Disabling the Illegal Login Lock Setting in Hikvision Cameras

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Affected Roles: Administrator, Power User

Related DW Software: DW Spectrum Professional

Last Edit: January 22, 2026

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Illegal Login Lock Feature

Hikvision cameras use an automatic lock feature that will block devices/services that fail to use the correct device login after a set number of attempts. This can create issues when integrating these third-party cameras as DW Spectrum Professional and/or Digital Watchdog recorders will automatically attempt to reconnect and login. As Hikvision and Digital Watchdog’s default authentication credentials are not the same, it can create problematic cases with video loss and other permission-based access.

This article will outline how to disable the Illegal Login Lock feature on a Hikvision camera.

NOTE: Administrators can troubleshoot automatic login issues by configuring the camera and DW Spectrum to use identical authentication credentials (username and password) for both the device login and the camera’s ONVIF profile. To learn how to activate the ONVIF function in a Hikvision camera, please read Enabling ONVIF On Hikvision Cameras.

Detecting and Identifying the Camera

When configuring an IP camera, the user must know the camera’s networking information in order to connect with the camera’s web interface, add it to a Server, or for general network awareness.

Most third-party camera manufacturers will provide a detection software tool that can be used to locate the camera on the network, identify its IP address, or to identify its model information.

To acquire this type of software, you can visit the Hikvision Tools Web Page and download either the SADP Tool or Batch Configuration Tool (varies depending on Hikvision camera model).

Alternatively, if you know the camera’s default login information, ONVIF Device Manager (ODM) is another detection tool that can be used to locate and identify ONVIF compliant devices within the camera network.

NOTE: If you are unsure which tool to use or require further assistance, please contact Hikvision Support for more information regarding their product.

Disabling the Illegal Login Lock Feature

To disable the Illegal Login Lock setting:

Open a web browser and use the camera’s IP address to access the camera’s web client UI.

If you do not know the networking information of the camera, use either ODM or the Hikvision discovery tools to locate the camera on the network.
Log into the camera using the Administrator credentials. Refer to your Hikvision camera’s User Manual to obtain the default information.

NOTE: If the camera is connected to the integrated PoE switch of a VMAX IP Plus NVR, please read Connecting With Cameras Through Virtual Ports (VMAX IP Plus) to connect with the camera. Otherwise, you must connect the camera to a PoE switch that is separate from the VMAX IP Plus to continue with this setup.

In the web client, navigate to the Maintenance and Security > Security > Login Management menu and configure the following:
- Enable Illegal Login Lock – disable/uncheck this setting to disarm the login lock feature.
- Illegal Login Attempts – [optional] if you would like to keep the Illegal Login Lock feature enabled, you can set the number of login attempts that are permitted before the device is locked.
- Locking Duration – [optional] if you would like to keep the Illegal Login Lock feature enabled, you can set how long the device will be locked for if the login attempt limit is reached.
Click the Save button to apply the changes to the camera.

Disabling the Failed Login Lockout Setting in HikCentral

To disable the failed login lockout in HikCentral (v2.x):

Log into the HikCentral Web Client.
Open the Main Menu and navigate to Account and Security > Security Settings and configure the following:
- Lock IP Address When Failed Login… – disable/uncheck this setting to disarm the lockout feature.
- Illegal Login Attempts – [optional] if you would like to keep the Illegal Login Lock feature enabled, you can set the number of login attempts that are permitted before the device is locked.
- Locking Duration – [optional] if you would like to keep the Illegal Login Lock feature enabled, you can set how long the device will be locked for if the login attempt limit is reached.