Device information and time

Open Device Settings and select Information or Date & Time. These sections describe the camera or recorder. Their fields differ by protocol and by what the device reports.

Read information

Connection in the Apple apps	Information shown when available
Xiongmai	Model, device type, serial number, firmware and build, uptime, input/channel counts, active-channel bitrate and recording state, disk capacity and free space, recording date range
Hikvision / HiWatch, including Hik-Connect	Model, serial number, firmware, device name and MAC address, uptime and processor load, disk capacity, free space and status
ONVIF	Manufacturer, model, serial number, firmware, hardware identifier and device hostname

Use Refresh to request information again. A recording range reported by a disk does not prove there is a recording for every channel throughout that range. Open Archive to check a particular channel and interval.

Hikvision and ONVIF can offer an editable Device name. It belongs to the device; the name in Watchpost’s registry is separate. Apply a device-name change through the review. For ONVIF, a hostname supplied by DHCP cannot be edited until you turn off Get the name from DHCP.

Check the clock first

Date & Time shows the device clock, the current computer or phone clock, and their difference. Both clock rows use the device’s time zone. Xiongmai also uses the device’s date format. The running device-clock display follows the last measurement; it is not a fresh network reading every second. An unread clock appears as an ellipsis.

Choose the correct Time zone, then apply that change before synchronizing. A changed field can preview a new zone before the device has received it.

Sync with This Mac, or the iPhone/iPad equivalent, sends a clock-setting command immediately. It does not wait for Apply and does not create the usual configuration-block backup. Discard cannot undo that command.

For Hikvision and ONVIF, first choose Set manually as the time source and apply it. Synchronization stays unavailable while the saved source is NTP or the time block has pending edits. Xiongmai does not enforce this ordering: apply zone changes first so synchronization uses the intended saved zone. A recorder can also set its cameras’ clocks; review the channel’s time-sync option in Recorder channels.

After synchronization, check the clock again. A successful set command does not prove that NTP or the recorder will leave that time unchanged later.

Use a time server

The camera or recorder must be able to reach the NTP server from its own network. A server reachable by your Mac may still be unreachable by the device.

• Xiongmai: enable Sync over NTP, enter a server name or IP address, port and update interval in minutes. The preset menu fills a server address; it does not test it.
• Hikvision: choose Time server (NTP) as the source and set the displayed server, port and update interval. The form edits the first listed server.
• ONVIF: choose NTP as the source, then use the server from DHCP or enter a manual server. Some cameras accept only an IP address or retain a different value after Apply. Check the reading after the write; if needed, configure NTP in the device’s own interface.

These fields use Apply… → Write. Configuring an NTP server alone does not prove synchronization has happened.

Date format and daylight saving

For Xiongmai, Date and Time Format offers date order, separator, 12/24-hour time and daylight-saving rules when supported. Date-based DST boundaries can be edited in the form; weekday-based rules require the advanced editor. On a camera the format affects its OSD; on a recorder it describes the date in the recorder’s monitor menu.

ONVIF exposes a daylight-saving switch when reported. The Hikvision time form does not offer the same DST-rule editor; its video date/time format belongs to OSD.

Android

Xiongmai has Information and Date & Time forms, including immediate Sync with This Phone, time zone, format and NTP. Apply the zone before syncing here too. Date-based DST boundaries use a text field; weekday rules stay in the advanced editor.

Hikvision and ONVIF settings use the advanced editor on Android. The Apple clock buttons and forms described above are not reproduced there.