AlienPro ALIEN404 Operation Manual
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AlienPro ALIEN404 Operation Manual

AlienPro ALIEN404 Operation Manual

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The Alien Pro Lite Digital Video Recorder
Operations Manual
Models
ALIEN404 ALIEN408 ALIEN416
SPECIAL FEATURE
1fps background recording switching to 25fps on motion detect
PLUS 4/8/16 Channel Real Time Recording - 25fps in CIF
4/8/16 Channel Simultaneous Playback
VERSION 5.

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  • Page 1 The Alien Pro Lite Digital Video Recorder Operations Manual Models ALIEN404 ALIEN408 ALIEN416 SPECIAL FEATURE 1fps background recording switching to 25fps on motion detect PLUS 4/8/16 Channel Real Time Recording - 25fps in CIF 4/8/16 Channel Simultaneous Playback VERSION 5.

  • Page 2: Preventive And Cautionary Tips

    Preventive and Cautionary Tips Before connecting and operating your DVR, please be advised of the following tips: • Ensure unit is installed in a well-ventilated, dust-free environment. • Unit is designed for indoor use only. • Keep all liquids away from the DVR. •...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Contents Page Preventive and Cautionary Tips Contents List 1. Introduction 1.1 Overview 1.2 Product Key Features 1.3 Production Application Diagram 1.4 Operating Your DVR 2. Getting Started 2.1 Starting and Shutting Down Your DVR 2.2 Rebooting and Locking Your DVR 2.3 Using the Setup Wizard 2.4 Setting Date &...
  • Page 4 14. Frequently Asked Questions 15. Record Timings 15.1 Record Timings for Alien416 15.2 Record Timings for Alien408 15.3 Record Timings for Alien404 16. Special Features 16.1 1fps background recording switching to 25fps in CIF 16.2 Special Instructions following Restoring Default Settings...

  • Page 5: Introduction

    Introduction Overview Thank you for your purchase of the ALIEN Digital Video Recorder. To get the most out of your DVR, please read through the Operations Manual thoroughly. This product is a new generation product built on an embedded platform and combining the latest in advanced H.264 video encoding and decoding technologies maintaining solid reliability and high performance.
  • Page 6 • Supports manual, continuous, alarm, motion, motion|alarm and motion & alarm recording. • Supports 8 recording time periods with separate recording types. • Supports Pre-record and Post-record time for alarm and motion detection. • Supports lock and unlock video files. •...

  • Page 7: Production Application Diagram

    Product Application Diagram Operating Your DVR There are numerous ways to navigate and operate your DVR. You may use the Front Panel Controls, the included IR (Infra-Red) Remote, a Mouse and the Soft Keyboard. 1.4.1 Using the Front Panel Controls Your DVR comes with built-in front panel controls, as shown below.
  • Page 8 • 3DEF/F2: The 3DEF button works as numeric [3] and letter [DEF]. It is also used to cycle through tab pages. • 4GHI/ESC: The 4GHI/ESC button works as numeric [4] and letter [GHI] is also used to escape to the previous menu •...
  • Page 9 1.4.2 Using the IR Remote Control Your DVR may also be controlled with the included IR remote control. Batteries (2x AAA) must be installed before operating. The keys on the remote control closely resemble the ones found on the front panel. They include: 1.
  • Page 10 14. ESC Button: Same as ESC button on front panel. 15. RESERVED: Reserved. 16. F1 Button: When it is used in a list field, it will select all items in the list. 17. PTZ CONTROL Buttons: Buttons to adjust the iris, focus and zoom of a PTZ camera. 18.
  • Page 11 1.4.4 Using the Soft Keyboard When a mouse is used to perform task on the DVR, clicking on a text input field will bring up the Soft Keyboard. The buttons on the soft keyboard represents: Lowercase: Designates lowercase input is being used. Uppercase: Designates uppercase input is being used.
  • Page 12 1.4.5 Rear Panel Diagram of Alien416 Item Description Video Out BNC connection for video output. If VGA is connected, the interface will not function. If VGA is not connected, the interface is used as the main video output with local video display and menu operations.
  • Page 13 1.4.6 Rear Panel Diagram of Alien408 No. Item Description 1a Video Out - Main BNC connection for video output. If VGA is connected, the interface will not function. If VGA is not connected, the interface is used as the main video output with local video display and menu operations.
  • Page 14 1.4.7 Rear Panel Diagram of Alien404 No. Item Description 1a - MainVideo Out BNC connection for video output. If VGA is connected, the interface will not function. If VGA is not connected, the interface is used as the main video output with local video display and menu operations.

