Hikvision

Introduction

In order to achieve seamless integration between your Hikvision Portal and GCXONE platform, it is essential to configure various network and software settings accurately. This document provides a step-by-step guide to configuring your Hikvision portal, ensuring reliable communication between the device and GCXONE.

Prerequisites

1. The Hikvision device is set up with Continuous Recording
2. Whitelist the IP address 35.156.60.98 (Hikvision Receiver)
3. Local Mode is installed (For P2P streaming, Audio, Encrypted stream)
4. The site where the device will be added already exists in GCXONE
5. An admin user is configured on the Hikvision device with the necessary permissions (see User Management below)

Hikvision Configuring

A. System

Time Management:

Step 1: Log in to your Hikvision portal by providing the credentials needed.

Step 2: Navigate to the configuration page, then select System. Proceed to System Settings and choose Time Settings. The below window will appear:

Choose the time zone of your device and make sure to enable the NTP, It is a protocol used to synchronize the clocks of computers and other devices over a network.

If your device supports DST, we recommend enabling it. The primary goal of DST is to make better use of daylight during the longer days of summer.

Security:

We highly recommend configuring both RTSP and WEB authentication as Basic/Digest, with the Web Digest Algorithm set to MD5. This enhances security by ensuring that your credentials are protected with stronger encryption, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

Next, navigate to Configuration → System → Security → Security Service and ensure Enable ISAPI, Enable HTTP, and Enable RTSP are all checked.

User Management:

Step 1: Navigate to the configuration page, then select System. Proceed to User management then click on "Add".

Step 2: A new window will open, allowing you to enter the username and password for NXGEN. We recommend setting the username to "NXG".

Step 3: Permissions:

Give the user "NXG" Admin access, with permissions for all Local and Remote operations, and select the specific cameras you want to apply these permissions to.

Note: We recommend Admin access rather than a limited permission set. Hikvision devices run different firmware versions, and the specific permissions available can vary between them — Admin access ensures GCXONE can communicate reliably with the device regardless of firmware version. Admin access also automatically includes the Remote: Notify Surveillance Center / Trigger permission, which GCXONE requires in order to receive alarms from the device.

Don't forget to click the OK button to save the changes.

B. Network

Under "Network," go to "Advanced Settings," and then select "Integration Protocol."

Enable ONVIF by clicking on the check box.

RTSP is configured here as well: only ever use plain RTSP for streaming to GCXONE.

Note: Always disable Stream Encryption under Network → Advanced Settings → Hik-Connect → More Configurations. By default, enabling the Hik-Connect cloud service also enables Stream Encryption, which causes streaming issues with GCXONE — keep it disabled and use RTSP without encryption instead.

C. Video/Audio

Navigate to Configuration → Video/Audio → Video to configure the camera's stream settings (Camera, Stream Type, Resolution, Bitrate Type, Frame Rate, Max. Bitrate, Video Encoding).

Note: GCXONE only supports the H.264 and H.265 video encoding protocols. Do not select H.264+, H.265+, or any other proprietary Hikvision codec, as these are not supported.

D. Storage

Camera recording is configured under Configuration → Storage → Schedule Settings → Record Schedule.

If Continuous Recording isn't possible, the minimum required configuration is Motion & Alarm. When using Motion & Alarm, set both Pre-record and Post-record to 30 seconds in the Advanced settings.

E. Events

Camera configurations are managed at the individual camera level. There are two types of configurations: basic and smart. This chapter provides a brief explanation of each type.

Best Practice: Don't enable Basic Events and Smart Events at the same time on the same camera — choose one or the other. Smart Events is recommended whenever the camera supports it.

Basic Events:

These steps apply to all basic events (Motion, Video Tampering, etc.).

Note: Some Basic Event types (such as Exception → HDD Full) aren't tied to a specific camera or area — for these, skip straight to the Linkage Method tab and check Notify Surveillance Center.

