If the video connection is established through the Video API version 3.4 or higher, videos can be displayed in external video clients. With Video API version 3.6 or higher an alarm monitor displaying video information for multiple alarms can be configured. The alarm monitor is used as a global monitoring station to visualize video streams and recordings of the cameras in case of an alarm. The spot monitor is used to visualize video streams and recordings of the cameras per workstation for an alarm that an operator has acknowledged.
The following steps have to be performed in order to integrate VMS cameras in Siveillance Control and display video streams on alarm and spot monitors:
- Set up a connection to the VMS. For more information refer to: Configuring the VMS Integration.
- Create camera sequence annotations. For more information refer to: Configuring Cameras.
- Define an alarm monitor name and spot monitor names for every workstation, where a VMS video client is required. For more information refer to: Defining Monitor Names in the VMS Video Client.
- Select the alarm monitor name and configure the layout in the video client. For more information refer to: Selecting Alarm Monitor Settings in the VMS Video Client .
- Select the spot monitor names and configure the layout in the video clients on the workstation machines. For more information refer to: Selecting Spot Monitor Settings in the VMS Video Client .
- In the engineering client, select the alarm monitor and spot monitor. For more information refer to: Selecting the Alarm Monitor in the Engineering Client and Selecting Spot Monitors for Workstations.
- In the engineering client, configure the alarm monitor layout. For more information refer to: Configuring the Alarm Monitor Layout in the Engineering Client.
- For every workstation, select the spot monitor in the runtime client. For more information refer to: Selecting Spot Monitors for Workstations.
Configuration Example with Alarm and Spot Monitors
In order to explain how the monitors can be configured on the different machines, the following setup is assumed. There are three client machines with spot monitors: Engineering workstation, Runtime workstation 1 and Runtime workstation 2. The video client which controls the alarm monitor is installed on the VMS server.
The following picture shows the setup.
The following diagram shows the Siveillance Control and VMS components and the configuration steps.
VMS Server | Engineering Client PC | Runtime Client PC | Runtime Client PC |
|---|---|---|---|
(1) The VMS video client is installed. | (1) The VMS video client is installed. | (1) The VMS video client is installed. | (1) The VMS video client is installed. |
In the VMS video client: (2) Define the following monitor names:
(3) Select monitor name Alarm Monitor and select layout Layout4x4 | In the VMS video client: (4) Select monitor name Spot Monitor - Engineering and select layout MainTileLayoutGenerator. | In the VMS video client: (8) Select monitor name Spot Monitor – Workstation 1 and select layout MainTileLayoutGenerator. | In the VMS video client: (10) Select monitor name Spot Monitor – Workstation 2 and select layout MainTileLayoutGenerator. |
| In the engineering client: (5) Select Alarm Monitor for the alarm monitor. (6) Select the alarm monitor layout 4x4. (7) Select Spot Monitor - Engineering for the spot monitor. | In the runtime client: (9) Select Spot Monitor – Workstation 1 for the spot monitor. | In the runtime client: (11) Select Spot Monitor – Workstation 2 for the spot monitor. |
Video Information on the Alarm Monitor
To stream videos from multiple alarms on the alarm monitor, you can configure the layout in both the engineering client and VMS client. When multiple alarms are triggered from fire detectors or an access system, the annotated cameras display snapshot, pre-alarm recording and live video stream on the alarm monitor in individual rows based on the selected layout, for example 4x4 or 5x5.
The video information (that is snapshot, pre-alarm recording and live video stream) of the most recent alarm listed in the Message List view is displayed on the first row and subsequent alarms in the rows down below. For example, if four alarms are triggered simultaneously, the video information of the alarms is displayed in the four rows of the alarm monitor in the order of alarm priority in the Message List view.
When an operator acknowledges the alarm, the snapshot, pre-alarm recording and live video stream moves from alarm monitor to spot monitor and the video information of alarms on the alarm monitor is rearranged.