  • Page 15: Getting Started

    Getting Started Starting and Shutting Down Your DVR Proper startup and shutdown procedures are crucial for extending the life of your DVR. To startup your DVR: 1. Ensure the power supply is plugged into an electrical outlet. It is HIGHLY recommended that an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) be used in conjunction with the unit.

  • Page 16: Using The Setup Wizard

    Using the Setup Wizard By default, the Setup Wizard will start once the DVR has loaded, as shown below. The Setup Wizard will walk you through some of the more important settings of your DVR. If you do not wish to use the Setup Wizard at this time, click the Cancel button. You may also choose to use the Setup Wizard at a later time by leaving the “Start Wizard when DVR starts?”...
  • Page 17 5. Click the Next button. This will take you to the HDD Management window shown. 6. To start HDD management, click the Enter button. 7. If a new HDD was recently installed, select the HDD from the list to initialise it. Initialising the HDD will format and remove all data from it.

  • Page 18: Setting Date & Time

    13. Check both the Enable Schedule and All Day checkbox. This will enable the recording schedule and have it record continuously all day. 14. Click the OK button. This will take you back to the Schedule tab. To copy the schedule to a different channel, select the channel or all under Copy To and click the Copy button.
  • Page 19 Setting Date & Time It is extremely important to setup the system date and time to accurately timestamp recordings and events. To setup date and time: 1. Open the Menu window by clicking the MENU button on the remote or front panel. You can also go to the Menu window by right clicking with the mouse and clicking the Menu button.

  • Page 20: Live Preview

    Live Preview Watching a Live Preview The Live Preview mode is automatically started after the DVR boots up. It is also at the very top of the menu hierarchy, thus hitting the ESC multiple times (depending on which menu you are in) will bring you to the Live Preview mode. Understanding Live Preview Icons There are multiple icons on each display in Live Preview mode to indicate different camera status.

  • Page 21: Using The Mouse In Live Preview

    Using the Mouse in Live Preview Many features of the Live Preview can be quickly accessed by clicking the right-button of the mouse (shown below). These features include: • Single Camera: Switch to a full screen display of the selected camera. Camera can be selected from a drop down list.

  • Page 22: Configuring Live Preview Displays

    Configuring Live Preview Displays Live Preview displays can be customised to your own needs. These settings can be accessed by entering the Display Settings menu. To access the Display Settings menu: 1. Click the MENU button. 2. Click the Settings icon. 3.

  • Page 23: Record Settings

    Record Settings Configuring Settings for Recording There are multiple ways to setup your DVR for recording. They include setting up a recording schedule, triggering a recording by motion detection and/or a sensor alarm, and manually starting the recording. Initialising Record Settings Before setting your DVR up for recording, certain settings should be configured first.
  • Page 24 6. Set additional record settings: • Pre-Record: Sets the time in seconds to pre-record before the actual recording begins. • Post-Record: Sets the time in seconds to post-record after the actual recording has ended. • Recording Expired Time: Sets the expiration time in days for recorded video. Recordings after expiration time would be deleted.

  • Page 25: Scheduling A Recording

    Scheduling a Recording Scheduling a recording allows you to setup the DVR to only record when you want it to. To setup a recording schedule: 1. Enter the Record Settings menu (Menu > Setting > Record). 2. Select the Schedule tab to open the Schedule menu. 3.