Step 1: On the "Configuration" page, under the "Event" application, click on "Basic Event". The window below will appear:

Note: Avoid setting up Motion events; they can trigger too many alarms and cause issues.

Step 2: Choose the camera you want to configure.

Step 3: Draw your area of interest.

Step 4: Choose the Arming Schedule under the "Arming Schedule" tab.

Step 5: In the "Linkage Method" tab, enable the checkbox under the camera and check "Notify Surveillance Center." To trigger alarms from other cameras, use the "Trigger Alarm Output" options in the "Normal Linkage" section.

Smart Events:

Line Crossing Detection: This feature identifies when an object crosses a predefined virtual line, useful for monitoring entry and exit points.

Intrusion Detection: It detects when an object enters or moves within a designated area, ideal for securing restricted zones.

The Steps are applicable for both events:

Step 1: On the "Configuration" page, under the "Event" application, click on "Smart Event". The window below will appear:

Step 2: Choose the camera you want to configure.

Step 3: Draw lines on the area of interest.

Step 4: Choose the Arming Schedule under the "Arming Schedule" tab.

Step 5: In the "Linkage Method" tab, enable the checkbox under the camera and check "Notify Surveillance Center." To trigger alarms from other cameras, use the "Trigger Alarm Output" options in the "Normal Linkage" section.

Hikvision Config Guide with GCXONE

Step 1: Navigate to the Devices tab.

Step 2: Click the Add New button.

Step 3: The Add Device dialog will be displayed.

Step 4: In the dialog, open the Device dropdown and select Hikvision.

Step 5: Enter all required fields: Name, IP Address or Host, Username, Password, Server Port, HTTPS Port, RTSP Port. If you need encrypted communication with the device, check Enable Encryption and enter the Encryption Key — otherwise this field can be left blank.

Note: You must provide either the Server Port, or both the HTTPS Port and RTSP Port, for the device to be discovered. Providing all three also works.

Step 6: Below the connection fields, the dialog also has a Select Entity Group dropdown, a required Timezone, an Enable Audio toggle, a Device Configuration section (Site Pulse Configuration), an Advanced Settings section (Event Polling, Configure Heatmap Mask, Periodic Health Check, Event Retention Time — 30 days by default), and an optional Location section (Latitude, Longitude, Plus Code, What3Words).

Step 7: Click Discover.

Step 8: Once the device is successfully discovered, click Save.

Additional Details

Live & Playback — Local Mode

• SDK — RTSP is not required as the device communicates directly with the device via SDK
• RTSP — If the RTSP port is entered, streaming will happen only via the configured RTSP port

Cloud Only Toggle

• SDK — Regardless of Local Mode, streaming will work via cloud

Non-Local Mode Users

• RTSP — Streaming will work only based on the RTSP port configured

Alarms

• ISAPI (multipart decoder) — No specific configuration required. Alarm images are transmitted via ISAPI from the device. If the device does not provide images, they will be fetched via playback (only if available)
• Webhook — Only for IP cameras not connected to any NVR. Device-level alarm server configuration is required. If the device does not provide images, they will be fetched via playback (only if available)
• Event Polling — Device time settings must be in sync between GCXONE and the device. If the device does not provide images, they will be fetched via playback (only if available)

Audio

• Local Mode — Localhost URL is required at the device level
• Cloud Only Toggle — streaming03 URL is required at the device level

Troubleshooting

Not Receiving Alarms

If GCXONE is not receiving alarms for an event, confirm that Notify Surveillance Center is enabled for that event's Linkage Method. Depending on the NVR's firmware/UI version, this setting can also be reached via Event Center → Event Configuration → Event Configuration, then the relevant event tab (for example Perimeter Protection → Intrusion Detection), and the Linkage Method tab:

Also confirm the NXG user account has Admin access (see User Management above), which includes the Remote: Notify Surveillance Center / Trigger permission required for alarms to reach GCXONE. Both the event-level linkage and the user's access level need to be correct for alarms to come through.