The placement of snapshot, pre-alarm recording and live video stream of multiple alarms for each row will be displayed in the following format:
- Snapshot: First tile
- Pre-alarm recording: Second tile
- Live stream from annotated cameras: Third tile
- Live stream from related cameras: Fourth tile
The following images visualize two possible scenarios:
Scenario 1:
Display of video information of alarms on an alarm monitor with a 4x4 layout. If an alarm is acknowledged, it moves to spot monitor and alarms on the alarm monitor are rearranged.
Number | Description |
|---|---|
1 | No video information on alarm monitor. |
2 | A new alarm came in. Video information for Alarm 1 is displayed on the first row. |
3 | Three more alarms come in. Video information of Alarm 1 moves to the last row. |
4 | Operator acknowledges Alarm 2. Video information of Alarm 2 moves to spot monitor. |
5 | Video information of Alarm 1 moves one row above. |
Scenario 2:
If an alarm monitor is full and a new alarm comes in, the video information in the last row moves out and remains in standby. The video information of the new alarm moves to the first row and the rest of the video information is rearranged. If an alarm is acknowledged, the video information of the standby alarm moves back to the last row.
Number | Description |
|---|---|
1 | Alarm monitor is full. |
2 | A new alarm comes in. Video information of Alarm 1 moves out. Video information of Alarm 5 moves to the top row. |
3 | Rest of the video information is rearranged. |
4 | Alarm 4 is acknowledged. Video information of Alarm 1 moves back to the last row and other video information is rearranged. |
Defining Monitor Names in the VMS Video Client
In order to use a monitor in Siveillance Control, the monitor name must be defined in the VMS video client.
- URL and REST Api Token of the Video API are known.
- Log on to the VMS Video Client.
- Open the Settings page and navigate to Siemens Video Control. Enter the following information:
- Ignore SSL Errors: This option tells the plugin to ignore any SSL error checks while connecting to the Video API service. In general, this is needed for troubleshooting when the certificates are not installed properly.
- Video API URL: Typically, the URL with the port number to the Video API service
https://[vms-servername]:7442/
- Video API Token: The token used to secure access to the Video API.
- Alarm Monitor: To be able to define a monitor name, make sure that the Alarm Monitor checkbox is unmarked.
- Monitor Name: The name of the monitor for the VMS video client. To create new monitor names, click the + button. Create an alarm monitor name and spot monitor names for every workstation. To remove a selected monitor name, click the x button.
- Layout Generator: You can select the layout of the view.
Layout3x3, Layout4x4, Layout5x5, Layout6x6: The layout consists of a grid with tiles of the same size. Use one of these layouts for the alarm monitor.
MainTileLayoutGenerator: The layout consists of one big tile and surrounding small tiles. This layout is recommended for spot monitors.
UniformLayoutGenerator: The layout consists of a grid with tiles of the same size.
- Click Close.
- All monitor names are stored in the Video API.
Selecting Alarm Monitor Settings in the VMS Video Client
To ensure that video information of alarms is recorded and streamed in an appropriate layout format on the alarm monitor, it is mandatory to set the same layout setup in both, the Siveillance Control engineering client and VMS video client.
- You are logged on to the machine, where the VMS video client for the alarm monitor is running.
- URL and REST Api Token of the Video API are known.
- The alarm monitor name is defined.
- Log on to the VMS video client. For login make sure to not use the same user account that is logged in to another VMS video client, for example for a spot monitor.
- In the navigation bar, click the drop-down arrow and select Settings.
- Select Siemens Video Control.
- Enter the following information:
- Ignore SSL Errors: This option tells the plugin to ignore any SSL error checks while connecting to the Video API service. In general, this is needed for troubleshooting when the certificates are not installed properly.
- Video API URL: Typically, the URL with the port number to the Video API service
https://[vms-servername]:7442/
- Video API Token: The token used to secure access to the Video API.
- Alarm Monitor: The Alarm Monitor check box is not marked by default. Mark the check box to display Monitor Name and Layout Generator automatically. When the check box is marked, the Monitor Name field displays Alarm Monitor and the Layout Generator displays Layout5x5. These automatically displayed values are fixed and cannot be changed.
- Monitor Name: Select an alarm monitor name that you have created from the drop-down.