  • Page 26: Protecting Recorded Files

    2. Start manual recording by selecting On or Off for the cameras desired. Protecting Recorded Files There are two methods to prevent recorded files from being deleted off the HDD. It is highly recommended that important recorded events be protected from deletion. Recorded files can either be locked or the HDD that the files reside on can be set to read only.
  • Page 27 6. Click Cancel to exit out of the Video Search menu. 4.5.2 Setting HDD to Read-Only To set a HDD to read-only: 1. Navigate to the HDD Management menu by going to Menu > HDD Management. The HDD Management menu is shown below. 2.

  • Page 28: Configuring Advanced Hdd Settings

    5. Set HDD to Read-Only. 6. Click the OK button. The HDD is now read-only. Note: When a HDD is set to read-only, no more recordings can be written to the disk. In order to enable recordings on that particular disk again, you must set the HDD to R/W (Read/ Write) in the HDD Property Settings menu.
  • Page 29 7. Navigate to the Record Settings menu by clicking Menu > Setting > Record Setting. 8. Click on the General tab. 9. Select the Camera to be used for redundancy. 10. Next to More Settings, click on the Set button. This will bring up additional settings for the selected camera as shown below.

  • Page 30: Playback

    Playback Playing Back a Recording You must first search for recordings to play them back. There are multiple ways to search for recordings, including searching for them by time, by channel, by file type and by log. Understanding the Playback Interface There are various controls on the Playback interface that makes viewing recordings more efficient.

  • Page 31: Playing Back From Search

    Playing Back from Search To playback files from a video search: 1. Enter into the Video Search menu by clicking Menu > Video Search. 2. Set the search parameters by selecting cameras to search, video/file type and the start/end time (as shown below). 3.
  • Page 32 2. Recordings from the selected channel will start playing back in the Playback interface. An Attention message will appear if there are no recordings found from the previous 5 minutes. You may also press the Play button to view the days recording for the selected channel.

  • Page 33: Playing Back Frame-By-Frame

    2. Set Major Type setting to Information. 3. Set Minor Type setting to Start Record or End Record. 4. Set Start Time and End Time. 5. Click the Search button. 6. A list of results with your search criteria will be returned. Select the video log to playback and click Play.

  • Page 34: Backup

    Backup Backing up Recorded Files Recorded files can be backed up to various devices, such as USB flash drives, USB HDDs or a DVD writer. Exporting Files To export recorded files: 1. Enter the Export Video menu (shown below) by clicking Menu > Video Export. 2.
  • Page 35 6. Select device to export to from drop-down list (USB Flash Drive, USB HDD, DVD Writer). If backup device is not recognised: • Click the Refresh button. • Reconnect device. • Check for compatibility from vendor. 7. Click Start to begin backup process. 8.

  • Page 36: Exporting Video Clips

    Exporting Video Clips You may also select video clips to export directly during Playback. A maximum of 30 clips can be selected for each channel. To export video clips during Playback: Using the Mouse: 1. Enter into the Playback interface (See Playing Back a Recording). 2.

  • Page 37: Managing Backup Devices

    Managing Backup Devices To manage backup devices, you must first be in the Export menu, shown. The Export menu can be accessed by following the steps shown in the previous section (See Exporting Files). Once in the Export menu, you may: •...

  • Page 38: Alarm Settings

    Alarm Settings Configuring Alarms 7.1.1 Setting up Motion Detection Set up properly, using a motion detection recording will increase the number of days your DVR is able to record. It will only record relevant events rather than recording everything, making searching for an event easier. To set up motion detection: 1.
  • Page 39 6. Set the Motion Detection Sensitivity, shown in Figure 3. The higher the sensitivity value, the higher the sensitivity. 7. Click OK to return to the Camera Settings menu. 8. Click the Handle button to open the Exception Handle menu, shown below. Select the Triggered Camera tab.
  • Page 40 2. Select the Alarm Input number and click the Set button. This will open the Alarm Input Setting menu, shown below. 3. Set the alarm input type under Type. The options available are Normally Open (N.O.) and Normally Closed (N.C.). 4.
  • Page 41 You may now add a schedule to start recording when an alarm is triggered (See Scheduling a Recording). Alarm outputs may also be configured in the Alarm Management menu. To set up Alarm Output: 1. Select the Alarm Output tab. This will bring up the Alarm Output interface, shown below.

