Technical Bulletin
To: DW® Customers
Date: January 17, 2022
Re: PathFinder™ (P2P) Service Changes
PathFinder™ (P2P) Service Changes
Affected Model Numbers: DW-VP16xT16P, DW-VP12xT8P, DW-VP9xT4P; DW-VA1P16xT, DW-VA1P8xT, DW-VA1P4xT
New Firmware Version: VMAX IP Plus v1.4.2.7; VMAX A1 Plus v1.0.1.56
Current Firmware Version: VMAX IP Plus v1.4.1.9; VMAX A1 Plus v1.0.1.52
The PathFinder™ peer-to-peer (P2P) connection feature is undergoing changes behind the scenes. The new PathFinder service will still allow users to remotely connect with their standalone unit(s) from the comfort of their mobile devices. Additionally, Digital Watchdog’s mobile applications for the remote mobile viewing of a VMAX® IP Plus™ or VMAX® A1 Plus™ standalone unit are being consolidated into a single application – DW Mobile Plus™.
After updating your VMAX IP Plus (v1.4.2.7) or VMAX A1 Plus (v1.0.1.56) with the new firmware version, each recorder will generate a new PathFinder ID which will need to be registered as the new connection address used with mobile applications.
To use the updated PathFinder function and to re-establish a remote connection with a recorder, users will need to update the operating firmware of the recording unit and must also update the PathFinder ID in the DW Mobile Plus application by either manually entering the new PathFinder ID or by scanning the QR code in the system’s Network settings.
Digital Watchdog has acted as the industry leader in digital recorders, surveillance cameras, and surveillance management software for years. We will continue to remain fully committed to providing our customers with the means and methods for managing their surveillance systems with this P2P service update.
This document will outline how to configure the P2P connection using the DW Mobile Plus application at a VMAX IP Plus, a VMAX A1 Plus, and how to use the Web Viewer to obtain the PathFinder ID remotely.
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The PathFinder v1.0 utility in the VMAX IP Plus and VMAX A1 Plus models will be replaced as of January 17, 2022.
PathFinder v1.0 will remain available for use until January 2022. Past this point, the recorder must be updated to the latest firmware in order to utilize PathFinder v2.0 with your system and continue using the P2P service.
The PathFinder function offers a secure peer-to-peer (P2P) option to connect with a VMAX IP Plus or VMAX A1 Plus system on your iOS or Android mobile device. This can be done by either scanning a QR code or manually entering the PathFinder ID that is generated in the recorder’s Network settings menu. This allows users to connect with standalone NVR or DVR, view live or playback video, and search recorded footage from a mobile device while using most consumer network setups.
When connecting the DW Mobile Plus application to a VMAX IP Plus, users have an option to connect to the recording unit by using the P2P feature known as “PathFinder”.
The PathFinder service requires a strong Internet connection to work correctly. If the Internet connection is poor, being slow/bottlenecked in the LAN, or if you are using a VPN, you may encounter connection issues with the PathFinder function.
To set up a PathFinder connection at a VMAX IP Plus:
Right-click in the Live View area, then select “Menu”.
Next, click on “Network” and select the “Pathfinder” menu.
Enable the “Use Pathfinder” setting to activate the Pathfinder (P2P) service. The Status at the bottom of the window will indicate if a P2P connection with the recorder is available.
Next, you must reconfigure the site information in the DW Mobile Plus application to use the new PathFinder ID.
To set up a PathFinder connection at a VMAX A1 Plus:
Next, click on “Network” and select “Pathfinder”.
Enable the “Use Pathfinder” setting to activate the Pathfinder (P2P) service. The Status at the bottom of the window will indicate if a P2P connection with the recorder is available.
Next, you must reconfigure the site information in the DW Mobile Plus application to use the new Pathfinder ID.
Each standalone recording unit comes equipped with its own integrated web server. This function can be utilized to gain access to the PathFinder ID information through a computer instead of being physically at the recording unit.
**NOTE: To gain access to the PathFinder menu page through the unit's Web Viewer, Port 80 (web port) must be OPEN in order to access the NVR's web client. Otherwise, you will need to access the PathFinder menu at the recording unit itself to see its menus and obtain the PathFinder ID. DW does not provide port forwarding services. Please contact the ISP if a port forwarding for a direct connection is required.
To connect to a recorder with PathFinder through the Web Viewer:
URL Template – https://<IP Address>:<Web Port>
Example - https://192.168.1.80:82
The System Status menu will display. Next, click on the the “Network” tab, then select the “P2P” menu.
The P2P menu will display the recorder’s Pathfinder ID and QR Code.
Next, you must reconfigure the site information in the DW Mobile Plus application.
If you are creating a new site in the application, tap on the “Create a new site” tile and select “Site”.
Configure the following settings:
After configuring the site information, tap the “Save” button.
Select the recording site to begin viewing video with the updated PathFinder connection.
DW Technical Support:
Toll-free: 866.446.3595
digital-watchdog.com/contact-tech-support/
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Rev: 01/22 Copyright © DW. All rights reserved. Specifications and pricing subject to change without notice.