Latest revision as of 18:52, 31 July 2020

How to Add Dahua IP Camera to Control4

Description

This guide will cover how to add a supported Dahua IP camera to the Control4 System.

A specialized driver allows a Control4 dealer to add an Security icon in the watch menu. This will enable the Control4 System to use the Monitor-Out/HDMI/VGA connector to integrate Dahua devices.

Prerequisites

• Control4 Composer
• Control4 Driver for Dahua IP Cameras
• https://my.control4.com/ Account
• Dahua Device configured for Static IP or DHCP Reservation
• Control4 Firmware for Dahua Device
• Setup Control4 to Use Substream

Instructions for installing Dahua drivers on Control4 Composer

After installing Composer, navigate to the default directory that contains the drivers:

C:\Users\User\Documents\Control4\Drivers

Download the Dahua drivers:

• Control4 Driver for Dahua IP Cameras

• Control4 Driver for Dahua Recorders

Copy/paste or drag the files into the directory C:\Users\User\Documents\Control4\Drivers

Video Instructions

Coming Soon

Step by Step Instructions

1. Make sure the camera has been updated to the correct supported firmware:

The full list of supported firmware can be found at 3rd Party VMS/Control4

Firmware version used for this guide: V2.800.10SA000.0.T, Build Date: 2019-03-14

Also make sure the camera is factory defaulted before beginning setup by going into System>Default>Factory Default

2. Open Control4 Composer. If this is the first time loading the program, you will be prompted to enter your Control4 account credentials:

3. After logging in a prompt will appear. Select the type of connection the computer has to the Control4 Controller. Make sure the controller is powered on and connected to the network. In this case the computer is on the same network as the EA1 Controller, so Local System is selected

4. The software will scan the local network and give a prompt with any discovered devices. Select the controller then click Connect

5.To begin adding devices, select the 'Discovered' tab in the System Design interface to pull up devices on the local network that have been automatically detected by the software

6. Begin by adding the Control4 devices on the network, such as the C4-EA1 Controller and Wireless Monitor. You can double click the item in the list to add or Right Click>Add to Project

7. Added devices will auto populate the device tree on the left side of the screen

8. To find the Dahua device over the network, click the Search tab in the top right of the screen. Type 'dahua' then press Enter

9. Right click the 'Dahua NVR Fixed Camera' entry and select Add to Project

10. The camera will appear in the device tree list on the left. In the device Properties window in the center, enter the authentication information for the camera.

Enter the IP/network information of the camera, username/password for the camera (click 'Set' after making any adjustments)

Under Advanced Properties, change the H.264 Video Stream to 1 to use the Sub Stream from the camera.

If the stream is set to Main Stream you may experience some lag/delay

11. To update the project to other Control4 devices, in Composer go to File>Refresh Navigators

12. The camera stream will now appear under the 'Security' option in the Control4 interface, such as the Control4 Tabletop Touch Screen, which will be used for this guide.

Note - Setting Stream Type

It is necessary to configure the Control4 interface to pull the substream video from the Dahua device rather than the main stream. Pulling the main stream can cause delays in streaming video which can result in slow video streaming on the Control4 Panel.

Under the Advanced Properties of the selected device:

Change H264 or MJPEG Video Stream to 1

Click Set to save the setting