  • Page 42: Detecting Video Loss

    2. In the Manual Alarm menu, you may: • Trigger: Select an alarm from the list and click Trigger to trigger its output. • Trigger All: Trigger all alarm outputs at once. • Clear All: Stop all alarm outputs at once. 3.

  • Page 43: Detecting Video Tampering

    7. Select the Schedule tab. Set the schedule of when you want video loss detection to be enabled. Schedule can be set for all week or any day of the week with up to 8 time periods per day. 8. Click the Apply button to finish. 9.

  • Page 44: Setting Exceptions

    7. Set detection sensitivity. The higher the value set, the higher the sensitivity. 8. Click OK to return to the Camera Settings/Management menu. 9. Click the Handle button to enter the Exception Handle menu, shown below. 10. Select the Handle tab to configure exceptions handling. Exception trigger options are further explained in the next section (See Understanding Exception Trigger Options).

  • Page 45: Understanding Exception Trigger Options

    • Network Disconnected: Disconnected network cable. • IP Conflicted: Conflict in IP address setting. • Illegal Login: Wrong user ID or password used. • Video Exception: Instable video signal detected. • Mismatched Output Standard Mismatch: I/O video standards do not match. To set exceptions: 1.

  • Page 46: Network Settings

    Network Settings Configuring Network Settings Network settings must be configured before you are able to use your DVR over the network. Configuring Basic Settings To configure basic network settings: 1. Enter the Network Settings menu, shown in Figure 1 by clicking Menu > Setting > Network.

  • Page 47: Configuring Pppoe Settings

    Configuring PPPoE Settings Your DVR also allows for Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) access. This option however is not generally available in the UK which uses PPPoA. Therefore PPPoE is not documented. Configuring DDNS To setup DDNS: 1. Enter the Network Settings menu by clicking Menu > Setting > Network. 2.

  • Page 48: Configuring An Ntp Server

    Configuring an NTP Server A Network Time Protocol (NTP) Server may also be setup on your DVR to keep the date and time current and accurate. To setup an NTP server: 1. Enter the Network Settings menu by clicking Menu > Setting > Network. 2.

  • Page 49: Configuring Multicast

    4. Enter Alarm Host IP and Alarm Host Port. Alarm Host IP is the IP of the remote PC which has the Network Video Surveillance software installed. The Alarm Host Port must be the same as software alarm monitor port (default port is 7200). Configuring Multicast Setting up multicasting solves limitation issues when streaming videos through a network access device.

  • Page 50: Configuring Server And Http Ports

    Configuring Server and HTTP Ports If you would like to change the server and HTTP ports from the default settings, you can do so in the Network Settings menu. The default server port is 8000 while the default HTTP port is 80. To change the default ports: 1.

  • Page 51: Ptz Controls

    PTZ Controls Navigating PTZ Menus PTZ menus can be navigated through with either the mouse or the front panel/remote. For quick access to certain PTZ settings, right clicking with the mouse in a display while in PTZ control mode will bring up the PTZ settings menu. This menu is shown below. The items that can be found on this menu include: •...

  • Page 52: Setting Ptz Presets, Patrols & Patterns

    2. Select channel where PTZ camera is installed next to Camera label. 3. Enter PTZ settings so it matches that of the PTZ camera. 4. Click OK button to save and exit menu. Setting PTZ Presets, Patrols & Patterns Your DVR allows you to customize presets, patrols and patterns for a connected PTZ camera.
  • Page 53 9.3.2 Customising Patrols Patrols can be setup to move the PTZ to different key points and have it stay there for a set duration before moving on to the next point. The key points are defined by presets which can be set following the steps above in Customising Presets. To set up and use PTZ patrols: 1.
  • Page 54 4. Click OK to return to Patrol Management menu and repeat steps 2-3 to configure other key points. 5. After all key points have been configured, click OK to save and exit menu. Clear Patrol: 1. Select a valid Patrol Number. 2.
  • Page 55 3. Select a Pattern Number. 4. To record a new pattern, select the Run Record button to start recording of the movements of the PTZ. Use the PTZ control panel to move the PTZ. The PTZ movements will be recorded until the Stop Record button is clicked. 5.

