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Version: 6.12

Dowshu DVR-Camera Setup

Prerequisites​

  • A Patriot License with the Dowshu Module

  • The Dowshu Client Files installed into:

    1. A new subfolder named "Dowshu" in the Client Folder of each workstation that will be used to view the Dowshu CCTV.

      This folder is normally located in:

      C:\Program Files\Patriot Systems\Patriot Client\Dowshu\

    2. A new subfolder named "Dowshu" in the Task Service installation folder. Required if you are using the Dowshu task, which allows you to receive events from the DVR.

      This folder is normally located in:

      C:\Program Files\Patriot Systems\Patriot Task Service\Dowshu\

    Contact Patriot Support for these files.

Setting up the DVR and Cameras​

Full DVR configuration is beyond the scope of this document. In this section DVR settings important to Patriot monitoring are covered only. Please refer to your Dowshu DVR manual when configuring a new DVR installation.

See also​

DVR Monitoring

Essential DVR details​

  • DVR IP address and SDK Port number
  • DVR Username and Password
  • Site Codes in the DVR should be set to the full Patriot Client No, such as "1234000101" (for a Client with Client ID 1234 , Area 0001, and Port 01).

Patriot Client Setup​

  1. In the Maintain Client Window, go to the Zones Tab.
  2. Set the Camera Type option to Dowshu.
Zones tab configuration for Dowshu CCTV
Zones tab configuration for Dowshu CCTV

  1. Enter the IP address and the Port Number of the DVR into the Location text box, in the following format:

    123.123.1.15:8000

    <Ip Address>:<Port>

    This must be a public static IP address if you are connecting over the internet.

  2. Enter the login and password (if required).

  3. Select a Camera Stream. If "Substream" is selected, then Patriot will request a low resolution live stream (if the DVR supports it).

  4. Override the Event Reporting setting if different to the task setting (see below).

  5. Select a Zone which will have a camera associated with it. The zone number must match the camera number on the DVR.

note

Zone Numbers with Camera Enabled should be unique. You should not use the same zone number twice (with different module numbers) for two cameras, as this is likely to cause problems with camera selection.

Zone configuration for Dowshu CCTV
Zone configuration for Dowshu CCTV
  1. Tick the Camera Enabled option.

Dual Monitoring with an Alarm Panel​

If you are monitoring a Dowshu DVR site in combination with a standard alarm panel, you will need to setup dual monitoring. In a dual monitoring scenario it is likely that you will get zone conflicts between the alarm panel zone list and the Dowshu camera listing. For this reason recommended practice is to setup a separate area account for the camera system. See the Dual Monitoring section of DVR monitoring for more details.

Remote Arming/Disarming the DVR​

Dowshu DVR's and attached cameras which have alarm event reporting enabled are not normally configured with Set/Unset schedules. For this reason Patriot includes a remote Arming/Disarming feature which is designed to work in both Dual Monitoring and stand-alone Dowshu DVR monitoring scenarios.

View the Remote Arming/Disarming a DVR document for further details.

Installing the Dowshu event template​

You can download the Dowshu event types template from the Receivers And Format Templates page.

For instructions on how to import this template, see How To Import Templates.

Setting up the Task​

info

The Dowshu receiver task will only log alarm events to Patriot Dowshu clients that have been configured and remotely armed as detailed in the previous section. Dowshu clients that have Set (Closed) status at the time of Task start up are automatically armed by the task.

Task Setup​

Please read TASK SETTINGS for general information about adding tasks.

Add a new task to the list in the Task Settings window. Double click on Dowshu in the drop down list in the details area of the window.

Click the next button to continue. The Dowshu task settings form will appear.

Dowshu receiver task settings.
Dowshu receiver task settings.

Dowshu Task Settings​

  • Local IP Port No:

    This is the TCP/IP port that Patriot will use to listen for incoming Dowshu DVR connections. The minimum port allowed by Dowshu is 2000.

  • The Only Log Same Signal outside (minutes):

    This setting prevents repeated signals from cluttering the signal history. This is useful if a DVR sends the same signal repeatedly. You can set the number higher to stop the repeat signal from interfering. When monitoring for Motion Detection, a setting above 1 minute is recommended.

  • Event Reporting: Defines the default behaviour of connected DVR's regarding event reporting. This setting should be set to the behaviour you require for the majority of sites being monitored through this task. The option can be overridden on a per site basis (within the Patriot client) if required. Three options are available:

    • Always On: for sites that should always report events.
    • Armed On Status: for sites which should only report when the site is armed.
    • Always Off: for sites that should never report events. This will help speed up the startup and shutdown time of the task.

To be able to receive events from the DVR the task's Local IP Port must be forwarded through your firewall.

Operation: Using the Cameras​

You can view Cameras from different screens within Patriot​

  • The camera can be viewed directly by clicking on the camera icon next to the zone, in the zone list.
  • When an alarm is received for a site equipped with cameras, and a zone with camera coverage has activated, a Camera Button will appear on the Activation tab (if multi screen support is enabled, the camera controls will be displayed immediately), clicking on the Camera button will take the operator directly to the camera associated with the Zone which has originated the activation.
  • Cameras can be viewed in the Maintain Client Window under the Cameras Tab
  • Playback of historic alarm events is possible from the Signal History area of the Patriot client file.

Operational Functions​

  • When responding to an activation, the camera display will be automatically put into Event view. The first connection shows the alarm event (beginning 10 seconds before the alarm) for the activated zone. The alarm event footage can be replayed easily by clicking on the play from time button. The second connection shows the live feed from the activated zone.
  • When using the camera controls in anything other than single view (i.e. quad, nine etc), the camera controls on the left hand tool bar apply to the selected connection. The selected connection has a green border around it. You can change the selected connection by clicking on another connection. The camera control buttons will only be enabled if a camera (from the camera list) has been selected.
  • A list of installed camera numbers can be requested from the site by clicking on the info button, from in the Clients Camera tab.