The VDG Sense app features:
– Add servers: add multiple VDG Sense servers to your app, making it incredibly easy to switch between servers and different sites.

– Select cameras: select your camera by swiping horizontally and vertically through camera locations. Recognize the video channel by thumbnail and camera name.

– View: view images full screen with one-tap zooming. Zoom in on any object by simply tapping the live video. View the next or previous camera by swiping horizontally.

– Control: control any PTZ enabled camera in VDG Sense directly, using the joystick control for pan/tilt and zooming in landscape position. Quick selection of the first six pre-sets available on your camera.

– Store: save any incident directly to your photo library by tapping on the image icon. Share the images by using your choice of any other app, such as your e-mail app or messaging app.

Chapter 1 – Introduction

This manual explains all necessary steps to create a fully functional Sense installation in a relatively short time. It assumes a simple standalone or single-server, single-client setup where all components are configured and accessible via the network:

Sense Server-Client installation:

Chapter 2 – Installation

To install VDG sense the VDGSenseSetup.exe is required. It can be downloaded in the support section here: https://support.tkhsecurity.com/downloads/software/ website. It is a single executable installer which include all required components to install VDG Sense as server, client or standalone system. The diagram below shows the components of VDG Sense Setup.

2.1 Versioning

After starting the VDG Sense Setup the first page the version details page. It shows version information of all included and already installed Sense components.

2.2 Standalone installation

To install VDG Sense as standalone system check both ’Client’ and ’Server’ boxes. It will install the following Sense components:

2.3 Client installation

To install the VDG Sense client, only select the ’Client’ checkbox. It will install the following Sense components:

2.4 Update

The installation package VDG Sense Setup is also used to update VDG Sense to a newer (or lower) version. Use the same procedure as described in paragraph 2.2 and 2.3. IMPORTANT: an update will not remove the license or settings.

Note: Upgrading older VDG Sense versions to the latest VDG Sense version requires special attention to our upgrade instructions which can be found in our knowledgebase:

*Upgrading/Downgrading VDG Sense

Chapter 3 – Starting VDG Sense client

3.1 Signing in

Installing VDG Sense as client or standalone system will put a desktop icon with the name ‘Sense Client’. By double-clicking on ‘Sense Client’ the application will start and show the login dialog, see below.

It contains the following items:

3.2 Menu

After signin the main application starts by showing the top menu bar. If a user with administrator rights signs-in, no layout will be shown. If a normal user signs-in either the first layout in the layoutlist is shown or the multi-layout which is configured as default.

From left to right the top menubar functions are:

Chapter 4 – License

Sense is protected by a software license key. In order to use the product a software license file is required. A Sense license only needs to be applied to the ‘Sense Video Manager’. As ‘Sense Video Manager’ does not have a graphical user interface the license needs to be uploaded and activated using the ‘Sense Client’. The license key can either reside on the license USB stick or provided by e-mail.

4.1 Upload license

Activation is the process by which the software and license key are validated to ensure that they are used in accordance with the purchased license and services. Activation is intended to protect your end user rights as well as TKH Security’s rights as a software author. Only genuine Sense software entitles you to critical updates and technical support. You may not be able to use Sense software if it is not activated.

Requirements

4.2 Activate license

4.2.1 Online activation

4.2.2 Offline activation

Save license file

Chapter 5 – Configuration

Sense settings are visible after clicking the toolset icon in the topbar menu. Settings are grouped in tabs where each tab holds specific settings related to the name of the tab. Normal procedure to setup a Sense system is to work through the setup tabs from left to right, starting with the server tab and ending with user management. Configuration is normally done using the administrator account.

5.1 Servers

The server tab holds the list of servers and settings related to the selected server. From left to right you see the serverlist, the cameralist of the selected server, settings of the selected server and server statistics related to CPU, memory, network and harddisk load.

 5.1.1 Add via find

Click ’Find’ in the lower left corner of the screen to open the find dialog. After a few seconds it shows the list of all servers found in the local network on all NIC’s. Select the server(s) and click ’Add’ to add selected server(s) to the configuration and close the dialog.

5.1.2 Add manually

To add a server press ’+’ in the lower left corner of the screen. Enter the server address in the dialog which appears. On a standalone system the localhost server (127.0.0.1) is automatically added to the list. In a server-client configuration the server is also automatically added to the list after login.