  • Page 56: Camera Management

    10. Camera Management 10.1 Configuring OSD Settings On Screen Display (OSD) settings can be configured in the Camera Management menu. The OSD is shown in each display during Live Preview mode and includes the time and date as well as the camera name. To configure OSD settings: 1.

  • Page 57: Adjusting Display Settings

    4. Tick the Mask checkbox to enable feature. 5. Click the Area Settings button to enter Area Settings menu. 6. Setup mask area, as shown below. Up to 4 areas can be set. 7. Select OK to save and exit mask setup. 10.3 Adjusting Display Settings Display settings such as the brightness, contrast, saturation and hue can also be adjusted in the Camera Management menu.

  • Page 58: Hdd Management

    11. HDD Management 11.1 Initialising HDDs A newly installed hard disk drive (HDD) must be first formatted before it can be used with your DVR. Formatting the HDD will erase all data on it. To format a HDD: 1. Enter the HDD Management menu, shown below by clicking Menu > HDD. 2.

  • Page 59: Setting Hdd Status

    11.3 Setting HDD Status You may change the behavior of your HDD by changing its status. The status of a HDD can be set to redundancy, read-only or read/write (R/W). 11.3.1 Setting HDD to Read-Only A HDD can be set to read-only to avoid important recorded files from being overwritten when the HDD becomes full.

  • Page 60: Checking Hdd Status

    11.4 Checking HDD Status You may check the status of any of the installed HDDs on your DVR at anytime. To check the status of an HDD: 1. Enter the HDD Management menu by clicking Menu > HDD. 2. The status of your HDD is listed under the Status column. If the status is listed as Normal or Hibernate, the HDD is in working order.

  • Page 61: Configuring Hdd Alarms

    11.5 Configuring HDD Alarms HDD alarms can be set to trigger when an HDD is uninitialised or in an abnormal state. To set HDD alarms: 1. Enter Exception menu, shown below by clicking Menu > Exception. 2. Select HDD Error under Exception Type. 3.

  • Page 62: Dvr Management

    12. DVR Management 12.1 Configuring General Settings General settings such as the system language can be configured in the General Settings menu of your DVR. To configure general settings: 1. Enter the General Settings menu, shown below by clicking Menu > Setting > General. 2.

  • Page 63: Configuring Rs-232 Port Settings

    3. Configure settings, including: Device Name: Name to use for DVR. Device No.: Device number to use for DVR. CVBS Output Brightness: Video output brightness. Transparency: Menu transparency. Operation Timeout: Set timeout time for menu inactivity. For example, if timeout time was set to 5 minutes, after 5 minutes of inactivity in the General Settings menu, you will be returned to the Live Preview.

  • Page 64: Managing User Accounts

    12.4 Managing User Accounts By default, your DVR comes with one user account, the Administrator account. The Administrator user name is admin and the password is 12345. The default password for Administrator should be changed right away (see SPECIAL NOTE below) for security reasons.
  • Page 65 2. Enter information for new user, including User Name, Password, Level and User’s MAC. 3. The Level is the user level and is separated into two tiers. Operator: The Operator user level has the authority to configure two-way audio in network settings and all parameters in channel settings.
  • Page 66 The network settings include: Remote Log Search: Remotely view logs that are saved on the DVR. Remote Configuration: Remotely configure parameters, restore parameters to factory defaults and import settings to as well as export settings from DVR. Remote Serial Port Control: Configure settings for RS232 and RS485 ports. Remote Video Output Control: Configure settings for video output.

