Devices tabs

The name is used whenever the device is listed in the system and clients.

When you rename a device, the name is changed globally in the Management Client.

Enter a description of the device (optional).

The description appears in a number of listings within the system. For example, when you pause the mouse pointer over the name in the Overview pane.

Displays the name of the hardware, with which the device is connected. The field is non-editable from here, but you can change it by clicking Go To next to it. This takes you to hardware information where you can change the name.

Displays the port on which the device is attached on the hardware.

For single-device hardware, the port number is typically 1. For multi-device hardware, such as video servers with several channels, the port number typically indicates the channel on which the device is attached, for example 3.

To apply a short name for the camera, enter it here. The maximum length of characters is 128.

If you are using smart map, automatically the short name is displayed with the camera on the smart map. Otherwise the full name is displayed.

Enter the geographic location of the camera in the format latitude, longitude. The value you enter determines the position of the camera icon on the smart map in XProtect Smart Client.

The field is mainly for smart map and third party integrations.

Enter the viewing direction of the camera measured against a due north point on a vertical axis. The value you enter determines the direction of the camera icon on the smart map in XProtect Smart Client.

The default value is 0.0.

The field is mainly for smart map and third party integrations.

Enter the field of view in degrees. The value you enter determines the field of view of the camera icon on the smart map in XProtect Smart Client.

The default value is 0.0.

The field is mainly for smart map and third party integrations.

Enter the depth of the camera in meters or feet. The value you enter determines the depth of the camera icon on the smart map in XProtect Smart Client.

The default value is 0.0.

The field is mainly for smart map and third party integrations.

To verify that you have entered the correct geographic coordinates, click the button. Google Maps will open in your standard Internet browser on the position you specify.

The field is mainly for smart map and third party integrations.

Click to add a stream to the list.

Add a stream

Enable/disable recording

Enable recording on related devices

Pre-buffering and storage of pre-buffer recordings (explained)

Manage pre-buffering

Manage manual recording

Specify recording frame rate

Enable keyframe recording

Monitor the status of databases for devices

Use this button if you have added all devices in the group to the same server:

Delete recordings

Save and retrieve remote recording

Enable and disable motion detection

Select Automatic to enable hardware acceleration or select Off to disable the setting. For more information, see Enable or disable hardware acceleration.

If you have defined areas with permanent privacy masks, you can select the Privacy masks check box to display the privacy masks on the Motion tab. You define areas with privacy masks on the Privacy masking tab (devices).

There is no motion detection within areas covered by permanent privacy masks.

Determine how much each pixel in the image must change before it is regarded as motion:

Enable manual sensitivity to define motion

Determine how many pixels in the image must change before it is regarded as motion:

Specify threshold to define motion

Select this check box to do motion detection on keyframes only instead of on the entire video stream. Only applies to MPEG-4/H.264/H.265.

Motion detection on keyframes reduces the amount of processing power used to carry out the analysis.

Select an image processing interval in this list to determine how often the system performs the motion detection analysis.

For example, every 1000 milliseconds are once every second. Default value is every 500 milliseconds.

The interval is applied if the actual frame rate is higher than the interval you set here.

Select a detection resolution in this list to optimize motion detection performance.

Only the selected percentage of the image is analyzed, for example 25%. By analyzing 25%, only every fourth pixel in the image is analyzed instead of all pixels.

Using optimized detection reduces the amount of processing power used to carry out the analysis, but also means a less accurate motion detection.

With this check box enabled, the system generates motion data for the images used for motion detection. For example, if you select motion detection on keyframes only, the motion data is also produced for keyframes only.

The extra motion data enables the client user, via the smart search function, to quickly search for relevant recordings based on motion in the selected area of the image. The system does not generate motion data within areas covered by permanent privacy masks, but only for areas with liftable privacy masks (see Motion detection (explained)).

Motion detection threshold and exclude regions do not influence the generated motion data.

• Specify the default setting of generating smart search data for cameras under Tools > Options > General.

Exclude motion detection from specific areas of a camera view:

Specify exclude regions for motion detection

Add a preset position for a camera in the system:

Add a preset position (type 1)

Add a preset position for a PTZ cameras on the camera itself:

Use preset positions from the camera (type 2)

Assign one of a PTZ camera's preset positions as the camera's default preset position:

Assign a camera's default preset position as default

Edit an existing preset position defined in the system:

Edit a preset position for a camera (type 1 only)

Edit the name of a preset position defined in the camera:

Rename a preset position for a camera (type 2 only)

Select this check box to lock a preset position. You can lock a preset position if you want to prevent users in XProtect Smart Client or users with limited security permissions from updating or deleting a preset. Locked presets are indicated with this icon .

You lock presets as part of adding (see Add a preset position (type 1)) and editing (see Edit a preset position (type 1 only)).

Click this button to test a cameras preset position:

Test a preset position (type 1 only).

Prevent other users from taking control over the camera and release the reservation.

