Remote Web Access – ViewCommander https://viewcommander.com IP Camera Software Thu, 01 Aug 2024 13:40:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://viewcommander.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cropped-cropped-cropped-IVI-Logo-1-32x32.png Remote Web Access – ViewCommander https://viewcommander.com 32 32 Exporting on the Web https://viewcommander.com/exporting-on-the-web/ Fri, 14 Jan 2022 18:45:04 +0000 https://viewcommander.com/?p=4234

How to Export Video on the web

1. On the web portal select “Archive”

2. Select a Camera

3. On the calendar select the day, time, and minute you would like to export

4. Select "Video Exports" on the right-hand side of the screen --> "New Export" 

5. Select the Name, Start/End Time, type of video format and the optional timestamp then click "Export"

  • Note: Depending upon the size of video being exported the export process may take some time

6. To view the exported video click on "Export List" 

  • Note: If you are seeing multiple files being created you will need to go into the “Remote Web Access” tab under the System Settings, on the Server, and change the “Max File size” 
]]> Sensors/Events on the Web https://viewcommander.com/sensors-events-on-the-web/ Thu, 13 Jan 2022 21:36:36 +0000 https://viewcommander.com/?p=4321

SENSORS/EVENTS ON THE WEB

The Sensors and Events allows for the setting of different types of events, such as motion detection or I/O port events. You can configure ViewCommander to handle events differently for each camera.

1. Click "ADD SENSOR"

  • Here you will be able to configure Sensors, Events and Event Actions 

  • Sensors are used to detect specific events, like motion, connection loss, or I/O from the camera. To configure a sensor, press “Sensors & Events” then click the “Add” button in the Sensors section of the menu and select a sensor type. For Motion Detection sensors, you will also need to choose between analyzing the whole image, or a region of interest. To learn more about setting up Motion Detection click HERE

  • Each Event can be assigned a number of Event Actions, which occur whenever the event is triggered. The Event Actions are grouped into several sections for organization.

This option will allow you to set up Motion Detection notifications. You will need to have set up Motion Detection prior to selecting this option. Click HERE to learn more. 

Some cameras allow for other notifications to be established. This is where you would put in camera specific notifications.

When a camera goes offline this option will notify you that a connection has been loss. 

For some cameras in the ProAdvanced model there is the option to pull in custom controls. For example, if you want the camera to go into day mode when the sun rises. 

Choose this option if you would like to be notified when there is an Input/Output connection. 

2. Click "ADD EVENT"

  • Each sensor can have multiple events, each with their own set of Event Actions. To configure an event, first choose a Sensor, then press the “Add Event” button. Each event has a user-specified name, and can be configured to be triggered either any time or on a specific schedule. Multiple events on each Sensor can be given their own individual schedules.

“Event Name”

  • This is where you will name your Event. For example “Motion Detection” 

“Event Trigger”

  • If you would like the Event to only be triggered on a specific day at a specific time then you would choose “On Schedule” and setup the schedule under “Show Schedule”. 

    • NOTE: This is still an “event” so when setting up recordings you still would select “Record only events” 

“Event Actions (Options)”

Checking this option will record video when an event is triggered.

IMPORTANT: In addition to the “Record Video” checkbox, “Record only events” must be selected in the camera’s Settings. 

Flash Box Checking this option will draw a red box around the video when an event is triggered. The Flash Box will also appear around a video feed when in MultiView Mode.

For systems equipped with a sound card and speakers, checking this option will play a sound when the event is triggered.

“Event Actions (Notifications)”

Email will be sent for a particular event.

Check this to attach a JPEG snapshot of the current video in the email.

Set this value to wait after the event before sending the email. Useful only if the “Attach JPEG snapshot” option is checked.

This value prevents sending too many email notifications within a period of time. This value will be the number of minutes to elapse before sending another email notification.

Use this field to add email addresses to send notifications to. This will override the default system email address. Use a semicolon (;) with no spaces to separate multiple email addresses.