- Layout Generator: Select one of the following layouts: Layout3x3, Layout4x4, Layout5x5, Layout6x6: Make sure, that the settings for alarm monitor layout selected in the engineering client match the settings selected here.
- Click Close.
- The settings are stored on the machine.
- The layout settings apply for the VMS video client as soon as the first video information is sent from Siveillance Control. If an alarm is triggered from a detector with annotated cameras, the alarm monitor displays the video information for that alarm.
Selecting the Alarm Monitor in the Engineering Client
To automatically display video information of alarms on the alarm monitor configured in the VMS video client, the alarm monitor name must be selected for the VMS connection in Siveillance Control.
- You are logged on to the engineering client.
- The connection to the VMS has been set up and the status is displayed green.
- In the VMS video client, an alarm monitor name is defined.
- To configure the alarm monitor, you have the following options:
- In the Video Configuration perspective, right-click the VMS connection and select Select Alarm Monitor.
- In the System Tree of the Engineering perspective, right-click a VMS connection and select Select Alarm Monitor.
- In the Select Alarm Monitor dialog box, select the alarm monitor name defined in the VMS video client and click OK.
Configuring the Alarm Monitor Layout in the Engineering Client
To ensure that video information of alarms is recorded and streamed in an appropriate layout format on the alarm monitor, it is mandatory to set the same layout setup in both, the Siveillance Control engineering client and VMS video client.
- The alarm monitor name and layout has been selected in the VMS video client.
- You are logged on to the engineering client.
- The connection to the VMS has been set up and the status is displayed green.
- The alarm monitor has been configured.
- In the menu bar, select Window > Preferences.
- Select Siveillance Control > Server Settings.
- You have the following options:
- Offset for Bookmark of Recorded Video (in Seconds): Keep the default value.
- During Server Startup: Keep the default value.
- Select Alarm Monitor Layout: Select the same layout that you have selected in the VMS video client for the alarm monitor.
- Click OK.
Default Layout for Spot Monitor
In the VMS client, you can define views that show a set of cameras and other information like HTML pages or still images. A view can be set as Default Layout under Siemens Video Control. When no video alarm is active and you do not work on an incident with related video footage, your spot monitor shows the view you set as Default Layout. For more information how to create views, refer to the Siemens Siveillance Video Client help > Configuration > Setup mode and Views configuration.
Selecting Spot Monitor Settings in the VMS Video Client
On every runtime or engineering workstation which is intended to display video information on a spot monitor, you need to select the appropriate spot monitor name.
- You are logged on to the machine, where the VMS video client for the spot monitor is running.
- URL and REST Api Token of the Video API are known.
- Spot monitor names are defined for every workstation.
- Log on to the VMS video client. For login make sure to not use the same user account that is logged in to another VMS video client, for example for alarm monitor.
- In the navigation bar, click the drop-down arrow and select Settings.
- Select Siemens Video Control. Enter the following information:
- Ignore SSL Errors: This option tells the plugin to ignore any SSL error checks while connecting to the Video API service. In general, this is needed for troubleshooting when the certificates are not installed properly.
- Video API URL: Typically, the URL with the port number to the Video API service
https://[vms-servername]:7442/
- Video API Token: The token used to secure access to the Video API.
- Alarm Monitor: To be able to select a spot monitor name, make sure that the Alarm Monitor check box is unmarked.
- Monitor Name: Select the spot monitor name that is defined for this workstation.
- Layout Generator: Select MainTileLayoutGenerator: The layout consists of one big tile and surrounding small tiles. This layout is recommended for spot monitors.
- Default Layout: Select a view from the Default Layout drop-down list.
- Click Close.
- The settings are stored on the machine.
- The layout settings apply for the VMS video client as soon as the first video information is sent from Siveillance Control. If an alarm from a detector with annotated cameras is acknowledged, the spot monitor displays the video information for that alarm.
- When the message is quieted, the related camera streams disappear from the spot monitor and the camera views defined for the default layout is restored.
Selecting Spot Monitors for Workstations
The spot monitor enables video streams and recordings of the camera per workstation to be displayed. For every runtime client machine or engineering client machine where a spot monitor is required, complete the following steps:
- You are logged on to the runtime client or engineering client.
