ACTi Mobile Client for Android
User’s Manual
Version 1.0.11
2015/11/25
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Conventions Used in This Manual
The following are typographic conventions used in this manual:
Bold: Bold typeface is used for a keyword, major functions of NVR, or a title of a
section/column.
Italic: Italic typeface is used for a filename or location path.
Underlined: Underlined typeface is used for a document name or hyperlink.
“Bold”: Bold interface enclosed in double quotation marks indicates the name of a button or
a choice item.
Some notices are placed within the following boxes; each type of the box indicates different
purposes or levels of importance for system:
Important Notice
Tip
The content within this box is a tip. A tip gives you an alternative method to easily or quickly
achieve an objective, usually for specific conditions.
The content within this box is an important notice. This notice is important for you to get
certain function to work properly, or to prevent from certain potential problems that may damage
your system. Make sure you read this notice and follow the instructions.
Note
The content within this box is a note. A note is some necessary information you need to know
about the action you are currently taking, like what will happen after you follow or don’t follow
certain procedure.
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Table of Contents
Conventions Used in This Manual .................................................. 2
1 Overview 5
Introduction ....................................................................................... 5
Network Architecture ...................................................................... 5
2 Setup 6
Pre-requisites .................................................................................... 6
Download & Installation ................................................................... 7
Add a Server / Camera ..................................................................... 8
Manage Sites ................................................................................... 10
Enter Edit Mode ........................................................................... 10
3 Start Live Monitoring 11
Enter Sites List ................................................................................ 11
4 Operation Instructions 15
View Screen ..................................................................................... 15
Push Video ...................................................................................... 16
Register Your Device ................................................................... 16
Take Video Recording .................................................................. 18
Live View Single Channel Screen .................................................. 19
On-screen Controls ...................................................................... 20
Enter Playback Screen................................................................. 20
Enable PTZ .................................................................................. 20
Preset Points ................................................................................ 20
Take Snapshot ............................................................................. 20
Manual Recording ........................................................................ 21
Send Audio ................................................................................... 21
Manual DO Trigger ....................................................................... 21
Stream Switcher ........................................................................... 21
Operate PTZ Functions ................................................................ 22
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Optical PTZ 22
Digital PTZ 23
Go to Preset Points 24
Accessing E-Map ............................................................................ 25
Playback Single Channel Screen .................................................. 28
On-screen Controls ...................................................................... 29
Function ....................................................................................... 30
Speed Control .............................................................................. 30
Playback Control .......................................................................... 30
Time Track ................................................................................... 30
Navigation Menu .......................................................................... 30
Live View ...................................................................................... 30
Digital PTZ ................................................................................... 30
Take Snapshot ............................................................................. 30
Date/Time Picker .......................................................................... 31
Event Filter ................................................................................... 31
Playback Search .......................................................................... 31
Time Track Scale ......................................................................... 31
Perform Playback Search .............................................................. 32
Send To TV Wall .............................................................................. 35
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Overview
Introduction
ACTi Mobile Client is a free app running on mobile Android devices, allowing you to remotely
monitor camera live view output from ACTi video management system.
This app can manage up to 256 sites, and can provide 6-grid live view, single channel live view,
and screen snapshots on mobile devices.
ACTi Mobile Client is ready to connect with an ACTi central management system server, an
ACTi software network video recorder server, an ACTi standalone network video recorder, an
ACTi Edge Recorder Server and an ACTi camera without further configuration or installation.
Network Architecture
The service architecture is described in the following figure. Please note that the architecture
may change to fit different applications.
Scenario 1
ACTi Mobile Client connects with software or standalone NVR server.
Scenario 2
ACTi Mobile Client connects central management system server.
Scenario 3
ACTi Mobile Client connects with an edge recorder server.
Scenario 4
ACTi Mobile Client connects with a camera.
