HowTos

EPIC Cyprus – How to Top Up

3 January 2024 in HowTos tagged cyprus / EPIC / Top up / TopUp by Tux

To top up your account:

Dial 202, the 14-digit code#, and press Send/Call.
Call for free to 2020, and follow the instructions.

To top up the account of another EPIC subscriber

Call 136 and follow the instructions.

How to Manually Set Your Starlink Dish to Stow Mode

26 October 2023 in HowTos tagged bypass / bypass mode / Satellite / Starlink / Stow / stow mode by Tux

Starlink has emerged as a beacon of hope for many remote and underserved regions in a world increasingly reliant on high-speed internet connectivity. However, there might be situations where you need to set your Starlink dish to stow mode, but you don’t have access to it via your phone due to connectivity issues or because you’ve enabled bypass mode. In such cases, you can manually stow your Starlink dish by following these simple steps.

Step 1: Power Off the Starlink Dish

The first step is to turn off the power to your Starlink dish. This can be done by unplugging it or switching it off using the provided power source.

Step 2: Remove the Base

Depending on your installation, your Starlink dish is securely attached to a base, which can be metallic or any other kind of base. You’ll need to detach the dish from this base. This is typically done by removing bolts, screws, or other fasteners holding the dish in place.

Step 3: Place the Dish Upside Down

After you’ve separated the dish from its base, place it upside down on a clean and flat surface. Ensure the surface is level to allow a smooth transition to stow mode.

Step 4: Power On the Starlink Dish

Now, power on the Starlink dish by reconnecting it to its power source. The dish will go through its initialization process, but when it detects that it’s in an unusual position (upside down), it will initiate the stow mode.

Step 5: Wait for the Dish to Stow

After a few seconds (usually less than a minute), the Starlink dish will automatically move to stow mode. During this process, it will adjust its position and fold into a more compact configuration, which is ideal for storage and transportation.

By following these steps, you can manually set your Starlink dish to stow mode even when you can’t access it through your phone due to connectivity issues or because you’ve enabled bypass mode. This is particularly helpful when storing your Starlink equipment safely or transporting it to a different location.

Remember that these steps are intended for emergencies or specific use cases. Ideally, you should use the Starlink app or web interface to manage your dish. However, manually setting your Starlink dish to stow mode can be a handy backup plan when technology doesn’t cooperate.

Automating Video Retrieval from HIKVision NVR using Python Scripts

20 October 2023 in HowTos tagged api / curl / hikvision / ISAPI / python by Tux

In today’s surveillance-driven world, managing and retrieving recorded videos from Network Video Recorders (NVRs) is crucial for security professionals. This blog post will introduce a set of Python scripts that automate the process of searching for and downloading recorded videos from a HIKVision NVR. The scripts enable users to specify a date range and camera track, making it easier to access and manage video footage efficiently.

The Python Scripts:

`generate.py`

#!/usr/bin/env python

# This scripts calls search.py to search in the HIKVision NVR for recorded videos and the uses download.py to download those videos.
# The script loops over the camera tracks and the last 120 days.

import sys
import os
import datetime

base = datetime.datetime.today().replace(hour=0, minute=0, second=0, microsecond=0);
numdays = 120;
dateList = [base - datetime.timedelta(days=x) for x in range(numdays)];

tracks = ["101", "201", "301", "401", "501", "601", "701", "801"];

for trackID in tracks:
  for dateItem in dateList:
    os.system("python search.py " + trackID + " " + dateItem.strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ') + " " + (dateItem + datetime.timedelta(days=1)).strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ'));

for trackID in tracks:
  for dateItem in dateList:
    os.system("python download.py " + trackID + " " + dateItem.strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ') + " " + (dateItem + datetime.timedelta(days=1)).strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ'));

This script acts as the orchestrator, controlling the entire process.
It generates a list of dates, spanning the last 120 days, and a list of camera tracks to search for video recordings.
It then iterates through each camera track and date, calling two other Python scripts: search.py and download.py.

