Currently, the email or SMTP server feature is not widely used because notifications from the Hikvision DVR can be received directly in the Hik-Connect app. The Hikvision DVR email feature is used to send information from the camera to a designated email address. If the camera detects motion, the DVR will send a notification to the designated email address with details such as Event Type, Event Time, DVR Name, DVR SN, Camera Name, or Channels, along with several images from the camera.
For those of you who still want to try out the email feature on the Hikvision DVR, you can read this guide I’ve written all the way through.
As a Backup in Case the DVR Is Stolen, and as Evidence in Court
Personally, I believe that this email feature is still very important and worth using.
For example, let’s say a theft occurs at your business. The camera then sends a notification to the Hik-Connect app. However, if the DVR is also stolen, you will no longer be able to access the footage or photos as evidence. This is because, to view notifications in the Hik-Connect app, the DVR must be connected to the internet; but if the DVR is stolen, it will automatically lose its connection. You will lose the evidence of the theft.
If you use the email feature, a notification will also be sent to your email along with a photo. You can still access it even if the DVR has been stolen.
How I Enable and Use the Email (SMTP) Server Feature on a Hikvision DVR
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the steps to enable the email feature on a Hikvision DVR in a clear, step-by-step manner. So if you follow this guide, you’ll be able to do it successfully right away. I wrote this guide based on my own hands-on experience.
Here are the steps.
1. Make Sure the DVR Is Online
Check the status of your Hikvision DVR. Make sure the Hikvision DVR is online. To check this, open the Network settings. If the DVR is still offline, you cannot use the email feature. The first requirement for using the email feature is that both the DVR must be online.
Go to the DVR menu
Select Settings
Then select Network > Platform Access
An example of an online status on an DVR is shown in the image below.
2. Configuring Motion Detection
In order for the Hikvision DVR to send notifications via email, a trigger is required. Motion detection is the most commonly used trigger. So, I’ll enable motion detection on the DVR. I’ll also configure the Linkage Action to send notifications via email.
Select Event > Basic Event.
On the Motion tab, check the “Enable Motion Detection” box. Then, under “Linkage Action,” check the “Send Email” box. Also, check the box next to the camera. You can select one camera or select all of them.
Here’s an example of how to set it up.
Click the Save button to save the settings.
3. Email Settings for Receiving Messages from the DVR
Before accessing the email settings on the DVR, I will set up an email account that can be used to receive messages sent from the Hikvision DVR. In this guide, I’m using Google’s SMTP server, so I’m using Gmail for my email.
Open your email address.
On the Gmail dashboard, click your profile picture and select “Manage your Google Account”
Select Security & Login. Check to see if 2-Step Verification is enabled.
Then move the cursor to the search box, and when it’s in the search box, enter the “App Password”. Then select “App Passwords.”
Enter the app name—I created it using Hikvision DVR. Click the “Create” button.
A window will appear containing a string of letters that will serve as the password to be used when configuring the email settings on the Hikvision DVR. Copy the password and click the Finish button.
4. Understanding the Email Settings Section on the Hikvision DVR
Once everything is set up—the Hikvision DVR is online and you have the app password—follow these steps to enable and configure the email feature on the Hikvision DVR. Pay close attention so you can succeed right away;
Open the DVR settings > Network > Advanced Settings.
In these email settings, there are fields that you must fill out correctly. If even one of them is incorrect, the Hikvision DVR will not be able to send notifications to your email.
The email settings include:
The order of the email settings when you open them on your monitor screen.
- Server Authentication
- Username
- Password
- SMTP Server
- SMTP Port
- SSL/TLS
- Attached Picture
- Sender
- Sender’s Address
- Select Receivers
- Receiver
- Receiver’s Address
The order of the email settings when you open the DVR from a web browser.
- Sender
- Sender’s Address
- SMTP Server
- SMTP Port
- Enable SSL/TLS
- Attached Image
- Interval
- Authentication
- User Name
- Password
- Confirm
- Receiver Table
If you look at it directly, you can see the image below, which illustrates the difference in how the Hikvision DVR email or SMTP server settings appear on the monitor screen and in a web browser.
5. It’s Time to Set Up Email or SMTP Server on the Hikvision DVR
To configure email settings on the Hikvision DVR, I do so by accessing the DVR through a web browser. I find it easier to fill in the fields that way. When accessing the settings via a web browser, you can fill in the fields by typing on the keyboard. However, if you open the settings on the monitor screen, you have to type each character one by one using the mouse.
First, I fill in the “Sender” field. You can enter anything you like in this field; for example, I entered “CCTV Manuals” in this field. For “Sender’s Address,” I entered the email address getpasitive@gmail.com.
In the SMTP Server field, I entered Google’s Gmail SMTP server, which is smtp.gmail.com
Enter 465 in the SMTP Port field.
Check the “Enable SSL/TLS” box.
To ensure that notifications sent from the Hikvision DVR to your email also include an image, you can check the “Attached Image” box.
I set the Interval to 2 seconds.
Also check the box next to “Authentication.”
Now fill in the fields under “Authentication.” I entered the email address I used earlier—getpasitive@gmail.com—in the “Username” field. In the “Password” and “Confirm” fields, I entered the app password consisting of letters.
Finally, fill out the “Receiver” table. In this table, I will enter the recipient’s name and email address. For example, in the “Receiver” column, I’ll enter “CCTV Manuals Com,” and in the “Email” column, I’ll enter cctvmanuals@gmail.com.
Details of how I filled out the Hikvision DVR email settings fields:
- Sender: CCTV Manuals
- Sender’s Address: getpasitive@gmail.com
- SMTP Server: smtp.gmail.com
- SMTP Port: 465
- Enable SSL/TLS: Checked
- Attached Image: Checked
- Interval: 2 seconds
- Authentication: Checked
- User Name: getpasitive@gmail.com
- Password: ascityehvufbqiti
- Confirm: ascityehvufbqiti
- Receiver Table
- Receiver: CCTV Manuals Com
- Receiver’s Address: cctvmanuals@gmail.com
As shown in the screenshot, the form I filled out looks like this. I filled it out using a web browser.
After filling in the table with the receiver data, I clicked the Test button to check whether the data I had entered could connect properly. If the message “Test Successful” appears, the email settings have been successfully configured. Click OK, then click Save to save the settings.
Check the recipient’s email inbox; there should be an email like this.
Testing the Hikvision DVR Email Notification When I Walk Past the Camera
It’s time to see if the DVR can send notifications to email.
So I connected the camera to the Hikvision DVR I use. The camera model I’m using is a standard analog camera without a motion sensor. The motion detection is handled by the DVR itself, not by the camera. Once the camera appeared on the DVR screen, I tried walking in front of it.
As a result, a notification was sent to my email. You can see an example in the image below.
Final Thoughts
What do you think? This email feature is pretty interesting, isn’t it?
Now that users can receive notifications directly in the Hik-Connect app, the email feature on Hikvision DVR is rarely used anymore. Yet this feature is very useful as a backup—it provides images that can still be accessed even if the DVR is stolen. My advice is to create a dedicated Gmail account for receiving notifications from the DVR so it’s easier to manage, and you won’t receive any messages other than those sent from the DVR. For your information, the SMPT Server is available on Hikvision products such as NVR, DVR, and IP cameras.
I hope this guide I’ve written will be helpful and easy to follow. And for those of you who are unclear about anything I’ve explained, please feel free to ask questions in the comments section below.
