TetherX Camera Setup Guide v2, Tether your video surveillance, alarm panels, network infrastructure and other IP or Serial devices to the cloud. Monitor the health of your sites, cloud record cameras and integrate with third party services.

The steps required to set up Samsung Cameras / DVRs and NVRs

Setting Correct Profiles

Please ensure you have 2 profiles configured on your device:

IP Cameras

Cameras are the easiest to set up and should work out of the box. If the cameras are not working for any reason, please try one of the following for the Analytics Path and Recording Path:

Multi-Sensor IP Cameras & Encoders

If your device is a multi-sensor camera or an encoder, please set the Analytics Path as follows:

NVR – Network Video Recorders

DVR – Digital Video Recorders

DVR recorders setup is similar to NVR setup with the following differences:

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Can I use TetherX alongside HikConnect?

Can I use Hik-Connect on my Hikvision cameras and recorders?

Yes.

Please make sure that stream encryption is switched off under Configuration > Network > Advanced Settings:

HikConnect stream encryption uses a proprietary mechanism which is not available to third-parties. Please note TetherX will encrypt the stream to the highest standards, for more information please see our security white-paper.

Note: If you are still getting a broken stream or no live view, please try updating the camera and/or recorder firmware to the latest. There are known issues that have been addressed by Hikvision.

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Live View – Technical Implementation Details

How TetherX implements live view to be compatible with all manufacturers

Introduction

The quality, latency and smoothness of live view streaming is dictated by many factors:

Available Streams from Cameras

Typically cameras will provide 2 video streams as well as the ability to request a single image. These limitations dictate what is and isn’t possible when it comes to both recording and streaming.

💡 Note: More expensive and speciality cameras will provide additional video streams and custom streams of crops/de-warps of the same image (e.g. 180 or 360 cameras).

The streams are usually accessed through RTSP and the images through HTTP. For example:

Formats

Transcoding vs Proxying

TetherX supports both transcoding and proxying/packaging. The differences between the two are as follows:

Transcoding is a process of taking the stream from a camera, decoding it and then re-encoding it into a different format. This is the ideal method to hit a specific requirement of Internet bandwidth and viewing size, but it is in most cases cost prohibitive as you need power hungry and expensive hardware to achieve.

​For context, a TetherBox Pico capable of recording 10 cameras will only be able to record 2 if transcoding (you can enable transcoding in TetherX by editing a camera and switching to the advanced tab).

Proxying & Packaging is what is used in most cases, where the original video stream is maintained but is packaged into different containers, for example .mp4 for video recording and .ts for local and high-def live streaming (see streaming technologies below).
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This means that ultimately, you are at the mercy of the camera/recorder. If you need to open 16 cameras and each one is 1mbit, but your upload speed is only 10mbit, it will simply not work because the stream size cannot be adjusted without either:

Video vs Images

TetherX use a combination of images and video to achieve different goals. It is important to understand the differences and advantages/disadvantages of each, which in turn dictate when either is used in TetherX.

The main difference between image and video compression is every image is self contained, where every video frame is part of a stream. While you may skip an image, skipping a frame in a video stream leads to parts of the image breaking / disappearing:

Systems that ignore broken/skipped data (e.g. streaming over UDP) will show a broken image while many systems will simply show a loading spinner while they wait for the next key frame (which is controlled by the key-frame interval set on the camera/recorder, typically set to 1 second, or the same number as fps, but sometimes much longer).

Because each image is self contained, it is typically 5 to 25x larger in bitrate vs video at 25 images per second. It may initially seem obvious that video should be used when accessing remotely, however there are certain important underlying trade-offs that make it a much tougher question which needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis, according to the following:

Advantages of Images

Live View Streaming Technologies

TetherX uses all mainstream streaming technologies available and choses between them depending on the specific requirements and constraints:

How TetherX Does It

TetherX supports most streaming technologies and switches between them depending on context.

