Setting up video alarms
You have two choices regarding reporting video alarms: You may choose to have them appear on the standard alarm console. For how to use this console, see the NiagaraAX-3.x User Guide.
Or, you may configure video alarms to appear on a separate video alarm console, which may include a live video feed. This console handles only alarms created where a video camera is present.
The advantage of this choice is that you can see what is happening at the location that is responsible for the alarm. As you acknowledge a video alarm, the live video feed switches to the next unacknowledged alarm. You can also playback recorded video.
To set up the video alarm console you need:
- The VideoAlarmConfigurationService component under the Services node in the nav tree. See Setting up the UserService video alarm properties.
- The VideoAlarmConsoleRecipient component under the AlarmService node in the nav tree.
Each service provides properties to configure.
- Double-click the AlarmService node in the nav tree and select the Wire Sheet view.
- Drag the VideoAlarmConsoleRecipient from the palette to the wire sheet and connect the Default Alarm Class to the VideoAlarmConsoleRecipient.
- Open the Video Alarm Console view by double-clicking the VideoAlarmConsoleRecipient.
Video Alarm Console
In the top right corner, this view is identified as the Video Alarm Console. The table looks like a standard alarm console. Below the table is space for two video feeds, Live Video and Video Playback.
Setting up the AlarmService video alarm properties
Just as the standard console recipient is associated with a standard alarm console, a video alarm recipient is required to use the video alarm console.
- Expand the Station, Config, Services, UserService node in the nav tree.
The admin user should be empty.
- Double-click the Services node in the nav tree and select the Wire Sheet view.
- Open the videoDriver palette and expand the Alarm node in the palette.
- Drag and drop the VideoAlarmConfigurationService from the palette to the UserServices wire sheet renaming it or keeping the default name.
Two new components appear below the admin user in the nav tree.
These components enable additional user properties with which to configure the layout of a video alarm console.
Setting up the UserService video alarm properties
- Expand the UserService node in the nav tree and double-click on the Video Alarm Console Options component.
A set of properties appears.
- Enabled
This property enables and disables use of these properties.
Layout
This property determines the information to display on the console.
Figure 2 Layout property
Each display option provides a different combination of the alarm console table and video feeds. Perhaps the most frequently-used option is the Alarm, Live and Playback View option.
Action on New Alarm
Defines what to do when a new alarm comes in.
- Load Video
Loads the video feed for the latest alarm.
- No Action
Leaves the current video feed unchanged.
Action on Alarm Ack
Defines what to do once an alarm is acknowledged
- Load Video
Loads the video feed for the next most recent unacknowledged video alarm.
- No Action
Leaves the current video feed unchanged.
Action on Alarm Selection
Defines what to do when you select an alarm in the alarm console table.
- Load Video
Loads the video feed for the selected alarm.
- No Action
Leaves the current video feed unchanged.
- Load Video
- Enabled
- After making your selections, click the button.
- Go tack to AlarmService in the nav tree and double-click VideoAlarmConsoleReceipient.
For example,
Video Alarm Console
Video Alarm Console
shows the result of configuring the Alarm, Live and Playback View option. For the selected incoming alarm this view shows the live and the playback views embedded below the alarm console.
Configuring the actions to take for a video alarm
What to do when a video alarm comes in can be different for each system user. For example, the following procedure configures video alarms for the admin user.
- Double-click UserService, admin, Alarm Popup Settings, or double-click the button on the video alarm console.
- Enabled
Turns this feature on and off.
- Source To Monitor
Is an ORD that reports to a console recipient or video alarm console recipient. It starts from the AlarmService. You want to point to the console recipient that you will be monitoring for video popups. Click the down arrow next to the chooser icon and select the Component Chooser from the drop-down list. Then select either the normal alarm ConsoleRecipient or the VideoAlarmConsoleRecipient.
- Alarm Type To Monitor
Indicates under what conditions you want to launch the popup: in response to All Alarms or just Video Alarms (alarms that are specifically associated with cameras).
- Alarm State
This property cannot be changed.
- Ack State
Indicates the condition (state) under which a popup to occurs.
- Acked
indicates that the popup should appear for all acknowledged alarms.
- Unacked
indicates that the popup should appear for all unacknowledged alarms.
- Ack Pending
indicates that the popup should appear for all alarms that have been acknowledged, but the process has not yet reached the acknowledged state.
- Acked
- Alarm Console Type
Lets you choose between the standard Alarm Console and the Video Alarm Console (which includes the video feed views as defined by the Video Alarm Console Options defined for the user).
- Dialog Scale Factor
controls the percentage of the screen occupied by the popup.
- Enabled
- Click the button to complete the configuration.
Configuring the video alarm console
The contents of the Video Alarm Console can be different for each system user. For example, this procedure configures the video alarm console for the admin user.