Rules

A simple way to describe what rules are is to say that rules are what make your life as an operator or investigator easier.

Your system administrator creates and defines rules that determine how XProtect Smart Client behaves.

Having the right rules for your tasks and your organization’s needs is important. As a user of XProtect Smart Client, you can’t create rules yourself, but you will often be the first person to identify the need for new rules.

Well-defined rules help you focus on what is important, reduce your workload, increase your situational awareness, improve your response times, and improve internal communication in case of incidents.

For example, some rules create events and alarms automatically when an incident occurs. Other rules you activate manually through, for example, overlay buttons inside camera view items.

There are numerous possibilities for how your system administrator can create and define rules. Here are a few examples:

Rule example	Rule behavior example	Benefit examples for XProtect Smart Client users
Start recording when something happens and stop recording when nothing is going on	The XProtect VMS only saves relevant recordings, for example, 30 seconds before someone opens a gate and 30 seconds after the gate is closed again.	With less recorded video, it is easier to find relevant recordings.
Improve the quality of the video shown in a view item when something happens	The XProtect VMS shows the video of the most important incidents in a higher quality. For example, when someone opens a door, the video from the camera surveying the door is shown in higher quality than otherwise in your view.	It is easier to identify the person entering a building.
Trigger events and alarms when something happens	The XProtect VMS notifies you when something specific happens. For example, when a car enters your area. How you’re notified depends on the rule, but a few possible ways are: Inside XProtect Smart Client: events and alarms in the alarms list, indications on maps, placing bookmarks, and many others. Outside XProtect Smart Client: emails, text messages, activation of sirens, and many others.	You and your colleagues are notified when something happens.
Temporarily move a PTZ camera to a specific position, zoom in on what is happening, and return the PTZ camera to its original position after a specified time period.	The XProtect VMS moves a PTZ camera to cover an area where an incident occurs while zooming in for you to see details better. The PTZ camera returns to its initial position and zoom level, giving you the overview again. An example: A door opens, and the PTZ camera that usually surveys the entire reception area moves slightly and zooms somewhat into the area near the door. The PTZ camera returns to its original position and zoom level after 30 seconds.	You and your colleagues are presented with the most relevant video and can react quickly.
Share live video in Matrix view items when something happens	The XProtect VMS sends live video showing an incident into a view item with Matrix content in one or more shared views. For example, when someone breaches the perimeter of your area.	You and your colleagues are made aware of an critical incident and can react quickly if you need to.
Switch cameras between day and night mode based on the time of day	The XProtect VMS switches between cameras’ day/night mode in a specific camera group to display the best video quality.	Ensures you and your colleagues have the best quality live and recorded video.