When local streaming (the TetherBox is able to detect if you are on the same network), if we are viewing less than 10 cameras simultaneously TetherX switches to LHLS (see above) to show the primary video stream from each camera at full resolution/frame-rate (assuming your viewing device is capable of displaying this many streams). If this is not working well for you, you are presented with a toggle to switch off High-def streaming to fall back to loading images.

When full screening a camera (double tap/click a camera), we assume you want the higher quality and we switch to the full primary stream. If your connection is not able to sustain this stream, we automatically fall back to loading images.

When viewing multiple sites / cameras over Internet in record mode, we switch to image viewing but we transcode/transize the images depending on the size of each live view box on your screen. This ensures that you are able to view many simultaneous cameras, the latency is lower than video, it automatically adapts to the available bandwidth and it does not impact recording quality. This does however mean a lower fps.

When viewing multiple sites / cameras over Internet in monitor mode, we proxy the connection directly to the image provided by the camera. This leads to a further lowering of fps but ensures the TetherBox can monitor the health of and provide live view of 10x more cameras than in record mode.

Learn more about using Live View in TetherX here.

How Hikvision iVMS Does it

Because of the constrains outlined above, in order to show smooth video in iVMS (and Dahua PSS) software, if the connection speeds both on site and viewing device cannot accommodate the streams, the software temporarily reconfigures the cameras to send a lower bitrate stream while keeping the resolution the same.

💡 Note: if you happen to kill the software at this point (or lose connection), this can cause the camera to permanently record in lower quality.

Because many cameras or recorders only support a single stream at above D1 resolution, this means that not only is the live view quality reduced, but also the video being recoded which can lead to losing critical video evidence.

In our testing, limiting the connection to 5mbit 200ms upload and streaming just 4 cameras in HD resulted in blocky and usable footage being recorded on the NVR. It also took over 10 seconds to get an initial image, however the motion was smooth (25fps) once loaded.

In comparison when using images (outside of the iVMS/PSS software), the images loaded almost immediately, the image quality was significantly higher, but the frame-rate was poor (3-4fps) – still sufficient for making decisions in a control room setting, but understandably disappointing in smoothness by comparison. (Note: higher fps can still be achieved by full screening a single camera on demand).

When viewing a smaller number of cameras from the same manufacturer on a single PC or phone, it looks impressive to have smooth 25fps video on iVMS/PSS/others. However, when dealing with 100+ or even 32 cameras, from different manufacturers, different firmware versions, with multiple users, across multiple sites, with differing and fluctuating bandwidths, you begin to appreciate the trade-offs and advantages/disadvantages of each approach.

💡 Note: This approach of custom code to adjust Hikvision camera settings to achieve smoother live view is only suitable if you do not care about recording quality and you are optimising for a single manufacturer with compatible models/firmware.

​TetherX is an open platform with a focus on convention over configuration, we prioritise the integrity of recorded footage above live view and we implement approaches that work across all recorders/cameras as well as viewing devices.

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Uniview / UNV Camera Setup Guide (for use with TetherX)

Using TetherX with Uniview / UNV Cameras

Summary

Uniview or UNV cameras should work out of the box in most cases. However please note depending on the age of the camera and firmware versions, the RTSP path may be different.

Please try the following paths:

3. Open the Advanced tab and enter the required Analytics Path and Recording Path. Please try all the paths given as examples above.

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Camera Setup Checklist

Adding IP cameras to TetherX Please note your camera may have a different interface and options may be located in a different part of the interface. Please refer to the camera manual if you are not able to find the relevant option.

Network

Set a Static IP

Set camera to unused IP on 192.168.88.x network
set DNS/Gateway to 192.168.88.100

Important: Although it’s possible to configure your camera with DHCP, and TetherBox is capable of detecting any IP changes, we strongly advise against this practice for security reasons. This setting can potentially allow the camera to connect directly to the internet, raising a range of security issues. These include unauthorised access through back doors, or the risk of security holes in the camera’s firmware if it’s not updated regularly.

