Adding Cameras to IC Secure Desktop

IC Secure (Desktop) supports up to 256 cameras per system. This article explains how to discover cameras, add cameras manually, import cameras in batches, configure camera settings, and verify camera connections.

Auto-Discovery

IC Secure can discover compatible cameras on the local network.

To add cameras using auto-discovery:

1. Go to Settings > Camera from the main toolbar.
2. Click Add Camera
3. Wait for IC Secure to scan the network.
4. Review the discovered device list and select the cameras you want to add.
5. Click Add.
6. Enter the camera username and password when prompted. If the selected cameras use the same credentials, select Apply to All.
7. Click OK.

The cameras appear in the camera tree and begin streaming after they are added successfully.

Note: Auto-discovery uses supported discovery protocols, such as ONVIF or UPnP. Cameras on different subnets may not appear in the scan. Use manual entry for cameras that are not discovered automatically.

Manual IP Entry

Use manual entry for cameras that are not discovered automatically, such as cameras on a different subnet or cameras behind a router.

To add a camera manually:

1. Go to Settings > Camera
2. Click Add Camera or the + button.
3. Enter the camera details.
   1. See below table for field descriptions
4. Click Add.

Field	Description
Name	A descriptive name for the camera, such as Front Door or Parking Lot North.
IP Address	The camera IP address on the network.
Port	The camera communication port.
Protocol	The connection protocol, such as ONVIF, RTSP, or a manufacturer-specific protocol.
Username / Password	The camera login credentials.

Camera Settings

After a camera is added, its settings can be reviewed from the Cameras page.

To open camera settings:

1. Click Settings in the top navigation bar.
2. Select Cameras from menu.
3. Select a camera from the device list.

The camera settings page displays the selected camera’s connection and configuration options. Available sections may include Basic, Video, Image, Motion detection, and Multicast.

Section	What You Configure
Basic	Camera name, IP address, port, brand, protocol, username, password, and MAC address.
Video	Video stream settings for the selected camera.
Image	Camera image settings.
Motion detection	Motion detection settings for the selected camera.
Multicast	Multicast configuration when supported.

A live preview appears on the right side of the page when the selected camera is connected.

Stream Configuration

Stream settings are configured from the Video section of the camera settings page.

To open stream settings:

1. Click Settings in the top navigation bar.
2. Select Cameras.
3. Select the camera you want to configure.
4. Open the Video section.

The Video section displays video quality settings for each available stream.

Setting	Description
Type	The video codec used by the stream, such as H.264.
Frame Size	The stream resolution.
Maximum Frame Rate	The maximum frames per second used by the stream.
Intra Frame Period	The interval between intra frames/keyframes.
Video Quality	The bitrate mode, such as constant bitrate.
Target Bit Rate	The target bitrate used by the stream.
Policy	The stream quality policy, such as image quality priority.
Smart Stream II	Includes options such as Dynamic Intra Frame Period and Smart Codec when supported.

IC Secure may show separate settings for Stream 1 and Stream 2. Stream 1 is typically used for higher-quality viewing or recording, while Stream 2 is typically used for lower-bandwidth viewing or multi-camera layouts.

After changing stream settings, click Apply to save the changes.

Verifying Camera Connections

After cameras are added, verify that they appear correctly in the device list and live view.

In the camera tree, connected cameras show a red status indicator next to the camera icon. Offline or unavailable cameras use a different status icon to indicate they are not currently connected.

To confirm a camera is working:

1. Open Live View.
2. Drag the camera into the live view grid, or double-click the camera from the device list.
3. Confirm the live video stream loads.
4. If the camera does not load, return to Settings > Cameras and confirm the IP address, port, protocol, username, and password.
5. If the camera still does not connect, confirm the camera is powered on and reachable on the network.