Connecting your computer to the Cortex unit
Communications with Davicom’s Cortex for configuration and control can be achieved via an Ethernet connection or over a USB port. The Cortex interface uses HTML 5 in both cases because DavLink 6 also embeds this technology. DavLink 6 is backward compatible with legacy DV-200 series.
The Cortex allows up to 4 users to connect at the same time. Of these 4 users, only one at a time can be in control.
When another user with enough privilege connects to a unit and takes control, a pop up message saying “You have lost control” will appear. When this user disconnects from the unit, a pop up message saying “A user has disconnected” will appear. You must re-take control manually if you want to resume control.
Connecting by IP with your web browser
The Cortex factory-default IP address is 192.168.1.210, and you can connect to any of the rear-panel Ethernet ports (4 on Cortex-360 and 1 on Cortex-320). If this address is not within the address range of your network or computer, you can change the IP address so the unit can be seen by your computer. To do this, use the menu buttons to find the IP address on the OLED screen and select it by using the right menu button. You can then choose either a v4 or v6 IP address and change it so it can be seen by your computer.
You can use one of the browsers listed below, but note that compatibility may vary over time as new updates are released for these browsers. Always see the “About” section in the Cortex menu to get the most current compatibility listing, or contact the Davicom technical support.
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 10.0+
- Google Chrome 26+
- Mozilla Firefox 20+
- Opera 15+
- Apple Safari 5.0+
- iOS 6.0+
Connecting using Google Chrome
Since Google Chrome is by far the most popular web browser (as of July 2018), we will explain the connection process using this browser only.
Launch Chrome and enter 192.168.1.210 in the URL box, then hit enter. Wait until you see the screen shown below.
Note that despite this warning message, there is absolutely no danger in connecting to the unit. The message relates to the Cortex web server’s security certificate which can’t be verified by the browser at this point.
Click on “ADVANCED”.
Next, click on “Proceed to 192.168.1.210 (unsafe)”. There is no problem with accessing the unit this way.
The following login screen will show up. Enter “super01” for the Username, and enter “ssssssss” for the Password. See this article for more details on default users and passwords.
You should now be connected to the unit and viewing the main dashboard as shown below (the actual dashboard may look different).
One important difference between the new Cortex family and legacy Davicom units is that the workspaces (GUI displays) now reside within the unit’s memory and not in the user’s PC with the DavLink application.
Connecting using DavLink 6 via the USB port
In order to connect to the Cortex through the local USB port, via telephone or over a narrowband radio or serial link, DavLink 6 is required. For the USB connection, Davicom’s USB driver is also required. It is included on the installation CD or it can also be found on the Software & Firmware page. Once you have installed the USB driver, please connect your computer to the Cortex’s front-panel USB port and then start DavLink. Once started, DavLink will display its main screen. Go to the upper left of this screen to see:
Select Setup-Communications and you will see the following screen, go to the Local Communications section and select the Communication Port that corresponds to the USB port where you have connected the Cortex (COM14 in this example).
Click OK and then click on the small green computer Icon at the top left of the DavLink main screen. The following window will open:
Select Cortex, Local and then enter the Username and Password (super01 and ssssssss) into the fields. You should then be connected to the Cortex GUI.
When you are finished, you can logout from the Cortex with the 
Icon at the top left.
Special note for DavLink:
Contrary to operation through a web browser, in DavLink, workspaces can only be used locally. This means that DavLink does not download the workspace from the Cortex unit when it connects, but instead loads it internally from the computer’s memory. DavLink has been configured this way to allow operation over narrow-band data channels like slow satellite links, narrowband radio channels or RS-232 multi-drop lines.