`search.py`

#!/usr/bin/env python

# This script makes an API call to the HIKVision NVR with a Track ID and a datetime range and retrieves an XML list with all videos with their download links that were recorded on that camera during that time period.

import sys
import os

trackID = sys.argv[1];
startTime = sys.argv[2];
endTime = sys.argv[3];
xmlFilename = "results/" + trackID + "." + startTime + "." + endTime + ".xml";

os.system("curl 'http://username:[email protected]/ISAPI/ContentMgmt/search' --data-raw $'<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>\n<CMSearchDescription><searchID>CA77BA52-0780-0001-34B2-6120F2501D36</searchID><trackList><trackID>" + trackID + "</trackID></trackList><timeSpanList><timeSpan><startTime>" + startTime + "</startTime><endTime>" + endTime + "</endTime></timeSpan></timeSpanList><maxResults>100</maxResults><searchResultPostion>0</searchResultPostion><metadataList><metadataDescriptor>//recordType.meta.std-cgi.com</metadataDescriptor></metadataList></CMSearchDescription>' -o "+ xmlFilename);

This script is responsible for making an API call to the HIKVision NVR to search for recorded videos.
It takes three command-line arguments: track ID, start time, and end time.
It constructs a search request in XML format and uses curl to send the request to the NVR.
The search results are saved as an XML file for later processing.

`download.py`

#!/usr/bin/env python

# This script reads an XML file that was retrieved from the HIKVision NVR which containes videos with their download links. For each link, it appends the credentials for login and uses ffmpeg to download the video.

from xml.dom import minidom
import os
import sys

trackID = sys.argv[1];
startTime = sys.argv[2];
endTime = sys.argv[3];
xmlFilename = "results/" + trackID + "." + startTime + "." + endTime + ".xml";
dom = minidom.parse(xmlFilename)
elements = dom.getElementsByTagName('playbackURI')

i = 0
for element in elements:
    video = element.firstChild.data
    video = video.replace("rtsp://10.20.30.1", "rtsp://username:[email protected]")
    video = video.replace("\n", "")
    size = video.rsplit('=', 1)[1]
    os.system("ffmpeg -i '" + video + "' -max_muxing_queue_size " + size + "0 videos/" + trackID + "." + startTime + "." + endTime + "." + str(i+1) + ".mp4;")
    i += 1
exit

After the search has been performed and results stored in an XML file, this script is called to download the videos.
It reads the XML file and extracts the video playback URLs.
For each video, it appends the required credentials for login and uses ffmpeg to download the video.
Downloaded videos are saved with a filename indicating track ID, start time, end time, and a unique index.

Usage:

To use these scripts, you’ll need to modify the following parts:

Update the base variable in generate.py to set the desired starting date.
Adjust the tracks list in generate.py to specify the camera tracks you want to search.
Replace username, password, and the IP address in the curl command in search.py with your NVR’s credentials and address.
Ensure you have ffmpeg installed on your system for video downloading.

With these Python scripts, you can automate the process of searching for and downloading recorded videos from a HIKVision NVR. This can significantly simplify video retrieval tasks for security professionals, saving time and effort in managing surveillance footage. By customizing and expanding upon these scripts, you can further enhance your video management capabilities and streamline your security operations.

Upgrading Your HIKVision DVR Firmware using the API: A Step-by-Step Guide

18 October 2023 in HowTos tagged api / Firmware / hikvision / ISAPI / upgrade by Tux

Regularly updating the firmware of your HIKVision DVR (Digital Video Recorder) is crucial to ensure optimal performance and security. In this blog post, we will walk you through the process of upgrading your HIKVision DVR firmware using simple command-line tools like curl. We will also show you how to check the upgrade status to ensure a smooth and successful update.

Step 1: Preparing for the Upgrade

Before you begin, make sure you have the following information and files ready:

Your HIKVision DVR’s IP address (e.g., 10.20.30.1).
The username and password for accessing your DVR’s web interface.
The latest firmware file in DAV format (e.g., digicap.dav). Ensure you download this file from the official HIKVision website to guarantee its authenticity.

Step 2: Initiating the Firmware Upgrade

To start the firmware upgrade process, open your terminal or command prompt and use the curl command as follows:

curl -k --request PUT --data-binary "@digicap.dav" 'http://username:[email protected]/ISAPI/System/updateFirmware';

Explanation:

curl: This is a command-line tool for transferring data with URLs.
-k: This option tells curl to allow connections to SSL sites without certificates. It’s useful when connecting to devices with self-signed certificates.
--request PUT: This specifies the HTTP request method as PUT, which is used for updating the firmware.
--data-binary "@digicap.dav": Here, we provide the firmware file in DAV format as binary data.
'http://username:[email protected]/ISAPI/System/updateFirmware': Replace username and password with your DVR’s login credentials, and 10.20.30.1 with your DVR’s IP address. This URL is where the firmware update request is sent.

Step 3: Checking the Upgrade Status

To monitor the status of the firmware upgrade and ensure everything is proceeding as expected, use the following curl command:

curl -k 'http://username:[email protected]/ISAPI/System/upgradeStatus';