3. Click "Save" 

]]> Motion Detection on the Web https://viewcommander.com/motion-detection-on-the-web/ Wed, 12 Jan 2022 15:06:58 +0000 https://viewcommander.com/?p=4288

Motion Detection on the Web

The Sensors and Events allows for the setting of different types of events, such as motion detection or I/O port events. You can configure ViewCommander to handle events differently for each camera.

Enable "Motion Detection"

1. Check "Enable Motion Detection"

      • NOTE: Checking this option will enable the motion detection system for a particular camera. Checking this option uses additional computing power to analyze the video, so leave this option unchecked unless these settings are require

2. Click "SAVE"

3. Click "CLICK TO EDIT MOTION SETTINGS" 

When configuring events, you can set up motion detection for both the whole image, and specific regions of interest.

In the Professional Advanced model, you can create up to 3 regions of interest per camera. In all other models, you can create only 1 region of interest. See “Brush Size” for how to draw where you would like motion to be detected for a specific region. 

This setting adjusts the sensitivity to detect motion. Choosing a low value for sensitivity will cause the motion detector to detect small changes in movement. This may be undesirable if small objects are moving in the background. Choosing a higher value for sensitivity will cause the motion detector to be more tolerant of movement in the image.

Also, network cameras may produce visual noise that may be detected on low sensitivity settings. Check the Show Motion Change box when adjusting this setting.

This status bar shows the level of detected motion in real-time. In the example, the % motion is 3.40% – which is greater than the set Threshold (see next item). 

This setting determines when to take an action based on detected % motion. Setting this to lower values will trigger actions when small changes are detected (such as a bird flying by). Higher values filter out smaller objects and will trigger alarms when larger objects are detected. The arrow on this control corresponds directly with the %motion bar above. When the motion bar above passes the arrow on this control, an event will be triggered and, if setup, the camera will begin to record. See “Sensors/Events on the Web” and “Recording on the Web” for more information on Recording. 

Here you can change the size of your brush to make it more exact when highlighting a Region of Interest. The highest brush size is 6. To highlight an area, click with your mouse where you would like motion to be detected. Right click and drag to erase squares. 

4. Click "SAVE" then "GO BACK TO SETTINGS" 

***Click HERE to learn how to setup Sensors and Events next***

]]> Recording on the Web https://viewcommander.com/recording-on-the-web/ Tue, 11 Jan 2022 20:01:32 +0000 https://viewcommander.com/?p=4255

Recording on the Web

NOTE: The drive where ALL cameras are saved to is set in the “Archive Tab” of the “System Settings” cannot be changed on the web. However, you can change where individual cameras save. 

Setting up your cameras to record: 

  • Under the “Settings” icon click on the camera you would like to setup recordings for from the column on the left. 

Recording Type

Video for this camera will not be recorded.

This mode will record all incoming video 24-7.  You can see the system is recording by looking at the recording icon at the top right corner. If it is a filled in circle this means it is recording. It will save video at the frame rate that you specify. If the incoming frame rate is slower than the specified recording frame rate, then video will only record at the incoming frame rate. This frame rate specification applies only to MJPEG video. Due to the nature of H.264, all frames must be recorded.

When this option is chosen, you will need to set up a recording schedule. If a schedule has not been set, you will be able to edit the schedule by clicking the “Edit Schedule” button.  When the schedule appears to highlight times drag and drop with your mouse to highlight times in green. To unselect times right click.  

Choose this option if you want to record video only when an event is triggered, such as motion detection. ***IF YOU SELECT THIS OPTION, YOU MUST SETUP SENSORS/EVENTS TOO. Click HERE to learn more about setting Sensors/Events on the Web***

Primary Drive

If “Default” drive is selected, then video will be saved to the drive specified in the Systems Settings. Say for example you want to save this camera to a different drive letter, such as a USB drive that you are going to use for this one camera. Here is where you will override the default drive, and choose the specific drive location.

Secondary Drive

In the ProPlus model or higher, you can select a secondary failover drive to record to if the primary drive is full or offline. 

Secondary Drive Use Options

Here you can choose to either have ViewCommander record to the secondary drive as a failover if the primary drive gets full or, if you have the ProAdvanced, model you can have ViewCommander write to both drives simultaneously. 

