Network & Camera Setup Guide

This guide walks you through the complete process of setting up your Arvist station at a trade show, conference, or new deployment — from physically connecting the hardware to getting all cameras live and named. Follow the steps in order and you'll be up and running quickly, even if this is your first time.

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What You'll Need

• Arvist Laptop (the server running all Arvist services)
• Network Switch (unmanaged or managed, PoE recommended for IP cameras)
• IP Cameras (e.g. Hanwha, Hikvision, Dahua, or other RTSP-capable cameras)
• Ethernet cable connecting the laptop to the switch
• Power over Ethernet (PoE) cables or injectors for each camera
• WiFi access for the laptop (optional, but required for remote access from other devices)

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Phase 1 — Physical Setup

Step 1: Connect the Arvist Laptop to the Switch

Plug an ethernet cable from the laptop's ethernet port directly into the switch. This is the dedicated camera network.

Note: You are creating a separate subnet for cameras on the ethernet interface. The laptop's WiFi remains connected to your regular network/internet.

tip

The ethernet port on most laptops is labeled enp3s0 or similar. You'll select this in the software later.

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Step 2: Connect the Laptop to WiFi

Connect the Arvist laptop to your venue WiFi (or mobile hotspot). This allows you and your team to access the Arvist dashboard from other devices like a Chromebook or phone on the same network.

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Phase 2 — Start the Arvist System

Step 3: Run the Start Script

On the laptop's desktop, double-click the Start Arvist script (or launch it from the terminal if instructed). This will:

• Start all Docker containers (NVR, API, frontend, etc.)
• Display the IP address assigned to the WiFi interface (wlan0 or wlo1)

Example output:
  ✓ All services started
  Access Arvist at: http://192.168.1.42

Write down or remember this IP address — you'll use it to access the dashboard from any device on the same WiFi.

Stopping Arvist

When you're done, use the Stop Arvist desktop icon to cleanly shut down all services.

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Phase 3 — Access the Admin Dashboard

Step 4: Open the Admin Dashboard

On the Arvist laptop (or any device connected to the same WiFi), open a web browser and navigate to:

http://<YOUR_IP_ADDRESS>/admin

For example: http://192.168.1.42/admin

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Step 5: Log In

Enter your admin credentials (username and password) and click Sign in.

If you don't have credentials yet, contact your Arvist administrator to get your account set up.

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Phase 4 — Configure the Network Interface

This step sets up the ethernet interface so it can assign IP addresses to the cameras.

Step 6: Navigate to Networks

In the left sidebar, click on Operations, then click Networks.

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Step 7: Load Network Interfaces

On the Networks page, click the Load Interfaces button in the top-right corner.

After a moment, a list of your network interfaces will appear. You're looking for the ethernet interface — typically named something like enp3s0, eth0, or enp4s0.

The WiFi interface (usually wlan0 or wlo1) is for internet access — don't configure that one here.

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Step 8: Select the Ethernet Interface

Click on the button for your ethernet interface (e.g. enp3s0). It will highlight in blue when selected.

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Step 9: Release the Interface (if it has an existing IP)

If the selected interface already shows an IP address next to its name, you need to release it first before auto-configuring a fresh one.

Click the orange Release Interface button.

This removes any existing static IP and hands the interface back to NetworkManager. Wait a few seconds for the release to complete.

After releasing, the IP address next to enp3s0 will disappear and the Release Interface button will hide — the interface is now ready to be auto-configured.

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Step 10: Auto-Configure the Interface

Click the blue Auto-Configure enp3s0 button (the button shows your actual interface name).

Arvist will automatically:

• Assign a static IP to the ethernet interface (e.g. 192.168.10.1)
• Set up a DHCP server on that interface so cameras plugged into the switch get IP addresses automatically

You'll see a success message and the interface will now show its new IP address.

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Phase 5 — Connect the Cameras

Step 11: Plug In Your Cameras

Now that the switch has a DHCP server running, connect each IP camera to the switch using ethernet cables (or PoE injectors if needed).

Power on the cameras and wait 2–5 minutes for them to boot up and get assigned an IP address from the DHCP server.

tip

You don't need to configure the cameras' network settings manually. The auto-configured DHCP server will assign IPs automatically.

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Phase 6 — Discover Cameras on the Network

Step 12: Navigate to Cameras

In the left sidebar, click on Monitoring, then click Cameras.

