Synology Surveillance Station Professional Video Management System User Guide
- June 4, 2024
- Synology
Table of Contents
Synology Surveillance Station Professional Video Management System
Introduction
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Surveillance Station is a professional Video Management System (VMS) package bundled with DiskStation Manager (DSM). With its advanced features and comprehensive device compatibility, your surveillance system can be extended far beyond watching camera feeds. The highlights include:
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Camera management : Add multiple cameras and devices and customize the settings.
The recording mechanism, audio and video format, stream profile, camera view, and other advanced settings can all be tailored to your needs. -
Video monitoring : Customize layouts to view live feeds and playback recordings simultaneously. You can directly control cameras, trigger I/O devices, and oversee detected events through a single monitoring portal.
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Recording management : Playback, download, and back up camera recordings. Various searching functions are available to quickly find recordings of specific times and actions. Advanced recording operations allow you to condense videos or customize the recording storage.
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Maps : Use interactive maps to guard your premises. Map groups and maps services make it possible to monitor multiple locations at one glance. Detailed alert cards, FOV viewing, and seamless playback features further streamline the operations.
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System management : Extend your management with Action Rules that automate surveillance functions, privacy masking and recording encryption that enhance security, and notifications that provide instant alerts to suspicious events.
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Centralized Management System (CMS): Host a multi-site surveillance system to manage remote servers, cameras, and recordings from a centralized portal. Automatic failover and backup services are available to ensure uninterrupted surveillance.
Get Started With Surveillance Station
This chapter explains the sign-in process, navigates you through the Surveillance Station desktop, and compares the available clients.
Sign in to Surveillance Station
Surveillance Station must be installed and enabled on your DSM to function.
Once the installation is complete, there are two ways to sign in using a
browser:
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From DSM:
Sign in to DSM and open Surveillance Station from the Main Menu. -
From the Login Portal:
Configure the login portal to access Surveillance Station directly. You can then use the server name or IP address to sign in. -
On DSM 7: Go to DSM > Control Panel > Login Portal > Applications > Surveillance Station to configure.
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On DSM 6: Go to DSM > Control Panel > Application Portal > Surveillance Station to configure.
Surveillance Station Desktop
Surveillance Station desktop displays the Main Menu, taskbar, and installed
applications.
Drag and drop frequently used applications from the Main Menu to create desktop shortcuts. The taskbar provides quick access to messages, personal settings, widgets, connected devices, and system statuses.
Application Center
Application Center offers a variety of surveillance-related applications,
desktop utilities, and mobile apps. Use the category panel to explore useful
services.
Application Center is also where you run, stop, update, delete, and restore Surveillance Station applications. Click open each app for more information and available operations. To learn more about Application Center, refer to this article.
Available clients
Surveillance Station supports a variety of clients to suit different usage
scenarios.
- Web browsers : The web-based interface uses an HTML5 video player and does not require plugins to function. We recommend using Google Chrome for the best user experience.
- Synology Surveillance Station Client : The desktop utility provides a smooth viewing experience free from browser limitations. It boosts the system performance when running multiple applications and comes with an additional GPU acceleration function. Local Display: Local Display is designed for Synology NVR models. Through HDMI output, it supports local live video viewing, recording playback, and other features.
- Visual Station: VisualStation is a palm-sized PC-less monitoring device that can function with an Ethernet cable and a monitor. It is ideal for TV-wall setups and multi-screen displays.
- DS cam : The mobile app allows you to stream live feeds and control cameras in real-time. It is available on Android and iOS devices.
IP Camera
This chapter walks you through the basic setups of IP cameras.
Add cameras
IP Camera provides two methods to install cameras, Add and Import. Both are
highly flexible and applicable to small and large-scale deployments.
- The Add function supports automatically discovering devices and scanning an IP range. You can choose to manually configure settings or copy the settings of existing cameras.
- The Import function allows you to add cameras with predefined configurations. You can import a .xlsx list with detailed camera information or a configuration file of existing cameras.
All cameras can be added offline and authenticated later.