  • Page 67: Importing & Exporting Configuration

    12.4.3 Modifying a User To modify a user: 1. Enter the User Settings menu by clicking Menu > Settings > User. 2. Select user to modify. 3. Click the Modify button to enter the Modify menu, shown below. 4. Edit user information. 5.

  • Page 68: Updating System Firmware

    12.6 Updating System Firmware The firmware on your DVR can be updated using two methods. These methods include updating via an USB device or over the network via an FTP server. To update via a USB device: 1. Connect USB device to DVR. The firmware file must be located in the root directory of your USB device.

  • Page 69: Restoring Default Settings

    4. Input the FTP server address. 5. Select Upgrade to begin update process. 6. After the system firmware has been update, reboot the DVR. Note: If the DVR fails to update, please contact your system supplier for further assistance. 12.7 Restoring Default Settings To restore default factory settings to your DVR: 1.

  • Page 70: Viewing System Logs

    12.9 Viewing System Logs Many events of your DVR are logged into the system logs. To access the system logs and search for these events: 1. Enter the Log Search menu, shown below by clicking Menu > Maintenance > Log Search.
  • Page 71 7. Click Cancel to exit out of menu.

  • Page 72: Glossary

    13. Glossary Dual Stream: Dual stream is a technology used to record high resolution video locally while transmitting a lower resolution stream over the network. The two streams are generated by the DVR, with the main stream having a maximum resolution of 4CIF and the sub-stream having a maximum resolution of QCIF.

  • Page 73: Frequently Asked Questions

    14. Frequently Asked Questions Why does my DVR make a beeping sound after booting? There are a few reasons for the warning beep your DVR makes after booting. 1. There is no HDD present in the DVR. 2. The HDD has not been initialised. 3.

  • Page 74: Record Timings

    15. Record Timings 15.1 Record Timings for Alien416 CIF mode Frame Rate 320Gb 640Gb 750Gb 1.0Tb 1.5Tb 2.0Tb 3dys 7hr 6dy 14hr 7dy 17hr 10dy 7hr 15dy 11hr 20dy 14hr 6dys 14hr 13dy 4hr 15dy 11hr 20dy 14hr 30dy 22hr 41dy 5hr 13dy 4hr 26dy 9hr...

  • Page 75: Record Timings For Alien408

    15.2 Record Timings for Alien408 CIF mode Frame Rate 320Gb 640Gb 750Gb 1.0Tb 1.5Tb 2.0Tb 6dy 14hr 13dy 4hr 15dy 11hr 20dy 14hr 30dy 22hr 41dy 5hr 13dy 4hr 26dy 9hr 30dy 22hr 41dy 5hr 61dy 20hr 82dy 10hr 26dy 9hr 52dy 18hr 61dy 20hr 82hr 10hr...

  • Page 76: Record Timings For Alien404

    15.3 Record Timings for Alien404 CIF mode Frame Rate 320Gb 640Gb 750Gb 1.0Tb 1.5Tb 2.0Tb 13dy 4hr 26dy 9hr 30dy 22hr 41dy 5hr 61dy 20hr 82dy 10hr 26dy 9hr 52dy 18hr 61dy 20hr 82dy 10hr 123dy 16hr 164dy 21hr 52dy 18hr...

  • Page 77: Special Features

    16. Special Features 16.1 1fps background recording switching to 25fps in CIF This DVR has a special feature that allows the unit to be set for recording at a low frame rate but when motion is detected to revert to 25fps recording. 1.
  • Page 78 9. Select Camera Settings. 10. Select Advanced tab 11. Tick Motion Detection Box 12. Click on Area Settings 13. Drag detection box to cover detection area. 14. If you enter the Handle option you can tick the Pop-up image on Monitor to display a single screen display of the triggered camera.

  • Page 79: Special Instructions Following Restoring Default Settings

    16.2 Special Instructions following Restoring Default Settings If you get an alarm following a restore of the Default Settings you will need to take the following action: Right click mouse button and click on Menu. Enter password, click on Enter and then OK. Click on Setting menu.

This manual is also suitable for:

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