Video & Audio

Recording Stream (primary)

Analytics Stream (secondary)

Conditions

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Audio (optional)

Date & Time

One option is to disable time from being displayed in the camera at all. You generally do this under OSD settings. If you do wish time to be displayed in the image, you need to set the following:

<p>The post TetherX Camera Setup Guide v2 first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>

FAQ

Q: Which model of VTO (Outdoor Station) can work stand-alone and make a call notification to DMSS when call button is pressed?

A: DHI-VTO22202F-P, VTO2000A-S, VTO-2000A-2-S, VTO2111D-WP-S, VTO2000A, VTO2000A-2

Q: Can Apartment outdoor station (VTO1210C-X and VTO1210C-X-S and DHI-VTO4202F) work with DMSS App?

A: Yes, but it requires License for firmware customization. Please reach out to your local Sales Rep or Technical Consultant.

Q: How do I access device config page in VTH (indoor monitor) device?

A: From the homepage, press and hold Settings button for 6 seconds.

Q: What the difference between Transmission 1 and Transmission 2 on the network settings?

A: Mode 1: Multicast (multicast). The default is mode 1. Using multicast in a multicast network environment, the effect is best at this time
Mode 2: Unicast (TCP), If the router does not support multicast, the group call will have a black screen on VTH, then you can switch to unicast mode. In addition, if the network is particularly poor, you can also use this mode, because TCP has a retransmission mechanism to avoid frame loss.

How To Reset VTH Password via Computer

Description

This guide will show you how to reset the password of a Dahua VTH over a local network using VDP Config.

Prerequisites

• Windows PC.
• Dahua video intercom device on the same LAN as the PC
• Dahua Toolbox
• VDP Config

Video Instructions

Step by Step Instructions

1. Open DahuaToolbox and click Open next to VDPConfig

2. Discover the device in VDPConfig – How To Discover A Device Using VDPConfig

3. Select System Settings section

4. Click Device Password

5. Select the device(s) you wish to reset the password for on the left using the checkbox

6. Click Reset Password

7. Confirm the prompt

8. Use the dropdown box next to Reset Mode to select XML File

The default Export Path will be displayed where the XML will be saved. Click BrowsePath to modify this location.

Click Next to proceed

A prompt will confirm a successful reset and generation of the XML file.

9. Navigate to the location where the XML file was exported to. default file name is ExportFile.xml

10. Send the exported xml file as an attachment to the email address: support_rpwd@dahuatech.com

Then 2 or 3 minutes later, you will receive an email with the attached XML file

Save the results.XML file to the computer

11. In VDPConfig at the Reset Password interface click Open

12. Select the results.xml file click Open

13. Click Next

14. Once the reset is successful it will prompt to create a new password for the device.

Enter the new password and again to confirm

Click Complete

A green checkmark next to the device will confirm a successful password reset

How to Initialize Video Intercom using Configtool

Description

Initializing our Video intercom with Configtool simplifies and streamlines the process.

Configtool now handles the initialization phase and any IP address changes that need to be made. You no longer need to manually initialize our VDP devices manually

You can only Initialize the same type of Intercom at one time due to the password requirements

• VTHs requires a 6 character password (Numerical only)
• VTOs requires an 8 character password (Alpha Numerical combination)

Prerequisites

1. Configtool

2. Gen 3 Video Intercom devices

3. PC

Video Instructions

Read More : How To Dahua Video Intercom All Methods

Step by Step Instructions

1. Check the VTOs that you want to initialize and click on Initialize

Note:You can only Initialize the same type of Intercom at one time due to the password requirements

2. Click on Initialize

3. VTOs require at least an 8 character Alpa-Numeric password. Be sure to enter an email as this will be your method resetting the password if forgotten or lost. Click on Next to proceed

4. The green check marks will indicate that the devices have been successfully initialized. Click on Finish to complete the VTO initialization.

5. Select the VTHs you want to initialize and click on Initialize

Note:You can only Initialize the same type of Intercom at one time due to the password requirements

6. Click on Initialize

7. Enter a 6 Character Numerical password and an email as this will be your method to reset the password if forgotten or lost.