5.2 Devices

A list of Sense-compatible devices can be found here: https://support.tkhsecurity.com/compatibility-list/camera/

The ’Devices’ tab contains the list and configuration of devices for the selected server. The server can be selected just below the ’Server’ tab.

The devicelist has three sections which are from left to right:

5.2.1 Add via find

Click ’Find’ in the lower left corner of the screen to open the find dialog. After a few seconds it shows the list of all devices found in the local network on all NIC’s, including intercom servers and IO devices. Select one or more cameras and click ’Add’ to add selected devices to the configuration. It will also close the dialog.

5.2.2 Add manually

Click ’+’ in the lower left corner of the screen to add a new device to the list.

Fill in all required fields to connect to the device. See the list below for explanation on the fields.

5.3 Layouts

The ’Layouts’ tab is used to configure all (multi)layouts. Layouts are required in operator mode to display live or recorded video or to handle (video)events. They can be custom designed to fit the needs of the operator.  The layout manager is a floating menu which is used to create, delete and modify (multi)layouts and panels.

A layout consists of panels where each panel has a specific function. For instance a panel can be used to display live video, recorded video, for playback controls, display a map or to manage events. The complete list of panel types can be found in the ’Type’ list in the panel section of the ’Layout Manager’.

5.3.1 Live layout

Click ’New’ in the ’Layouts’ menu of the ’Layout Manager’ to create a new layout. The following dialog will appear:

This dialog provides three ways of creating new layouts:

The icon in the lower left corner of each panel identifies the type of panel. A panel for live video uses a camera icon as identifier. After selecting a panel its properties are shown in ’Panels’ section of the Layout manager. To assign a deviceto the selected panel select the camera in the ’Device’ list of the panel properties.

5.3.2 Playback layout

Click ’New’ in the ’Layouts’ menu of the ’Layout Manager’ to create a new layout. The following dialog will appear:

This dialog provides three ways of creating new layouts:

This layout is composed of 4 playback-panels in the upper half of the layout and controls to actually playback recorded video in the lower half of the layout. The panel to display recorded video uses a triangle icon as identifier. To assign a camera to the selected panel select the camera in the ’Devices’ list of the panel properties.

5.3.3 Multi layout

A ’Multi Layout’ is a group of layouts with a pre-defined monitor selection. It is used to quickly assign several layouts at once to different monitors. They are also used to define the default layouts to be displayed based on which user logs in. User Management is explained in the next paragraph. To create a multi-layout click ’Edit’ in the ’Multi-Layout’ menu of the layout manager, a dialog will appear:

On the left side of the dialog is the list of multi layouts. Multi layouts can be added, removed or edited by using the buttons below the list of ’Multi layouts’. On the right side of the dialog is the list of monitors which belong to the selected multi layout. Monitors can be added or removed using the buttons below the ’Layouts’ list. The monitor numbering corresponds to the monitor numbering in the ’Monitors’ tab and in the top menu bar. To assign a layout to a monitor, select one from the list of layouts next to the monitor icon.

NOTE: a layout only can be assigned once per multi layout. When finished click ’Close’ to close the dialog.

5.4 User Management

Sense User Management provides the administrator with the ability to control the access level of users logged in to Sense. Access to cameras, servers, layouts and several other functions can be limited to groups of users. In Sense this is called a ’User Group’, it holds the privileges of users assigned to the group.

5.4.1 Users & Groups

The Users & Groups is used to manage all user related settings in Sense. On the left side of the screen is the list of user groups. User groups can be added, removed or modified using the buttons below this list user groups. On the right side of the screen are the privileges which can be assigned to the groups, divided by subtabs.

Click the ’+’ button at the bottom below the group list to add a user group, a dialog will appear where the name of the user group can be entered. Click ’Ok’ in the dialog to create the group and close the dialog.

Create User:

Click ’+’ below the ’Users’ list in the users subtab to create a user. A dialog appears where the name, username and password of the user can be entered.

Create Devicegroups:

A devicegroup can be used to define which cameras a user is allowed to see. Open tab ’Device groups’ to create a device group. On the left side is the list of created device groups. Using the buttons below the list devicegroups can be added, removed or edited. On the right side is the list of cameras.

