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Does the Dahua IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV (S5) work without internet?

Yes. The Dahua IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV (S5) never phones home: no account, no Dahua servers, and it keeps going with the internet cut.

Verdict · as sold

Fully local

Nothing phones home. No account, no server, nobody who can switch it off.

Checked
7/7 checked
Brand
Dahua · CN
Model
IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV · rev. S5
Status
Discontinued
Home Assistant
dahua · vendor cloud: never
Track record
Not reviewed yet

Seven questions, as sold.

7 of 7 checked. Every yes or no links to its source and the date it was checked. Nothing here assumes a flash: that’s the next section.

  1. Works with the internet cut 01 · Yes

    Does the main function survive with the WAN cable pulled?

    Dahua's wiki documents standalone recording to the camera's SD card with only the camera and local network access as prerequisites.

    source: dahuawiki.com verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation
  2. No vendor account needed 02 · Yes

    Can it be set up without creating an account with the manufacturer?

    Dahua's initialisation guide activates a new camera by setting an admin password from the web UI or ConfigTool on the LAN; no DMSS or cloud account appears in the procedure.

    source: dahuasecurity.com verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation
  3. Documented local API 03 · Yes

    Is there a publicly documented local protocol: HTTP, MQTT, ONVIF, RTSP, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Modbus?

    The datasheet lists ONVIF Profile S/G/T and CGI under interoperability and RTSP among the protocols.

    source: dahuasecurity.com verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation
  4. Can be firewalled off for good 04 · Yes

    Can it be cut off from the internet permanently without anything breaking?

    Report dated 2020-01-21 of Dahua cameras running on an isolated network with no DNS or WAN; the only side effect is blocked outbound attempts, which stop once P2P is switched off under Access Platform.

    source: ipcamtalk.com verified 2026-09-22 community verified
  5. Firmware updates without the cloud 05 · Yes

    Can it be updated by hand, with no forced auto-update?

    Dahua's wiki documents uploading a firmware file in the web UI under Setup > System > Upgrade; the product page hosts the firmware files.

    source: dahuawiki.com verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation
  6. Runs alternative firmware 06 · No

    Can it run ESPHome, Tasmota, OpenBeken, Valetudo or OpenIPC?

    OpenIPC lists a single Dahua model (DH-IPC-C22P), not this one; Thingino lists no Dahua hardware.

    source: github.com verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation
  7. Home Assistant talks to it locally 07 · Yes

    Is the Home Assistant integration local_push or local_polling?

    No core Dahua integration; the camera is ONVIF Profile S/T, so the core ONVIF integration (local_push) provides stream and events.

    source: home-assistant.io verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation

Already own one? Into Home Assistant, then.

A different question from the verdict. Home Assistant can talk to a device locally and still need Dahua’s servers to get started, or for good. This is what the integration itself needs.

Yes, and Dahua is not involved: Home Assistant talks to the Dahua IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV (S5) directly. Nothing in the integration needs the vendor's servers.

Route
Custom integration, via HACS
Integration
dahua
Vendor cloud
Never
Verified
2026-09-22

The rroller/dahua custom component talks to the camera's HTTP API and RTSP stream on the LAN and lists the HDW3849HP-AS-PV among tested models, exposing its siren, white light and events. Without HACS, the generic ONVIF integration covers stream and motion.

How to set it up → source: github.com

Question 08 · the company

Dahua’s track record.

Nothing on record. That isn’t a clean bill yet: it takes a proper look through the vendor’s changelog, and that hasn’t been done for Dahua. No documented removal of RTSP, ONVIF or the local HTTP API from sold hardware found; nor a source establishing that local access was never touched. So it stays unknown.

Editor’s note

In plain words.

The classic Home Assistant turret: set an admin password from its web page, record to the microSD card or an NVR, and drive it over ONVIF, RTSP or Dahua's CGI API. The P2P relay for the DMSS app is the one cloud-facing switch, and it can be turned off. Dahua's global catalogue now files the S4 and S5 revisions under discontinued products while regional sites and retailers still list it; firmware releases continued into 2026.

Wrong? Probably somewhere.

Say where. A link and a sentence is enough. Every claim above carries its source so it can be checked.

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