 554 for RTSP streams etc.). Since 1.3 firmware version it will be possible to change default port values in cameras and adapt IPCorder for a new values.
MANUAL FIRMWARE UPGRADE
For a firmware update please enter menu Management -> System -> Firmware Upgrade and press Firmware Upgrade button.
Firmware Upgrade:
- Download Product Key from your IPCorder by clicking Download the product key link.
- Open internet webpage http://updates.ipcorder.com and if you do not have account created already, please click Register link to create a new one. Log in, click List of your devices and then Register a new device. Input desired name for your device and input path to the "product.key" file previously downloaded from your IPCorder to your PC into Product Key File field. Then click the Upload button. Each IPCorder can be added to the update site more times - eg. by the installer company and also by the end user.
- Choose one of the firmware versions that appear on your screen, we recommend to use the Latest Stable version, and click Generate firmware button. Generated firmware file can be downloaded by clicking Download link. File with the IPCorder firmware has ".package" extension and size of approx. 25 MB.
- Go back to the Firmware Upgrade page in your IPCorder and upload the new firmware into device - provide a path to the firmware file stored on your hard drive and hit Upload FW button.
- After installation of the new firmware is complete, reboot your IPCorder into Normal Mode.
Complete instructions can be found in the User manual.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Resetting IPCorder into factory default settings
If you need to reset all settings into factory default values (eg. lost admin password) please switch your IPCorder into Rescue Mode - from the menu (Management -> System -> Factory Reset) or by short press of the Reset button located on the back of your IPCorder. In the Rescue Mode please use Factory defaults link.
Most of the hardware based problems with IPCorder are caused by broken hard drives, though it could happen in rare occasions that hardware of IPCorder itself fails. If it is impossible to turn on your IPCorder, find it on the network or if it experiences persistent instability or random errors, please follow instructions provided in problems caused by hardware failure section.
EXPORT AND RECORDINGS PLAYBACK
How to export recorded videos from my IPCorder?
- To export particular events we recommend to use web interface of the IPCorder.
- For mass video download you can turn on the FTP support in your IPCorder (firmware 1.2.0 and higher, Management -> Configuration -> FTP) and then download recorded videos by any FTP client. Recorded videos are on the FTP stored based on camera name, date and time.
What do I need to play videos downloaded from my IPCorder?
To play recorded videos exported from IPCorder you can use any favourite media player and codec pack, eg. FFDshow. If you still have problems with playing videos, we recommend to try VLC Player.
AUDIO SUPPORT
Does IPCorder support audio recording/playback?
Audio support is planned to some later 2.1 firmware version.
INTERFACE
Is it possible to connect screen to IPCorder?
None of the current IPCorder models has video output, thus work with IPCorder is always via PC and web browser. In the future development we plan to have a special IPCorder Viewer version, which will allow to connect screens and show cameras from "slave" IPCorder units.
Does IPCorder have alarm inputs/outputs?
No, but for scripting (Rules) purposes you can use digital inputs/outputs of the connected supported cameras or external I/O devices.
Why are there USB ports on my IPCorder?
USB interface on IPCorders are not used at the moment.
Why there are two network RJ-45 connectors on IPCorder KNR-410 and KNR-412 models?
Currenty only one of the connectors is used, that one marked with number "1" (on the right side when looking from back). Second connector remains prepared for possible future use.