Click ’+’ below the ’Device group’ list to create a devicegroup. A dialog appears where the name of the device group can be entered. Use a meaningful name, like ’All cameras’. Click ’Ok’ to close the dialog and add the device group to the list. Drag and drop the cameras from the cameralist on the right to one of the device groups on the left.

Assigning privileges:

If all users, layouts, multilayouts, servers and devicegroups are created, they can be drag and dropped to the corresponding usergroup. To remove a privileges select the it in the usergroup and Click ’-’ below the grouplist or press the ‘Delete’ button on your keyboard.

As an example, the steps to create a usergroup called Operators should look like this:

5.4.2 Configure Autologin

Sense Client can be configured to launch automatically on Windows startup after windows login and to automatically sign in to a Sense Server. Click on the gear wheel in the lower left corner of the dialog to open the settings.

On the left side of the screen the default server, username and password can be entered. On the right side the program language, videowall mode and the automatic startup/sign-in option can be selected. In normal operation the videowall mode does not need to be selected and is beyond the scope of this guide.

Chapter 6 – Operation

Click following link to see the video manual: https://support.tkhsecurity.com/downloads/manuals/

Live mode or ’Home’ is accessed by clicking on the ’Eye’ icon on the upper left corner of the screen of the first monitor. This icon is also used to open the menu where Layouts can be selected. See below for a screenshot of a multi-monitor setup. The left monitor shows a layout with live cameras and the right monitor shows a layout for playback. These are the layouts which are created in ’Setup’ mode.

6.1 Live Menu

The Live menu is accessed by clicking on the ’Eye’ icon on the upper left corner of the screen of the first monitor.

It contains the following items:

Multi Layouts: Contains all multi-layouts available for the currently logged in user. Selecting a multilayout will update all monitors which are configured in this multi-layout.

Layouts: Contains all layouts available for the currently logged in user. Selecting a layout will update the currently selected monitor with this layout.

Cameras: Contains all cameras available for the currently logged in user sub-grouped by location names. The subgroup ’All locations’ contains all cameras. Selecting a camera will update the currently selected videopanel in the layout.

Camera Sequences: Contains camera sequences for the currently logged in user.

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6.2 Tools Menu

The tools menu is accessed by clicking on the ’Toolbox’ icon on the upper left corner of the screen of the first monitor.

It contains the following items:

Search, provides functions to search for events and meta data.

Face Match, eventlist for use with FaceR algorithms.

Database, maintains person list for use with CarR and FaceR algorithms. FaceR and CarR are available if included in the license.

System Alerts: Opens the System Alerts dialog

Video Tags: Opens the Video Tag dialog

6.3 Live

This layout contains 4 live panels where each panel has the following features:

6.3.1 PTZ controls

The live control panel is needed to control PTZ domes. This panel can be pre-configured in a layout, but it will also automatically appear after double-clicking on a videopanel with a PTZ device; the camera will be displayed in fullscreen mode including the dome controls. PTZ commands are sent to the camera which is currently selected (which has a green border).

To pan and tilt a ptz camera hold the left mouse button and move the cursor over the orange dial. The speed of the dome is determined by the cursor-distance from the center of the dial; close to the center the speed is low, on the outside the speed is high. The buttons have the following functions:

	Focus near.
	Focus far.
	Switch auto focus/auto iris on.
	Zoom in.
	Zoom out.
	Open iris.
	Close iris.
	Go to preset ‘Home’.
	Go to preset 1.
	Rotate 180 degrees.
	Save the current position of the dome as a preset.
	Go to the selected preset in the list.
	Opens the preset dialog to give each preset a name.

6.4 Playback

Below is an example of a playback layout that has been created for an operator.

This layout contains 4 playback panels and playback controls where each panel has the following features:

6.4.1 Playback control options

For creating a playback layout, it is needed to create a layout that contains one or multiple panels of the type ‘Playback’ and a control panel to start/stop the playback. There are two types of playback controls available. By default when creating a playback layout or when switching to fullscreen playback, the timeline panel is used.