Add cameras
Click Add to launch the Add Camera Wizard. You will be guided through four
steps:
- Select cameras: Tick the detected cameras, manually add cameras, or scan an IP range.
- Set up camera information: Name the cameras, select servers, and authenticate the cameras.
- Apply camera configurations in batch: Choose between Quick Setup that applies default settings, Complete Setup that allows detailed customization, or Copy Settings that applies the settings of existing cameras.
- Summary: Check the settings and finish.
Import cameras
Click Import to launch the Import Camera Wizard. You have two options:
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Camera list : Download a .xlsx template, fill in the information of your cameras (e.g., name, brand, IP address, video format, resolution), and upload the list back to Surveillance Station.
The wizard will add the cameras with correct settings. If errors occur, download the template that marks the errors and modify the information. -
Configuration file: This option helps you migrate cameras between servers. Simply export the configurations of cameras on another server and import the file to this server.
Edit cameras
After adding cameras, you can return to IP Camera and modify the settings.
Basic options include camera information, video stream, SRTP/HTTP connection,
and security settings.
For recording, you can customize the type, schedule, and archive rules. For
motion detection, choose between using Surveillance Station or built-in camera
algorithms. For optimization, adjust the on-screen display, time, and regular
restart schedules. To learn more about the supported functions, refer to this
article.
Camera Group
Organize cameras into groups in the Camera Group application. You can use the
groups to create Monitor Center layouts and grant User privileges in batch
Device Pack
Device Pack regularly adds support for new camera models and enhances the
system compatibility with updated camera firmware. Go to Application Center
and select Auto-update to keep updated.
Video Monitoring
This chapter introduces Monitor Center, multiple Recording features, Maps, and Intelligent Video Analytics algorithms.
Monitor Center
Monitor Center is a centralized interface for viewing camera footage. The main
operations are categorized into five panels:
- Layouts : Create different layouts for different occasions and arrange them with folders. The preset layout types and templates help you quickly set up the viewer.
- Device & Tools: Drag and drop cameras, groups, and tools in your system.
- Channels: Watch up to 100 channels of videos. Drag the window frames to resize each channel and use the on-screen display buttons to control the cameras.
- Timeline : Scroll through the timeline to view recordings and quickly check important events with the event filter and previous/next event buttons.
- Alert Panel : Monitor alerts. Advanced options allow you to focus on the current layout, view historical records, and set filters to find specific entries.
Recording
Recording is where you play back and manage recordings. The Bookmarks tab and
Search filters allow you to quickly find specific recordings. Recording
storage and file settings are set here.
Smart Search
Smart Search is a video analytics service supported by Synology Surveillance
Station Client. It is designed to quickly find recordings of special events.
Select a camera, detection mode, and detection zone, and set the time to start
the search.
Smart Time Lapse
Smart Time Lapse condenses long recordings into short videos, allowing you to
get a quick overview of all the changes over time. You can choose to reduce
the time compression ratio during the events to keep important details intact.
To learn more about Smart Time Lapse, refer to this article.
Edge recording
Edge Recording uses a camera’s SD card as the backup storage when the camera
disconnects. When the connection resumes, Surveillance Station will
automatically retrieve the videos recorded during the downtime. You can set up
a retrieval schedule to control network bandwidth. To learn more about Edge
Recording, refer to this article.
Snapshot
Snapshot is where you view and manage the snapshots taken in Surveillance
Station. The Snapshot Editor supports zoom-in, blur, and mask features. To
learn more about managing Snapshot, refer to this article.
Maps
Maps shows the locations and alerts of IP cameras, I/O modules, and other
devices. You can set up an image map to monitor an individual location, create
a map group to navigate between multi-floor facilities, or use OpenStreetMap,
Google Maps, or a custom tile server to watch multiple locations. The
interactive functions allow you to quickly switch between different views and
camera channels in Monitor Center.
Intelligent Video Analytics
Surveillance Station supports multiple specialized video analytics on Synology
DVA servers. Use the AI-powered analytics to enhance security without
additional personnel. The real-time statistics and alerts allow you to act on
issues immediately.
