Table of Contents

Amcrest NVR Troubleshooting

Basic Setup & Adding Cameras (NVR) Amcrest NVR Troubleshooting

There are 2 types of NVR:

PoE (Power over Ethernet)
Non-PoE (this model has no Ethernet ports on the back panel)

Note: If needed, a PoE camera can be setup on a Non-PoE NVR. Please note, since the Non-PoE NVR will not have PoE ports available, the PoE camera will have to be set up on the same network segment as the NVR using a PoE switch or injector. For more information on how to set up a PoE camera, click here.

Power over Ethernet models is used when cameras, that also have the PoE specification, need to be powered by being directly plugged into the NVR’s PoE ports and do not require a separate power adapter to work.

A non-PoE model has no ports for cameras to connect to on the back panel but can add cameras with the built-in scan function that finds cameras connected to the same network. A PoE model can also use this scan feature, but additionally has PoE ports to power its cameras. The scan feature allows for compatible IP cameras to be added from the network whether they are PoE or WiFi.

For the purposes of this guide, the setup procedure will be divided between both the PoE and non-PoE NVR types. Each of these sections will have both a hardware setup and software setup portion.

For more information about what is included with your NVR, click here

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PoE NVR

Hardware Setup

Connect an Ethernet cable from your router to the back of your NVR. It will go into the Ethernet port in between the HDMI port and the PoE ports. Make sure the NVR is powered on.
Connect an Ethernet cable from one of the PoE ports on your NVR to your camera. This will confirm that it is powered on.
Connect a VGA or HDMI cable from the back panel of your NVR to a monitor or TV. Make sure that the monitor or TV is set to the correct input (e.g. VGA, HDMI 1, HDMI 2, etc.)
Connect the included mouse to a USB port on the front or back of your NVR.

Note: The network LEDs will start to blink on the back of the NVR when you properly connect the Ethernet cable from there to the router. Any PoE ports on the NVR do not have these LEDs. The same applies to the network LEDs that will begin to blink on the back of most cameras once they’re connected to an NVR’s PoE port.

Software Setup

1. Please make sure NVR is turned on and then log into your NVR with your NVR’s login credentials.

2. Access the NVR’s main menu and go to, Camera in the Management section. In this menu click on the device Search option to search for your device on the network.

3. Click the Device Search button, and you can view the searched IP addresses at the top pane of the interface. Double click an IP address or check one IP address and then click the Add button to add the current device to the bottom pane of the interface. The system supports batch adding.

4. Click the Manual Add button to add a device directly. Here you can set TCP/UPD/auto connection mode. The default setup is TCP.

Note: The manual add function is for Foscam, Dahua, Panasonic, Sony, Dynacolor, Samsung, AXIS, Arecont, ONVIF, and Custom. When the type is custom, you can input the URL address, user name, and password to connect to the network camera without selecting the network camera manufacturer. Please contact your network camera manufacturer for the URL address.

Non-PoE NVR

Hardware Setup

Connect an Ethernet cable from your router to the back of your NVR. It will go into the Ethernet port in between the HDMI port and the PoE ports. Make sure the NVR is powered on.
Connect a camera to your switch or another router port on the same network as the NVR and make sure it is powered on. The camera must be on the same network for the NVR to connect to it.
Connect a VGA or HDMI cable from the back panel of your NVR to a monitor or TV. Make sure that the monitor or TV is set to the correct input (e.g. VGA, HDMI 1, HDMI 2, etc.)
Connect the included mouse to a USB port on the front or back of your NVR.

Software Setup

1. Please make sure NVR is turned on and then log into your NVR with your NVR’s login credentials.

2. Access the NVR’s main menu and go to, Setting->Camera. In this menu click on the Device Search option to search for your device on the network.

4. Click the Manual Add button to add a device directly. Here you can set TCP/UPD/auto connection mode. The default setup is TCP.

How to Download a Recording from an NVR or DVR

The device will need a hard drive installed to view recorded events. The recordings can be downloaded using the Amcrest View Pro app if you would like to download the recording to a mobile device, the Amcrest Surveillance Pro software, or using a web browser like Internet Explorer.

Please note, some web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, etc. may not be applicable in this process as it requires the use of a plugin if accessing from a browser.

Download a Recording Using Amcrest View Pro

For more information on how to download events using the Amcrest View Pro app, please refer to the information provided below.

Step 1: Open the Amcerst View Pro app and access your camera.

Step 2: Tap on the main menu icon ( ).

Step 3: Tap on Playback.