Option 1: Timeline panel (Preferred)

The red line indicates what the current time/date is of the playbacked recording and thumbnails of the recordings are visible. Also motion detection (if enabled for this camera) is shown in yellow.

	Playback backwards. For streaming codec video only I-Frames are played back.
	Stop playback.
	Playback forward.
	Opens the export image dialog, explained in section 6.3.3 on exporting images.
	Quick option to go to a specific date
	Motion detection
	Option to visualize motion detection, vca events or audio on the timeline panel

Option 2: Alternatively, there is the playback controls panel as a legacy option with the more classic control buttons and slider.

The Playback controls panel is needed to playback recorded video. It has two trackbars where the top bar has a resolution in days and the lower trackbar has a resolution of 24 hours (of the selected day). The playback speed is set by the ’red-green’ trackbar; red is backwards, green is forwards. The date and time on the left and right side of the trackbars correspond to the first and last recorded video image of the cameras which are visible in the layout. From left to right the function of the buttons are as follows:

	Go to the beginning of the recordings of the cameras visible in the layout.
	One minute backwards
	One frame backwards.
	Playback backwards. For streaming codec video only I-Frames are played back.
	Stop playback.
	Playback forward.
	One frame forwards.
	One minute forwards.
	Go to the end of the recordings of the cameras visible in the layout.
	Opens the date time search panel.
	Set export range, explained in section 6.3.2 on exporting video.
	Enable audio playback and set playback speed to realtime (panel should be selected to hear the audio).
	Opens the export image dialog, explained in section 6.3.3 on exporting images.
	Opens the export video dialog, explained in section 6.3.2 on exporting images.

6.4.2 Export Video

Recorded video (and audio) can be exported to different media: CD/DVD, hard drive, USB stick or network share. A single export can hold video of multiple devices from multiple servers in the same time range. The video itself is exported in Sense format, it is not transcoded to a generic codec. The export comes with a program called ’Sense Player’ which is used to playback exported video. To open the ’Export Video’ dialog press the export video button in ’Playback Controls’.

Other options are using the playback controls trackbar or using the start/endtime edit box in the video export dialog:

Timerange using trackbar:
Click ’E’ in the playback controls panel, three buttons appear: ’Start’, ’Clear’ and ’Stop’. Set the thumb-tracker to the starting point of the video that needs to be exported and click ’Start’. Set the thumb tracker to the end point of the video that needs to be exported and press ’Stop’. The time range is highlighted in green. To clear the selection and start over click ’Clear’. After defining the range open the video export dialog. The camera(panel) which has focus will automatically be added to the list of export cameras. The begin and end time are also set automatically.

Timerange using dialog:
Video can also be exported manually without using the trackbar to define the time range. When opening the export video dialog it will use the current playback time (position of thumbtracker) and set the start time with current time minus 5 minutes and end time to current time plus 5 minutes. The camera(panel) which has focus will automatically be added to the list of export cameras.

6.4.3 Export Image

Single images or snapshots can be exported from recorded video to a PDF document which can be stored to any windows storage location (like a USB stick). The PDF report contains information about the exported image and comments which can be entered in the Export Image dialog. To create a report select the playback panel with the image that should be exported and click the ’Disk’ button in the ’Playback Controls’ (see section 6.3.1 on playback controls), it will open the dialog as shown below:

Creating a Video Surveillance System Based on SmartVision

SmartVision is a comprehensive software solution for modern video surveillance systems, offering advanced features to enhance security and monitoring efficiency. Supporting unstable streams and budget-friendly cameras, it implements load balancing for optimal performance. Compatible with any IP cameras that support RTSP or HTTP broadcasting, SmartVision enables efficient image viewing and processing.

Video Surveillance SmartVision

After installing and launching the program, the main window will appear, displaying images from the surveillance cameras. At the top, you will find the main menu, which duplicates the buttons on the toolbar below.
You can hide the button panel and use the program’s main menu instead.

On the right, select the desired tile layout for displaying images from the surveillance cameras.
Options include layouts with 1, 4, 8, 9, or 16 tiles.
The selected layout will be saved when you exit the program.

Initially, the tiles in the main window will be empty. To connect your IP cameras, click on the camera icon on the main toolbar. A form with a list of IP cameras will appear.
Cameras can be added either automatically or manually. The first icon on the camera list panel is used for automatically searching for IP cameras in the local network.