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Step 13: Open the Device Discovery Tab

At the top of the Cameras page, you'll see three tabs:

Tab	Purpose
Cameras	View camera health, configure and manage cameras
Device Discovery	Scan the network to find connected cameras
Frigate Config	Directly edit the NVR config (advanced)

Click the Device Discovery tab.

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Step 14: Load Interfaces in Device Discovery

Click the Load Interfaces button. The interface dropdown will appear with your available network interfaces.

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Step 15: Select the Configured Ethernet Interface

From the dropdown, select the same ethernet interface you configured earlier (e.g. enp3s0 (192.168.10.1)). The IP address shown next to the name confirms it's the right one.

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Step 16: Scan the Network

Click the Scan Network button.

The scan will take approximately 30–90 seconds to complete. While scanning, the button shows "Scanning… (this may take a minute)". Once done, a table of discovered devices appears.

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Step 17: Filter by Vendor (Optional but Recommended)

If you have many devices on the network, use the Vendor filter dropdown to quickly find your cameras by manufacturer name.

For example, if you're using Hanwha cameras:

1. Click the Vendor dropdown button
2. Check Hanwha (or your camera brand)
3. The table instantly filters to show only those devices

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Phase 7 — Add Cameras to Camera Config

Step 18: Add Cameras

You have two options:

Option A — Add All at Once (Recommended for bulk setup)

Click the blue Add All to Camera Config button. All visible/filtered devices will be moved to the Camera Config tab in one click.

Option B — Add Individually

For each camera you want to add, click the Add to Camera Config icon (the small + icon on the right side of its row).

Once added, the camera disappears from the Device Discovery list and appears in the Cameras tab with an auto-generated name like Cam_E43022c6ad60.

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Step 19: Switch to the Cameras Tab

Click the Cameras tab at the top. You'll see camera cards for each camera you added, showing:

• Auto-generated name (e.g. Cam E43022c6ad60)
• IP address
• Vendor / manufacturer name
• Status badge (will be offline until RTSP is configured)

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Phase 8 — Configure Each Camera

Repeat the following steps for each camera card in the Cameras tab.

Use the Arvist Laptop for This Phase

Camera web UIs are only reachable from devices connected directly to the switch, because the cameras are on the switch network — not on WiFi.

Use the Arvist laptop to open camera web UIs. The laptop is connected to the switch via ethernet, so it can reach all camera IPs directly.

If you are using a Chromebook instead, you must connect it to the switch using an ethernet cable (via a USB-C to ethernet adapter if needed). Without a wired connection to the switch, the Chromebook will not be able to reach the camera IP addresses and the web UI will not load.

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Step 20: Open the Camera's Web Interface

On a camera card, click the Globe icon (🌐). This opens the camera's own built-in web interface in a new browser tab.

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Step 21: Set Up Camera Credentials

In the camera's web UI:

• If it's a brand new camera: Create new login credentials (change the default admin password to a secure one)
• Configure any camera-specific settings relevant to the deployment:
  • Stream settings (resolution, FPS, encoding — refer to Recommended Camera Settings)
  • Image settings (orientation, brightness, etc.)
  • Physical placement (tilt, pan, zoom if PTZ)

When done, close that tab or navigate back to the Arvist admin dashboard tab.

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Step 22: Open the Configure Dialog

Back on the Cameras page in Arvist, find the same camera card and click the Configure icon (the sliders icon — next to the Globe icon).

This opens the Configure Camera dialog.

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Step 23: Enter Camera Credentials

In the Configure Camera dialog:

1. Enter the Username (e.g. admin)
2. Enter the Password (the password you just set or the existing one)

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Step 24: Auto-Generate RTSP URLs

Click the Auto Generate RTSP button (magic wand icon ✨).

Arvist will connect to the camera using the credentials you entered and automatically fill in:

• Main Stream URL — the full RTSP URL for the high-resolution recording stream
• Sub Stream URL — the RTSP URL for the lower-resolution detection stream

Hanwha Cameras

For Hanwha cameras, only the Main Stream auto-fills. The sub stream field will remain empty — this is expected behavior for Hanwha.

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Step 25: Get the Latest Frame (Recommended)

Click the Get Latest Frame button (camera icon 📷).

Arvist will pull a single frame from the camera stream and display it as a preview directly in the dialog. This lets you:

• Verify the camera is online and streaming
• Confirm the camera's physical placement (what it's actually pointing at)
• Choose a meaningful name for the camera based on what you see

Skip if you already know the placement

If you installed the cameras yourself and know exactly where each one is pointed, you can skip "Get Latest Frame" and name the camera directly. But for multi-person setups or when cameras were installed by others, this step helps avoid mix-ups.

