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

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:password@10.20.30.1/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:password@10.20.30.1/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:password@10.20.30.1/ISAPI/System/upgradeStatus';

Explanation:

• curl: As before, this is the command-line tool for making URL requests.
• -k: Again, this option allows connections to SSL sites without certificates.
• 'http://username:password@10.20.30.1/ISAPI/System/upgradeStatus': Replace the placeholders with your DVR’s login credentials and IP address. This URL is where you can check the upgrade status.

Conclusion: Updating your HIKVision DVR’s firmware is essential for keeping it secure and running smoothly. By following these simple steps and using the curl commands provided, you can ensure that your DVR is up to date with the latest firmware. Remember to download firmware updates only from trusted sources like the official HIKVision website to avoid any security risks.

Sample Outputs

$ curl  -k  --request PUT --data-binary "@digicap.dav" 'http://username:password@10.20.30.1/ISAPI/System/updateFirmware';
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<ResponseStatus version="1.0" xmlns="urn:psialliance-org">
<requestURL>/ISAPI/System/updateFirmware</requestURL>
<statusCode>7</statusCode>
<statusString>Reboot Required</statusString>
<subStatusCode>rebootRequired</subStatusCode>
</ResponseStatus>

# In another terminal as the above command blocks.
#Execute the status command.
$ curl  -k  'http://username:password@10.20.30.1/ISAPI/System/upgradeStatus';
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<upgradeStatus version="1.0" xmlns="http://www.hikvision.com/ver20/XMLSchema">
<upgrading>true</upgrading>
<percent>98</percent>
</upgradeStatus>

$ curl  -k  'http://username:password@10.20.30.1/ISAPI/System/upgradeStatus';
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<upgradeStatus version="1.0" xmlns="http://www.hikvision.com/ver20/XMLSchema">
<upgrading>false</upgrading>
<percent>0</percent>
</upgradeStatus>