Automatic Camera Search via ONVIF

To automate the detection and addition of IP cameras, follow these steps:

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Adding IP Cameras Manually

To add cameras manually, use the “Add Camera” button. A form for adding a new camera will appear.
All you need to do is enter the correct RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) or HTTP stream URL.
Typically, an RTSP URL looks like this:
rtsp://admin:password@ipaddress:port/text
Where:
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After entering and saving the correct RTSP URL, the main window will display an image from the IP camera. Note that default passwords vary by manufacturer. A list of default passwords can be found in the documentation.

The camera settings form provides a wide range of options and features. Some of these options require significant computational resources. Therefore, for a large number of cameras, you need to select appropriate hardware that supports advanced capabilities for real-time detection and recognition of objects.
For more information about these features, refer to the sections on motion detection, face recognition, and vehicle license plate recognition.

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General Software Settings

Cloud Records (Cloud Storage for Files)
On the first page of the settings, you can enter your login and password for the cloud service. To do this, you need to create an account on the website and confirm it via email. Enter:
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Click Save. If the option “Connect and enable cloud recording” is enabled, you can upload events to the server for secure storage and remote viewing. Additionally, you can access your cameras through the cloud service in your personal account. To enable this feature, you will need to configure the appropriate settings in the camera options. For more details, refer to the section on IP Camera configuration.

Local Records (Local Storage for Files)

In the general settings, you can select a directory for the “videos” archive where video files will be saved during recording.

By default, the “videos” folder is created in the same directory where the SmartVision program is installed.

This folder contains three subdirectories:

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Inside each subdirectory, files are saved in folders named by the current date. The entire video archive is immediately saved in a compressed MP4 format, requiring no further transcoding. This means you can simply copy any video file and open it in any media player that supports MP4, which includes virtually all players.

Video Retention Settings
In the general settings, you can also define the maximum retention period for video recordings in days. After this period, files will be automatically deleted.

IP Camera Configuration

The IP camera settings are divided into several sections:
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Device – General IP Camera Settings

This section allows you to input the camera’s name and the RTSP or HTTP stream address.
“Display the video stream on the main form”: Specifies whether the camera’s video stream should be displayed on the main interface.
For example, on one computer, you can record video without viewing it, while on another, you can only view the video without saving it to the hard drive. If you use a low-performance computer for viewing only, it is recommended to use a secondary stream with a lower resolution.
Advanced Options:
Here, you can configure automatic reconnection to the camera after a set number of seconds.
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Recording – IP Camera Recording

This section allows you to configure continuous recording settings for creating a video archive.
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Advanced Options:
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For time-lapse recording, you can set the number of frames per minute. The default is 2 frames per second. Time-lapse recording significantly reduces disk space usage. The fewer frames per minute you record, the less disk space is required.
Parallel Recording of Events: Continuous or time-lapse recording does not restrict you from recording events simultaneously. For instance, when motion is detected, you can have a high-quality video recording with a high FPS while also capturing a low-motion time-lapse recording.
To save disk space, all streams are automatically transcoded and saved in compressed MP4 format. This recording process requires a certain level of CPU/GPU load, unlike saving to an AVI file.

Detection – Motion Detection

If you need video surveillance in areas with minimal movement, it makes sense to use motion detection. For example, this could include an elevator lobby, an office during off-hours, or a home or apartment in your absence. In such cases, continuous recording of an empty space is unnecessary. However, if you have installed surveillance in a shopping mall or on a busy street, continuous recording is recommended to reduce CPU load. It’s important to understand that both detection and recording place a certain load on the processor and hard drive. For systems with a large number of cameras, it is essential to pre-calculate the computer and network configuration to ensure sufficient resources for your requirements.

Sensitivity Settings
The sensitivity of the motion detector is configured in Advanced Options.
Sensitivity can range from 0 to 1:
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You can also define specific areas for motion detection within this configuration.

Motion-Triggered Recording
When the motion detector is triggered, recording will begin for a specified duration. By default, this is set to 15 seconds, but you can adjust this parameter in Advanced Options. All recorded events can be reviewed in the Events section.

