Hikvision Firmware Upgrade Guide 

1. General Information

1.1 Service goal

Most of Hikvision products offer the possibility to upgrade the factory default software under certain conditions. By doing this, it is much easier to obtain the extra services of the upgraded systems, and to fix possible bugs.

1.2 Important Information

All customers should upgrade their software at their own risk. An improperly conducted upgrade can lead to the irreversible malfunction of the equipment. We cannot assume responsibility for the damages of an improperly conducted upgrade. If you are not sure about the process or the sequence of the firmware upgrade, please contact our support team. Repairing damages caused by an improperly conducted upgrade is not covered by the warranty. In such a case, please contact our Service Center.

During the upgrade process, do not turn off the equipment, do not plug off the cables and do not pull out microSD card/hard disk.

Firmware are digicap.dav or digicap.mav files that unpack the zip files (if you received/downloaded the firmware in such format). The properties of the equipment will be saved only if the firmware upgrade is newer than the current version. If we install an earlier firmware version, our saved properties will be lost.

After a firmware upgrade, we suggest setting the device to its default settings for stable functioning.

1.3 Firmware upgrade sequence

Devices with an older firmware versions cannot be upgraded to the latest version directly! The major version upgrades have to be installed gradually (they are available on the website, or were sent to you).

Example: current version: 3.4.81 new firmware: 4.1.6

In this case, the following versions need to be installed:

3.5->3.6->xx->4.0->4.1 (Not all versions are necessarily available. In some cases, v3.4 may be followed by a v4.1).

1.4 Firmware availability

1.4.1 Hikvision website (at your own risk)

Visit the Hikvision site and type the product’s name or description into the search bar. You can download the latest version after opening the product’s profile page from the Download Center\Firmware menu points.

In all cases, choose the Firmware For Europe Download menu. There are some specific firmware versions for different regions, but they can lead to malfunctioning!

1.4.2 Hikvision download page (at your own risk)

- Firmware versions can be downloaded from the Hikvision download page.

Choose the desired category and the Product Firmware folder.

Products are separated by platform on each page. Specific product platforms can be found on a constantly upgraded table file at the bottom of the folder structure. (For example: in case of IP cameras:

04 (Limited)IPC Models of Different Platforms_191209.xlsx )

After downloading and opening the table, choose the right tab (at the bottom) and search (CTRL+F) the product code. It will show the right platform in the top row.

1.4.3 Riel support

- Ask for the latest firmware version from our engineer team, using the support@riel.hu email address. In the email, please send the exact name/code, type and current firmware version of the product.

2. Conditions and Tools for Upgrading

There are 3 methods for an upgrade. There are different conditions for the action depending on the method.

Through the local menu (this only works with recorders). Required tools:

• Monitor, mouse
  
• Firmware file on a USB flash drive
  

Through web browser. Required tools:

• PC with an ethernet plug,
  
• Firmware file,
  
• Browser (Mozilla Firefox with the right plug-in patch)
  

Through iVMS-4200 client software.Required tools:

·         PC with ethernet plug,

·         Firmware file,

• iVMS-4200 client software.
  

3. Upgrading Process

3.1 Upgrading through the local menu

Open the local menu. To do this, press a right-click on the home screen.

Change the password after the first use!

Navigate to Maintenance -> Upgrade -> Local upgrade menu.

Plug in the storage device that contains the firmware, and click the “upgrade” button in the top right corner.

Select the desired Firmware, then click “upgrade” in the bottom left corner! The device will automatically run the upgrade process and verifies it after rebooting. The upgrade process can only be done with the firmware for that particular device. The system does not allow the installation of other firmware.

In the Maintenance -> Import/Export menu we can export our parameters to the USB stick after the upgrade.

Go to Maintenance -> Default sub-menu and click the "Withdraw inactive status" button.

After activation, upload our parameters on the above-mentioned Import/Export tab.

After a firmware upgrade, we suggest to set the device to default in every case, to ensure stable functioning! 

3.2 Upgrading Through a Web Browser

Plug the Hikvision device to the LAN or directly into the PC’s ethernet port.

Open the browser, and type the IP address of the Hikvision device into the address bar. Important: The PC’s IP address should be in the same range as the Hikvision device! Eg.: if the PC is 192.0.0.64 then the camera can be 192.0.0.128. (only the last section is different)

In the menu navigate to Configuration ->  Basic/Advanced settings ->  System -> Maintenance menu!

Click the web browser in the remote upgrade section click , and navigate to the folder where the firmware is located, then click on it. Important: the firmware should not be deeper than 3 levels down in the folder structure.

Click the upgrade button. The device will automatically run the upgrade and validated it after a reboot. The upgrade can only be done with the firmware that particular device. The system does not allow firmware that were made for other devices.

After rebooting, save our parameters by clicking the “device parameters” button, then the “default” button, to bring our device to its factory default settings.

After activation: under the headline “Import config. file” click the “browse” button and find the saved file.

After a firmware upgrade, we suggest setting the device to default settings to ensure stable functioning! 

3.3 Upgrading Via the iVMS-4200 Client Software

Attach the Hikvision device to the LAN network, or directly to the PC, on an ethernet port.

Start iVMS-4200 client software. Navigate to Maintenance and Management -> Device management -> Device menu

In the online device window double click the device you want to upgrade.

Navigate to System -> System maintenance menu.

Click the …/browse icon and find the required firmware. IMPORTANT: the file should not be more than 3 folders deep in the folder structure! Click the “upgrade/refresh” button! The device will automatically run and validate the upgrade after a reboot. The upgrade can only be done with a firmware dedicated to that particular device. A firmware intended for another device will be rejected by the system.

After the reboot, save the parameters by clicking the “Config file export” button, then the ”restore all” button to bring the device to its factory default settings.

After the activity, reset the device IP address, then within the remote configuration, import our parameters by clicking the “Import config file”.

After a firmware upgrade, we suggest setting the device to default settings to ensure stable functioning! 

4. Known Problems and Issues

If the upgrade is canceled because of a transmission problem the device may become faulty. In that case, send the device to our repair center for fixing.

Similarly, skipping a major firmware release version in the process can lead to the device failing to boot or function properly. In this case, we also suggest sending the camera back to our repair center.