Mobile Client
CMS Server
Software
NVR Server
Standalone
NVR Server
1
1
2
3G / WiFi
Camera
4
3
Edge Recorder
Server
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Setup
Pre-requisites
Before using ACTi Mobile Client, please make sure pre-requisites below are fulfilled:
1. Your server sites (software NVR servers, CMS servers or standalone NVR servers)
have been upgraded to compatible versions. Please refer to ACTi Mobile Client
Release Notes on http://www.acti.com/downloadcenter for compatible version
information.
2. Your Android device has been upgrade to firmware version 2.3 or later.
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Download & Installation
To start using ACTi Mobile Client, please download and install this app in your device.
In “Google play”, search the keyword “ACTi Mobile
Client” and install the app directly. It requires Internet
access for the mobile device.
After installation is complete, the application icon
will appear on main screen.
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Add a Server / Camera
Tap on to execute ACTi Mobile Client.
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The Sites list is empty when you first enter ACTi
Mobile Client. Tap the Add button “ + ” to start editing
a new site/camera.
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On “Choose Type” window, select the video source
type.
Select “Device” for a camera or a video encoder;
select “Server” for a CMS server, a software NVR
server, a standalone NVR server or an Edge Recorder
Client server.
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Enter Edit page to fill in the connection properties for
ACTi Mobile Client to connect the site, click the “Get
Device/Server Setting”, and then click to save
this site.
● Host: Server ip / domain name address
● Port: Server port number
● Account: Server site account
● Password: The password for this account
To test whether your mobile client app is working correctly, you can connect to ACTi’s test
server for mobile clients. The connection properties to be filled in are shown below. Please
make sure your mobile device has access to the Internet before performing this test.
● Type: Server
● Host: mobile.acti.com
● Port: 80
● Account: guest
● Password: guest
Note
The permission to see certain views or devices on an NVR
/ CMS server is defined by the access level of the User
Group your account belongs to. If you cannot see certain
views or devices, ask the system administrator to modify
your user group settings.
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Manage Sites
Every time you execute ACTi Mobile Client, you will
first enter the Sites list.
Enter Edit Mode
To edit the existing server sites, tap on the bottom
to enter the edit screen.
Delete/Modify a Site
In edit mode, select a site, tap to delete it or tap on
to modify the site’s properties.
Note
On ACTi Mobile Client interface, you can always tap
on title bar to return to the upper layer. The title
bar will only reveal when the device screen is in
Portrait orientation mode.
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Start Live Monitoring
Enter Sites List
Tap on to execute ACTi Mobile Client. By default,
you will enter Sites list. On this page, you can tap on
any site to connect to it.
After successfully
connecting to a
site, you will enter
View Selection
screen, where you
can select desired
live video source.
Site Type
NVR Server / ERC Server
CMS Server
Camera / Video
Encoder
Search bar
Search bar
Note
You can choose “All Device” to see all
camera’s live view; If there are
numerous views, you can input the
view name in Search Source / View
bar to directly get to it
NVR Server Site
CMS Server Site
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Map View
With the map-based display, it is easier for you to
explore sites of multiple types and locations with a
geographical perspective. To enter map view mode to
have a glance of your sites on Google map. Tap in
top right corner and tap “Map”.
Upon your first entering the map view, the map will be
centered on your current location. On the map, your
sites of all types are shown based on their location.
Note
To make sure the locations of sites are correctly shown, you have to (1) set the coordinates
on the server interface, (2) enable the mobile network on your mobile device for Google map
to load the site data, (3) enable the GPS function on your mobile device.
Tap to filter your desired video source type:
camera or server.
Tap to refresh the location data of all sites
Tap center the map on your current location
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On the global map, your sites of all types are displayed
based on their location. You can navigate the map
using finger gestures; for sites in the region that is not
shown on your current screen, you can input its name
in the Search Box to find it.
The search box will provide the possible candidates for you to select. Tap on your desired site
to focus on it on the map view.
