Alarm Monitoring with IMMIX
Target Audience
This document is intended for both installers and administrators of MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS that are interested in doing professional monitoring of MOBOTIX CLOUD generated video events through an Immix-supported central station.
Introduction
The Immix platform consists of a suite of central station monitoring software that integrates with a wide variety of video systems and provides monitoring center operators a convenient way to conduct their event-based workflow.
As a cloud-based VMS platform, MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS provides convenient and secure remote access to cameras and alerts, making it well suited to surveillance deployments that require professional monitoring, especially when paired with a monitoring station running the Immix suite of software.
At present, the MOBOTIX CLOUD Immix integration supports the following features:
- Get config - A simple process within Immix allows operators to update all available devices from the MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS.
- Attached clips - Video clips (images) of an alarm-triggering event will be attached to the alarm and stored within the Immix platform.
- Post-Alarm Recording - The Immix platform will record the live view from a camera triggering an alarm for review within the Immix platform.
- Pre-Alarm recording - Pre-recorded (buffered) video will be available to the monitoring center, highlighting activity recorded immediately prior to the event.
- Audio Receive - Receive audio from any microphone-equipped camera on site. - Live video streams from cameras attached to the MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS can be viewed within the Immix platform.
- Playback - Recorded video from cameras attached to the MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS can be viewed within the Immix platform.
- PTZ - Control pan, tilt, and zoom for attached PTZ-capable cameras.
- Presets - Apply any pre-configured pan, tilt, zoom setting.
- Multiview - Multiple cameras attached to the MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS can be viewed simultaneously within the Immix platform.
- Alarms - Triggers based on motion, or the MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS analytics including
line-crossing, intrusion, and loitering can be presented in the Immix platform. - Attached clips - Video clips (images) of an alarm-triggering event will be attached to the alarm and stored within the Immix platform.
- Post-Alarm Recording - The Immix platform will record the live view from a camera triggering an alarm for review within the Immix platform.
- Pre-Alarm recording - Pre-recorded (buffered) video will be available to the monitoring center, highlighting activity recorded immediately prior to the event.
- Audio Receive - Receive audio from any microphone-equipped camera on site.
Suggested Configuration Process
Given that the administration of MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS and Immix often fall under the purview of two distinct parties—the installer, and the monitoring center administrator—this document delineates actions for each system. If such a division exists, there will be instances during the process where specific information must be exchanged between the parties for a seamless workflow. These critical junctures are highlighted at each step.
We would suggest the configuration actions are conducted in the following order:
- Preparation of the MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS for addition to Immix by the installer
- Addition of the Cloud VMS to the Immix platform by the Immix administrator
- Configuration of Alerts within the Cloud VMS by the installer
- System testing by both parties
1. Preparation of the MOBOTIX CLOUD for Addition to Immix
The following steps are to be completed by an MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS administrator from the installer.
The MOBOTIX CLOUD Immix integration needs to be enabled on a sub-account level prior to conducting the integration. Please contact support@MOBOTIX.com detailing the name of the sub-account (or customer account) that is to be added to an Immix system. Once integration has been enabled by MOBOTIX the Immix-specific settings detailed later in this document will be available in the MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS web interface.
For the next step, It will also be necessary to generate a “refresh token” for the sub-account and pass this to the Immix administrator. A refresh token is a credential artifact that lets a client application get new access tokens without having to ask the user to log in again. If a customer has enabled two-factor authentication (2FA) on the VMS, the refresh token can be still used by applications like Immix to connect to the VMS without invoking 2FA.
This token can be generated through the following web page https://immix.mobotixcloud.com/
You will be asked to enter the credentials for a Cloud VMS user account. It is important to enter a user from the customer specific “sub-account,” and not a user from the parent “reseller account.” Should you need to create a new sub-account level user for the integration, multiple accounts can be created for a single email address by using the “+” suffix when creating the account.
For example:
If your existing account uses the email address admin@Reseller.com, an additional account tied to the same email address could be created using admin+SubAccountID@Reseller.com. More infos about Email Suffix
Once the email and password for a sub-account level user have been entered, a refresh token will be generated and can be copied to your clipboard using the button shown below. Save this token as it will need to be provided to the Immix administrator for the next step.
Information to be passed to the Immix administrator for Step 2.
- The refresh token is generated in this step.
- A list of the camera names to be added to Immix, important if only a subset of the cameras in the sub-account are to be monitored by the Immix system.
2. Addition of System to Immix Platform
The following steps are to be conducted by an Immix administrator at the monitoring center.
Once in receipt of the information listed in the previous step from the installer, you may add the MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS deployment to your Immix system. We recommend that the updates section of your Immix system is checked prior to proceeding, to ensure the latest integration package for MOBOTIX CLOUD is installed on your instance of Immix.
Add a new “video device” to either a newly created site or to a pre-existing one, using the details below and those provided by the installer.
Device Type: Eagle Eye VMS
IP/Host: Can be left blank
Port: Can be left blank
Username: Can be left blank
Password: Can be left blank
Refresh Token: Token provided by installer (this is the only information required to onboard a location to Immix)
Bridge IDs: Can be left blank, if all bridges from the account are needed. If not, add the Bridge/CMVR ESN. If multiple, the esn’s must be separated by a comma. (Device ESN available in VMS by looking at Bridge settings)(Requires Immix update 1.0.0.8 for Eagle Eye VMS)
Next, click “Get Config” to retrieve a list of available cameras and audio devices to add to the Immix site. If only a subset of cameras are to be added, untick the cameras and alarm devices not required.