- Face Recognition: Identify allowed, VIP, or prohibited personnel to control access.
- Intrusion Detection : Issue alerts when a vehicle or person trespasses a virtual fence
- People and Vehicle Detection
- Detect people or vehicles in off-limits areas to increase situational awareness.
- Use License Plate recognition to identify vehicles based on customized allowed or blocked lists.
- People Counting : Monitor venue footfall with two-way counters.
- Vehicle Counting : Gather traffic data for insights into pathway efficiency.
Backup
This chapter introduces Surveillance Station backup solutions suitable for different usage scenarios. Refer to this article for the comparison.
Hyper Backup
Hyper Backup is a DSM package that backs up data from your Synology server to
a designated location. You can back up Surveillance Station system
configurations with or without recordings.
Further reading:
Hyper Backup Quick Start Guide
Archive Vault
Archive Vault is a Surveillance Station application specialized to back up
recordings from the local storage and remote server. It supports short backup
intervals, bandwidth control schedules, and direct recording playback in
Surveillance Station.
C2 Surveillance
C2 Surveillance automatically uploads recordings from Surveillance Station to
Synology C2 cloud. It extends your recording storage and secures critical
evidence when the physical server is missing or damaged. You can choose a
subscription plan based on the recording type, retention period, and
resolution.
Management
This chapter introduces system management, recording integration, and large- scale deployment features.
System management
System
System provides an overview of your server’s status. You can check the
hardware specifications and storage usage, manage network and time settings,
update Surveillance Station, and enable security features.
User
User is where you manage permission settings for users and groups. Customize
Privilege Profiles with Spectator and Manager roles to control access to
surveillance services and devices. DSM, domain, and LDAP user lists can be
integrated into Surveillance Station.
Further reading:
- How do I set up privilege profiles in Surveillance Station?
- How do I assign Surveillance Station privileges to domain/LDAP users?
Client Management
Client Management provides remote control over the clients connected to your
server. You can rename and control the layout display, update firmware for
VisualStation models, or end unwanted connections. To learn more about Client
Management, refer to this article.
Footage Protection
Surveillance Station supports different features to protect your camera view.
In System > Security, you can overlay text watermarks in video players to
prevent possible leakages.
To learn more about overlaying watermarks, refer to this article. In IP camera
Device > Security, you can apply privacy masks to sensitive areas so that unauthorized personnel cannot see or download classified footage. Encrypting recordings helps protect them from security breaches and data leakage.
Action Rule
Action Rule links different surveillance functions and automates your
monitoring system. You can instruct a camera to patrol between preset
positions, start recording when a door lock is opened, or use webhooks to
trigger specific actions on external devices and services.
Further reading:
How do I build a Smart Home through IFTTT?
Home Mode
Enable Home Mode to use different recording rules when you are home or away.
The mobile app DS cam can activate Home Mode automatically when your device
enters the Home location or connects to the Home Wi-Fi. You can stop
continuous recording and notifications while you are present and apply
additional event detection rules when you leave for work.
To learn more about Home Mode, refer to this article.
Notification
Surveillance Station supports sending notifications of system, device, and
application events via email, SMS message, and push service. The event types,
schedules, and contents are all customizable.
Log
Use logs to track all activities on your Surveillance Station. System logs
record system activities such as user login statuses, device setting
modifications, and storage usage updates. Event logs record the detected
events of devices and tasks, and provide direct links to the recordings.
To learn more about logs, refer to this article.
CMS
Surveillance Station Centralized Management System (CMS) allows you to host a
multi-site and multi-server surveillance system. With a single portal, you can
update remote servers, manage their applications, view and operate cameras and
recordings, and migrate devices among the system. The automatic failover and
backup services ensure uninterrupted video surveillance.
To learn more about CMS, refer to this article. For more information about CMS Failover, refer to this article.
Further reading:
How do I select a Synology product as the host server for Surveillance Station
CMS structure?
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References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
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