Thursday, August 5, 2021

Setup ZOSI Remote Monitoring Outside the House

I believe many alike me to buy ZOSI surveillance system out of the cheap hardware price. In 2018, I paid $160 for a 8 HD Camera DVR System. The hardware works like a charm except one thing: Poor documentation. There is no way you can tell how to set it up to view from camera outside the home. 

For some Tech Savvy, here is some key points you want to know right away. 

  1. Use 5800 TCP for Port Forwarding. Use Public IP address + 5800 TCP port in ZOSI View App to view the camera from Internet. I got this number from a Amazon review. And I nmap to scan the ZOSI DVR system to know the open port 80, 5000, 5800, and another one 49xxx.  I tried all 4. Only 5800 works with ZOSI view app. If port 5800 doesn't work for you, please use nmap to scan ZOSI DVR local IP address to see the list of open ports and try them out for port forwarding.
  2. Test the remote view using internet outside the LAN:  e.g. Cell Phone Data. Some router will drop the PUBLIC IP packet request from LAN. 
  3. Use "SUB" in Stream for 1080p CAM. If not, the 1080p cam would get connection failed. 
  4. Config the ZOSI DVR local video setting as low resolution as you can. As to me, I use 1024 x 768 video setting. I tried 1080p setting. My ZOSI will be slowing down at point no response of my mouse pointer movement locally.

For the normal users, I think the ZOSI website recently already updated their instruction website and videos in YouTube. You can look up the instruction website and videos below to do the basic setup. Here is my suggestion to get your system up and running.

  1. Setup your system to work locally with keyboard, Mouse & Monitor connected to it.
  2. Follow along the network setup in below link to setup the local network information. 
  3. Hook up your ZOSI DVR system with network cable connecting to your home router. 
  4. Ask your tech Savvy friend for help to complete the remote monitoring setup. Point them the above Tech Savvy suggestions and below reference. To them, it's piece of cake. Don't waste your time. 

Reference:

  • ZOSI DVR user guide: 
  • https://www.zositech.com/use-guide/

  • ZOSI DVR Operation - Connecting the DVR to the Internet: 
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT9cFDnX5T4

  • Connecting your ZOSI DVR to your ZOSI View Account – Zosi View App: 
  • https://www.zositech.com/zosi-view-app-connecting-your-zosi-dvr-to-your-zosi-view-account/