DMSS: log in, add your recorder and watch Dahua cameras on a PC

DMSS is Dahua's free app for watching live video, playing back recordings, getting alarm messages and sharing devices on a phone. Install it from Google Play on Android or the App Store on iPhone, and only from there. On both stores the publisher is listed as Hangzhou Dong Bin Information Technology Co., Ltd., not Dahua, so do not expect to see Dahua's name. Dahua's Google Play listing says it supports Android 5.0 or above, and the App Store listing says iOS 13.0 or later. The App Store also lists optional cloud storage plans as in-app purchases.

DMSS replaced Dahua's older iDMSS and gDMSS apps. Dahua's wiki has a page on moving your device list from them to DMSS.

There is no Windows version. If you want to watch on a PC, skip to the Dahua software for your PC further down this page. For other brands, and for how phone apps find a recorder, see our CCTV on mobile guide.

DMSS has its own account, but you can also use the app without logging in. Dahua's manual says devices you add while logged in are account devices. They are tied to your account, can be shared with other people and cannot be added by another account. Devices you add without logging in are local devices. They work only on that one phone and cannot be shared. Some features, such as cloud storage, are available only after you log in.

That account is not your recorder's login. The recorder has its own username and password, set when it was installed, and DMSS asks for the recorder's password when you add it. SmartPSS Lite on the PC has a third one: a password you set when you first open it, only for the software.

To create an account:

• 1. Open DMSS. On the first launch, allow the permissions it asks for and choose your region. Dahua's manual says you can change the region later under Me.
• 2. On the login screen tap Sign Up. If you have used the app already, tap Log in on the Home tab, or at the top of the Me tab, to reach it.
• 3. Check the country, enter your email address and a strong password, tick the box to accept the terms, and ask for a verification code. Dahua's wiki says the code is sent only after you pass a short picture test, where you select three similar images.
• 4. Open your email, enter the verification code and continue. DMSS logs you in.
• 5. DMSS may offer two-step authentication, which sends a code to your email every time you log in. You can accept or decline.
• 6. DMSS gives you a random username. To change it, tap Me, tap your account at the top and edit Username.
• To log out: Me, tap your account at the top, then Log Out.

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Added a recorder before you had an account? In DMSS tap Me, then Service, then Transfer Local Device to Account. Choose the devices, enter your DMSS password and confirm. Dahua's wiki suggests deleting the local copies afterwards so you do not see each recorder twice.

To let someone else watch, share an account device: on the Home tab tap the three dots next to the device, choose Share Device, pick the cameras and permissions (Play Video is required), and enter their DMSS email address. Dahua's wiki says a device missing from the share list is either not bound to an account, was shared with you rather than owned by you, or does not support sharing. Dahua's manual adds that if DMSS asks you to upgrade your account, old sharing links stop working after the upgrade, so share again.

This is the usual way. Unlike adding by IP address, you do not need your phone to be on the same network as the recorder, and it works over Wi-Fi or mobile data. The recorder must be set up already (initialized), connected to your router and online. Dahua's manual says a new or reset recorder can only be added by scanning its QR code or typing its serial number, and the app then walks you through setting the recorder's username and password.

• 1. On the recorder, open Main Menu, Setup (called Settings on some models), Network, P2P. Make sure P2P is switched on and the status says Online. The same screen shows the QR code with the serial number.
• 2. In DMSS, on the Home tab, tap the plus at the top right, or the Add Device button if it is shown. Choose SN/Scan (some versions call it Scan QR Code).
• 3. Allow DMSS to use your camera if it asks. Hold the phone so the QR code from the recorder's P2P screen sits in the frame.
• 4. No luck scanning? Choose Manually Enter SN and type the serial number. It is also on the sticker on the recorder.
• 5. The serial number fills in. Leave the security code empty, because Dahua's wiki says not to enter one. Tap Next.
• 6. Enter the recorder's admin password and tap Next. This is the recorder's password, not your DMSS account password. On Android you may be asked to choose the device type first.
• 7. Name the device, set the time zone and daylight saving if you are asked, and tap Get Started. The recorder appears on the Home tab with its cameras. If you are logged in it is added to your account, and if not it stays on this phone.

Use this when your phone is on the same network as the recorder, or when the recorder can be reached from outside because its ports are forwarded. Dahua's wiki notes that a device added by IP address cannot be bound to an account and belongs only to that installation of DMSS. If you do not know the recorder's address, our Dahua ConfigTool guide shows how to find it.

• 1. On the Home tab tap the plus at the top right and choose IP/Domain.
• 2. Choose the device type. For a recorder that is usually NVR. Pick whichever matches yours.
• 3. Enter the IP address, the port (37777 by default), a name, the recorder's username and its password, then tap Save. DMSS opens live view of the new device.
• Another way: choose Search online, tap your recorder's serial number in the list, choose the device type and enter the details.