Detection – Object Detection

If you have enabled motion detection on the previous tab, you can also use object detection powered by computer vision.
On this tab, select the option “Use object detection”.
Object detection is triggered when motion is detected. By default, the interval for object detection is set to 300 milliseconds (Advanced Options).
This means that frames for object detection will be processed every 300 milliseconds.

Object detection places a load on the CPU, so it is not recommended to set this interval below 150 milliseconds. The shorter the interval, the higher the processor load. This feature is only supported on 64-bit computers.

Enable Face Recognition
Enable this option to use face recognition.
Face recognition can be used independently of object detection.
This feature requires a computer with sufficient computational power and is only supported on 64-bit systems.

Enable License Plate Recognition
Enable this option to automatically detect vehicle license plates.
License plate recognition can be used together with or separately from object detection.
This feature also requires a computer with sufficient computational power and is only supported on 64-bit systems.

Enable Smoke and Fire Detection
Enable this option for automatic detection of smoke and fire in the frame.
It is recommended to use smoke and fire detection separately from other options.
This feature requires a computer with sufficient computational power and is only supported on 64-bit systems.Shorten with AI

Cloud Storage and Online Camera Viewing via the Internet

SmartVision allows you to view your cameras with an RTSP stream online without a dedicated IP address and without port forwarding.
To do this, you need to enable 3 options:
In the general settings, enter your email and password at cloud service, and in the camera settings, select the option “Stream camera online to cloud server.”
To record events to the cloud server, enable the option “Upload Events to Cloud Server.”
It is also recommended to enable “Upload events to the server only in case of object detection” to reduce false triggers.

You can then use the mobile app or the mobile version of the website for online camera and event viewing.

Advanced – Additional Object Detection Settings

This tab configures probabilities for identifying specific types of objects and the number of object detections with a given probability.

Object detection in the frame occurs based on these parameters.

Here you set the detection probabilities and the number of repetitions in the frame for the following objects/subjects:
person, car, bus, bicycle, cat, dog, bird.

It is recommended not to change these settings.

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List of Surveillance Cameras

The second button on the main form calls up the list of cameras connected to the SmartVision CCTV software.

The camera list form also contains a toolbar with buttons.

The buttons allow you to move cameras up and down, thus changing their position on the main program form.

You can also edit or delete unnecessary cameras.

Surveillance Events

The first button on the main form is Events.

Here you will see all motion detector activations, as well as object detection of faces and car license plates, smoke and fire detector triggers.

You can also apply filters and find the events you need through the search form (the very first button on the form).

The events form also shows the status of file uploads to the cloud server if video transmission to the server is set up for the selected camera.

On this form, you can also view the video of the recorded event. All uploads to the server are done securely with encryption.

Face Recognition Database

You can use photographs to train the neural network and create a face database for online recognition.

Manual training for a single face takes about 30 seconds.

The system also allows you to automatically create a face database based on video streams from surveillance cameras.
To do this, the system needs to receive 5 images of the same face.

Adding new faces for recognition to the database

To add a new face to the database, enter the person’s name and click Add.

Then select at least 5 photographs and save the result for processing. Click Save & Update.

Wait for the system’s training process to complete.

The database does not store the actual photographs but their “digital weights” necessary for recognition by the neural network.

When face recognition is enabled, new faces will automatically be added to the database during the processing of video streams from IP cameras.

How many cameras can the system handle?

Currently, the program has a limit of 16 cameras. However, you can install the program on multiple computers for different cameras and connect them all to a single account in our cloud service.

For online camera viewing, a powerful computer is not required. You can even use an old 32-bit computer. For face recognition, license plate recognition, and object detection, you should select the computer/server’s power based on the number and resolution of your cameras.

It is recommended to use Windows 10 or higher for this purpose. Resource consumption also depends heavily on the model of the IP camera, FPS, and resolution. The CPU load for cameras with approximately the same specifications can vary greatly between different manufacturers. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The optimal load can be determined experimentally based on the tasks being solved and the camera parameters.

The advantage of our system is that it is versatile and can work with cameras from various manufacturers, including very budget-friendly and unstable models. We constantly optimize the program to reduce CPU/GPU load, so keep an eye out for new versions.Shorten with AI

SmartVision User’s Video guide