What is the Web GUI?
The Web Interface (also known as the Web GUI) allows you to set up and control your camera. It provides a live preview and enables you to adjust PTZ functions (pan, tilt, zoom), zoom speed, focus, presets, and various configuration settings (audio, video, network, system).
Live Preview Requirement
The live preview in the Web GUI only works if the main stream is set to “H.264”.
How to Open the Camera’s Web GUI
Connect your laptop to the camera using a network cable and enter the camera’s IP address into your web browser (as shown in the image above). The default IP address for CM4x and CM7x models is 192.168.5.163. If you don’t know the current IP address of your camera, please refer to “How do I know the IP address assigned to my camera?”.
When prompted, enter the username and password. The default credentials are admin / admin. Then, click LOGIN:
Important: Matching the IP Range
Your laptop’s IP address must be in the same subnet as the camera. In other words, both devices must be on the same network (and not on different ones) to communicate properly.
Scenario 1: DHCP Network
In a network with a DHCP server, both the camera and your laptop will receive an IP address automatically. In this case, you must first enable DHCP on the camera (in the Web GUI: NETWORK > Ethernet, or from the OSD Menu > Network settings). This will assign the camera an available IP address within the network, allowing it to communicate with other devices. Ensure that your laptop is also set to DHCP or assigned a manual IP address in the same range.
For more details on configuring your PC’s network, see “How do I set up my PC’s network?”.
Scenario 2: No DHCP (Direct Connection or Simple Switch)
If your laptop and the camera are connected to a network or switch without DHCP, or are directly connected via a single network cable, the camera will use the default IP address 192.168.5.163. In this case, your laptop must be assigned a static IP address in the same range, such as 192.168.5.150 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.
Open your laptop’s network settings and manually configure an available IP address within the same subnet (192.168.5.x).
Video Tutorial: Setting a Fixed IP on Your Laptop
The video below explains how to set a fixed IP address on a laptop (French and Spanish versions are also available):
Summary
By ensuring your camera and laptop are in the same network range, you can access the camera’s Web GUI using its IP address (default 192.168.5.163, login admin/admin). From there, you can view the live preview (make sure H.264 is selected), adjust PTZ settings, manage presets, and configure audio, video, network, and system settings.
If you cannot access the camera, check your network cable, network settings, firewall settings, and verify that the main stream is set to H.264. If you have changed the camera’s IP address and no longer remember it, refer to “How do I know the IP address assigned to my camera?”.