🔧 I. Preparations Before Upgrading (Determining Success or Failure)
Before starting, three prerequisites need to be confirmed, as they directly relate to the safety and success of the upgrade:
Obtain the Corresponding Upgrade Package: Go to the official technical support website of the camera brand. Based on your device's specific model, obtain the corresponding basic software upgrade package and algorithm upgrade package (if available) from the "Software" download page.
Never use the wrong package, otherwise the device will likely become unusable.
Choose the Appropriate Time: During the upgrade process, the camera will completely stop monitoring for approximately 5 minutes, so it must be performed during a window of opportunity when the factory is shut down for maintenance and no one is operating.
Prepare a Stable Environment: The computer used for the upgrade must maintain a stable network connection with the camera. Most importantly, never disconnect the power or network cable during the upgrade.
⚙️ II. Most Common Method: Single-device Web Page Upgrade
If you only have one or two devices to process, logging into the camera's backend using a computer browser is the safest method.
Upgrade steps for "Basic Software":
Log in to the backend: Enter the camera's IP address in your computer's browser to log in to its web management interface.
Find the entry point: Locate "Maintenance > Device Upgrade" in the menu (in some older versions, it might be under "Configuration > System > System Maintenance > Upgrade").
Upload files: Click "Browse" and select the previously downloaded basic software upgrade package.
Start upgrade: Click the "Upgrade" button. The system will automatically upload the file and begin restarting.
Wait patiently: The page will display the upload progress. The entire process takes approximately a few minutes. If the page automatically refreshes and returns to the login page within 15 minutes, the upgrade is basically successful. Note: Do not refresh or close this page during the upgrade process.
After upgrading the basic package, remember to upgrade the algorithm package as well: After the basic upgrade is complete, return to the same "Device Upgrade" interface. You may need to manually install the algorithm upgrade package again. The operation method is the same as above: browse and select the algorithm package file to upgrade.
🚀 III. Factory Operations and Maintenance Assistant: Batch Tool Upgrades
If you are a workshop manager with dozens or even hundreds of cameras that need upgrading, upgrading them one by one using a browser is too slow. A professional configuration tool can help you handle it all at once.
Open the Tool: Open the iClient SDC professional configuration tool and go to the "Upgrade and Maintenance" section.
Select Devices: In the device list, select all the cameras that need upgrading (maximum 500 devices at a time).
Select Operation: Click "Upgrade and Rollback" in the top menu bar.
Select Package and Execute: In the pop-up dialog box, browse and select the corresponding upgrade package file, then click "Confirm." The tool will automatically perform the upgrade for all selected devices one by one.
Verify Results: After the upgrade task is completed, carefully check the "Operation" column in the list. If it shows that the upgrade failed, you need to check whether the network or model of that device is special.
👇 Post-Upgrade Cleanup and Troubleshooting Guide
Clear Browser Cache: If you can't log in to the admin panel after the upgrade, clear your browser's cache and try again.
Verify Version Number: Log back into the admin panel and check the software version number in the upgrade interface or system information to ensure it's up-to-date.
Configuration Verification: If you backed up your configuration parameters before the upgrade, you can import and restore them after the upgrade to avoid reconfiguration.