Record Audio

If your camera supports audio, ViewCommander can record audio too. To enable audio recording, simply check the checkbox.  You must already have audio enabled for this camera.

Event Recording Options

Under “saving a video when an event is triggered” you have the option to choose how soon you would like the system to start and end a recording when an event is triggered. The first option lets you save video before the event was detected.

NOTE: The longer you set this value, the more system memory ViewCommander will consume.

The second option sets how long to record video when an event is no longer detected.

]]> Adding a Camera on the Web https://viewcommander.com/adding-a-camera-on-the-web/ Mon, 10 Jan 2022 20:29:47 +0000 https://viewcommander.com/?p=4258

Adding a Camera on the Web

To add a camera click on the blue icon either in “LIVE” or “Settings”. 

Select Make and Model

Camera Model is the model of the camera or video encoder you will be adding.

Video Stream Selection

Lower resolutions will use less bandwidth and disk space, but will result in images with less detail.  Higher resolutions will allow for more detail in the image, but will use more bandwidth, use more diskspace, and may reduce the video frame rate if bandwidth is constrained.

If you notice that the video in ViewCommander appears pixelated, it is the result of a lower resolution being stretched to fit the ViewCommander screen. You may want to increase the resolution if you desire.

There are two supported video protocols: MJPEG and H.264.

MJPEG allows for reliable and consistent video but may use more bandwidth.

H.264 compresses video more efficiently, but may not be the best choice where the bandwidth can vary widely – such as some cellular connections. We generally recommend using TCP connections with H.264.

If unsure which video protocol to use, we recommend starting with MJPEG.

This is a number assigned by ViewCommander. It is used by the system for functions including storage and web access. This value cannot be changed.

NOTE: Not all cameras will have the same options as above. The options depend on your camera’s capabilities. If an item is grayed out, it means this value cannot be set from ViewCommander. However, you may be able to log into the camera directly and change these settings.

Connection Details

This Easy Reference Name option allows you to name your camera to a name that describes the camera. For example: parking lot, outside, street cam, etc.

This is not required but if you would like to display the camera name in the “Display Settings” on the application this is the name that would appear. 

This is the network address the system will use to connect to the camera. You can also enter a hostname, as well as a dynamic hostname if you set up your camera to use a DDNS, or Dynamic DNS address.

This is the same username and password that you use to log into the camera directly with a web browser.

Video port and control port are typically the same port numbers, the default port number set on most cameras is usually 80. However you may have changed this if your camera is on a remote connection behind a router or firewall.  If you are using RTSP, for example, you will need to change the video port to the camera’s RTSP port, usually port 554 by default. 

If your camera allows it, you can check off “HTTPS/SSL”. This will create an encrypted video stream between the camera and ViewCommander.

Save Camera

Additional Notes

  • Some video cameras and video encoders allow you to adjust additional settings through the device’s web-based interface. Refer to your device manual on how to adjust these settings.

NOTE: If you are NOT able to connect your camera to ViewCommander please see our Troubleshooting tips on adding a camera by clicking HERE

]]> Port Forwarding https://viewcommander.com/port-forwarding/ Fri, 16 Apr 2021 19:37:41 +0000 https://viewcommander.com/?p=2614

Remote Web Access

Port Forwarding

The next step will be to configure your router/firewall to allow remote connections to access the ViewCommander computer.

NOTE: Because networks are set up in many different ways, and have different equipment, IVI can only provide general guidance on the steps you will need to do to accomplish this. There are also security concerns that need to be address as well.

What is Port Forwarding?

This example illustrates how to remotely access a Network Video Recorder (NVR) located on a private network. This example can also be applied to remotely accessing IP cameras located on private networks.

Remote Client: This is an application on the client computer (PC, laptop, mobile phone) such as a web browser. The client in this example is a web browser used to connect to the NVR.

Router:  Your router allows network traffic from the LAN to access data from a WAN (such as the Internet), and vice versa.

