CompleteView v7 FAQs

CompleteView’s motion detection analyzes video streams to identify pixel changes within user-defined zones. Detection can be performed either on modern ONVIF-compatible cameras (with embedded analytics) or on the Recording Server (using pixel-change algorithms). To configure motion detection, administrators create motion zones in each camera’s field of view, adjust sensitivity levels to minimize false detections from environmental factors like lighting changes or weather, and define trigger actions such as switching to higher-quality recording, triggering alarm outputs, or generating operator notifications.

Important Best Practice: Salient strongly recommends not using motion detection to control when recording occurs. Instead, use multi-streaming: configure cameras to record continuously at lower resolution and frame rates, then automatically switch to higher quality when motion or alarms are detected. This approach ensures that a complete timeline is always available for forensic investigation while optimizing storage efficiency.

Motion events appear in real-time in modules like Alarm View and Live View, and can be searched retroactively using Smart Search to locate motion that occurred at specific locations during historical playback.

CompleteView supports two types of motion detection, each with distinct differences:

Camera-Side Motion Detection:

• Motion detection is performed by the camera itself using its embedded processing capabilities
• Available on modern ONVIF-compatible cameras with built-in analytics
• More efficient because processing happens at the camera level, reducing load on the Recording Server
• Advanced cameras may include AI-powered detection with object classification (people, vehicles, etc.) and behavioral analytics (line crossing, loitering, intrusion detection)
• Configured through ONVIF events in the Camera Events panel
• Requires enabling and configuring the analytics features in the camera’s web interface before adding the camera to CompleteView

Server-Side Motion Detection:

• Motion detection is performed by the CompleteView Recording Server using pixel-change algorithms
• This legacy approach originated from early DVR systems
• Works with any camera, including those without embedded analytics
• Places additional processing load on the Recording Server, especially with multiple cameras
• Configured through the Camera Motion Panel where administrators create zones and adjust sensitivity

Recommendation: For optimal performance and efficiency, use camera-side motion detection when available. Modern cameras with embedded analytics offload processing from your Recording Server and often provide more sophisticated detection capabilities than traditional server-side pixel analysis.

Multi-streaming is a powerful feature in CompleteView that allows cameras to record at different resolutions and frame rates based on the recording mode (continuous, motion, or alarm). This optimizes storage while ensuring high-quality footage is captured during important events.

Multi-Streaming Requirements:

• Camera must support multiple stream profiles (most modern IP cameras do)
• Must use the ONVIF driver (multi-streaming is only available with ONVIF)
• Camera must be properly configured with multiple profiles

Configuration Steps:

1. Prepare the Camera:
   • Enable ONVIF in the camera’s web interface
   • Configure multiple stream profiles (typically Primary and Secondary)
   • Set different resolutions/frame rates for each profile
   • Example: Primary = 1080p @ 15fps, Secondary = 1080p @ 30fps
2. Add Camera to CompleteView:
   • In Configure module, go to Recording Servers → Cameras
   • Add the camera using the ONVIF driver
   • After adding, wait for profiles and events to become available (may take 1-2 minutes)
   • If it takes too long, check the Dashboard for “Authentication Failed” errors
3. Select ONVIF Media Profiles:
   • Navigate to the camera’s configuration
   • You’ll see available ONVIF profiles from the camera
   • Select which profiles to use for different recording modes
4. Configure Multi-Stream Recording:
   • Go to Recording Servers → Cameras → ONVIF SETTINGS
   • Configure your recording strategy:
     • Continuous Recording: Use lower resolution/frame rate profile (e.g., 720p @ 8fps)
     • Motion Recording: Use higher resolution/frame rate profile (e.g., 1080p @ 15fps)
     • Alarm Recording: Use highest quality profile (e.g., 1080p @ 30fps)

Best Practice Recommendation: Use multi-streaming to record continuously at lower quality while automatically switching to higher quality when motion or alarms are detected. This approach:

• Maintains a complete timeline (no gaps in recording)
• Optimizes storage requirements
• Ensures high-quality footage during important events
• Provides better evidence for investigations

Important Notes:

• If profiles don’t appear immediately after adding the camera, try
  •  Disable camera → Save → Re-enable camera → Save (forces re-query)
  • Ensure the time on the camera matches the server
• Multi-streaming requires adequate camera processing power and network bandwidth
• Always test your configuration to ensure all profiles are working correctly

RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) port configuration in CompleteView should be modified through the Common Settings → Ports → RTSP menu in the Configure module. This is critical because RTSP settings are common settings that apply across all Recording Servers in your deployment.