Step 4: Tap on the ( + ) icon.

Step 5: Select a channel that you would like to view and allow the recordings to load in the interface. Tap on the record type option to select a record type (All, Regular, Alarm, Motion, Smart) and tap Start Playback.

Note: Scroll through the playback timeline to select a specific time or event if needed.

Step 6: While the event is playing, use the manual record icon ( ) or the manual photo (snapshot) icon ( ) to retain the event to your app. If you are manually recording an event, tap the manual record icon again to stop the recording.

Note: All manually retained events will be saved into the My Saved Files folder located in the main menu of the app.

Step 6: Tap on the main menu icon ( ) again and tap on My Saved Files.

Step 8: Tap and hold the selected file located in the folder that you want to download.

Note: All manually recorded video events will be stored in the video folder (). If you took a manual snapshot, click on the snapshot icon ( ) to access the snapshot menu. If you would like to select all recordings, tap on the select all icon ( ).

Step 9: Tap on the download icon ( ) to download the file to your mobile device.

All any permissions requested to download the file. The file will then begin downloading to the photo/ gallery on your mobile device.

Download a Recording Using the Amcrest Surveillance Pro

Recordings in the playback menu can be downloaded (exported) using the Amcrest Surveillance Pro software. To download the free software click here.

For more information on how to add a device into Amcrest Surveillance Pro click here

Step 1: Open the Amcrest Surveillance Pro software and click on Playback.

Step 2: Select your device from the device menu and click on the Time option to display the calendar

Note: If a recording is present the date will have a blue dot. Enter the start and end times of the recording and click Search.

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The Event menu will display all events located on the microSD card for your selected device from the date range entered.

Step 4: Choose a recording from the records menu. Please note, if you do not want to trim the recording, click on the export icon to begin downloading.

Trimming a Recording

If you would like to trim the recording before downloading it, click on the scissor icon ( ). You will notice a start and end duration displayed for the selected recording on the time bar. The first red bar will be the start time and the second red bar will be the end time of the event. Use your mouse to drag the red bars and modify them to a specified start and end time.

Click on the scissor icon again to begin exporting the file.

Step 5: Click on Browse to choose a destination folder for your recording, then click on the Export Format dropdown menu and select MP4. Click OK.

Note: Since the default format is ASF it is highly recommended to choose either AVI or MP4 to view your recording.

The recording will begin to download.

Once the recording has finished downloading, click on the Downloaded tab. In the Downloaded tab, click on the Folder icon to access the recording.

The recording can be played on the default media player of your computer.

Download a Recording Using a Web Browser

The Playback or Search menu allows you to view recorded data retained in the system. This includes recording types such as regular, motion detection, (MD), Alarm, etc.

Step 1: Open Internet Explorer, and access the web user interface (web UI) for your device. For more information on how to access the web UI, click here.

Step 2: Click on Playback or Search.

Step 3: In this menu, you will notice a calendar, if events are available for this day a small dot will be visible underneath the day. Select the date from the calendar and click on the File List option.

Step 4: Select a recording from the file list. Note the start and end times of the recording and click on the scissor icon.

Step 5: Enter the start and end time of the recording into the video clip (scissor icon) interface and click the Save icon.

Choose a path that you would like the recording to download to and click OK. The recording will download to your computer using the specified path.

How to Filter AI Recordings in the Playback Menu (AI NVR)

Standalone AI cameras may not be able to differentiate between AI record types. To filter and display these recordings it is highly recommended to use an Amcrest AI NVR that supports this function.

Amcrest AI NVRs utilize four record types in the playback menu, “Regular” (green) which supports 24/7 continuous recordings, “Alarm” (red) which displays external alarm events (if applicable), “Motion” (yellow) which displays motion detection events, and IVS (blue) which displays AI events detected by the system. Please note, if you are using face detection, the IVS record type maybe indicated in the playback menu with a “F” next to the IVS record event.

Note: To view AI recordings it is highly recommended to use the Smart Search option located in the AI menu. For more information on using the smart search menu, click here.

To filter between different recording types in the playback menu, use the record type selection banner at the bottom of the interface.

The device will be set to display all recording types in the file list. To display only AI recordings in the file list, deselect the All checkbox and enable the IVS checkbox only. Click on the File List icon to display the record types.

For more information on how to download the recordings, click here.

How to Use the Smart Search Menu (AI NVR)

The Smart Search menu allows the user to view and access AI events from a centralized location. For more information, please refer to the information provided below.

