Manually Assigning an IP Address to a DW MEGApix IP Camera

Manually Assigning an IP Address to a DW MEGApix IP Camera

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Affected Roles:  Owner, Administrator

Related Digital Watchdog VMS Apps:  DW Spectrum IPVMS, DW IP Finder

Complexity:  Medium

Last Edit:  November 7, 2022

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Assigning IP Addresses

When adding a new DW MEGApix IP camera to a network, the camera may need to be assigned to a static IP address so that it can be automatically discovered and added by the DW Spectrum Server.

This article will outline how to manually assign an IP address to a MEGApix IP camera using the camera’s web UI.

**NOTE:  If you must assign IP address for multiple cameras, you can use the DW IP Finder tool’s Bulk Assignment feature on a computer to identify and assign IP addresses to multiple cameras simultaneously.

Supported/Affected Devices

• DW MEGApix Camera Series
• DW Blackjack Series

What is an IP Address?

An “IP Address” is a string of numbers used by computer systems and network devices to identify and connect with each other using a set of governing rules known as an “Internet Protocol” (IP).

Each device on the network should have its own, unique IP address to identify with other devices on the network. Otherwise, a device on the network that shares the same IP address as another device will be unlikely to be detected or identified correctly.

Manually Assigning an IP Address to a Camera

DW MEGApix IP cameras come with an embedded web UI that administrators may use to individually manage the network settings of each camera.

To manually assign an IP address to a DW MEGApix camera:

1. Connect a computer to the same local network (LAN) as the cameras then open a web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc.).

2. Enter the camera’s IP address into the URL bar of the browser.

Most DW cameras use a Dynamic/DHCP network type and will use the following default network settings:

• Default IP Address:  192.168.1.80
• Default Web Port:  80

Please refer to the camera’s product manual for complete setup information if needed.

If you are managing the network settings of an existing camera and the Web Port (HTTP Port) value has previously been changed from its default setting (Port 80), you will also need to specify the port value in the URL address bar of the browser.

For Example:

• Camera IP Address:  192.168.1.90
• HTTP/Web Port Changed to:  8245
• Example URL for connecting from a browser:  http://192.168.1.90:8245

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**NOTE:  If you do not know the camera’s IP Address, you can use the DW IP Finder software to scan the network for connected cameras.

3. The camera’s login screen will display.

If you are connecting with an existing camera, enter the Administrator Username and Password to login to the camera.

If you are connecting to a new DW MEGApix IP camera for the first time, the camera will request that you create an Administrator Password.

Create a new password for the Administrator (admin) user profile. Passwords requirements include:

• The password must use a minimum of at least eight (8) characters in total
• The password must use at least three (3) combinations of uppercase letters (ABC), lowercase letters (abc), numbers (123) and special characters (!?$).

Please read Assigning Passwords to MEGApix Cameras for reference if needed.

4. After logging in to the camera's Web UI, click on the Setup button, then navigate to Network > Network Settings.

In the camera’s Network Settings menu, you may configure the following:

• IP Address – to manually change the IP Address, change the Network Type to “Static”. You may then manually enter an IP Address to the camera. Be sure to use an unoccupied IP Address (not used by any other local devices) to avoid an IP conflict with another device.
• Subnet Mask – create a subnet mask for the camera if needed. Otherwise, the default setting (255.255.255.0) is acceptable.
• Default Gateway –  enter the IP Address of the DHCP router or PoE switch that manages the camera network. For example, if a router is assigning IP addresses of “192.168.100.x” to its cameras, then the Gateway address of the router is likely to be “192.168.100.1”.
• Preferred DNS Server – this setting controls which DNS server the camera will use when translating connection requests from web browsers. The Default Gateway address may initially display in this field. You may use a DNS server of your choice. For example, “8.8.8.8” belongs to a free DNS server provided by Google.
• Alternate DNS Server – [optional] enter an alternate DNS Server address for if the Preferred DNS Server becomes unreachable.

Click the Apply button to save changes to the camera settings.

5. After applying changes to the camera’s IP Address, the camera will refresh its connection to the network. You will need to enter the new IP address into the URL address bar of the web browser (Step 2) and enter your user login if you want to access the camera’s Web UI again.

Otherwise, the camera will immediately begin to use its new IP Address assignment and proceed with its regular functions.

For More Information or Technical Support

DW Technical Support:  866.446.3595

https://www.digital-watchdog.com/contact-tech-support/

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DW Sales:  866.446.3595                   [email protected]        www.digital-watchdog.com