Steps to modify RTSP ports:

1. Open the Desktop Client and log in with administrator credentials
2. Navigate to Configure module
3. Select Common Settings from the left navigation panel
4. Go to Ports → RTSP
5. Configure the RTSP Server port (default: 554 TCP)
6. Configure authentication method:
   • Token Authentication: Uses REST API token requests for secure access
   • Basic Authentication: Standard username/password authentication
7. Click Save to apply changes across all Recording Servers

Important Notes:

• The default RTSP port is 554 (TCP), which cameras use to stream video to Recording Servers
• Ensure any firewall exceptions are updated to reflect new port configurations
• Port 80 (TCP) is also used for camera API and RTSP communication

Authentication Options: CompleteView supports both token-based and basic authentication for RTSP streams. Token authentication provides enhanced security through REST API token requests with configurable expiration times.

CompleteView requires specific Windows Firewall exceptions to function properly. By default, Windows Firewall blocks all unsolicited traffic for server applications and services, so firewall exceptions must be configured for CompleteView components to communicate.

Mandatory Firewall Exceptions:

• Management Server: Ports 4502 (HTTP), 4242 (TCP)
• Recording Server: These are required for core functionality
• Desktop Client: Port 8095 (HTTP) for Management Server communication

Optional Firewall Exceptions: Additional exceptions may be required depending on your system configuration, CompleteView options, cameras deployed, and third-party extensions installed.

Key Ports Requiring Firewall Exceptions:

• 4502 (HTTP) / 4503 (HTTPS) – Configuration and operational state
• 4242 (TCP) / 4245 (TCP over TLS) – Real-time status updates
• 554 (TCP) – Camera RTSP
• 80 (TCP) – Camera API & RTSP
• 25 (TCP) – SMTP for email notifications
• 389 (TCP) – Active Directory authentication
• 4502/4503 – Management Server communication
• 4242/4245 – Video/audio data and operational info
• 8095 (HTTP) / 8096 (HTTPS) – Management Server configuration data

Important Notes:

• If you purchased a PowerProtect server from Salient, all firewall rules are pre-configured
• The exact list of required exceptions differs based on system configuration, cameras, and installed extensions
• Care must be taken to ensure all needed exceptions are defined, and more importantly, that only needed exceptions are defined
• Firewall exceptions must be configured on each CompleteView workstation and server in the system
• All firewall exceptions should be configured as bi-directional

How to Add Firewall Exceptions:

Typically, port configuration for Windows is done through:

1. Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security
2. Windows Firewall Control Panel
3. Group Policy (for domain environments)

If you don’t see a specific named driver for your camera in CompleteView’s dropdown menu, you should use the ONVIF driver (often labeled as “Generic-ONVIF”). This is Salient’s recommended approach for all modern IP cameras.

Why Use ONVIF Instead of Named Drivers:

Since CompleteView v7.0, Salient has adopted an “ONVIF first” strategy and is no longer investing in proprietary named drivers. Here’s why ONVIF is now the preferred choice:

• More Comprehensive: The ONVIF driver now supports more camera features than most named drivers: e.g. Line crossing, people counting, etc.
• Future-Proof: Automatically supports new features added through camera firmware upgrades
• Industry Standard: All new cameras from every major vendor are ONVIF compliant
• Reliable: The ONVIF specification is now very comprehensive and mature, addressing nearly all edge-based operations needed
• Better Support: Includes video streaming, PTZ control, metadata, analytics, multi-streaming, and auto-discovery

For more information, see:

https://www.salientsys.com/camera-partners/onvif/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8Ey-4-tk-Y

Available Generic Drivers:

CompleteView includes several generic drivers in the “Cameras and Integrations” section of the Help documentation:

1. Generic-ONVIF (Primary recommendation)
2. Generic IP Camera for MJPEG
3. Generic IP MJPEG Streaming Camera
4. Generic IP RTSP Streaming Camera for MPEG-4

Configuration Steps:

1. When manually adding a camera, CompleteView automatically defaults to the ONVIF driver
2. Ensure ONVIF is enabled in your camera’s web interface
3. Configure the camera with appropriate user credentials (with administrator privileges for ONVIF user)
4. Add the camera to CompleteView using the Generic-ONVIF driver
5. Wait 1-2 minutes for profiles and events to populate

Important Notes:

• The old perception that “named drivers are better than generic ONVIF” is outdated
• Over 32,000 ONVIF-conformant devices are currently on the market
• Using ONVIF ensures compatibility with current and future camera features without requiring CompleteView updates

If your camera is ONVIF-conformant (virtually all modern IP cameras are), always choose the ONVIF driver for the best experience and feature support.