Viewing Face Detection Events

All face detection data retained by the system can be accessed via the Face Detection option located in the Smart Search menu. Enter a start and end date and time for the event and list any attributes of the event such as Gender, Age, Expressions, etc. that you would like to view in the Smart Search interface and click Search.

A display of all face detection data will be displayed along with facial attributes. Click on the event you would like to view, and a clip of the event will be displayed in the built-in player. Click on the play icon to view the event.

Viewing Face Recognition Events
All face recognition data retained by the system can be accessed via the Face Recognition option located in the Smart Search menu. A search by attributes or a search by picture can be performed. Searching by attributes will load all face recognition data found in the system whereas searching by a picture will filter and display only the faces chosen by the user.
To search by attributes, enter a start and end time of the event in the interface and then click Search.

The interface will display all face recognition data. To view the event, click on the event you would like to view then click the play button in the interface.
To view specific face recognition data by image, click on the Search by Picture tab located in the Face Recognition interface.
If searchable images are already uploaded into a face library click on Face Library and select an image from the interface, then click OK to begin a search. If you would like to add images locally click Local Upload and follow the on-screen prompts to upload images. A USB flash drive with applicable images (in jpeg format) can be used to upload images to the DVR if using the local interface. Once an image has been loaded, enter a start and end time of the event, and click Search.

Viewing IVS Events
Any IVS data retained on the system can be viewed using the IVS Smart Search interface or via the playback menu if an IVS schedule is set in the system.
To view IVS data using the IVS smart search interface, click on the IVS option located in the Smart Search menu. Enter a start and end time of the event and click Search.

A layout of all IVS events captured by the device will be displayed. To view the event, select the event from the interface and click the play button.

How to Access an Amcrest NVR in a Web Browser Using Internet Explorer Mode on Microsoft Edge

Internet Explorer Mode (IE Mode) is a functionality built inside the Microsoft Edge browser that will allow your device to function inside a traditional IE infrastructure. IE Mode is available in both Windows 10 and Windows 11 OS and is useful for devices or features that do not currently support javascript in other web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, etc. For more information on how to view your device using IE mode inside Edge, please refer to the information provided below.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Edge and enter edge://settings/defaultbrowser into the browser

Step 2: In the Default Browser menu, click on the “Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode” dropdown menu and select Allow then click Restart to restart the browser.

Step 3: Locate the IP address for your camera (Amcrest IP Config tool, etc). Once you have the IP address for your camera, navigate back to the Default Browser settings menu and in the Internet Explorer mode pages section, click Add.

Step 4: Enter the IP address for your device into the Add a page prompt and click Add. The IP address you entered will be displayed in the Internet Explorer mode pages section.

Step 5: Exit out of Edge and open the browser. Enter the IP address you entered into the browser to load the device’s interface. You can now access the web user interface for your device using internet explorer mode, if any plugins are required please allow all plugins to view and access all camera functions.

How to Export and View Recordings From a NVR/DVR

This quick article will show you how to export and view any recorded events or videos located on your device. This process will require the use of a USB flash drive. We recommend a flash drive with a minimum of 8GB to efficiently complete the process. For more information on how to export and view recordings, please refer to the information provided below.

Step 1: Log into the local GUI of your device.

Step 2: Click Playback.

Step 3: Insert a flash drive into a USB port on your device.

Right click on the interface to exit the prompt.

Step 4: Click on the File List icon.

Step 5: Select which recording you would like to export from the file list and click the Save icon.

Step 6: Ensure the correct files are selected and click Backup.

Step 7: Select or create a folder in which the recording will be exported and click Start.

Step 8: Allow the recording or recordings to export and click Save.

Step 9: Remove the flash drive from the device and insert it into your computer to locate the .dav file. If you are having trouble playing back the .dav you can use the Amcrest Smart Player to play the file or you can use a third party video converting software to convert the file to a proper format.

Exporting a Recording Using a Web Browser.

If you would like to export a recording in a web browser, access the web user interface (web UI) of the device using Internet Explorer or IE mode in Microsoft Edge. This process requires the use of a plugin in the web browser so a compatible browser is required for this process.

Step 1: Open the web UI and log into the interface using the username and password for your device. Allow all permissions to access the interface. Click on Playback.

Step 2: Click on the File List icon.

Step 3: Select the recording from the file list and notate the start and end times. Click on the trim icon.

Step 4: Enter the start and end time into the interface and click the Save icon.

Step 5: Choose a destination for the recording and allow the recording to be exported to the file destination.