Video surveillance systems are popular with owners of private houses and luxury apartments. During their operation, difficulties arise taking into account the information supplied to the recorder and with the settings of the device itself. A special management program called CMS will help to remove these problems.
Need for a CMS
A software product that allows you to organize and conduct CMS video surveillance through a recorder is supplied with the device (except for cheap models). The need for it is due to the following reasons:
- by means of CMS programs for video surveillance, it is possible to duplicate the functions of the recorder on a PC;
- their presence provides access to several recording devices at the facility at once;
- With the help of this program, geographically remote points with surveillance cameras are combined into a single network.
On the territory of a large industrial enterprise with many divisions and workshops, the functionality of CMS video surveillance is simply irreplaceable.
Capabilities of the CMS video surveillance program
CMS software for video surveillance is an easy-to-learn and convenient tool through which it is possible to:
- remotely view the picture from the camera online;
- work with an archive stored on a hard disk;
- remotely configure each of the recording devices.
You do not need to learn network protocols and master the work with port addresses, etc. The user is required to know how to enter the DVR menu and how to install programs on a PC. When combining points of observation and collection of information, it is allowed to use devices from different manufacturers. The total number of channels in this case reaches 64 units (without special software, this figure is limited to 8-16 cameras).
The CMS program provides for the possibility of forming distributed zones, which make it possible to single out separate groups of registrars within the system boundaries. Due to the versatility of the CMS software, the user can remotely work with registrars and manage them from anywhere in the world with Internet access. The software tool allows you to save images from cameras on a computer disk and view the video if necessary.
Even if the recorder fails or is lost, the recorded information will not go anywhere and will always be at hand. The ability to save the system configuration on a PC allows you to configure a newly added device in case of expansion or failure of one of them.
When watching videos, thanks to CMS, it is possible to simultaneously output several channels at once from each recording device, which reduces the viewing time. The program allows you to select the necessary fragments of the deleted video according to such criteria as the recording time, the nature of the alarm event, etc.
An important function provided in the program interface is the ability to differentiate the rights to use it. This guarantees the safety of operation and excludes troubles from unauthorized interference in the operation of the system.
Installing and configuring the program via the Internet
How to install the CMS program:
- The application is downloaded from the official website of the software developer and then opened.
- To add a new recorder, press the "System" tab, and then the "Device" button.
- A window will appear in which the system will allow you to add a new position and will offer to fill in several fields.
- They contain the name of the registrar, IP-address of the device, access port, password and username.
- After entering the information, the identified device will be highlighted in the list of available ones.
- If it is not detected for some reason, you need to repeat the procedure and restart the computer with the installed application.
Before setting, the program is called by double clicking on the corresponding icon. To view the video from the recorder in the highest possible quality, you need to click on the "Main stream" button. Connecting it will allow you to examine the image on the screen in all details. The functionality of the program allows you to connect to several recorders simultaneously with a sequential call to the screen.
A large number of video cameras connected to the system significantly load the personal computer and reduce its performance. This often leads to malfunctions and errors in work. To reduce the load on the computer, you will need to click on the "Secondary mode" tab. To completely disable the registrar, you need to double-click on its name.
Difficulties in choosing CMS video surveillance systems
Three modifications of the product in question are common on the network: PSS from Dahua, iVMS and CMS from Tecsar. When analyzing the operation of the programs, it turned out that they are all identical, but with some applications, complications are possible. PSS version 4.05 installs well on Windows 7x64, but for some reason does not run on it.
As it turned out, this version has a long-standing problem in that it must first be run in compatibility status with Windows XP SP3. Only after that does it start to function at 7. Despite the frank inconvenience of handling the application, the problem has not yet been solved by the developers.
The iVMS-4200 v.2.3.0.5 program from Hikvision is installed and works fine, but there are some difficulties:
- there are no versions of the application translated into Russian on the market;
- the program often conflicts with other similar products;
- it is completely unsuitable for working with distributed systems.
There are no complaints about the Tecsar CMS application - it is easy to install and run on any system.
How to use the program
The procedure for using the software product is considered on the example of Tecsar CMS. In this application, it is allowed to add remote devices (recorders or video cameras) both by IP address and by a unique ID. According to the attached instructions, there are four ways to expand the base:
- by the IP address assigned to the device;
- adding with addressing to the identifier of the equipment itself;
- via ARSP protocol;
- using a cloud service.
In the first two cases, to complete the connection, you need to know the IP address and the port number assigned to the equipment. For subsequent options, you will need to specify the device identifier (ID).
Working with a CMS has another advantage. It consists in the possibility of using decoders that convert digital audio and video messages into an analog signal. This may be required when working on video equipment that has only an analog input (in old television receivers, for example, or in video monitors). The converter manages to receive and decode signals from several sources at the same time. As such a device, it is allowed to use specialized hardware and an ordinary personal computer.