The “cameras,” “multiviews,” “splits,” ”tours,” “audios,” “relays,” and “alarms” sections can be left at default values, or configured in the usual manner for your typical deployments.
It is not necessary to create custom settings for each of the types of alarm a camera can present to Immix; the SMTP alarms sent from MOBOTIX CLOUD into Immix will contain information to identify their type (e.g. motion, intrusion, etc.). However, if you want to set differing priorities, actions or scripts for these alarms, you will need to configure them as usual in the “alarms” interface.
Once a site is configured to your requirements, please take note of the “SMTP server address” from the site’s summary page (usually taking the form of SXXX@immixalarms.com), as it will be required by the installer for the next step.
Information to be passed to the MOBOTIX CLOUD administrator for Step 3.
- Immix Custom IP: The domain name or public IP of your Immix Server.
- Immix Custom Port: The port on which your Immix Server is listening for alerts.
- SMTP Server Address: The email address generated in the site summary.
3. Configuration of Alerts Within Eagle Eye Cloud VMS
The following steps are to be completed by an admin user of the MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS.
Once Immix integration has been enabled for the sub-account by MOBOTIX CLOUD support teams (as described in Step 1), some additional fields will become available in the “alerts” tab of the “account settings” for the sub-account. Complete the fields “Immix custom IP” and “Immix custom port” with the information provided by the Immix administrator in the previous step.
Additionally, for each camera that is to send motion or analytics alerts to Immix, enter the “SMTP Server Address” provided by the Immix administrator into the “Camera” tab of the camera’s settings, accessed by clicking the gear icon from the Cloud VMS dashboard.
Go to the Camera Settings from the dashboard
Click on the gearbox for the camera you want to select
In this example, any alerts that involve this camera will be passed to your Immix system, and an email will be sent from the MOBOTIX Cloud VMS to s123@ImmixAlarms.com. This includes Motion, Intrusion, Line Crossing and Loitering alerts.
Next, either motion or analytics should be configured on the cameras that are to connect with Immix.
Guides to this process can be found at the following link:
It is important to ensure that the “Alert Enable” checkbox is selected and an appropriate schedule is set from the notification settings for each analytic or motion zone enabled, as shown below:
It is also possible to forward system notifications for health events concerning the added cameras to the Immix system. To enable this functionality, ensure the “Disable System Notifications” checkbox in the notification tab of the account settings is unticked.
Once you have created a Region of Interest (ROI) where the camera needs to detect people, vehicles, or both (the ROI can encompass the entire field of view if needed), make sure to check the “Enable Alerts” checkbox, and enable the “AI Filtering” checkbox and checkboxes for whichever item needs to be detected. Using this feature does not require additional settings for Re-Arm, or Max per hour, and you do not need to select a person to notify from the Who dropdown, or change the Level. When utilizing an Analytic for the camera, i.e. “Line Cross” or “Intrusion,” it is necessary to have a Motion ROI set for the same region as the Analytic.
Once these settings are confirmed, you can navigate to the AI Filtering tab from the camera’s settings.
Select the Action Type dropdown and select “Immix.”
Name the Action and complete the fields for “Immix custom IP” “Immix custom port” and “Email” (SMTP Server Email) provided by the Immix administrator in the previous steps.
Make sure to click the “Add Action” button before clicking “Save Changes” at the bottom of the settings menu.
The saved Action will be displayed above the settings for additional AI Filter Actions.
5. Using Audio in Immix from compatible Cameras and IP Speaker devices added to MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS
The following steps are to be conducted by an Immix administrator at the monitoring center.
MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS supports Talk-Down through compatible SIP enabled IP speakers.
These devices may be included in the integration to Immix for monitoring, and can be controlled through the Alarms interface.
Cameras that have built in microphones or a mic input which is supported by MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS will be able to send audio to the operator while viewing the camera Live stream.
In the Alarms interface, a camera that has a microphone can play audio by clicking on the Audio button (has a speaker icon). Click once to enable, and click the button again to turn audio off.
For Talk Down audio, if there is an IP Speaker or Horn enabled in the MOBOTIX CLOUD VMS, and added as an Audio device in Immix with an associated camera, you can use the Talk icon to initiate communication to the Speaker.
Press and hold the Talk button; once you see “Transmitting” displayed on screen, you can speak through your device’s microphone (computer mic or headset for example). Once you are done speaking, release the Talk button.
There is a delay before your message is played at the site. If you are attempting to speak down to a person in view, it may take a moment before they hear the message. Long messages can delay the transmission further, so the Talk feature is best used for short and succinct messages.
6. Testing
To be conducted by both installer and Immix administrator/operators.
As with any professionally monitored surveillance solution, it is important to test that alarms and videos are being received properly prior to arming a site for monitoring.
The installer, after ensuring the site is placed on test within the Immix platform, should intentionally trigger all configured motion and analytic alarms and confirm receipt by the monitoring center. It may be necessary to temporarily change any schedules set for motion and analytics notifications if these tests are being conducted outside of the configured schedules.
The Immix administrator or operator should place the site in test mode, open the test, and ensure all alarms are received with attached pre-alarm clips, post-alarm clips, and working live view.
Once confirmed, the integrated site is ready to arm for ongoing monitoring within Immix.