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By tapping on the site icon again, ACTi Mobile Client will update the video source information
of this site; in the meantime, the site icon will turn blue, and you can start searching for the
video sources dedicated to this site.
Note
If you enter a site the icon of which appears with a lock, your user account is limited to
accessing part of the video source of this site.
Return to List View
Tap in top right corner and tap “List”.
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Operation Instructions
View Screen
Upon entering a View or All Device screen, you will be provided with a 6-grid layout screen
despite the original layout style setting on NVR; each mini channel will display continuous live
snapshots at 1 frame per second.
To enter a Live View Single Channel Screen, tap the channel, and tap “Live View” on the
popup window. To enter a Playback Single Channel Screen, tap on a channel select
“Playback” on the popup window. If there are more than six camera channels in this view, the
page indicator will appear on the bottom, and you may swipe horizontally to navigate other
pages.
View Name
Page Indicator
Previous Page Next Page
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Push Video
With ACTi Mobile Client installed, the capability to take a video recording and network
connection, your mobile device can turn into a mobile camera that shares live video to other
NVR clients in the real time as well as stores the video data to NVR server simultaneously.
Register Your Device
1. Upgrade your NVR Corporate server to V3.0.11 or newer.
2. Make sure both your NVR server and mobile device have Internet access.
3. On the device that will be registered to NVR server, execute ACTi Mobile Client, access
the NVR server, tap on top right corner and then “Push Video”, you will enter
registration page to send the request for registering as a device in NVR server.
On registration page, input the device name for NVR server administrator to identify, tap
on “Service Registration” and then exit this app.
4. On NVR server side, log in to NVR server as the administrator, go to Setup page
Device click “Add” and then “Add Mobile”.
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On Add Mobile window, check the device on request list and then tap on “Accept”. Note
that this mobile device is recognized as a standard ACTi camera by NVR server, so it is
necessary that there be enough Remaining License for your mobile device.
After this device is accepted, it will appear on Camera list. On NVR Live screen, unlike a
conventional video source the data of which is continuously streamed into and displayed, a
mobile device channel may appear black most of the time and display live image only when
this device is recording and transmitting video stream to NVR server.
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Take Video Recording
On your mobile device, execute ACTi Mobile Client, access the NVR server, and tap
on top right corner and then “Push Video”.
Entering the preview screen, you will see the preview of this device’s camera (rear camera, as
in general cases, the rear camera acts as the main camera rather than the front-facing one).
To start, on the screen, tap the object to manually focus on it and then to start recording;
to stop recording, tap on again, this video clip will be seamlessly uploaded to NVR
server.
ISO
Auto (the device’s original setting)/
100/200/4000/800/1600
Frame per Second
15/30
Resolution
SD (720x480) HD (1280x720)
Full HD (1920x1080)
Record Audio
On/Off
Exit
Start/Stop Recording
Note
If you encounter a “Push video failed” message during the operation, your device is not
correctly registered to NVR server, please go through the procedures narrated in Register
Your Device section and make sure this mobile device appears on the NVR’s Camera list.
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Live View Single Channel Screen
On a single channel screen displays the camera’s live streaming. You may:
● Watch live streaming of a camera by its original resolution
● Switch to another camera channel or another View at ease
● Observe triggered motion/DI indications
● Manipulate digital/optical PTZ operation
● Take a snaphot of live view
● Perform manual-recording
● Send audio out to this camera
● Manually trigger DO device
Previous Channel Next Channel
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On-screen Controls
You can slide on the bottom of the channel screen to reveal more controls.
Function
Description
Enter Playback
Screen
The Navigation Menu offers shortcuts to other
screens:
Enable PTZ
Tap to enable PTZ manipulation. For detailed
instructions, please refer to the Operate PTZ
Functions section in this document.
Preset Points
Tap to see list of Preset Points available. For
detailed instructions, please refer to the Go To
Preset Points section in this document.
Take Snapshot
The snapshot will be saved as *.JPEG file to the
default photo album on your device.
Navigation Menu
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