Administrators with security permissions to run a reserved PTZ session can run the PTZ camera in this mode. This prevents other users from taking control over the camera. With sufficient permissions, you can release other users' reserved PTZ sessions:

Reserve and release PTZ sessions.

Monitor if the system is currently patrolling or a user has taken control:

PTZ session properties.

View the status of PTZ cameras and manage timeouts for cameras:

Specify PTZ session timeouts.

Displays the user that has pressed the Reserved button and currently controls the PTZ camera.

If a patrolling session is activated by the system, it displays Patrolling.

Displays the user's PTZ priority. You can only take over PTZ sessions from users with a lower priority than you.

Displays the remaining time of the current PTZ session.

Indicates if the current session is a reserved PTZ session or not:

• True: Reserved
• False: Not reserved

Specify the timeout period for manual PTZ sessions on this camera if you want the timeout to be different from the default period. You specify the default period in the Tools menu under Options.

Specify the timeout period for pause patrolling PTZ sessions on this camera if you want the timeout to be different from the default period. You specify the default period in the Tools menu under Options.

Specify the timeout period for reserved PTZ sessions on this camera if you want the timeout to be different from the default period. You specify the default period in the Tools menu under Options.

Specify an end position when patrolling

See Specify PTZ session timeouts for information about how to specify how much time should pass before regular patrolling is resumed for all or for individual PTZ cameras.

Displays the user who has either reserved the PTZ session or started a manual patrolling and currently controls the camera.

If a patrolling session is activated by the system, it displays Patrolling.

Displays the user's PTZ priority. You can only take over PTZ sessions from users or patrolling profiles with a lower priority than yours.

Displays the remaining time of the current reserved or manual PTZ sessions.

Indicates if the current session is a reserved PTZ session or not.

• True: Reserved
• False: Not reserved

Which events you may select and add in the Configured events list is determined entirely by the device and its configuration. For some types of devices, the list is empty.

The list of properties depends on the device and the event. In order for the event to work as intended, you must specify some or all of the properties identically on the device as well as on this tab.

Specify the microphone on the camera that XProtect Smart Client users by default listen to audio. The XProtect Smart Client user can manually select to listen to another microphone if needed.

Specify the microphone that is related to the video push camera for streaming video with audio.

The related microphones record when the camera records.

Specify through which speakers on the camera, that XProtect Smart Client users speak by default. The XProtect Smart Client user can manually select another speaker if needed.

The related speakers record when the camera records.

Specify one or more metadata devices on the camera, that XProtect Smart Client users receive data from.

The related metadata devices record when the camera records.

To ease the selection of cameras for the XProtect Smart Client users, define keyboard shortcuts to the camera.

• Create each shortcut so it uniquely identifies the camera
• A camera shortcut number cannot be longer than four digits

The system supports multicast of live streams from the recording server to XProtect Smart Client. To enable multicast of live streams from the camera, select the check box.

Live multicasting only works on the stream that you have specified as the camera's default stream on the Streams tab.

You must also configure multicasting for the recording server. See Enable multicasting for the recording server.

Multicast streams are not encrypted, even if the recording server uses encryption.

The selected grid size determines the density of the grid, regardless whether the grid is visible in the preview or not.

Select between the values 8×8, 16×16, 32×32 or 64×64.

Clears all privacy masks you have specified.

Select the Show grid check box to make the grid visible.

When you select the Show privacy masks check box (default), permanent privacy masks appear in purple in the preview and liftable privacy masks in green.

Milestone recommends that you keep the Show privacy masks box selected so that you and your colleagues can see the current privacy protection configuration.

Use the Pen size slider to indicate the size of the selections you wish to make when you click and drag the grid to select regions. Default is set to small, which is equivalent to one square in the grid.

Appears in purple in the preview on this tab and on the Motion tab.

Permanent privacy masks are always visible in XProtect Smart Client and cannot be lifted. Can be used to cover areas of the video that never requires surveillance, like public areas, where surveillance is not allowed. Motion detection is excluded from permanent masks.

You specify the coverage of privacy masks as either solid or some level of blurred. The coverage settings apply to both live and recorded video.

Appears in green in the preview on this tab.

Liftable privacy masks can be lifted in XProtect Smart Client by users with sufficient user permissions. By default, the privacy masks are lifted for 30 minutes, or until the user apply them again. Be aware that the privacy masks are lifted on video from all the cameras that the user has access to.

If the XProtect Smart Client user does not have the permission to lift privacy masks, the system asks for a user with permission to authorize the lift.

You specify the coverage of privacy masks as either solid or a level of blurred. The coverage settings apply to both live and recorded video.

Use the slider to select the blurring level of the privacy masks in the clients or set the coverage to solid.

By default, the coverage of areas with permanent privacy masks are solid (nontransparent). By default, liftable privacy masks are medium blurred.

You can inform the client users about the appearance of permanent and liftable privacy masks, so they are able to distinguish.