Licenses (explained)
Free XProtect Essential+
If you have installed XProtect Essential+, you can run the system and eight device licenses for free. Automatic license activation is enabled, and hardware will be activated as you add it to the system.
Only when you upgrade to a more advanced XProtect product and need to change your SLC (Software License Code) (see Change the Software License Code), the rest of this topic and the other licensing-related topics in this documentation could be relevant for you.
Licenses for XProtect VMS products (except XProtect Essential+)
Software license file and SLCs
When you purchase your software and licenses, you get:
- An order confirmation and a software license file named after your SLC (Software License Code) and with the .lic extension received per email
- A Milestone Care coverage
Your SLC is also printed on your order confirmation and consists of several numbers and letters grouped by hyphens like:
- Product version 2014 or earlier: xxx-xxxx-xxxx
- Product version 2016 or later: xxx-xxx-xxx-xx-xxxxxx
The software license file contains all information about your purchased VMS products, XProtect extensions, and licenses. Milestone recommends that you store the information about your SLC and a copy of your software license file in a safe place for later use. You can also see your SLC in the License Information window in Management Client. You can open the License Information window in the Site Navigation pane -> Basics node -> License Information. You may need the software license file or your SLC when you, for example, create a My Milestone user account, contact your reseller for support, or if you need to make changes to your system.
Overall process for installation and licensing
To get started, you download the software from our website (https://www.milestonesys.com/downloads/). While you are installing (see Install a new XProtect system) the software, you are asked to provide the software license file. You cannot complete the installation without a software license file.
Once the installation is complete and you have added some cameras, you must activate your licenses (see License activation (explained). You activate your licenses from the License Information window in Management Client. Here you can also see an overview of your licenses for all installations on the same SLC. You can open the License Information window in the Site Navigation pane -> Basics node -> License Information.
License types
There are several license types in the XProtect licensing system.
Base licenses
As a minimum, you have a base license for one of the XProtect VMS products. You may also have one or more base licenses for XProtect extensions.
Device licenses
As a minimum, you have several device licenses. Generally, you need one device license per hardware device with a camera that you want to add to your system. But this can differ from one hardware device to another and depending on the hardware device being a Milestone supported hardware device or not. For more information, see Supported hardware devices and Unsupported hardware devices.
If you want to use the video push feature in XProtect Mobile, you also need one device license per mobile device or tablet that should be able to push video to your system.
Device licenses are not required for speakers, microphones, or input and output devices attached to your cameras.
Generally, you need one device license per hardware device with a camera that you want to add to your system. But a few supported hardware devices require more than one device license. You can see how many device licenses your hardware devices require, in the list of supported hardware on the Milestone website (https://www.milestonesys.com/support/tools-and-references/supported-devices/).
For video encoders with up to 16 channels, you need only one device license per video encoder IP address. A video encoder can have one or more IP addresses.
However, if the video encoder has more than 16 channels, one device license per activated camera on the video encoder is required - also for the first 16 activated cameras.
An unsupported hardware device requires one device license per activated camera using a video channel.
Unsupported hardware devices do not appear in the list of supported hardware on the Milestone website (https://www.milestonesys.com/support/tools-and-references/supported-devices/).
Camera licenses for Milestone Interconnect™
To run Milestone Interconnect, you need Milestone Interconnect camera licenses on your central site to view video from hardware devices on remote sites. The number of required Milestone Interconnect camera licenses depends on the number of hardware devices on the remote sites that you want to receive data from. Only XProtect Corporate can act as a central site.
Licenses for XProtect extensions
Most XProtect extensions require additional license types. The software license file also includes information about your extension licenses. Some extensions have their own separate software license files.
- XProtect Access (see XProtect Access licenses)
- XProtect LPR (see XProtect LPR licenses)
- XProtect Transact (see Before you start)
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XProtect Smart Wall requires the following video wall-related licenses:
- A base license for XProtect Smart Wall that covers an unrestricted number of monitors displaying video on a video wall
Use of XProtect Smart Wall is only supported in these products:
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XProtect Corporate - a base license for XProtect Smart Wall is included in the base license
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XProtect Expert - purchase a base license for XProtect Smart Wall separately
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XProtect Incident Manager requires the following licenses:
- A base license that covers the full use of XProtect Incident Manager
Use of XProtect Incident Manager is only supported in the following VMS products and versions:
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XProtect Corporate 2022 R2 and later: a base license for XProtect Incident Manager is included
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XProtect Expert, XProtect Professional+, and XProtect Express+ 2022 R3 and later: purchase a base license for XProtect Incident Manager separately