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Affected Roles: Administrator, Owner
Related Digital Watchdog VMS Apps: DW IP Finder™, DW Spectrum® IPVMS
Complexity: Medium
Software Version: DW IP Finder™ v4.4.3 or higher
Last Edit: August 18, 2020
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As of August 13, 2019, in compliance with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Digital Watchdog now requires the assignment of a custom password to new DW MEGApix® IP cameras.
With Digital Watchdog’s commitment to these changes, cameras will continue to use the default login set of admin/admin. However, accessibility will be limited at first.
When adding IP cameras to the DW Spectrum® system, the system will not be able to access the camera until the login credentials have been configured. To resolve this, an Administrator or the system Owner must access the camera UI through a web browser or use DW IP Finder™ to set the authentication credentials for the MEGApix® IP cameras.
This article will outline how to use DW IP Finder™ or using a camera’s web client to change the password of a MEGApix® IP Camera.
Note: For more information regarding Digital Watchdog and the NDAA, check out the article here.
Note: DW IP Finder™ is available for use with Windows OS only.
Before beginning, DW MEGApix® IP Cameras should be assigned to use the same IP Network Scheme and be actively powered and connected to the network.
To assign IP addresses to cameras from an IP Address range, check out Using IP Finder for Bulk IP Assignment.
DW IP Finder™ now features a Bulk Password Assignment option that allows users to simultaneously assign an Administrator login to multiple cameras at once.
DW Blackjack® (Windows OS) servers will ship with DW IP Finder™ already installed. If you need to install or update DW IP Finder™ (v4.4.3 or higher), you may acquire the latest version from the DW IP Finder™ product page, under the Software tab.
To set up a password for a MEGApix® IP camera through DW IP Finder™:
Note: By deselecting the Thumbnail checkbox in DW IP Finder™ before scanning, wait time will be reduced. The wait time between network scans varies, depending on the number of devices connected to the network.
If multiple cameras are selected at the same time, they will all be assigned the same login credentials.
Under Current Account, enter the current Username and Password of the camera(s).
Under New Password, enter the new Administrator password for the camera(s) in the New field and again in the Confirm field. You may also include a password reminder in the Hint field [optional].
Note: Passwords are required to use a minimum of eight (8) characters with at least three (3) combinations of uppercase letters (ABC), lowercase letters (abc), numbers (123), and special characters (!?$).
Once satisfied with the new password, click the Change button to apply the new login credentials.
Another option for assigning passwords to MEGApix® IP cameras is to use the camera’s Web Viewer. Through a web browser, users can adjust camera settings by connecting to a camera’s Web Viewer. However, unlike with DW IP Finder™, camera login credentials can only be adjusted one at a time when using the Web Viewer.
To change a camera’s password using Web Viewer:
Enter the current Username and Password of the camera.
Click the Change Password button if the camera is using the default login credentials. If the login has already been customized, click the Setup button.
Note: Passwords are required to use a minimum of eight (8) characters with at least three (3) combinations of uppercase letters (ABC), lowercase letters (abc), numbers (123), and special characters (!?$).
Once satisfied with the new password, click the Change Password button to apply the changes.
After making adjustments to the login credentials of a MEGApix® IP camera, authentication to access the camera must be configured in DW Spectrum® IPVMS. To learn how to edit device authentication credentials using the DW Spectrum® IPVMS Client, check out Configuring Device Authentication in DW Spectrum IPVMS.