- In the VMS video client, spot monitor names have been defined for every runtime or engineering workstation.
- In the VMS video client running on the workstation machine, the spot monitor name for this runtime or engineering workstation and a layout is selected.
- The connection to the VMS has been set up and the status is displayed green.
- In the menu bar, select Tools > Select Spot Monitor.
- In the Select Spot Monitor dialog box, select the spot monitor name that is defined for the current workstation and click OK.
Displaying Video Streams
- The connection to the VMS has been set up and the status is displayed green.
- The spot and alarm monitors are configured.
- Camera sequence annotations are configured.
- To set an automatic video streaming type for an individual camera, perform the following steps:
- In the Engineering perspective’s Location Tree, select [Area] > [Camera].
- In the Object Properties view, click Misc > Automatic Video Streaming.
- Select any one of the following options from the Automatic Video Streaming drop-down list.
- Always: The video stream of the selected camera is displayed, whenever you double-click the camera or an incoming message is received for an object in the area, where the selected camera is configured.
- Never: The video stream of the selected camera is not displayed, when you double-click the camera or an incoming message is received for an object in the area, where the selected camera is configured.
- Only with incoming message: The video stream of the selected camera is displayed, only when an incoming message is received for an object in the area, where the selected camera is configured.
- To display the video stream of a specific camera, you have the following options:
- In the Video Configuration perspective, double-click the camera or right-click the camera and select Show stream on.
- In the Location Tree or in the Graphics view of the Engineering perspective, double-click the camera or right-click the camera and select Show stream on.
- In the Search view or in the Graphics view of the Engineering perspective, drag the camera and drop to the layout of the spot monitor.
- If you double-click the camera, the content currently displayed on the first tile of the spot monitor is replaced by the video stream of the chosen camera.
- If you drag and drop the camera, the live video stream of the camera is displayed on the chosen tile of the spot monitor.
- To set an automatic video streaming type for an individual area, perform the following steps:
- In the Engineering perspective’s Location Tree, select an area.
- In the Object Properties view, click Misc > Automatic Video Streaming.
- Select any one of the following options from the Automatic Video Streaming drop-down list.
- Always: The video streams of all the cameras configured in the area are displayed, whenever you double-click the area or when an incoming message is received for an object configured in the specific area.
- Never: The video streams of all the cameras configured in the area are not displayed, when you double-click the area or when an incoming message is received for an object configured in the specific area.
- Only with incoming message: The video streams of all the cameras configured in an area are displayed, only when an incoming message is received for an object configured in the specific area.
- If you right-click the camera, select the monitor name.
- If you select Spot Monitor: The content currently displayed on the spot monitor is removed. The live video stream of the selected camera is displayed in the main tile.
- If you select Alarm Monitor: The live video stream of the selected camera replaces the current content of the first tile and remains there for 20 seconds. It is not recommended to select Alarm Monitor.
- To display the video streams related to a specific area, double-click the area in the Location Tree of the Engineering perspective.
- The content currently shown on the spot monitor will be removed. The video stream of all cameras related to the selected area will be displayed on the spot monitor.
- To display the video streams contained in a virtual group detector, double-click the virtual group detector in the Location Tree of the Engineering perspective.
- The content currently displayed on the spot monitor is removed. The video stream of all cameras contained in the virtual group detector will be displayed on the spot monitor.
Testing the Display of Video for Multiple Alarms
The below example explains how the commissioning engineer can test the display of video information of multiple alarms on the alarm monitor.
- The connection to the VMS has been set up and the status is displayed green.
- The spot and alarm monitors have been configured.
- A 4x4 alarm monitor layout has been configured in both, the engineering client and VMS video client.
- In the Message List view, multiple alarm messages with annotated cameras are displayed.
- The Engineering perspective is displayed.
- Under the Location Tree, a Building has been configured with:
- A main door and two cameras
- A Siemens office with a camera and a door inside it
- The DirectShowVirtual Video Server (0.0.0.1) - Camera 1 is annotated to Siemens office.
- Right-click the main door inside the building and simulate an alarm.