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Archive for the ‘Milestone’ Category
How to migrate to Milestone XProtect plus products
Milestone has for several years offered two different VMS systems under the XProtect product banner. These are termed the Business-Ready or Professional range (Essential, Express and Professional) and the Advanced range (Expert and Corporate).
Because these different variants look and are administered differently, as well as having different capabilities, this has always caused some confusion. Additionally, it has meant Milestone has two pieces of software to develop and support and not one.
Recently, however, Milestone has released ‘+’ variants: Essential+, Express+ and Professional+ to resolve this issue and to homogenise their offering, meaning that support becomes easier and the platform as a whole is unified, easier to develop and most importantly, can be clearer to the end user.
Milestone ‘move hardware’ bug fix available
A new patch has been released by Milestone to fix a bug which occurs when the ‘move hardware’ functionality is used. The bug deletes all footage from a moved camera without generating an error, ignoring retention and evidence locks.
This effects XProtect Express+, Professional+, Expert and Corporate from version 2016 (10.0a) to 2018 R2 (12.2a). The fix for this bug is built into the next release, R3 (12.3a).
How to select the right Milestone product
Milestone recording software is a powerful way of analysing and acting on information from connected IP devices. This could be anything from opening a barrier to an authorised vehicle or finding footage from incident which occurred last week. As an open-platform it’s compatible with thousands of different cameras, fantastic if your system has built up over time and is comprised of different makes and models.
What can sometime stump customers is choosing the right XProtect product. There’s an array from the entry level Essential+ up to Corporate, with each one successively expanding the feature set. If you’d like a steer on which might be suitable for your organisation, read on.
How to license Milestone XProtect
Milestone XProtect is a great VMS platform and like any commercially-offered software it is a paid-for product which has a licensing mechanism. In the case of XProtect, licencing can be done both online (with a connection to the Internet on the server with the software installed) or offline.
The process can seem complex, but is actually quite simple. If you’ve bought your software through Network Webcams, we provide you with a guide to licensing along with your licence key (or SLC – Software License Code – as Milestone call it). This blog has been created to help you go through the registration process with ease.
There are a number of things which need to be in place before the XProtect software is installed. Let’s go through the process.
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Beyond the Datasheet: Our top IP camera contenders for 2018
Looking back over 2017, we saw continuous growth of the IP camera market with the introduction of new product ranges and interesting technologies. Industry leaders Axis released their first ever, innovatively designed, ‘true’ outdoor-ready CS-mount IP camera and also brought the best-selling M31 Series to the table. Meanwhile, Samsung Wisenet’s P, Q and X ranges were introduced to Network Webcams and we saw Bosch’s new ‘intelligent’ range of IP cameras which feature edge-based, IVA and Essential video analytics. It was also a big year in terms of software, with Milestone releasing two new ‘business-ready’ XProtect products: XProtect Express+ and Professional+. Both of which provide access to a host of advanced Milestone features and allow you to take full advantage of the latest in IP camera technology.
With an abundance of IP cameras available, it can often be a daunting task to choose the right model for your needs. To make things a little easier, we decided to highlight some of the units which we feel could be popular ‘go-to’ choices this year.
Beyond the Datasheet: Panoramic VS Multi-IP camera system
When designing your IP CCTV system, an initial consideration will be which type of IP cameras can deliver the most efficient security surveillance for your application.
Small to medium-sized locations will typically choose one of two options: a single panoramic unit or a multi-IP camera system.
To help you make an informed decision when building your system, we decided to take a look at the beneficial features and limitations that come with each type of IP camera setup.
Beyond the datasheet: Does your CCTV system need an NVR?
When it comes to the storage of your video surveillance footage, a common assumption is that to do this job successfully, a network video recorder (NVR) is required.
Back in the early days of IP, NVR’s provided a familiar and straightforward storage solution for users moving away from their analogue DVR’s towards a digital CCTV system. Although it is still clear that NVR’s have a place in the market, constant developments in IP technology have resulted in alternative options to help meet a wider range of requirements and applications.
With this in mind, we decided to take a look at some of the options available when choosing a suitable recording and storage solution for your CCTV system.
Why choose a Milestone Husky M20?
Setting up a surveillance system can often be a daunting task and with so many different video monitoring solutions to choose from, you may find yourself asking the question: ‘How can I make this job as quick and straightforward as possible?’.
Fortunately, Milestone designed the Husky M20 in response to the need for versatile video solutions that can be deployed quickly. Sitting between its two siblings (the M10 and M30) in the ‘Business-ready’ NVR range, this compact NVR packs a big punch and combines some handy features to help you get your surveillance system up and running in no time.
With the ability to power, record and efficiently manage up to 16 IP cameras – we like to think of the M20 as ‘Milestone in a box’. This means that with the purchase of just one piece of hardware, you have all the essentials required to deliver a reliable surveillance solution for your small to medium-sized business.
Milestone XProtect Express and Professional licences and upgrades
As you may be aware, Milestone has recently added two new products to their ‘business-ready’ Video Management Software (VMS) range – XProtect Express+ and Professional+.
This is an exciting development for small to medium-sized systems because these two new products are built on the same software architecture as their more advanced variants, Expert and Corporate. Not only does this mean users benefit from extra features such as full alarm management, support for multi-layer maps, and hardware accelerated Video Motion Detection (VMD) for higher system performance, they can also easily migrate from Express+ to Professional+, Expert, or Corporate.
These new XProtect “+” products are undoubtedly the way to go for new systems – it’s a sound investment for any organisation because the VMS is scalable to meet the needs of a surveillance system that grows over time.
But what’s the situation for users running the original XProtect Express or Professional?
How can you make your CCTV system greener?
In a recent blog we explored how easy it was to find the green credentials of the major IP camera brands we supply, in an aim to see “how green your IP camera really is”. It’s clear that most manufacturers are continuously looking at ways that they can be “greener” – from the materials they use through to their transportation options, but the end-user can make a difference too.
Recognising the impact your CCTV system can have on the environment is a challenge for everyone, but it’s worth remembering the additional benefit of reducing the energy consumption of your video surveillance system is a potential saving for your organisation.