8. Green check marks indicates it was successfully initialized. Click on Finish to finalize the initialization.

Changing IP Addresses

Once devices are initialized you may want to change their IP Addresses to be on the same IP Scheme

1. To do that go to Search Setting

2. Enter the credentials if the device you want to modify and click on OK

3. The device list will refresh. Click on Edit for the device you want to edit

4. Enter the desired IP Address then click on OK to finalize

5. The green check mark will indicate that the IP address change was successful.

How to Setup and program Modules on DHI-VTO4202F-P-S2

Description

This guide will go over the wiring and programming of the modular accessories for our DHI-VTO4202F-P-S2

The only programmable Module in our product line is the Five-Button Call Panel.

Prerequisites

• DHI-VTO4202F-P-S2
• Module Accessories
• PC

Video Instructions

Step By Step Instructions

Physical Wiring of the Modules

You will always start at the DHI-VTO4202F-P-S2 OUT, then go to the next module on the IN port. Continue this pattern for the rest of the Modules.

Programming the Modules

1. Go to the DHI-VTO4202F-P-S2 WEBUI

2. Login to the VTO

3. Go to Local Settings

4. Click on the next available entry under Facade Layout

5. Select the Modules in the order you have them Physically wired

6. If you have multiple modules select the next empty slot. The order is labeled on the image below

7. The modules will populate once added

8. To program the Five-Button Call Panel select the empty box

9. Pick the Room Number you’d like to link it to

10. Select the next box if you have several Rooms you’d like to link

11. Select the second room number

12. In order to save the programming you need to click on Confirm

How to Forward calls to DSS Pro Client=

Description

This guide will go over the forwarding options for DSS Pro Client.

Each user created in DSS Pro will have its own unique Center Management number. Locate that number before

Prerequisites

• Video Intercom Setup with DSS Pro being the SIP Server

Video Instructions

Step by Step Instructions

1. Open DSS Pro Client and go to Video Intercom

2. Go to Call Management

3. Navigate over to Management Group Config

4. Select the User the Devices are setup with. In this guide we are using the “system” user. We will be using that number for forwarding the calls to the client.

5. Go to the VTH touch screen and enter the basic settings by tapping Setting

6. Go to Forward

7. Enter the number we located on step 4 and enable the status.

8. The calls will now be forwarded to DSS Pro Client

Video Intercom/SIP 2.0/How To Call DMSS

<p>The post Dahua Video Intercom GEN3 Setup Guide first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>

Description

Initializing our Video intercom with Configtool simplifies and streamlines the process.

Configtool now handles the initialization phase and any IP address changes that need to be made. You no longer need to manually initialize our VDP devices manually

You can only Initialize the same type of Intercom at one time due to the password requirements

• VTHs requires a 6 character password (Numerical only)
• VTOs requires an 8 character password (Alpha Numerical combination)

Prerequisites

1. Configtool

2. Gen 3 Video Intercom devices

3. PC

Video Instructions

Step by Step Instructions

1. Check the VTOs that you want to initialize and click on Initialize

Note:You can only Initialize the same type of Intercom at one time due to the password requirements

2. Click on Initialize

3. VTOs require at least an 8 character Alpa-Numeric password. Be sure to enter an email as this will be your method resetting the password if forgotten or lost. Click on Next to proceed

4. The green check marks will indicate that the devices have been successfully initialized. Click on Finish to complete the VTO initialization.

5. Select the VTHs you want to initialize and click on Initialize

Note:You can only Initialize the same type of Intercom at one time due to the password requirements

6. Click on Initialize

7. Enter a 6 Character Numerical password and an email as this will be your method to reset the password if forgotten or lost.

8. Green check marks indicates it was successfully initialized. Click on Finish to finalize the initialization.

Changing IP Addresses

Once devices are initialized you may want to change their IP Addresses to be on the same IP Scheme

1. To do that go to Search Setting

2. Enter the credentials if the device you want to modify and click on OK

3. The device list will refresh. Click on Edit for the device you want to edit

4. Enter the desired IP Address then click on OK to finalize

5. The green check mark will indicate that the IP address change was successful.

<p>The post How to Initialize Video Intercom first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>