• Device shows offline, or adding by serial number fails. This usually means the recorder is not reaching Dahua's P2P service. On the recorder check Main Menu, Setup, Network, P2P: P2P on and status Online. Switch on DHCP under Network. Dahua's P2P checklist also asks for DNS 1 set to 8.8.8.8 and DNS 2 set to 8.8.4.4, and a ping test from Main Menu, Info, Network, Test. Ping 8.8.8.8, then google.com. If both fail, Dahua says to check the network cable. Reboot the recorder once the settings are right. If it still shows offline, ask your installer or Dahua support.
• Wrong serial number. Scan the QR code on the recorder's own P2P screen instead of typing the number. Dahua's troubleshooting page says that on some older series the serial number is the main board's number, which can cause errors.
• Wrong username or password. DMSS wants the recorder's admin password, not your DMSS account password. Dahua says the account lock is on by default, so several wrong tries in a row lock the account and the address you tried from. If you are locked out, ask your installer or Dahua support.
• Forgot the recorder's password. If an email address was entered when the recorder was set up, DMSS can reset the password. On the recorder's login screen choose Forgot Password to show a QR code. In DMSS tap Me, then Tool Manager, then Password Resetting, and scan it. An email with a security code arrives, which you enter on the recorder before choosing a new password. Dahua's wiki says this will not work if no email was set. Then use Dahua's other reset options or ask your installer.
• The device is already bound to an account. A device can belong to one DMSS account. If an installer or a previous owner added it to theirs, DMSS shows an error. Ask them to remove it (Home, the three dots next to the device, Device Details, Delete) and add it yourself. Or tap Appeal, upload a photo of the recorder showing its serial number label and proof of purchase if you have it, and submit. Dahua's wiki says unbinding usually takes 1 to 2 business days.
• The verification code does not arrive. Dahua's wiki says the code is sent only after you pass the picture test. Check the email address you typed and finish the test first.
• No alarm messages on the phone. Log in to your account first, because Dahua's wiki lists an account as the starting point. Then, on the Home tab, tap the three dots next to the device, choose Device Details, then Multi-channel Alarm Subscription, switch it on, choose the alarm types and cameras, set the hours under Period Settings if you want, and tap Save. If you still get nothing, check that notifications are allowed for DMSS in your phone's settings.
• Video will not start on mobile data. Dahua's manual lists a setting called Auto Play When Not in a Wi-Fi Network. Switch it on if you want video to start on mobile data.

Dahua makes Windows software that does the same job as the phone app, called SmartPSS Lite. Dahua describes it as a lightweight platform for small and medium businesses. It shows your cameras on one screen, plays back recordings and shows events from your devices. Our SmartPSS Lite guide covers it in more detail.

You may also see the older SmartPSS. Dahua says it has been discontinued for Windows and tells people to install SmartPSS Lite instead. Dahua also makes DSS Express, pay as you go software for small and medium businesses with a PC client and a web client. Dahua says it can be used with 64 video channels for free and up to 256 with a licence.

You need four things: a Windows computer; your recorder's serial number (the sticker on the bottom of the recorder, or its own screen under the system info menu), or its IP address if the PC is on the same network; the recorder's username and password, which your installer set; and, for the serial number method, P2P switched on in the recorder (Network, P2P) with the status showing Online.

• 1. Download SmartPSS Lite from Dahua only. Dahua's support site, support.dahuasecurity.com, lists it under Tools. Dahua's manual also says you can get it through Dahua's ToolBox or from Dahua technical support.
• 2. Install it. Run the installer and follow the prompts.
• 3. Set a password for the software when it first opens. SmartPSS Lite asks for a password of 8 to 32 characters and some security questions. This protects the software on your PC. It is not your recorder's password.
• 4. Add your recorder: open Device Manager, then either Auto Search (best on the same network) or Add. In Add, choose SN (for devices that support P2P) and enter the serial number, or choose IP and enter the address. Then enter the recorder's username and password. If the status says Online, it worked.
• 5. Open Live View and double-click your recorder to see every camera. In SmartPSS Lite that is Home, Monitor, Live View.

You can run DMSS inside an Android emulator like BlueStacks: install it from bluestacks.com, sign in to Google Play inside it and install DMSS from there. Dahua's own manual says to search for DMSS in Google Play or the App Store. Fine for a quick look. For a screen that stays on all day, use SmartPSS Lite, which is made for a PC.

• Device offline: with the serial number method, the recorder's P2P status must say Online (Network, P2P on the recorder). If DMSS on your phone also shows it offline, the recorder has probably lost its internet, not the PC.
• Wrong password: it's the recorder's password from when it was installed. Your installer has it. Dahua says the account lock is on by default, so several wrong tries in a row lock the account and the computer you tried from.
• Forgot a password: Dahua says its recorders support password reset through the email address and security questions set at install. If nobody set them, ask your installer or Dahua support. For the software's own password, click Forgot password? on the SmartPSS Lite login page and answer the security questions you set.
• Auto Search can't find the recorder: the PC needs to be on the same network, and Dahua's manual says to close ConfigTool and DSS first, or you may not find every device.
• Black or stuck camera: in SmartPSS Lite, open System Config, then Monitor setting, and set the Default Stream Type to Sub Stream.