Dahua PFM2900 Integrated Mount Tester – PoE and 12 V Power, 4-Port Switch, 7800 mAh Battery

Dahua PFM2900 is a tester for security camera installers: it powers the camera and brings the picture to your phone. On site you can aim the camera, commission a new one and reset an old one — without walking back to the recorder and without a laptop. The battery lasts up to 22 hours and the unit fits in a pocket.

Key Advantages and Features:

• Powers the camera itself: No mains needed on site: the tester supplies PoE 802.3af up to 16 W, 12 VDC up to 1 A or USB 5 V up to 2 A. On the ladder you only need the tester and your phone.
• Live view on your phone, not a laptop: The tester creates its own Wi-Fi hotspot, the phone joins it and the DoLynk Care app shows the camera's live view. No walking back to the recorder, no laptop.
• Configures the camera: From the app you can initialize the camera, change its IP address, password, resolution and channel name, control it and restore factory defaults. It connects over ONVIF or Dahua's own protocol, so ONVIF cameras from other makers show up too.
• Four LAN ports = a small switch: Four 100 Mbps ports plus the PoE port. Several devices on the bench at once without carrying a separate switch.
• A full day on battery: The 7800 mAh battery runs up to 22 hours in the field with no external power. It charges over Type-C, the same as a phone.
• Fits in a pocket: 130 × 95 × 37 mm and 332 grams, with a yellow leather case and a wrist strap loop. ±2 kV surge and 8 kV static protection keep it alive on site.

Technical Specifications:

How a technician uses it

This is how one installation or service visit runs with the tester — step by step, following the manufacturer's user manual.

1. Charge it before you leave. Over Type-C, the same charger as your phone. A full battery runs up to 22 hours, so there is no hunting for a socket on site.
2. Switch it on. The system and Wi-Fi indicators turn steady green. With the device off, holding the battery/LED button for over a second shows the battery level.
3. Power the camera. A PoE camera goes into the PoE OUT (LAN1) port — power comes on automatically, 802.3af up to 16 W. For a 12 V camera use the supplied 12 V convert cable from the 12V 1A OUT port and run a network cable into any of LAN1–LAN4.
   ⚠️ Not both at once. Running PoE and 12 V output together drains the battery and the device shuts itself down.
4. Join the tester's Wi-Fi. In your phone's Wi-Fi settings look for a network named PFM2900_**** and connect.
   ⚠️ Turn your phone's own hotspot off — otherwise the app will not find the camera.
5. Open the app and find the camera. DoLynk Care → Tools in the bottom bar → search by the camera's IP. It connects over ONVIF or Dahua's protocol, so an ONVIF camera from another maker appears as well.
6. Aim the camera. Live view on the phone, with zoom to check whether the face or plate distance actually works. You turn and focus the camera while watching the picture — this is what the tester is bought for.
7. Commission a new camera. A camera straight out of the box can be initialized on site (first-time activation and password), given the right IP address and a sensible channel name. It reaches the recorder already configured.
8. Rescue a locked-out camera. An old camera whose password has been lost can be restored to factory defaults from the tester and set up again.
9. Use the four LAN ports as a small switch. Four 100 Mbps ports plus the PoE port — several devices on one network in the cabinet, without a separate switch.
10. Power something else. The USB output gives 5 V up to 2 A: a phone, a lamp or another helper device gets power on site.
11. Get some light. With the device on, holding the battery/LED button for three seconds turns on the 35 lm flashlight — enough to look inside a cabinet or a junction box.

Worth knowing: the 12V TEST and PoE IN sockets on the housing are marked as reserved interfaces in the manufacturer's manual — they are not in use. This model has no cable test.

Suited to any installer or service technician working on a site with no power yet, or where the recorder is in another building. Works with Dahua cameras and ONVIF cameras from other makers.