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Step 26: Name the Camera

In the Camera Name field, type a clear, descriptive name based on where the camera is placed:

Example Names
Dock_Door_1
Entrance_North
Conveyor_Line_3
Shipping_Dock_East
Warehouse_Aisle_2

Camera names use underscores instead of spaces automatically. Keep names short and location-specific.

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Step 27: Save Camera Configuration

Review the form:

• Camera Name — descriptive location name ✅
• Main Stream URL — auto-filled ✅
• Sub Stream URL — auto-filled (or empty for Hanwha) ✅
• Height — defaults to 720 ✅
• Width — defaults to 1280 ✅

Click Save Configuration.

The dialog closes and the camera card updates with the name and configuration you entered.

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Repeat for All Cameras

Go through Steps 20–27 for each camera card in the Cameras tab. You can configure all cameras before saving to keep things efficient.

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Phase 9 — Save All Changes

Step 28: Click "Save Changes"

Once all cameras are configured, click the Save Changes button in the top-right corner of the Cameras page.

This triggers the following:

1. All camera configurations are written to the NVR config file (config.yaml)
2. The NVR (Frigate) restarts to apply the new configuration
3. A progress overlay shows the current step

⏳ This process takes 30–90 seconds. The page will show a saving overlay with status updates. Wait for it to complete before navigating away.

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Phase 10 — Verify Camera Health

Step 29: Review Camera Health

After the save completes, scroll down on the Cameras tab to see the Camera Health section.

Each camera card now shows live status information:

Field	Description
Camera Name	The name you gave it
IP Address	Camera's IP on the switch network
Vendor	Camera manufacturer
FPS	Live frames per second
FFmpeg PID	Process ID — confirms the stream is active
Status Badge	🟢 Online or 🔴 Offline

Camera shows Offline?

• Give it 1–2 minutes — it may still be starting up after the NVR restart
• Check that the RTSP credentials are correct
• Verify the camera is powered on and the ethernet cable is plugged in
• Click Configure again and retry Auto Generate RTSP

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Editing the Frigate Config Directly (Advanced)

For users with technical knowledge, the Frigate Config tab provides a raw YAML editor for the NVR's config.yaml file. You can:

• View all cameras currently in the config
• Edit stream URLs, detection settings, and more
• Save and restart Frigate directly from this page

warning

Direct YAML editing can break your NVR configuration if done incorrectly. Stick to the Cameras tab unless you know what you're doing.

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Deleting a Camera

To remove a camera from the configuration:

1. Find the camera card in the Cameras tab (Camera Health section)
2. Click the Delete icon (🗑️ trash can) on the card
3. The card shows a red "Marked for deletion" badge — the camera is not deleted yet
4. If you changed your mind, click the Undo icon (↩️) to cancel the deletion
5. When ready, click Save Changes to permanently remove it from the NVR config

caution

Deletions only apply after clicking Save Changes. If you accidentally mark a camera for deletion, click Undo before saving.

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Quick Reference

What you want to do	Where to go
Configure the ethernet network	Operations → Networks
Scan for cameras on the network	Monitoring → Cameras → Device Discovery tab
View/configure camera RTSP streams	Monitoring → Cameras → Cameras tab
Directly edit the NVR config YAML	Monitoring → Cameras → Frigate Config tab
Add a camera manually	Monitoring → Cameras → Add New Camera button
Save all camera changes	Monitoring → Cameras → Save Changes (top right)

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Full Setup Checklist

Use this checklist at every new deployment or trade show setup:

• Ethernet cable from Arvist laptop → switch
• Laptop connected to WiFi
• Start script run from desktop — IP address noted
• Logged into admin dashboard at http://<IP>/admin
• Networks page → Interfaces loaded
• Ethernet interface (e.g. enp3s0) selected and auto-configured
• All cameras plugged into the switch and powered on
• Waited 2–5 minutes for cameras to get IP addresses
• Device Discovery tab → interface selected → Scan Network run
• Cameras filtered by vendor if needed
• All cameras added to Camera Config (individually or all at once)
• Each camera opened in web UI — credentials set up, stream settings configured
• Each camera configured in Arvist — RTSP auto-generated, frame verified, camera named
• Save Changes clicked and NVR restart completed
• All cameras showing as Online in Camera Health