Use WLAN of NVR

Installation
1

Hello,

This might bit a little off topic, but if anyone here is a network expert, maybe you can help me:

I have a cheap NVR System from Amazon: https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B07FDWK62V wich works pretty great. I have put the Cameras around the corners of my barn (I’m a farmer) with the NVR beeing kind of in the middle of everything. It is connected to my Home network/internet via an ethernet cable that comes from a D-Lan Adapter plugged into a socket. The Cams connect wirelessly to the Recorder, only needing AC power. Recently I have noticed that the NVR emmits its own WLAN network (I was surprised that SSID broadcast is enabled with no way to disable it).

So, thats the situation. Now to my mind boggling question: With the NVR beeing so favouritely placed in the middle of my barn, is there any way that I can use its WLAN to connect a couple of smart plugs and maybe other devices to my home network?

Of course I already did some testing, putting my phone and the NVR to the same IP range as my home router (phone: 192.168.0.199, NVR: 192.168.0.121, Home Router: 192.168.0.1). This way I can connect my phone to the WLAN of the Recorder, but exept for its web page, I cant reach or ping anything else. Not the IP Cams connected to the NVR (wich I also set to be in the same IP range [192.168.0.51] - [192.168.0.54] in the settings of the Recorder) nor anything on my home Network. As a side note: In my Home Router i do of course see the NVR, but not the IP Cams. Odd.

Maybe what I try to do is impossible. But I do not get why and its driving me crazy.

Thanks for helping!! :slight_smile:

2

I suspect it won’t be easy. What you really want is your NVR to act as a router for devices other than its own cameras. Clearly the hardware can do it. The problem is going to be the software on the NVR.

I have a similar, but older NVR, again a no-name Amazon purchase of Chinese origin. I strongly suspect that the firmware is pretty generic. It’s no longer supported by the “company” which sold it. I use quotes because it’s apparently just a reseller who puts their own brand on generic hardware.

Looking around, there are a couple of open-source NVR projects. I was thinking about updating my old hardware with one of these. Hard to justify while the old one still works, but there are a few things I can’t use any more because it’s so old. For example, the web server component relies on flash and the mobile app is poorly written.

3

Thanks for replying mate,

I think you’re right. The question is what ‘custom’ firmware would be accepted by the NVR and what are the chances that it gets bricked by it :slight_smile:

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