Dahua NVR: FTP Snapshot Push Setup

Configuring FTP push sends snapshot images from the NVR or IP camera to an FTP server whenever a recording or alarm event occurs. This is commonly used to push stills to a monitoring station, an evidence folder on a local server, or an offsite backup location. This guide uses SmallFTPD as a lightweight local FTP server for testing — replace with the site's actual FTP server in production.

Prerequisites

• Dahua NVR, DVR, or standalone IP camera
• FTP server running on the network (local or offsite)
• FTP credentials (host IP, port, username, password, remote directory)
• Network connectivity between the Dahua device and the FTP server

Setting up a test FTP server (SmallFTPD)

SmallFTPD is a free, minimal FTP server for Windows — useful for commissioning and testing on a laptop at the site before configuring the production destination.

1. Download SmallFTPD from http://sourceforge.net/projects/smallftpd/
2. Create a folder named FTP at the root of a local drive (e.g. C:\FTP)
3. Extract the SmallFTPD archive into that folder
4. Launch smallftpd.exe
5. Go to Settings > General and note the port (default: 21)
6. Go to Settings > Advanced, tick Use local IP, click OK
7. Go to Settings > Users, click Add and configure:

• Login: admin
• Password: admin
• Max simultaneous connections: 10
• Inactivity timeout: 999

1. Under Directories, click Add: Virtual Path /, Physical Path C:\FTP
2. Under Permissions, click Add: Virtual Path /, Permissions LRW
3. Click OK to exit the user settings
4. Click the Play button to start the FTP server

Configuring the NVR or DVR to push to FTP

1. On the NVR local interface, navigate to Main Menu > Settings > Network > FTP
2. Enter the following:

• Host IP: IP address of the FTP server (or the installer's laptop)
• Port: 21 (or the port configured in the FTP server)
• User Name: admin
• Password: admin
• Remote Directory: /
• File Length: 10–512 (snapshot size in KB — adjust per bandwidth)
• Image Upload Interval: 10–60 seconds
• Channel: select the relevant camera(s)
• Period: select the recording period that should trigger pushes

1. Click Save

Configuring a standalone IP camera to push to FTP

1. Log in to the camera's web interface
2. Navigate to Setup > Storage > Destination > FTP
3. Enter the FTP server IP, port, credentials, and remote directory
4. Click Save or OK

Verifying the configuration

After saving, trigger a test event (walk past the camera or trigger a motion event). Check:

• The SmallFTPD window shows file transfer activity
• The C:\FTP folder (or the production server directory) contains snapshot files

Production deployment notes

• Replace SmallFTPD with the site's proper FTP server or SFTP endpoint
• Use a dedicated FTP account with minimal permissions — read/write to the snapshot directory only
• For offsite push across the internet, confirm the firewall has port 21 (or the custom port) open on the server side
• Some sites prefer to push to a local NAS via FTP as an additional backup alongside NVR internal recording

---

This article was adapted from dahuawiki's original guidance: "How to Setup FTP to Record Snapshots and Sub-Stream" — https://dahuawiki.com/NVR/Recording_Setup/FTP_Setup_Small_FTPD Habitech-edited for UK trade installer context. Original © Dahua Technology Co., Ltd.