Your router has two IP addresses:

  1. The WAN IP Address (also called a public, Internet, or external IP address) is the IP address assigned to your router by your internet service provider (Cable modem, DSL, wireless card, etc…). Use this address when connecting to the NVR from outside your LAN.
  2. The LAN IP Address (also called a private or internal IP address) is an IP address that only computers on your internal LAN can connect to.

NVR: In this example, the NVR is a software program on a computer in your local network you want to access from outside your LAN

Basics of Port Forwarding

In order for the Remote Client to connect to the NVR, the network traffic must pass through the router. For security reasons, most routers do not allow public traffic to pass through and connect to devices located on your private network. To allow this, you must enable “Port Forwarding” on your router. Consult your router manual for instructions on how to change the Port Forwarding settings(also called Network Address Translation (NAT)).

When you enable Port Forwarding on the router, the router needs to know a few things

  • The port number to forward. This must match the listening port on the NVR. Port 80 is the default for web traffic. 

  • The IP address of the NVR. The IP address of the NVR should be a static IP address

  • Type of traffic (TCP and/or UDP). Choose TCP for most NVR’s and IP cameras

Generic Steps to Forward Ports

  1. Assign the NVR a static IP Address (192.168.1.10 in this example)

  2. Configure NVR to use any port number you choose. (Port 9060 in this example)

  3. Log into the router and enable port forwarding. Forward the port number (from step 2) to the IP address of the NVR (step 1)

  4. Log into the router to determine the Public (WAN) IP address. You can also use sites like http://whatismyip.com from the NVR PC

  5. Use the Public (WAN) IP Address and Port combination to access your NVR: http://<IPAddress>:Port

]]> Firewall Access https://viewcommander.com/firewall-access/ Fri, 16 Apr 2021 19:36:12 +0000 https://viewcommander.com/?p=2609

Remote Web Access

Set Firewall Rules for ViewCommander Remote Web Access

1. Open Windows Defender Security Center

2. Click on Firewall & network protection

3. Click the Allow an app through firewall link

4. Click the Change settings button.

5. Check the app or feature you want to allow through the firewall

Allow apps through firewall on Windows 10

Quick Tip: If the ViewCommander isn’t on the list, click the Allow another app button to locate the application you want to allow ( For reference the ViewCommander installations are here C:\Program Files (x86)\IVI )

  1. Check off Private and Public
  2. Click OK.
]]> Enabling Remote Access https://viewcommander.com/enabling-remote-access/ Fri, 16 Apr 2021 19:34:36 +0000 https://viewcommander.com/?p=2604

Remote Web Access

Enabling Remote Access

1. Go to ViewCommander’s System Settings

2. On the “Remote Web Access” tab there are two checkboxes which enable remote access for ViewCommander 

  • The first option enables remote access without SSL, the second option enables remote access with SSL. Both can be enabled at the same time if it is needed.
  • You must choose a port that ViewCommander will “listen” on for remote connections.

RECOMMENDATION: The Default web ports (80 for HTTP and 443 for HTTPS) are not secure ports, we recommend choosing an arbitrary port number (41443 for example)

**For more advanced documentation on Remote Access please see additional information regarding Firewalls and Port-Forwarding 

]]> Remote Access Overview https://viewcommander.com/remote/ Fri, 16 Apr 2021 19:30:16 +0000 https://viewcommander.com/?p=2599

Remote Web Access

ViewCommander can easily be configured to allow you to view video over the internet using just a web browser.  In ViewCommander, enable ‘Web Access‘ in the System Settings.

The next step will be to configure your router/firewall to allow remote connections to access the ViewCommander computer.

Because networks are set up in many different ways, and have different equipment, IVI can only provide general guidance on the steps you will need to do to accomplish this. There are also security concerns that need to be address as well.

Please refer to our port forwarding document here:

Port Forwarding Example

If you are non-technical, this is an excellent document to give to your IT Professional.

NOTE: If you would like to be able to access ViewCommander from outside your office network you will also need to setup port forwarding

3 Steps to setting up Remote Access

1. Enable Remote Web Access in ViewCommander

2. Allow ViewCommander through Windows Firewall (Advanced) 

3. Enable Port-Forwarding on internet router (Advanced) 

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